Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Raelyn
I open my eyes to light coming through my curtains. A smile forms on my face as I stretch.
It’s Friday, my twenty-fourth birthday. We have a floating holiday for your birthday month at work, so I get to enjoy the day off. I wish every week could be a three day weekend. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Leaving the warmth of my bed, I throw on my robe. Now, to start my day with some caffeine.
In the kitchen, I fix myself a cup of coffee. Once I add my creamer, I decide to enjoy it on the balcony. Taking a seat, my chest rises as I inhale the salty air, while watching the waves crash softly against the shore.
In the calmness of the morning, my mind drifts to Holt. What is he doing at this moment? I haven’t checked his account, or the fan accounts about him, lately. I was doing well, yet here he is, sitting on my mind once again. If only his memory wasn’t so intoxicating.
My phone rings, breaking my thoughts. Mom flashes across the screen.
“Happy birthday, baby girl,” she says cheerfully as I answer. “Let’s go get a mani and pedi, then grab lunch for my birthday girl.”
“Thank you. You always know the way to my heart. It won’t take me long to get ready, then I’ll swing by to pick you up.”
“It’s a date. See you soon and drive safe. Love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.” I smile, as I end the call.
A few hours later, we are eating lunch at one of our favorite sushi spots.
Mom pampered me today and wouldn’t let me pay a dime. “My treat,” she says.
I’ve always been close with my mom. She’s my rock, my shoulder to cry on, and my ear to listen, and her advice is always the best. I hope to be half the woman she is one day. She’s beautiful in her fifties, even though you would never guess that was her age.
I hope to age well like her. Everyone says I’m her spitting image, even though Dad says I favor him.
I grew up seeing true love with my parents, and I hope to find that love myself one day.
“So, Raelyn, anything new going on?"
“Mom, I talk to you every day; you would know if there was.”
“Just wishful thinking. Is Jace still sniffing around?” she asks, frowning.
I laugh at her comment. “You say that like he’s a dog.”
She raises her eyebrows. “He is a dog in my book. Your daddy was the one ready to hunt him down, though. The boy had us all fooled; shame on him. I never was sold he was the one for you, though. I just had a feeling.”
Mom did like Jace, however that ship quickly sailed.
“Well, he did come by the house recently.”
“Oh no…”
“No, it’s okay. I think it’s finally over. I think he understands now, there’s no going back. We finally got closure.”
I see a proud gleam in her eyes. “Good, you deserve the best, and I don’t want you to settle for anything less. You have so much to offer, my girl. I do want to be a grandmother one day before I’m too old, though, so you just keep that in mind,” she says in a playful tone.
I place my hand on my chest acting offended. “I turn twenty-four and suddenly I’m running out of time.”
She chuckles. “You know I’m playing. There’s plenty of time. I have a feeling Mr. Right is around the corner, though. Moms have a sense about these things you know.”
I blow out a breath. “Maybe so.”
I look at my reflection in the mirror. My makeup is smokey to make my blue eyes pop, while my hair is curled in soft waves that cascade down my back. I admire my red leather skirt and strapless black corset top paired with chunky, black heels. Turning side to side, I watch the rhinestones on the bodice shimmer in the light.
It’s my birthday, so I had a good reason to splurge on my outfit, and I’m loving myself sick, right now. I give myself one last look, adding some red lipstick before I head down the stairs.
The front door opens as I pour myself a glass of wine
Brynn lets out a whistle. “Damn, birthday girl, you are smokin’!”
Rylie bounces up to me giving me a tight hug. “Happy birthday, sis!”
“I second Brynn. We have such a hot friend group,” Maddie points out.
I raise my glass. “Amen to that.”
Everyone settles on the couch with a glass of wine while we wait for the driver.
“So where are we going?” I ask.
Ryle wiggles her finger at me. “No way, you can’t ruin the surprise now.”
“Okay, I’ll be patient,” I say.
Maddie takes a sip of her wine. “So, I have some news. I’ve kinda been seeing someone.”
“Oh, we need all the details,” I exclaim.
Brynn gasps. “You bitch, you’ve been keeping things from us.”
Rylie narrows her eyes. “You’re breaking the girl code. No secrets.”
Maddie blushes. “He came in for a haircut recently and ended up asking me for my number. He’s a cop with a bad boy edge.”
“A cop? Really, Maddie,” Brynn throws in.
“He’s really sweet, though. I was feeling it out first to see if we had potential, and I think we do. We mesh well, and he told me he doesn’t want me to see other guys.”
I can see the glow in her eyes. “I’m so happy for you, Maddie. I can tell you’re smitten already.”
“On second thought, does he have any hot cop friends? I like handcuffs,” Brynn adds slyly.
Laughter fills the kitchen.
She lifts her shoulders in a shrug. “What? I’m always open to new opportunities.”
“We all know that vagina is always open,” Rylie quips.
Brynn flips her the bird. “No, she’s not. I have standards, thank you.”
I laugh, taking another sip of my wine.
“What about the new hot guy from your work, Rylie?” I ask.
“That’s to be continued, but no juicy news yet,” she says.
Maddie clears her throat and raises her glass. “I have a toast for the night. To old doors closing, and to new ones opening. May this be the best year yet! Happy birthday, Raelyn!”
I raise my glass. “I’ll drink to that.”
Rylie stands up from the couch. “Perfect timing, our ride is here.”
A short ride later, our Uber pulls up outside the Wharf Amphitheater. Obviously, we’re going to a concert of some kind. My mind starts ticking… Wait a minute . I swing my gaze to the girls in question and am met with knowing grins.
Rylie places a ticket in my hand. “Happy birthday, Raelyn.”
I flip the ticket over, scanning it. Morgan Hardy, featuring Holt Hayes. It’s not just any ticket either. It’s a front row ticket.
I blink a few times while staring at it. My eyes fly back to meet Rylie’s. “I can’t do this,” I say, slightly panicked.
Brynn gives me a stern look. “The hell you can’t. That ticket wasn’t cheap, and you’re about to go show pretty boy what he’s been missing.”
Rylie rubs her hands together excitedly. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he spots you.”
“You haven’t given a guy the time of day since you got your brains screwed out in Nashville. Here’s your chance. Take your shot,” Maddie states, giving me a slap on the ass.
I swallow hard. Can I really do this? “What if he doesn’t even remember me.” That would hurt the most. Talk about killing someone’s pride.
Rylie rolls her eyes dramatically. “Oh, get the hell out of here. You’re in your head too much. I’m willing to bet he chokes up on his lyrics. You’re not easy to forget, sis. We’re taking bets, and our money is on you.”
I sit there for a minute, taking everything in. What’s the worst that could happen?
I stare at the ticket. “I still can’t believe y’all did this.”
“I would love to be in your shoes, but that fine specimen of a man has eyes only for you. So, get your fine ass out of this car,” Brynn commands.
I take a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this, but I need a shot when we get in to calm my nerves. Hell, I may need two.”
“You act like you’ve never seen the guy naked,” Rylie adds, with a smirk.
“Is he packing? How big is he?” Brynn asks.
I laugh and shake my head.
Maddie claps her hands together. “This is going to be fun.”
With drinks in hand, we make our way through the crowd to find our seats. The shots have eased my nerves some, and I’m feeling a little more confident now.
The seats are literally front and center. There’s no way he can miss me. Oh, man. I sip my frozen margarita and gaze around the buzzing amphitheater. The place is packed out, not an empty seat in sight.
A sense of pride for Holt runs through me. He really did it.
Music starts pumping through the speakers as I turn to the stage. Oh man, the nerves are back. My heart is racing, and I may throw up now.
He’s the opener, so he’ll be out to play first.
“Show time, baby!” Brynn yells out.
The band enters the stage playing as they take their places. Then, like the music god he is, Holt appears through the smoke, talking to the crowd.
“Are y’all ready to have a damn good time tonight?” he yells with a panty dropping smile. “I hope to leave y’all with a show you’ll never forget!”
He commands the stage with his presence wearing a fitted black T-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. A simple look, yet anything but simple on Holt Hayes. Everything clings to him in all the right places, accentuating his muscular build. God, he’s sexy in his element.
My eyes are glued to his every move.
He leans into the microphone. “I’m going to start tonight with one of my recent hits. Thank y’all for making this one a chart topper. It’s called ‘Beer Talks’.”
The crowd goes wild as he picks up his guitar.
A grin is already plastered on my face.
“I ain’t saying that there’s something in the air tonight,
But that pretty little thing is sure catching my eye.
She’s leaving that Napa Valley red lipstick on her glass,
Never thought this ole boy would fall like that.
She might shoot me down, tell me she don’t listen to drunks.
But when that beer talks, she’ll think I hung the moon.
That country girl’s falling for what she ain’t used to.
Throwing out lines, reeling her in,
Don’t really know if I’m making much sense.
I ain’t sayin’ that 12 ounce can makes me an outlaw,
But that beer talks.
I don’t wanna rock that jukebox, I just wanna dance her around,
I hit that Brooks and Dunn left-right-tight two-step,
Do-si-do her all the way on home.”
The crowd is already engaged, as his lyrics fill the amphitheater.
He hasn’t spotted me yet, but as he walks to the middle of the stage, I hold my breath. He scans the crowd smiling, then our eyes collide. I feel as if my world stops as my heart beats faster.
He squints, pausing his lyrics for a split second, then picks back up. With our eyes still connected, I decide to be brave, giving him a small wave.
A smile breaks across his face as he walks to the end of the stage and kneels down in front of me.
I reach up, lost in the moment.
He grabs my hand, placing a kiss on it. The familiar tingle runs across my skin as his cologne engulfs me. He then gives me his signature smirk, making my heart flutter as he moves to the other side of the stage.
“Shut up! I told you,” Rylie shouts above the music.
Maddie is giving her a high five.
“You must have a golden vagina,” Brynn says, smiling.
Laughter spills out of me. He remembers me! Talk about a major ego boost.
I turn my attention back to Holt, a smile still plastered across my face.
His performance is captivating. I’m lost in watching him perform, mesmerized by his body, singing along to his songs.
He’s made eye contact with me throughout his set. It’s as if he’s scared I may disappear. His heated gaze has me feeling warm all over.
His last song comes to an end as Maddie and Brynn lift a sign into the air. I look questioningly at Rylie, but she just shrugs in return.
The sign catches Holt’s attention, and he moves closer to read then the biggest smile stretches across his face.
I bite the inside of my cheek. God, I hope Brynn didn’t ask him if my vagina was golden.
I tilt my head to the side, trying to make out what the sign says before Holt takes it from her.
His eyes have a playful glint in them. “It looks like we have a birthday to celebrate in the house tonight.”
I swing my gaze to the girls. I’m going to kill them, literally.
“Raelyn, would you do me the honor of coming up on stage for a moment?”
Looking at him, I start to shake my head. “No way,” I mouth.
He nods his head and waves me up. Security is suddenly by my side guiding me on the stage.
I nervously walk to him, praying I don’t trip and fall on my face in front of a sold out crowd.
He wraps his arm around my shoulder, as warmth floods my body and I melt into his touch.
“It’s Raelyn’s twenty-fourth birthday tonight. What if we sing her a quick ‘Happy Birthday’?” he yells to the crowd.
The crowd goes wild giving him approval.
“You really don’t have to do this,” I whisper, mesmerized by the bright stage lights.
He leans close. “Oh, but I do.”
He then starts belting out ‘Happy Birthday’ as the crowd joins in. I look down to my girls, smiling as they sing along. They are loving the shit out of this.
When the song comes to an end he leans in my ear. “Happy birthday, my pretty little poison. Don’t leave when the show is over. Stay for me.” He then leans in, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“Ok,” I say breathlessly, as my heart flutters again.
I wave to the crowd, smiling as I walk off the stage.
Taking back my spot, I glare at the girls. “I’m so going to kick y’all’s asses for that one.”
They all start snickering.
“Bitches.” I smirk.
Holt starts talking. “I recently recorded a new song. It originally was set to be dropped in the next few weeks, but I feel like I want to share it with y’all tonight.”
The crowd goes wild.
“It’s about a girl who got away, and a guy putting his heart on the line. It’s called ‘Comeback’.” He looks at me and winks.
Is he telling me this song is about me? Holding my breath, I wait as he starts strumming his guitar.
“The clock on the wall just seems to slow down,
I don’t know the last time I left this house.
I know when you did because I watched those taillights fade.
I know what I did that made it turn out this way.
My phone’s on loud, keys under the mat on the ground,
I’ll leave the porch light on in case you turn around and come back, baby.
Tell me what I gotta do,
It’s driving me crazy not waking up next to you.
Drinking my weight in whiskey,
Baby, if you ever miss me,
I ain’t a beggar but I ain’t too proud.
To get down on my knees, asking you and God please.
Take a little bit of both of y’all to save me.
Comeback, baby.
I’m staring out the window at the ghost of you.
So comeback, baby.
Tell me what I gotta do,
It’s driving me crazy not waking up next to you .
Drinking my weight in whiskey,
Baby, if you ever miss me,
I ain’t a beggar but I ain’t too proud.
To get down on my knees, asking you and God please.
Take a little bit of both of y’all to save me.
Comeback, baby.
If I never would have let you walk away,
You’d never have to hear me say,
Comeback, baby.
Tell me what I have to do,
Yeah comeback, baby.”
He keeps singing with his eyes fixated on me. I’m stuck in his trance. My mind is racing from the meaning behind his lyrics.
The song comes to an end, and the crowd goes wild.
“Thank y’all!” He smiles as he waves to the crowd.
My mind is still a cluster of emotions as I watch him exit the stage.
Rylie nudges me. “I think he just wrote a song about you, sis.”
“You think so?”
I’m still lost in thought when a security guard walks up to me, handing me a note. I open it.
Meet me after the concert. We need to talk. I’ll have security bring you backstage once it’s over. You look beautiful tonight, my pretty little poison.
-Holt
Maddie peers over my shoulder. “Oh my God!”
“Yep, she definitely has a golden vagina,” Brynn adds.
“I think you should thank us now,” Rylie says, smugly.
Looking up from the note, a smile crosses my face. “I do believe a thanks is in order.”
Holt
She’s here. I thought those blue eyes would haunt me for the rest of my life.
I could hardly take my eyes off of her the whole set, scared she might disappear.
I pace the floor in my dressing room, anxious for the concert to end.
My door opens and Luke walks in. He takes a swig of his beer as studies me for a minute. “The chick on stage, is that her?”
I nod. No need to act like I don’t know what he’s talking about now.
He hands me a beer. “I had a feeling. You played the new song, and you even kissed her on the cheek in front of a sold out crowd. I knew that song had meaning to it. It was her?”
I nod again in response.
“She’s smoking hot.” He smirks.
I narrow my eyes. “Watch it.”
He smiles while shaking his head. “You’re being possessive already; this should be entertaining to watch unfold. So, what are you going to do?”
I tilt my beer back, draining the contents. “Security gave her a note from me. I asked her to meet me after the concert because I want to talk to her.”
“You wrote her a note? I’m impressed.”
I roll my eyes at his amusement but continue, “My fingers are itching to hold her again. What the hell is wrong with me? I’m not this person.”
Luke nods his head. “You’re right. You’re not this person, but people change.”
I blow out a breath. “Women have walked in and out of my life like a revolving door. I have never wanted more than sex, but here I am, praying she took my damn note and agreed to meet me.”
The corner of his mouth turns up as he leans against the wall, silently watching me.
I feel like I’m losing control. I sit down taking a deep calming breath. “She’s different, like a breath of fresh air.”
“What makes her different?”
“She didn’t know who I was or even try to get my attention the night of the party. It just happened, completely unexpected.”
“Sounds like she was genuinely interested in you without the fame.”
I nod. “Conversation with her is easy. Then, there’s her sexy mouth. She just says what she’s thinking and calls out the bullshit. Hell, she’s probably freaked out right now knowing I wrote a song about her.”
A smile forms across his face. “That may be true. However, I didn’t see that expression on her face. How did y’all end things?”
“Last time I saw her I told her I didn’t do relationships or commitment. I just asked her for one night, and she never asked for more.”
Luke takes a swig of his beer. “So she never reached out to you?”
I shake my head. “Never. Even with my name growing attention and fame. She’s been a constant fixture in my mind, though. I’ve tried to find her, but all I had was her first name.”
Looking up from my rant, I see Luke’s amused expression trained on me.
He shakes his head again. “Holt Hayes tripped up over a woman. Never thought I’d see the day. Looks like you have a heart after all. I knew she was different because you’ve brought her up multiple times when you’ve been drinking. You’ve never cared to talk about a woman before her. You’ve changed, too, no longer entertaining women at the parties we attend.”
I frown, rubbing my face. “I haven’t been able to shake her since that night. I never thought I’d see her again and now she’s here. I’m scared of how she makes me feel.” I admit quietly.
“Scared enough to let her walk away again?”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t want to lose her again.”
“Could you see her with another man,” he asks, watching me intently.
I narrow my eyes and clench my fist as I think about someone else touching her skin. “I would kill someone. She’s mine!”
“Then there’s your answer. Don’t let her get away this time,” he says, as he leaves my room.
Right then, I make up my mind. I won’t let her disappear this time. I may not have a hold on her, but she sure as hell has one on me.