12. Barrett
Chapter 12
Barrett
“ W hat do you want to drink? I got water or…water,” Zac says, peering into the mini fridge on his tour bus.
It’s always like stepping into another world when I go to see my brother. He’s a musician. At least, that’s how he sees himself. The world sees him as country music’s golden boy. He pens songs with happy, romantic lyrics and upbeat melodies. Every project he touches in Nashville turns to gold.
But no one knows about golden boy’s struggles. He hasn’t told the world about it. The only evidence is the way his hand shook when he signed autographs tonight after the show. The smiles he gave during the meet-and-greet were forced, but no one else saw it. They all adore him.
I nod and he tosses me the bottle of chilled water. We’re alone together on his bus after the show. Everyone else is out for drinks celebrating. Normally, he’d be there too despite the heavy things he carries.
But this time of year haunts him. It always does. That’s why I dropped Sadie back at her bakery after yesterday’s tour of the farm. I explained that I’d be gone for a few days, and I’d call her every night.
I yank off the cap and take a long swig before asking him how he’s doing.
He flops down on the built-in couch across from me. The two of us have passed a lot of late nights together on this bus. “You know how it is.”
I grunt. That means the nightmares are back for him. He used to wake up screaming for years after. I was the only one who could get through to him. The only one who could calm him.
“Are the pills helping?” I ask, thinking of the anti-anxiety medication he’s been taking for the last two years.
He picks at the edge of his water bottle label with his thumbnail. “How’s Skip?”
“Same as always, I reckon. Met a girl,” I tell him. Nothing I can do for him when he gets into this headspace except distract him.
“You or Skip?” He’s still focused on the water bottle, picking at the label then smoothing it down again.
“Me.”
“Poor girl.”
I toss my empty water bottle at his head, and for the first time all night, he cracks a genuine smile. “She’s going to be your future sister-in-law.”
“Good, I got a real shortage of those. Are you going to show me a picture of her or do I have to wait until the wedding to see her?”
I pull my phone from my shirt pocket and flick through the last few photos on my phone, landing on my favorite one from this past week. It’s Sadie at the mixer in her bakery. She has a soft smile on her face. Behind her, the late afternoon sun streams through the window, giving her an ethereal glow.
“Pretty,” he says when he sees the picture. He’s understating it, and we both know that. But Zac is a smart man. He knows damn well not to stare too long or offer more than an approving word on her beauty.
“I’m going to settle down with her the moment I can get a ring on her finger,” I tell him. While I was on the road, I stopped in at one of the big city jewelry stores and found a ring for my girl. I was texting Dotty while I did it, getting her insights into what type of ring my girl would like.
Zac smiles wistfully.
“It’ll happen for you soon,” I promise him. I still can’t believe how quickly my whole life has changed. Last week I was content being a single guy with his three-legged dog. Now I can’t wait until the day I have a house full of kids and a minivan full of crushed cereal.
He shrugs. “I’ve been all over, and I haven’t found her. Maybe I’m not meant to.”
“She’s out there for you. One day, love is going to hit you out of the blue,” I reassure him. I don’t know where she is or who she is, but I’m certain there’s a soulmate out there for my younger brother.
My phone rings, and I frown when I see Sadie’s name on my caller ID. We already talked tonight. She said she was going to watch a movie then head to bed early.
I swipe the screen to answer, bracing myself for whatever news she’s about to share.
Sadie
“And then we went up into the hayloft,” I tell Dotty, emphasizing the last word.
She giggles. “Does that mean what I’m thinking?”
“Mmm-hmm,” I hum as I finish cleaning the kitchen of my apartment. It’s late, and I’m having trouble sleeping again. Coco is darting around my feet anxiously. There’s a bad storm headed for Courage County, and I think he senses it.
“I take it cowboys really do it better,” she says.
“He makes me feel safe,” I tell her, thinking again of his promises to marry me and give me a baby. I hope we’re able to do that stuff soon.
Dotty sighs softly. “I need to find a cowboy.”
“He has a brother. Three of them,” I point out. I tried to figure out why he was going to see Zac in the middle of a tour, but Barrett was cryptic about it.
“Probably not my type,” she says then changes the subject, “So, the fated mate one, have you gotten to the scene where he restrains her? I’ve read it like three times. So hot.”
I chuckle, and we talk about the purple alien romance we’re reading and the hero’s obsession with tying up the heroine. I didn’t think I had a thing for that, but now I think I do. Romance books give me the freedom to explore my secret fantasies without shame or judgement.
The windowpanes shake as the thunder rumbles outside. I glance out the window in time to see lightning flash.
Dotty says something in response, but I can’t tell what it is because the phone call begins to breakup. I catch scattered fragments from her side of the conversation. Something about a warning.
Before I can ask about it, there’s the noise of a rushing wind. It almost sounds like a freight train is about to barrel through my little apartment.
The glass in the windows shatters, and my kitchen floor instantly becomes a sea of shards. I drop my phone just as the power shuts off. My mouth goes dry, and I crumple to my knees. Beside me, Coco lets out a panicked whine.
I put my hand on her, trying to steady both of us. But I can’t think. There’s only the overwhelming darkness. Automatically, my eyes begin straining for a sliver of light.
As a kid, I’d watch underneath the door for hours, trying to tell what time of day it was by how much light I could see. Except tonight there is no light. Inky blackness surrounds me, and I’m certain it’s going to swallow me whole.
My breathing grows shallow. I try to think, to remember what I was doing before it all went dark. My phone. I was on the phone before I dropped it, which means it must be near to me. Carefully, I feel around, trying to avoid the shards that are littering the floor.
When my fingers finally close around the familiar rectangle, I grab at it desperately, needing this lifeline. The first person I think of is Barrett. I know it’s late, but I need to hear his voice again. Need to remember that I’m not alone in this, just like he promised.
“Hey, sweet girl. What’s going on?”
“There’s a storm, and there’s glass, and it’s dark in here!” My voice comes out as a wail on the last part. Outside, the storm has already stilled. Now there’s only an eery silence that could almost make me think I imagined the last moments if it weren’t for the fact that it’s so dark in my apartment.
Barrett’s voice is steady and calm, the same way it was when he entertained the boys to keep them from realizing what was happening with Greer’s hand. “Talk me through this. There’s a storm happening. Now, what’s going on with the glass?”
My voice comes out as shaky as I feel. “I don’t know. It sounded like a train then there was glass everywhere and now the electricity is out.”
“Are you in your apartment?”
“Yeah, I’m in my kitchen.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Really?” Just hearing him say that is easing some of my anxiety. Barrett is coming for me. I’m not alone in this.
“Yes, I’m getting in my truck right now.” I hear other voices in the background then an engine starts. “It’s going to take me a little while to get there. I’ll stay on the phone with you while I travel. Now, I need you to answer some questions for me.”
“OK,” my voice still sounds wobbly but not as badly as it was before.
“Are you hurt? How about Coco?” When I tell him we’re both fine other than being scared, he continues, “Can you put me on speakerphone and use the light from your phone to get out of your kitchen?”
I fumble with the phone but manage to turn it on speakerphone. I pick Coco up with shaking hands and find my shoes. I carry her out of the apartment. Downstairs, I realize the windows in my bakery have been blown out too.
“It’s really bad,” I tell him. “There’s so much damage.”
“As long as you and Coco aren’t hurt, we can rebuild everything else,” he reminds me. “All that matters is that my best girls are safe.”
Next, Barrett directs me to find the breaker box in the basement. To my disappointment, nothing happens when I flick the switches.
“Must be a tree on the line,” I mutter to myself. I’m surprised at how much calmer I’m feeling with Barrett’s soft voice in my ear.
He continues instructing me, giving me tasks to do like going back upstairs to find flashlights and candles. I manage to find enough light sources that my space is illuminated.
“They’re going to stop working,” I tell him. “The batteries are old.”
“They’ll hold for now, and I’m not going anywhere,” he reminds me. “I’m coming right for you.”
I wish he were beside me right now. But since he isn’t, I’m doing my best to be brave. I lock Coco in her travel crate so she can’t get hurt and do my best to clean up the glass.
After, I settle on my couch and listen to Barrett. He talks to me for hours as he travels, telling me about all the things we’re going to do when we’re married. He talks about the gardens we’ll plant in the backyard and the treehouse he’s going to build with our kids. He’s got our whole lives mapped out.
Just as my phone battery drops to five percent, I hear the rumble of a truck on the street below. “Are you here?”
“I’m pulling up,” he promises.
I race downstairs and fling open the door. The first ribbons of pink are beginning to show in the sky, promising the sunrise that’s soon to come.
Barrett hops out of the passenger seat of the truck, and I throw myself at him. His arms instantly go around me, pulling me close.
The calm I’ve been seeking all night fills me completely. I’m safe again. I’m safe because he’s here. He didn’t forget about me. He remembered me.
He presses a soft kiss to the top of my head. “Nothing could ever keep me from you. You’re my girl, and you’re never alone. No matter how dark the night or how long the storm, I will always come for you. I love you.”
I lift my head to stare up at him. “You love me.”
“Forever. You’ll forever be my girl, always loved by me,” he reassures me softly.
I blink back the sheen of moisture in my eyes. “You’re the love of my life. I can’t wait to spend our days doing all those things you told me about on the phone. I want to build a life together. I want forever with you, my big teddy bear.”