I give him a quick nod, but before I can say more my cell chimes with a text.
Bat Sister: Hey, big brother, we’re clubbing tonight, doesn’t her ass look fab? – Ruby texts me, including a picture of the back of Peyton that has my dick throbbing. Fuck she does look good. My little sister is stirring up trouble and she knows it. I should be pissed that she’s at a club, but I know Peyton watches out for the brat.
I rub my jaw taking one second to make a decision. “Let’s go to this club.” Austin smirks, knowing exactly where we’re off to.
“Gotcha, man. Let’s go see the amazing Peyton.” He chuckles, slapping me on the back.
Doesn’t take us long to get to the club the girls are at and the second I walk in I see her, dancing as if no one is watching, fuck. She’s dressed to kill or fuck. I can’t decide which. The woman looks like a damn temptress in that corset she is wearing. The Peyton I knew never dressed like this. Fuck me she looks too damn good. I am definitely eating my heart out at the sight of her moving those hips and shaking her ass. “Go to the bar, I’ll be there in a bit,” I tell Austin as I stalk towards Peyton.
She doesn’t pull away when I move in, but the second I see her face anger swells up inside me. That jackass fiancé of her did this. I storm away when she tries telling me it was an accident. Right, a fucking accident, sure. Such bullshit. The Fancy I knew would never have tried to defend an abuser. I have to take a breather before I say something that I’ll regret later.
I grab the shot glass from Austin’s hand before he goes to shoot it and down it all. “Dude, slow your roll, she shoot you down?”
“No, but if I didn’t take that shot you would’ve had to bail me outta jail. The fucker hit her,” I growl, snapping my fingers for a refill.
“What are ya talking about? What fucker hit who?”
“Peyton The bastard she’s supposed to marry. Her face is busted.” I slam the glass on the bar nearly breaking it. Damn, I am heated. I down the second drink as the bartender watches me closely. “I’m cool.” I nod at him and he gives me a chin lift and shakes his head moving on to the next order.
Austin stills, he lived in an abusive home growing up, and hates fuckers like this Wes prick. “Give me a name and we’ll bury him.” He looks around the club, searching. “Dude, maybe you don’t have to worry anymore. I don’t see a ring on that finger.”
Confused I search out Peyton, and he’s right. That rock she was wearing the other day is missing from her hand. Hope sparks in my chest, until I see some asswipe put the moves on her and she starts grinding on his crotch. Mother fucker. I can’t win with her.
Austin seems to be enjoying my pain, I hear him laugh as I stalk back to her and pull her away from the douche.
Her eyes meet mine full of fire. “What the hell are you doing, Jameson?”
“Dancing with you,” I tell her simply and grab her hips before she can pull away. “One dance, Fancy. That’s it.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t pull away. Our hips rub, and I press my knee between her legs. She’s letting go and I can’t take my eyes off her as she lets the music take control. Spinning around her back is now to me. That sweet ass of hers is grinding on my crotch and like a damn teenager I am getting an erection from the contact. Damn how I have missed her. I wrap an arm around her waist holding her to me. My lips are at her neck and I slide my tongue up to her ear.
I turn her around, slamming my mouth down on hers, tasting heaven on her lips. For a brief moment she doesn’t fight my kiss. Our tongues sweep against one another, and she lets out a moan. It’s better than I remember. It is like kissing her for the first time all over again. When I break away, she goes still with tears in her eyes. I don’t see her hand coming at me as she slaps me across the face. My head whips to the side with a brutal sting searing my cheek. Fuck that hurt. But I have had that coming with how I treated her. “Don’t you ever touch me again, Jameson.” I watch her storm away from the dance floor, and out of the club. I want to chase her down, but there’ll be time for that later. The taste of her lips on mine even for that brief moment was thrilling.
Never thought this would happen again, not with what I did. I know I should have found a way around Barb and just talked to her, but I was a coward and got caught up in the music scene. However, being pushed together the way we will be for the show, I’m going to use it to my advantage. I won’t fuck this up a second time. I won’t lose her again. Now that I am back here and know that my love for her is as strong as it ever was if not stronger.
Peyton says she doesn’t want me, but I know that’s a lie, she still wants me. She never stopped. It was all there in that kiss. Passion and love. I know she felt it too. That’s why she lost it. She’s fighting her feelings. And I’m going to be here to prove it to her when she finally snaps out of the lies that she tells herself.
She’ll see. She’s always going to be my Fancy.
Flashback
“You know it is the best thing to do for both of you,” Barb sneers at me.
“I love her. You know I would never hurt Peyton.” I look up at her step-monster from the hard plastic seat in the waiting room of the emergency room.
“You love her so much you got behind the wheel and wrapped your truck around a telephone pole. What do you think Preston will do to you once he finds out? You’re lucky he’s out of town, and that I’m the one who got the call.” She pokes her finger in my chest, and I close my eyes. “She’s fighting for her life. The best thing for you to do is get on the next bus out of here and never look back. I’ll handle the police report, but you are to stay away.”
Tears flow down my face. My heart is breaking in two. We’re too young for this. I know some of what Barb is saying is true. I screwed up. Now Peyton could die.
“I can’t save them both, Jameson. Do you want Peyton to die?!”
“Of course not!” I shout. How can she ask me that? I didn’t know Peyton was pregnant. Fuck. I kick the chair next to me.
My Aunt and Uncle arrive. Barb turns her back on me and starts whispering to them. I hear her saying that I could go to jail but if they get me to leave and stay away from Peyton, she’ll make sure no charges are filed. How can she be so cruel? If I could trade places with Peyton right now I would. It should have been me who was hurt.
It shoulda been me
Laying there
Fighting for every breath
It shoulda been me
But I made a choice
Her heart or mine
The lines had been drawn
There was no going back
The deed was done
Her heart or mine
I keep holding on
Clinging to distant memories
It shoulda been me
Laying there
Her heart or mine
If I hadn’t listened to Barb back then, I wonder if things would have been different. But I left, I left like a coward, while Peyton was laying in the hospital bed, fighting for her life. I have a lot of shit to make up for but part of me wonders if when Peyton finds out the full story of that night, if she’ll ever forgive me at all.
Chapter 15
Nashville Gawker
Oh my god. Do I have a story for you! Who was at the city’s hottest nightclub and spotted our bad boy on the dance floor? That’s right.. I was there, and man do I have a scoop for you. I saw him out on the dance floor putting some moves and his mouth on a woman who was not a fan. Their two-tongue tango ended with a slap heard for miles. Had I been her, I’d been taking that bad boy home with me. Know what I’m saying…
Chapter 16
Peyton
I wake up with a hangover from hell and look at the clock. Shit, I’m meeting my dad in an hour and haven’t even started packing my things up yet. I left the club last night, sending the girls a group text letting them know I was okay but going home. I had to get out of there. I had to get away from Jameson. I was being stupid, and my heart and my mind were pulling me in two dif
ferent directions, playing tug of war with my emotions.
Before I leave the guest room, I listen for Wes. I don’t hear anything, which means the jerk isn’t home. Good. This will be easy then. I find the luggage to pack all my stuff up and find a few boxes and garbage bags to put the rest of my things in that won’t fit. All of the furniture is his, so after four trips to my car, it’s loaded, and the apartment is empty of all my possessions. I mainly had clothes and shoes here.
Now I only hope my dad will let me stay with him for the time being, at least until the show is set to start, since they’ll be giving me a studio apartment near the filming location. I don’t want to move back in on my grandparents. They are always coming to my rescue, and if I am at my dad’s then Wes can’t show his ass and act like he did yesterday.
I arrive at the restaurant and bypass the hostess and head straight for my dad. “Hey, Dad.” I smile as I sit down.
“Petty girl, how are you?” He places a hand on the table, waiting for me to set mine on it as well and gives me a gentle squeeze.
I yawn. I’m still tired from drinking too much last night. “I’m fine. I just have a lot going on with this show and ending things with Wes. It’s just a lot at once. You know? Enough about me though. What’s new with you?” We make small talk and he lets me know that he was able to cancel everything for me, of course making sure Barb wasn’t around when he did so. “Have you told Barb yet?” I’m surprised she hasn’t tried to kidnap me and force me to go through with the wedding early. She thinks Wes is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. She never was a fan of Jameson when we were together. After we broke up, she was all I told you so.
“She’s upset about the wedding. All the effort she put into the planning. Says you wasted everyone’s time. She took a call from Wes last night, and I don’t think she slept at all. I could hear her pacing the house and ranting to herself.” He seems annoyed but I think it mostly with her. He hates when we can’t get along and the wedding was the one thing keeping the peace.
“Don’t worry about her, I can handle her wrath.” It’s time to stand up for myself with Barb. I’m not being her puppet and going along with whatever she wishes. “You think anyone ever died from the stress of a canceled wedding,” I whisper under my breath and he doesn’t hear me.
“Hope so, because here she comes,” he mutters in defeat as he leans back in his chair.
Barb struts toward our table. The hag appears constipated. Her face is all hard and her mouth is pressed tight. The purple wrap dress she is wearing looks terrible with her over processed hair that it is pinned too tightly to her head. As soon as she gets to the table her mouth flies open starting in on me. Great. “How dare you do this? Wes is so upset. He’s just devastated and so heartbroken. He called me last night and he was crying and hoping I can talk some sense into you,” she hisses at me as she sits next to Dad. “You’re gonna go see him and fix this. I can’t stand it. You can’t just call off a wedding this close. What will everyone think? Oh, the shame.” She lets out a dramatic sigh worthy of Broadway.
I shake my head at her. “No, I’m not. I’m not marrying him. Everything has been cancelled. It’s over. Wes and I aren’t right for each other. I don’t love him and I’m not sure if he even really loves me either. He should eb with someone who makes him happy. I’m not that girl. Things are final. I gave back the ring. Dad made the calls to cancel it all.”
“Then un-cancel it damn it.” She pounds her fist on the table. “And leave that silly damn show. We all know you won’t make it anyways. Preston, you need to put a stop to all this foolishness. You’ve always spoiled and babied her and look where it has landed her.”
I grit my teeth at her and smile. “Maybe I won’t make it on this silly show, but I am going to try. And no matter what you want, when it comes to the wedding it will never happen, because not only do I not love Wes, but this contract right here.” I pull my copy of the agreement from my purse. “It forbids it.” I grin at her, and catch my father covering his mouth to hide a smile of his own.
“I’ll get lawyers on it, we’ll get you out of that mess and back with Wes. Where you belong,” she prattles on like she isn’t even listening to me at all. This woman cares nothing about me or my feelings. Everything is about appearances for her. She’s worried about what all her friends will say behind her back.
I shove my contract back in my purse and lean back, glaring at her. What I want to say to her is. “You’re not my mother. You’re not my boss. And I’m not marrying fucking Wes.” I have never cursed at her in my life or have thrown the mom thing in her face before but enough is enough. I have tried so hard with this woman for my father’s sake, but I can’t do it any longer. I don’t know how he puts up with her and her over the top bullshit.
Barb glares at me as though she knows exactly what I am thinking. “So help me God, I will ruin you if you don’t fix this.”
“That’s enough, Barb,” my father warns her. His jaw ticks and I can tell he is getting pissed off now.
Inside my head, I tell her, “Bitch, try it.” I imagine that I take the water on the table in front of me and throw it on her. I don’t know what just got into me, having these thoughts, but damn did that feel good playing out in my head. I have always been the bigger person and let things roll off my shoulders but today I feel different. Like all the nice in me has been sucked right out. “Listen, Barb. I don’t know why we have never been able to get along. I’ve always treated you with respect and mostly done what you’ve asked of me, but I’m an adult now and you have to stop treating me like a little girl who needs a mother. Stay out of my life. Let me worry about who I will or won’t marry. We’re done here.” I stand up and look to my dad, his eyes shining with pride. “I love you, Dad, but I’m out. I can’t sit here and be berated by her like I’m not capable of making my own life choices. All these years…I only did it for you.”
He gives me a nod and starts trying to calm Barb as everyone stares at us.
I leave the restaurant with my head held high. Once I make it back to my car, I rest my head on the steering wheel. Shit, I didn’t even get the chance to ask him for a room to stay in not that I want to be anywhere near Barb. She’s always had it out for me. I don’t know what I ever did to her. Any chance she has ever gotten to make me feel horrible she’s went for it. I start the car up and head to the only place I know there is an extra room, a place where I’m always welcomed.
**
“Hey, Nan. Guess you aren’t quite getting rid of me after all, “I announce as I put my purse on the kitchen counter.
She gives me a sad smile. “What’s happened? You father said you’d probably be headed here.”
I shake my head as my tears fall and step into her warm embrace. “Everything is a mess. I called things off with Wes. Jameson is back, and I did it. I got onto Nashville Star.” She squeezes me tight.
“Then why the tears? Sounds to me like things that were meant to be are finally falling into place. Sit down. This calls for a drink.” She winks at me and goes to the cabinet over the fridge and pulls out two shot glasses and a bottle of Pappy’s liquor. I don’t have the heart to tell her it probably has more water than liquor in it from me and Jameson. “Wipe that guilt from your face. This is a new. You think I didn’t know what went on when I’d leave you and that boy alone.” She smirks at me and my cheeks bloom pink.
Flashback
She’s my addiction
The only drug I will ever need
Her kisses set my soul on fire
There could never be another
All I will ever need
All I could ever want
She’s my addiction
My cocaine bliss
My sugar high
Honey and vanilla
She’s my addiction
Her kisses set my soul on fire
“Oh my God. You did it, J. I am so proud of you. I knew you’d win.”
His arms wrap around me and he pulls me in for a
big sloppy sweaty kiss. “I couldn’t have done any of it without you, Fancy.”
I pull back and smile. “This was all you. I can’t take any credit.”
“You’re my muse,” he whispers into my lips, kissing me again. “Let’s go celebrate with the guys.”
I already said my goodbyes to my dad and grandparents. Nan told me not to be out too late. We pile into his clunker truck he bought with his savings from cutting grass every summer. We make it to his friend Austin’s house and the party is in full swing. He goes to a different school, and I don’t really know anyone here other than Jameson, but he’s all I need.
I follow him into the kitchen where he grabs two red solo cups from the kitchen island and hands me one. I don’t even know what’s in it. I just tilt the cup to my mouth and drink. It burns all the way down my throat, but I manage to keep it down. Music is playing in the living room and the furniture has been cleared out to make room to dance.
An upbeat song is blaring through the speakers, but Jameson holds me close. His hands on my hips, leading me in a slow dance like we are the only two people in the room. My arms go around his neck, our mouths fused together. His tongue sweeping inside my mouth full of adoration. We can’t keep our hands or mouths off one another. Eventually we find our way into a spare bedroom. Jameson lays me down on the bed and takes his time with me even though his kisses are frantic and so urgent.
His naked body blankets mine and we fit together so perfectly. No one will ever compare to this boy. He’s my everything. My future. One day when he’s famous, he’s going to marry me, but right now I know we are young and shouldn’t be so serious. I can’t help it though. I know what I feel for him is the real deal. True love.
His body moves against mine making me feel so good.
I never want this moment to end.
But all good things must come to an end and before I know it, he is looking at his phone and cussing. We hurriedly get dressed and go say our goodbyes to his friends though we mostly keep to ourselves. Jameson is my life. My world revolves around this boy.
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