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The Cowboy Songwriter's Fake Marriage

Page 14

by Lucy McConnell


  Not that she was unattractive. She was definitely pretty, in a gentle way. He grinned, thinking about the delicate curve of her neck and the softness of her skin.

  Mark waved from the counter, and he hurried over to add his order. Once they had their food, they took a seat in the corner. Just as he was about to take a bite of his Reuben, Mark slapped him on the back. “You did it!” He jarred the sandwich loose, and the innards were now outward.

  Xavier glared at him. “Did what?”

  “Tyson loved ‘Love on a Dream.’ He wants to buy it, and he wants your whole family to fly to Denver to hear it performed for the first time onstage—in two days.”

  Xavier’s scowl evaporated and was replaced with a perma-grin. He’d done it! He sold a song. His first in years. “That’s awesome.”

  “Not only that, he wants to use four more of your songs on his next album. I think this is a comeback for you, man.” Mark grabbed his shoulder and pushed him side to side and then let go. He looked at his turkey on rye as if he’d forgotten it was there and he was starving.

  “That’s the best news.” He was shocked and yet relieved and surprised, and yet it was all expected. The kind of music Emily inspired was epic and yet everyday. Falling in love was different for everyone and yet exactly the same. She made it all feel like a dream. Xavier thought of the other songs he had stored away. “I’ve got more.”

  “If they’re anything like ‘Love on a Dream,’ I won’t have trouble selling them.”

  “I had a few artists in mind.” His old business sense had kicked in, but he hadn’t dared bring this up until he had confirmation that he wasn’t a hack or a has-been.

  Mark laughed. “I’ll bet you do.”

  “But I’d like to work with someone new, someone like Tyson was—is—who will play around with the music.” That creative zen they got into made such a difference. Jamming with an artist gave him a chance to get to know their voice in a way that listening to their songs didn’t. He could push them to try things and then know if it did or didn’t work. That always put him in the flow.

  Mark nodded. “I’ll start looking for that. You know Tyson gives you credit for his rise to the top.”

  “He does?” Xavier hadn’t heard that before.

  “He does to the people who matter. You know how media interviews go. They want to hear about the band and the stage crew—but when you talk to him, the real him, he says your songs were the ones that shot to the top of the weekly top twenty.” Mark swiped the mustard off his lips.

  Xavier hadn’t started putting his sandwich back together, he was so blown away.

  “I did some research of my own, and he’s right. ‘Hard Heart in a Pickup Truck’ stayed in the number one spot for three months.”

  “Why didn’t I know this before?”

  “Nora.” Mark glanced away.

  Xavier’s curiosity pricked. Mark didn’t talk about Nora a lot. He’d let Xavier go on for hours after the funeral, but he never brought her up. “She didn’t pass for a year after ‘Hard Heart’ was released. What did that have to do with the song’s success?”

  Mark set his sandwich down and wiped his fingers with a paper napkin. “I didn’t want to ever tell you, but I think you need to know. She asked me not to talk about how well your songs did after you sold them. She said she didn’t want you to let the success go to your head, for you to think you were big time.”

  Xavier shoved the plate away from him. He didn’t quite believe Mark. Then again, Mark didn’t have a reason to lie. “Why would she do that?”

  “She said that once you started feeling the pressure of a hit song, your music would suffer. I think she was trying to protect you.”

  He shook his head sadly. That sounded like something Nora would say. She was all about art for the sake of art—not money. There was one song she’d insisted he never pitch because it was too special. He’d bought into it then, but now he wondered. Another thought came to mind, one that he’d never expressed but that had stayed with him from early on. “Mark, do you think Nora was jealous of my success?” He felt bad even saying the words out loud. Nora had been a cellist, a good one. She’d tried out for several symphonies but never got a call back. Then she was pregnant and she packed away her cello.

  Mark tipped his head from side to side. “I think she felt like you were above country music, that you should have stuck with the poetry you were doing when you two met.”

  “I only did that as a class assignment.”

  “Right, but it was what she liked. Commercializing lyrics bothered her.”

  “I know.” Xavier grabbed a napkin and began folding it into a tiny square. Much like he’d felt being married to Nora. “I love it, though. I love hearing my songs on the radio and seeing them performed onstage.” He threw the square aside. “If I had half of Tyson’s stage presence, I’d be up there myself.” Stage presence? More like less of his own stage fright. His hands felt like clubs up there, and it made playing a guitar impossible.

  Mark smiled. “I think you could go for it. Especially if you were singing one of Emily’s songs.”

  Xavier lowered his brow in confusion. “Emily’s songs?”

  “That’s what I’ve named this new batch of music. You wrote it for Emily, didn’t you? Or I should say because of her. I’m so glad you guys fell in love. It was unexpected, but it’s great.”

  “Love?” Xavier scoffed. “Don’t get me wrong, I like her—a lot. But love? That’s not really possible.”

  Mark gave him a do-you-think-I’m-stupid look. “It’s in your music, man. It’s like she opened your heart and pulled the notes out.”

  Xavier pushed back from the table, agitated. “What Emily did was bring order to my life. She makes healthy meals that feed my brain and body and son. She cares for Cody so I’m not constantly worried about him. She hasn’t unlocked anything.”

  “Okay.” Mark held up his hands. “I surrender. You’re not in love with her.”

  “Thank you.” Xavier grabbed his plate back and popped a piece of meat into his mouth.

  “But can I just ask … why not?”

  He chewed. “Because I don’t need a distraction, and that’s what love is. It’s work and effort, and it takes so much time to keep the other person happy. You have to constantly monitor your relationship and make sure you’re putting enough of yourself into it while keeping some back to survive. Love is … exhausting.”

  Mark stared at him as he slowly reached for another napkin. “That’s telling.”

  Xavier stood. “I think I’ll take this to go.” He marched out of the deli without getting a box to wrap his sandwich. He didn’t even care. He set the plate on the seat of his SUV.

  He wasn’t in love with Emily. He couldn’t afford to be. The whole reason he’d picked her was because he knew he wouldn’t fall in love with her. He didn’t have time to fall in love. He had a comeback to make and songs to write. Things were finally looking up for him.

  He could kiss her. Laugh with her. Raise Cody. But love her? That was out of the question.

  Then why was everybody asking him about it?

  First his mom and now Mark.

  He shook his head. They must be reading things into the situation. They hadn’t had their conversation where he’d told her he liked her—didn’t have to. They didn’t need words. They had expressed themselves with touch. That was enough for the both of them.

  24

  Emily

  Emily bit her lip as she stared at the little black dress she’d packed to wear to the Tyson concert. The black lace across the sweetheart bodice was a little on the risqué side compared to what she’d been wearing, but it was conservative when compared to her high school prom dress. A couple months ago, she wouldn’t have blinked before putting this on; now she blushed thinking of how Xavier was going to react.

  “You’re going to look so hot.” Lexi fanned her face as she came into the room.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

&nbs
p; Tyson had rented them a four-bedroom suite. She and Xavier decided to invite Lexi along to watch Cody. She got to go to a free concert and trip to Denver, and Cody would be well taken care of while she and Xavier schmoozed with the bigwigs.

  “What? You’re scared Xavier won’t be able to control himself after seeing you in that dress?”

  “No, I’m afraid he will be able to control himself after seeing me in the dress.” She crossed her arms. “He hasn’t kissed me in days, and I’m going through withdrawals.”

  Lexi laughed. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you all done up, and he’ll lose his ability to think rationally.”

  “Stop! You make him sound like a cartoon coyote.”

  “Sweetie, inside all men are cartoon coyotes. Some are just better at hiding it than others.”

  Emily laughed. “Let’s get this hair done.” She pulled out the high bun and let the waves tumble around her shoulders.

  Lexi added some shine spray and mused the waves. “Boom! Sexy bedhead done.”

  Emily had to admit, having her hair loose again felt freeing. She changed into the dress, and Lexi did a smoky eye, adding false lashes that made her blue eyes pop. She sighed happily. “It’s more than I used to do, but I’ve missed wearing eye shadow.” She spun around. “I feel like me again.”

  Lexi patted her arm. “You look beautiful. Now go get your man. He’s in Cody’s room.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Thank you! That autographed picture of Tyson is payment enough. I can’t believe he was at your house and you didn’t text me to come right over. What is the point of being sisters if we don’t have each other’s back?”

  Emily laughed as she hurried out of the room. She wished she could set Lexi and Tyson up—she had a feeling they would get along. She just had to figure out the right time and place to ask him. There was no need to ask Lexi. She’d cancel surgery to be there. Now that Emily knew Tyson was a good man under all the spotlights and album covers, she was working on a plan.

  But her plan tonight was to blow Xavier’s socks off.

  She tapped on Cody’s open door and walked in.

  Xavier and Cody were on the bed, reading. Xavier’s black cowboy boots dangled off the side like he was afraid to get them on the coverlet. She smiled. They were as shiny as if he’d bought them yesterday but scuffed in all the right places. His faded jeans were long enough to stack on his boots. He wore a button-up shirt and a belt buckle that Tyson had given him long ago. He had three-day scruff but had shaved his neck and sculpted the rest. He was so hot, he could melt lava.

  Cody was dressed just like his dad. The two of them together were so cute she could hardly stand it.

  “Does anybody want to go to a concert?” She lifted a hand in question.

  They looked up, and Xavier’s eyes popped. She laughed inside, thinking of her conversation with Lexi. Coyote.

  He slowly got off the bed, his eyes never leaving her, like he was afraid that if he blinked, she’d evaporate. “Your hair,” he whispered.

  She ran her hand over the waves. “I think it grew two inches in the last month.” It probably had, since she hadn’t used heat on it.

  He came to her and lifted a strand, rubbing it between his thumb and fingers. “It’s so soft.”

  She cut off the diatribe about conditioning treatments and a list of the products she applied to get that “natural” soft feeling before it came out of her mouth. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  He let her hair fall to her shoulder and moved his hand to her neck, his thumb just over the pulse in her collarbone. Her heart pounded, and she wondered if he could hear it. His pupils were big, and she had a hard time catching her breath.

  “Dad!” Cody tugged at Xavier’s arm. “Let’s go.”

  Emily released the air in her lungs and turned her attention to Cody. It felt safer that way. If she continued to take in Xavier’s intensity, she’d melt. “Are you sure you’re ready?” she asked Cody.

  He glanced down at his own pair of boots. “Yep.”

  She grinned. Oh, how she loved this little guy. Bending over, she swooped him into a hug.

  “Hey! Cowboys don’t hug,” he complained.

  “They hug pretty girls every chance they get.” Xavier wrapped his arms around both of them.

  Emily’s heart opened up and swirled around the two of them. She was so full of love for these two, for her family, that she didn’t ever want to let go. Cody squirmed, letting her know she’d reached her hugging limit. “All right, I guess we’re off to a concert.”

  As excited as she was to hear Xavier’s song performed by Tyson, she would have stayed in that moment forever.

  25

  Xavier

  The noise at a concert could cause hearing damage, and Tyson’s concerts were known to be particularly loud because of all the screaming women.

  Xavier had told Mark that he’d be the one onstage if he had half Tyson’s stage presence. He took in the women waving their hands, swooning, dancing, and yelling, and decided he’d rather have the quiet life of a songwriter, a father, and mostly a husband. He didn’t want all these women; he just wanted Emily.

  The opening strains of his song started, and he put his arm around Emily, pulling her close.

  She. Was. Breathtaking.

  He’d always known she had a shape under those baggy clothes. He’d seen hints of it here and there. He just never put much thought into what she would look like in a skintight dress. As far as dresses went, this one was conservative. He’d seen women wear less to the grocery store. Then again, he hadn’t kissed those women, hadn’t held them close, hadn’t shared his days and thoughts and hopes with them. Those women didn’t champion his music or tenderly hug his son. It wasn’t just the dress that made Emily so beautiful—it was Emily’s goodness. She was a good person through and through.

  He moved his hand from her back to her hip. She smiled up at him and snuggled into his side, her hand on his chest. Tyson stepped to the microphone, the lights dimmed, and the music that had flown through him to the strings of a guitar filled the stadium.

  “Unexpected, you were unexpected.” Tyson’s deep voice did more with the words than Xavier’s tenor. He sang along anyway, close to Emily, wanting to share the words with her, the meaning.

  “But when you came into my life, a light went on, you were so bright.”

  Emily began to sway, as if she were so caught up in the notes and the guitar and the single fiddle dancing slowly in the background.

  “And now I know I can’t live without you, girl. You are my world.”

  Xavier’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it. If it was about Cody, Lexi would have called Emily. Everything and everyone else could wait. He was captured in the experience of watching Emily while his music played. Her eyes closed and her face relaxed. She hummed a few notes, and he couldn’t hold back. He leaned in and kissed her as the music swelled, his heart, mind, and soul building right along with it.

  His phone buzzed again. He continued to ignore it; kissing Emily was worth a missed call. He wouldn’t be able to hear in this place anyway, especially with the women crying and swooning. It created a sense that they were in their own bubble of time and space. In fact, time had taken on a ¾ beat. As the song came to a close, he pressed his forehead to hers and took a deep breath of her vanilla concoction.

  The concert ended three songs later. The crowed screamed for an encore. “He’ll never come back out!” Xavier yelled near Emily’s ear. Not so romantic, but necessary. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Emily pulled out her phone. “Lexi says she and Cody are already back at the hotel. They left before the last song was over. He was falling asleep in his headphones.”

  Xavier had bought him noise-cancelling headphones. He’d seen several other children with them as well.

  He checked Insta and found it blowing up about his song. The fans loved it. All of them.

  As they were leaving the building, his phone rang. He glanced at the scr
een, seeing Mark’s name he answered. “Hey, man. That was amazing. Tyson did right by the music. I couldn’t have asked for a better representation.” He held fast to Emily with his spare hand, lacing their fingers together. A quiet dinner awaited them at a nice bistro two blocks away. They’d walk, giving the after-concert traffic a chance to clear out.

  “Where were you?” Mark yelled. The sound of the stage crew packing up came through the line.

  “I was at the concert. Great tickets, by the way.” He winked at Emily and plunged through a group of twenty.

  “Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

  “I—what is going on?” Mark never drilled him like this.

  “I had Todd Maxwell backstage. He heard the song and wanted to talk to you about buying a set for Sunlight Records.”

  “That’s great!” Xavier threw his and Emily’s hands in the air. Everything was coming up roses for them. They had a beautiful son. Tyson just played his new hit song. He kissed the most beautiful woman on the planet. A contract with Sunlight Records would set them up for life.

  “No. It’s not great. He had to leave, and the offer expired with him.”

  “How?”

  “He said if he couldn’t get a hold of you, he didn’t want to work with you.”

  A feeling of falling off a cliff swept through his stomach. “That’s ridiculous.” Even as he complained, he knew that was how Maxwell worked. He demanded his people be there when he was ready for them, not the other way around. “What can I do?”

  “Answer your phone!” There was a pause. “Look, man, we needed that contract. Both of us.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” He dropped Emily’s hand and tugged at his hair. “We’ll figure something out.” They said goodbye and hung up. Xavier mimed throwing his phone at the brick wall. He’d screwed up—big time. His comeback was falling apart right in front of him.

 

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