Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
jake
As I stroll back to the buses after soundcheck, Jason is coming down the steps of my bus with an odd look on his face. God only knows what’s going on with him these days. He’s in a perpetual mood—always pushing for me to do more and go faster.
“What’s going on?” I ask, assuming he must have a reason for stopping by.
It’s no wonder chess is his favorite game; he’s constantly three steps ahead and extremely intentional with everything he does.
Perhaps that’s why he and Anna butt heads so often, they’re both masterminds at moving chess pieces before anyone realizes they’ve been playing the game.
Jason grimaces, pulling on the back of his neck. “I’m not sure what else to say, but good luck.” He shakes his head and walks away without uttering another word.
For fuck’s sake, what did he do now?
I drag a hand down my face, urging myself to remain calm because there’s an off chance it’s nothing. That I’m going to walk into my bus and find my gorgeous girlfriend curled up on the couch, enjoying a relaxing Saturday afternoon, not whatever shitstorm Jason has created.
After taking a deep breath, I climb the stairs and open the door to find Kate exactly where I expected, sitting on the couch with a book in her hand. Except she looks fucking pissed.
Goddamn it. What the fuck did he do?
I was hoping for a calmer day after yesterday’s debacle when I accidentally got naked on Kate’s client video call. No such luck.
“What’s going on, Kate?” I ask, sitting in the recliner across from her, wanting to look her in the eyes as we talk through whatever has gotten her so riled up. Besides the obvious… Jason.
She presses her lips together tightly, clenching her fists as she drops the book on the couch.
“Well, Jason stopped by to say hello and shared how much he loved the new ballad you wrote for the album. The new song about me. You know the one—it tells the story of how we got together and then broke up. How I left you.”
All the color drains from my face. I’m going to fucking kill him.
Her arms are crossed as she focuses on her breathing, likely trying to stop the tears welling in her eyes. “Jason was saying how it’s going to be a massive single and how excited the label is to get it out to fans. Needless to say, I was surprised to learn that information.”
“Kate, I’m so incredibly sorry,” I croak, angry at myself for not being the one to tell her about the song and furious at Jason for mentioning it.
“You promised,” she sobs, covering her face with her hands. “You promised I would be the first to hear any song about me. Before Jason or the label.”
Fuck. She’s not wrong. How do I explain what happened without it sounding like an excuse?
I start pacing in the small living space, tugging at the ends of my hair as I try to find the right words.
Jason is going to get a fucking earful when I see him next.
He knew exactly what he was doing by mentioning it to Kate, trying to force my hand to ensure the ballad made it onto the album even though he knew I was conflicted about it.
Stopping in front of Kate, I drop to my knees, gently pulling her hands from her face until I can see those beautiful hazel eyes.
“I’m deeply sorry, Kate. This is not how I wanted to tell you about this song.
I never meant to break my promise. My intention was always for you to hear it first,” I explain softly, wiping away her tears.
“Jason happened to stop by when I was working on the demo before we came out on tour this weekend. He overheard it and had a ton of questions. You know how he can get.”
She nods, tears continuing to stream down her face. “You still could’ve told me. I’ve been with you since Thursday.”
I sigh, taking a seat next to her on the couch and adjusting our positions so we’re facing each other.
“I had this entire scenario in my head about how I was going to tell you. Planned on playing it for you once we got home to Nashville. Another special night in the home studio.” I tuck a strand of her brown hair behind her ear and wipe away her tears.
“I never agreed to put the song on the album. I would never do something like that without talking to you first. Making sure you are comfortable with it. Please tell me you believe me.”
She blows out a deep breath, bringing her knees closer to her chest. “I want to, but it’s hard when Jason was so overly confident about what was happening.
” She shakes her head, briefly looking at the ceiling.
“He made me doubt you. Question whether you’d go back on your promise to further your career.
I should know better, but it feels like something new tries to rip us apart every day.
To disrupt our happiness. It’s exhausting. ”
I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her tightly. “I know. I’m so sorry you have to go through all of this because of me. I promise it will get easier eventually.”
“Can you send me a calendar invite for when that’s supposed to happen? I’d really like to make a big celebration out of it,” she jokes, leaning her head against me.
I chuckle, the laugh reverberating in my chest.
We sit in silence for a few minutes, each of us deep in thought about what happened and how other people will still play a role in our relationship, whether we like it or not. While Kate seems to be calming down, my frustration is rising, and it’s all directed at Jason.
“Are you okay if I leave to go find Jason? The two of us need to talk.”
“You’re going to lose your shit on him,” Kate says calmly.
“Yep. Probably going to yell. He did that on purpose. I’m going to make it clear that shit has to stop, or I’ll find a new manager.”
Kate nods. I kiss her forehead and leave the bus, laser-focused on finding Jason to give him a piece of my mind. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long to find him holed up in my green room, talking to someone on his phone. He ends the call the moment he sees my face, knowing exactly what is coming.
“Before you get all pissy with me,” Jason starts, acting like I’m the temperamental toddler, when he’s the one who was trying to manipulate the situation to get what he wants.
“No. You’re going to listen. You had no right to talk to my girlfriend about the song. You’re trying to force my hand, and I’m not going to fucking tolerate it,” I shout, angrily waving my arms toward him.
“It was an accident. I assumed you’d told her.” Jason leans back into the leather couch. “Honest mistake.”
I shake my head, knowing he’s walking a fine line between telling the truth and lying. All the best managers are pros at it. It’s always benefited me, until now, when he’s actively using it against me. “It wasn’t, and you know it. If you do this kind of shit again, you’ll force me to replace you.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Jason replies, a perplexed look across his face, one I haven’t seen before.
“Try me,” I bark, staring him down one last time before walking out and slamming the door.
No one will ever come between Kate and me. I refuse to let it happen.