She’d worked with the photographer a couple of times and was very comfortable with her. They’d gone to high school together.
“Hey, Laura.” She waved as she made her way over to the set-up.
“Hey, girl, it’s so good to see you! Thanks for putting my name down for this,” she greeted her with a hug.
“No problem. I knew I wanted it done here, and I love your eye. Mom showed me the pictures you took of her and dad last year. They were fantastic, and that’s something like what I want here.”
“I’m assuming you want a few for your own collection too?” Laura asked, trying to get a feel of what she would be doing today.
“Definitely. The only thing I ask with the album pictures is that you don’t show EJ’s face, I know I do on my Instagram and stuff, but I feel like putting his face out there like that would be asking for trouble,” she explained, hoping she wouldn’t make her friend mad.
“Totally understandable.” She made notes on a piece of paper beside her. “And you want your dog in the pictures too, right?”
She grinned. “He’s a part of the family.”
“Aren’t they always?” Laura gave a wry grin as she flashed her phone to Hannah. There she saw a picture of a beautiful dog and cat. “Those are mine and they rule the roost. I have one more question. Album title. I need to know how much blank space I leave in the frame.”
“It’s called I Got You. Pretty short, but personal to me.” She thought back to the tattoo she now sported.
“Alright, I’m ready to go when you are. I’m assuming you don’t need makeup, looks like you’ve already taken care of that yourself.”
“No, I’m good.”
“Okay, then let’s get the show on the road.”
* * *
It was hours before they were done, but all of them agreed they were fun hours. There were a lot of laughs, a couple of tears from EJ, and a ton of smiles as the day was captured on film.
“I want you two to come over here and look at this one. Hannah, I think this one will probably be the album cover.” Laura waved them over to where she’d downloaded the pictures onto her computer.
“Oh wow,” Garrett breathed as he saw it. Their backs were to the camera. He stood next to Hannah with his arm around her waist, to her other side EJ stood, holding her hand, and Havock sat patiently next to EJ who had his arm around the dog.
“I think it kind of cements the whole album title.” She smiled. “They totally are holding you up in this picture.”
“They are,” Hannah agreed, doing her best to keep the emotions out of her voice.
“And, I have the front version too.” She switched to another picture on the computer.
“Oh my gosh, I love it.” Hannah beamed as she saw the front. “Can we have that one?”
“Yeah, let me text it over to you right now. I have some others that I got, and some you don’t know that I got. I’ll send them all over to you in the next few days,” she promised.
Hannah quickly texted the same picture to Garrett, as they packed up, getting ready to leave.
“Thanks again for letting me do this.” Laura shook hands with Garrett. “And it’s really nice to meet you. You’re just as nice as everyone said you were.”
Garrett hitched EJ up higher on his hip. The little boy had fallen into a deep sleep not more than fifteen minutes before. “I’ve mellowed out with age. Just be glad you met me now and not ten years ago.”
“Don’t we all mellow with age?”
Hannah winked. “I’ll keep all your secrets, Laura, don’t worry.”
Just as they got into their SUV and Garrett started it up, the sky opened and rain came pouring down. Hannah couldn’t help but laugh. “Well at least it waited until we were done.”
“I don’t know.” Garrett looked over at her. “I would have kinda liked it.”
Hannah glanced around. Laura and her crew were already driving away; Havock and EJ were both asleep. “I’m game if you are. Leave the car running for them.” She quirked a brow.
Unbuckling her seat belt, she opened the door and bolted out into the rain. It was still warm in the south, so neither one of them had to be worried about being cold. Garrett came around the SUV, glasses off, running towards her.
“Sometimes you surprise the hell outta me.” He grabbed her hands and they twirled round and round before he pulled her into his arms.
“Sometimes I surprise myself.”
She reached up, kissing him full and hard on the mouth, enjoying the moment alone they were having together. It was weird, but every once in a while, in the middle of her crazy life, she had moments like this that completely took her breath away.
Chapter Fifteen
* * *
“What time is it supposed to run?” Garrett asked.
He and Hannah sat on their couch in their living room. It was a normal Wednesday night, or it had been until they’d gotten a phone call from her record label an hour ago. They’d informed her they would be running a spot on a very popular reality singing competition, teasing the public of her upcoming album. They would also be releasing the video she’d recorded a week before for the debut single at midnight on her VeVo channel. To say they were both nervous was the understatement of the year.
“Halfway in,” she answered, a dazed expression on her face. “They said they want to make sure people are in invested and paying attention when the spot drops.”
“Are you okay?” He felt like it was a valid question. She hadn’t been involved in the whirlwind of promoting an album, having new music out, or even having the expectation in a long time. His worst fear was she would become completely consumed and fall back into bad habits.
She glanced at him, her dark eyes cloudy with emotions he couldn’t translate. For years she’d been an open book to him, he’d been able to tell with one look how she felt, and now it seemed she was possibly closing herself off to him. “Don’t do it, Han. Let’s talk this out.”
“I’m scared,” she whispered. “I know I said I was doing this because I was bored, and I wanted something to do because EJ didn’t need me as much anymore, but now I’m scared nobody is excited about it.” She tilted her head back against the couch, closing her eyes as she continued speaking. “Somewhere in the middle of all this, it became a journey for me. One I believe wholeheartedly in. We made an amazing album, and if people don’t love it, I’m afraid it’ll break me. I realized somewhere along the line, I do need to be Harmony Stewart. It’s not that being your wife and being his mom isn’t enough for me, but I need an identity of my own. Garrett, what if I messed around and lost that?”
“You didn’t,” he assured her, taking her into his arms. “There is so much buzz and excitement about this already. You just can’t see it; you’re too focused on the negative. Babe, people have missed you. This will blow up. I don’t know how else to make you believe.”
Snuggling next to him, she pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth. “I guess that’s really it. I’m not going to believe it until I see it, and I’m not going to see it until it’s out there for the public to consume. It’s a catch-22. I’m so scared,” she admitted. “I put a lot of myself into this record, more than I thought I would. I ended up writing all but two of the songs, and if people don’t love what I’ve done, it’s gonna break my heart.”
“And if that happens, I’ll be there to put it back together. But things are going to be fine,” he soothed her, kissing her on the forehead.
“This is it.” She grabbed his hand as they played two lines of the lead single from her new album against a black screen. Then four words appeared, and she felt goosebumps rise on every party of her body.
“I’m back—Harmony Stewart”
She really felt as if she was, especially with the excitement fluttering in her stomach. This kind of excitement hadn’t been there since her newly signed days. The tension in the room was palpable.
“That like twenty seconds of TV was the most suspenseful twenty seconds I’ve eve
r experienced.” Garrett laughed as he pulled her hand up to his lips, kissing her lightly.
“I know.” She breathed deeply. “I just don’t even know what to think about any of it.”
“Where’s your phone?” he asked, glancing around for it.
“Charging. It died earlier.” She wasn’t sure why he all of a sudden wanted her phone. Normally when they spent time together in the evenings like this, all phones were put away. This was their time, no one else was normally allowed.
“Go get it.” He pushed her off the couch. “I bet you have a ton of notifications.”
It dawned on her what he was saying, but something stopped her. She sat back down on the couch, frozen by something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Fear. The fear of failure. “But what if I don’t? What if I missed my shot?”
“You didn’t miss your shot.”
She shot him a glance. “You don’t know that.”
“And neither do you, unless you go get the goddamn phone, Hannah. Stop psyching yourself out.”
His tone was harsh, one he hadn’t used with her in a long time, but she needed it. If she couldn’t be strong enough for herself, she would need him to pick up the slack, to help her stand tall; otherwise she would fall under the weight. It would cripple her like a column in an earthquake, and she knew this time she couldn’t allow that to happen. Not like she had in the past. She was a mother now, a wife, and a businesswoman—one who had her own place in the world and who knew her worth. It was time she acted like it.
“Go get the phone.” He pointed to the counter where it always charged.
Getting up, she locked her legs, not allowing him to see she was shaking. It was horrible being vulnerable and putting her insecurities out there for anyone to see, but this was her husband. He’d understand more than anyone else. He’d been there through the worst of them all. She slowed down as she got to the phone. But what if there were no notifications? What if nobody gave a crap anymore? What would be worse? A ton or none? The bad thing about it…she wasn’t sure.
Stop, Hannah! She hadn’t been this neurotic in a long time. Grab the phone and look at the screen. Just like pulling a bandage off a wound.
Leaning forward, she grabbed her phone, turned off the lock screen, and ripped that bandage off.
“Garrett,” she breathed, a shocked note that even she heard in her voice.
“Babe, you okay?” He got up and walked over to where she stood, the phone in her hand. Looking over her shoulder, he did a double take as he saw her notification numbers. “Holy fucking shit.” They were bordering on the five digit marks, and the teaser had played less than five minutes ago.
“I’m scared but excited. I want to see what people have said, but I’m nervous they think it was crap.” The nervousness in her voice jumbled all the words together. Her hands shook as she extended the phone out to him. “You look, and please let me down easy if it’s bad.”
Grabbing the phone, he opened up her apps, doing a quick scroll of what he could see. A giant smile forming on his face. “Babe, people are so fucking excited. You have to read these.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her so that her back was to his front.
Being this close to him was good for her. She could project all her fears onto him, he would absorb them, and it would leave her with a peace she hadn’t had before.
“Really?” She opened her eyes and watched as his finger scrolled the comments on her phone. He was telling the truth. There were so many exclamation points it was making her head spin. “Oh my God, Garrett, they loved what they heard!”
The magnitude finally dawned on her as she turned around and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.
“They did, baby.” He chuckled. “They did.”
“I’m so relieved,” she admitted as she buried her face in his neck. “Country is so different. When you leave for a while, there’s no guarantee people will love you when you come back. I was truly scared they wouldn’t accept me because so many people felt like I turned on them when I decided to stay home. To know they want me back…” She stopped, emotion strangling her voice and tears spilling over her cheeks. For the first time, she felt accepted, wanted, and missed by people who sometimes had made her feel less than good about herself. It was a moment she’d never forget. Clinging to Garrett’s neck, she sobbed—for the girl who’d always thought nobody had really cared, and for the woman who’d been shown an amazing amount of love and adoration. In becoming a wife and a mother, she’d become relatable to everyone, and they showed her how much by welcoming her back when they didn’t have to.
“Are you ready?” he asked the question in a low voice, truly asking her if she was ready for all this.
The moment held a palpable tension, and they both knew they were on the precipice of something bigger than the both of them. This would change their lives.
“I’m ready.”
Chapter Sixteen
* * *
Her dining and living room area had been turned into the biggest dressing room Hannah had ever seen. Garrett and EJ sat in the floor coloring, Havock slept in the corner, and in the middle of it all, she and Shell were working with a stylist. They’d tried on no less than five hundred outfits, she was sure.
“What about the sundress?” Cameron, the stylist for the day, asked as she rummaged through the racks she’d hung up.
Hannah thought it over. The sundress was cute, and she’d probably wear it in her day-to-day life, but Harmony was ready for a change. She was ready to get on stage and kick some…well, you know. “I think I want to go with edgier pieces this time. I don’t want people to see me as they’ve always seen me. I’ve changed.”
“She’s got a hot husband and a super cute son now,” Garrett spoke up from where he sat on the floor, EJ in his lap.
“We’re going to make the hot husband go take his equally hot best friend to lunch if he doesn’t shut the fuck up.” Shell pointed a finger at Garrett, threatening him.
“Hey!” both he and Hannah scolded her as he put his hands over EJ’s ears.
“You have to watch it with him now,” Garrett told her. “Yesterday, he had a hard time getting his pants on…out of nowhere, he said, ‘fuck it’. Like knew how to use the word and everything. Hannah was horrified.” He laughed.
Hannah turned to all of them, her face red. “My son,” she stopped to take a breath, “can’t even speak full sentences yet, but he knows how to correctly use the F-word. I blame all of you, because he didn’t get it from me. I’m praying for him, to be honest with you.”
They laughed at her indignation.
“See? This is the problem! Y’all need Jesus.”
Shell rolled her eyes and spoke to Cameron. “Maybe we can do the leather pants and that tank top? What do you think about that, Han?”
“I still think you need Jesus, but I’m gonna go try the outfit on because it looks cute.”
“We’re gonna head out, babe.” Garrett stood, holding EJ. “Jared just texted and he wants lunch, so we’re gonna have a dude day if that’s cool with you.”
She felt like they always had dude days, but it would probably be easier for her to get what she needed to done without the two of them there. “Have fun, guys.” She leaned in, kissing both of them.
“Bye!” EJ waved as he snuggled into his dad’s shoulder.
She watched them go, envious of where their son sat. “Okay, ladies.” She gave the other two a pointed look. “Let’s get this show on the road. When they come back, I wanna spend time with my guys.”
Without any added distraction, the three of them got to work, and over the course of the afternoon picked out a whole new wardrobe for her. New hair and makeup would come tomorrow, and then she’d be ready to face the world.
* * *
“I’m surprised you decided to come out, with the girls all over at the house,” Jared said as he pulled up a kid’s booster seat for EJ and the three of them got situated to have lunch together.
&nbs
p; Garrett sighed. “Normally it’s not that bad, but I hate the way Hannah second guesses herself sometimes, and then when she says what she really means or wants, the stylist is like ‘Are you sure?’ Then Shell has to speak up and reiterate what Hannah’s already said. Dude, it takes everything I have not want to fuck people up who are supposedly there to help Hannah. I don’t know why, but they never take her word for it. Never have, if I remember correctly. I can’t understand why they feel the need to question her. Hannah’s not dumb, and she speaks very highly. As in, she knows what she wants for the most part. It confuses me why they continually question her. They act like she’s a little kid who doesn’t know her own mind.”
Jared thoughtfully chewed and took the time to swallow before he spoke. “I don’t want you to be pissed at me when I say this.”
“Dude, we’re friends.”
He laughed. “We are friends. The best of friends, but that doesn’t mean I can be totally transparent and honest when it comes to your wife. Which I completely understand. I find myself crazily protective of Shell, especially since I put a ring on her finger. We’re just kinda alpha like that.”
“Please, give me your advice.”
“It’s because Hannah’s allowed it for so long. She looks to Shell for affirmation anytime they’re in the same room and Hannah doesn’t know the answer. Why wouldn’t other people do the same? I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Shell knows her shit, and she’s really damn good at her job. But if Hannah deflects to her, why wouldn’t everyone else?”
“I get it.” Garrett took a drink of his water before he leaned over to help EJ eat his cheese quesadilla. “Trust me when I say I get it, but I didn’t actually think it would be so hard for her to take control of her own life. I mean I’d heard things before, but seeing this up close and personal is something else. I’d be so pissed if someone was deflecting to another person about my life, but Hannah just deals.”
“Because that’s what she’s always done and what’s she always been expected to do. For people like us,” Jared reminded him, “we feel better when other people take over and make decisions for us. Then if it’s the wrong decision we can blame others. It’s not something we mean to do, or even realize we’re doing in the moment, but that’s the end result. I think Hannah will start to stand up more for herself, but it’s hard, Garrett. It really is, and she’s come a long way in a short amount of time. You have to be patient with her and trust that she knows when to stop the madness.”
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