Mr. Twang_A Fake Relationship Romance

by Kelli Callahan

  I wonder if he even knows they’re doing this to him.

  Brendan stopped calling after he left Nashville. It was for the better, but I still couldn’t help but worry about him. I knew what he went through after his previous relationship was torn apart, and I hoped he had dealt with our separation without letting it destroy him. Even if he was a liar, I didn’t have anger left inside me for him. I walked to my seat and exchanged hugs with my parents and Misty. We had been separated since earlier in the day due to all the pictures I had to pose for. They were rather starstruck with so many popular singers around. There were even a few television and movie stars in the mix, either on the arms of a country star, or attending on their own. I had gotten to the point where I hardly noticed it when famous people surrounded me, although there were a few that still made the schoolgirl inside me want to break down into total fangirl mode.

  “Is that—oh my god, it is!” Misty pointed, and I grabbed her arm.

  “No, don’t point. That’s not nice.” I gave her a grimace and she nodded.

  “Sorry. I’m just not used to this.” She grinned from ear to ear.

  “Hey, isn’t that one of the guys that used to play with us in Texas?” My mother pointed to a guy standing near a couple of celebrities, laughing along with them.

  “Yeah.” My father nodded. “We should say hello.”

  “They get to talk to people? Why can’t I talk to people?” Misty scooted over next to me and grabbed my arm.

  “Fine, you can talk to anyone here that you know.” I looked around the room. “That leaves me and my parents.”

  “You’re no fun. Hey, do you think you could set me up with Dierks Bentley or Chris Stapleton?” She squeezed my arm harder.

  “They’re both married.” I shook my head back and forth.

  “Jason Aldean?” She raised her eyebrows hopefully.

  “Married.” I tilted my head and laughed. “Actually, I think you’d be wife number three or four if he wasn’t.”

  “Damn it, all the good guys are married. No wonder Sawyer set you up with Brendan. All the good ones are married!” She leaned back and pouted.

  “You know, I might know someone.” I patted her hand. “Let’s wait until after the show is over.”

  “Who is it, come on—give me a hint.” She leaned forward and grabbed my arm again. “I bet it’s Kenny Chesney.”

  “He’s like fifty years old!” I turned my head towards her with a shocked expression on my face.

  “So…” She shrugged.

  “No, it’s someone your age.” I shook my head in confusion and shooed her when my parents walked back up.

  “Your mother got Tim McGraw’s autograph.” My father chuckled as he took his seat. “And it isn’t on a piece of paper.”

  “What—Mom, you didn’t…” I looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

  “Let’s just say Faith’s gonna be a little jealous.” She giggled like a starstruck child.

  “I’m jealous and I have a kid with you.” He nudged me with his elbow.

  “Oh my god.” I shuddered and gave them both a sideways stare. “I’m never inviting any of you to an awards show again.”

  I had prepared my parents and Misty for the joke awards that would start the show, but only one of them would hit close to home. We agreed to stoically watch, and not make eye contact with the camera when they said Brendan’s name. It would be focused on me no matter what, especially since he wasn’t going to be there to accept the award. That was going to be the hardest part of the ceremony. I actually hoped I didn’t win the Rising Star Award, just so I didn’t have to get on stage and address it in any capacity. It seemed inevitable though, if what Sawyer’s insider information was accurate. I laughed at the first few, but when I saw the presenter walk out with Brendan’s award, I squeezed my father’s hand as tight as I could.

  “You’ll be okay. You’re stronger than this nonsense.” He leaned over and whispered in my ear.

  The presenter was a lesser known star named Jake King. He played a lot of parody songs and was considered to be Cletus Judd’s successor in that department. His speech made people laugh, eviscerated Brendan, and made as many jokes as possible at his expense. He shied away from laying any blame on me, which was probably best for his career. Everyone had painted me out to be the victim and anyone who suggested otherwise after the breakup got destroyed by my fans. I held my father’s hand so tight I thought I was going to break it before Jake was done with his wisecracks, but he finally reached the end and raised the award. Suddenly, there was a commotion to the right of the stage. People started standing, whispering, and then the whispers turned to a roar.

  “Oh my god!” I jumped to my feet and my hands covered my mouth. “It’s Brendan.”

  The man that stole my heart, took my innocence, and shattered everything inside me stepped up onto the stage. His hair was longer than I remembered and his goatee had grown into a full beard. His dark, intense eyes were still there, and they immediately found me in the audience. I thought I was going to melt into the floor if I didn’t die of a heart attack on the spot. I was supposed to be over him. The emotions were supposed to be dead. They weren’t. The scars ripped open in an instant, the blood of my despair poured out of my eyes in the form of tears. My father held my arm to keep me from collapsing as Brendan walked to the podium. He took the award from a very stunned Jake King and then stepped in front of the microphone.

  “Hello, Nashville.” His voice was calm, and every hint of his southern accent was gone. “You got my name wrong on this award. My name is actually Brendan Reed. But, whatever you call me, I do deserve this award.”

  I—I—I just can’t.

  20

  Brendan

  Accompanying Song:

  “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC

  It took some effort to sneak into the Country Music Awards without being recognized. I was able to avoid the red carpet entirely since it was just for those that wanted to be photographed, and I hid in a side room until the time was right. I did have an invitation, since they were technically presenting me with an award, although they obviously didn’t expect me to show up. I waited until it was time for my award and then walked to the edge of the crowd. I listened to Jake King crack his jokes as I looked for Lauren in the audience.

  There she is.

  Seeing Lauren nearly took my breath away. She looked so fucking beautiful. I had to say what was on my mind and bring closure to the entire ordeal. It wasn’t fair to dredge up the memories, but I couldn’t spend the rest of my life without saying the words that had played out in every song I wrote after returning to Chicago. If the record deal worked out, those words were going to be on the radio soon enough, and Lauren deserved to hear them directly from me before that happened, even if it was on the public stage.

  “…whatever you call me, I do deserve this award.” I held the award up and heard a mixture of booing and clapping. “Yeah, I’m a scumbag, all right. I’m the worst kind of scumbag in the world, because I’m a scumbag that fell head over heels for the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  “Asshole!” A voice in the front row echoed over the boos.

  “That’s fine. They’ll bleep that, and they’ll bleep this too. I’m an asshole.” I shrugged. “I did set out to fool all of you here in Nashville. I was a struggling rock musician that decided to go country because I thought it would be easy to sing a few twangy songs and make money. I was quite successful at it, too.”

  “Get off the stage!” Another voice echoed out in the audience.

  “I will, but not yet.” I nodded and placed the award on the podium. “Not until I’ve said what I came here to say. I lied to all of you, I lied to my fans, but most of all, I lied about how I felt. The recording you heard was a lie, because I might have set out to use Lauren Williams to help my career, but things didn’t exactly happen the way I planned. I fell head over boots for that sweet girl from Texas. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what happened, and
I decided that I’m not going to lie anymore. I love you, Lauren. I’m sorry. Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. That’s the honest truth.”

  I grabbed the award to mixture of cheers and boos as I walked off the stage. Some people seemed to be clapping for what I said, but others weren’t as receptive. I found Lauren and stared at her for a moment. Tears ran down her face as our eyes met. I gave her a half-smile, raised the award, and then started walking towards the side exit. I didn’t expect her to follow me. I just needed to say the words and walk away. I looked over my shoulder one last time and saw her clinging to a man I recognized from photographs as her father. I exhaled deeply and darted into the hallway. The host of the show walked back out on the stage, made a joke about them letting anyone in the building, and then the show carried on. The final bit of weight that had threatened to crush me so many times was gone.

  I’d love for this whole thing to have a happy ending, but that isn’t what I deserve.

  I went back to the side room where I had hidden for a while and started at my award. It was what Nashville and all of my fans thought about me. I truly was a scumbag. At least I was able to own that. There was a future for me in Chicago with Minotaur Records. I might not be the booming success I was in Nashville, but I didn’t know anyone they signed that didn’t live comfortably. Even the lesser known artists that just opened shows generally sold a decent number of albums. If I could just spend a few years under their banner with my head down, I could make enough money to live on. I didn’t need a mansion or a fancy car. I was fine with an apartment and food on my table. If nothing else, I did seem to be on a songwriting kick, and there were always new acts looking for washed up singers to write their hits. I had been one of them once when I came to Nashville.

  I should leave, but I know Lauren is going to win the Rising Star Award. I’d at least like an opportunity to clap when she does, even if nobody sees me do it.

  I stayed in the side room until I heard them award the male version of the Rising Star Award. Her category would be next. The tear-stained image of sorrow I saw in the audience wasn’t the one I wanted to follow me into my dreams, so I stayed on the edge of the crowd near the people that were only there because they were friends with executives in the music industry. They might recognize me, but it was unlikely that they would say anything. She was selected as the winner, and I stared as she walked up onto the stage. She was truly breathtaking, and she held herself together as she walked to the podium. She was exactly where she deserved to be, because even without our relationship, she had the voice of an angel. I helped her get there, but it was her talent that made her a superstar.

  “Thank you.” She put a smile on her face and held up the award. “I had a speech prepared, but after what I heard earlier, I don’t know if I really want to say what I rehearsed. I came to Nashville with a dream. That dream took me down a very twisted road that I wasn’t prepared for. Real life has bumps and potholes, and sometimes you just slam headfirst into a tree that jumps right out in front of you.”

  At least she can still make them laugh.

  “I’m going to say something that will probably upset a few of you, but I honestly don’t care anymore.” She clutched her award tight. “There are a lot of people I should thank, but the first person on that list is Brendan. I wouldn’t be here without him, and while he may have hurt me, he’ll always have a piece of my heart.”

  She walked off the stage to a chorus of cheers. I saw tears in the eyes of a lot of people as they turned towards her. I clapped and felt my eyes water, so I quickly darted towards the exit. I didn’t want a stray camera to catch me in the crowd and make the moment about anyone but her. I walked to the exit of the Grand Ole Opry and stepped out onto the sidewalk. A few people recognized me after my time on stage, but I avoided them as I headed to my car. I had said my piece, so it was time for me to leave Nashville behind permanently. I sat down in my car, tossed the award in the passenger seat, and shoved my keys into the ignition on the rental. As soon as I cranked it up, my cell phone buzzed. I picked it up and stared at the name on the screen. It was a name I hadn’t received a message from in so long that it felt like a dream reading her name.

  “There’s an after party. Are you coming?” The words were from Lauren, and they were a symbol of something that had eluded me for a long time—hope.

  21

  Lauren

  Accompanying Song:

  “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum

  I was a fool. I knew it before my fingers touched the screen. I was about to throw away all of the time I spent trying to mend my broken heart because my heart still missed Brendan. It wasn’t just my heart. My lips craved the fire of his passion. My body begged for his touch. The despair was gone and while the lies had left distrust, it was more complicated than the past we shared. The fact he showed up in Nashville, stood in front of all the people who hated him, including my family, and said he still loved me—that had to mean that it wasn’t all a lie. He let their anger wash over him for one chance to speak from the heart. I couldn’t let him walk away again. I didn’t care what anyone thought. I was going to tell him that I still loved him. It was time for me to tell the truth as well.

  I’ll deal with the fallout in the morning. Tonight, I’m going to be true to myself. I know what I want—what I need—and he’s right here in Nashville.

  I kept my emotions in check as I sent my parents and Misty back to my place. I might have been able to get them into the after party, but it was really meant to be a celebration for the stars that received awards. I might have tried to sneak Misty in if I wasn’t about to do something that even she wouldn’t approve of. The after party was at a hotel near the Grand Ole Opry, and I booked a room as soon as I got there. I was thankful that it wasn’t full, although most of the people who received awards were local, so it didn’t surprise me entirely. I clutched the key card in my hand as I waited near the entrance. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. I was feeling a mixture of uncertainty colliding with absolute certainty. I knew what I wanted, but it would make things more complicated than they already were. I just didn’t give a damn anymore.

  “You reached out to him, didn’t you?” Sawyer walked up with a drink in his hand.

  “I did.” I nodded without making eye contact. “I’ll be discreet, but I have to see Brendan before he leaves again.”

  “I have a feeling I’m going to have to figure out how to spin your reunion story.” He exhaled sharply and shook his head.

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I hurt him, too. He may love me, but that doesn’t mean either of us can completely forget what happened.” I shrugged and sighed. “But I will tell you this—if there is a chance and you try to get between us again, they’ll write songs about the things I do to you—and where I bury your body.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Sawyer blinked in shock. “Okay, don’t mess with Texas—they weren’t lying about that.”

  “That was your only warning. I’m done letting you decide how I live my life. I’m not going to lie to anyone again for fame or publicity. If Brendan and I find a way to work it out, you can spin it however you want, but you better make sure it’s true.” I glared at him and finally made eye contact.

  “Noted.” He nodded and turned to walk back towards the bar.

  I was started to think he wasn’t coming after an hour dragged by. He didn’t respond to my text message, but my phone said it was delivered. I sipped my drink, looked around the room for a moment, and when my eyes made it back to the door, all of the breath was sucked out of my body. He was there. The crowd didn’t notice him, but I did. I weaved my way to the entrance and pulled him out into the hallway. We didn’t say anything at first. Our eyes simply locked together like they had so many times before. I could feel my heart beating and his thumped so hard it echoed in my ears. I lunged towards him and he caught me in his arms. Our lips collided together, and our tongues immediately intertwined. The same hunger and passion was th
ere.

  “I missed you.” He pulled back from our kiss and held me in his arms.

  “I missed you too.” I held up the key card. “A lot.”

  “Is that for here?” A smile spread across his face.

  “Yep.” I nodded enthusiastically.

  “Then what are we waiting for?” He let my feet touch the floor and held my hand as I led the way to the elevators.

  We were tangled in an embrace as soon as the elevator doors closed. I was thankful we were alone, although I’m not sure I would have cared if we weren’t. His lips crushed mine the same way they always did and he began to ravage my mouth with his desire. I couldn’t believe how long it had been since we were together. It felt like the first time all over again. His scent, his taste, and his touch—they were all so familiar—yet they were like a distant past I needed to bring forward into the present. When the elevator doors opened, he walked me to the wall and held me there as we continued to kiss. My hands wrapped around him and moved up until I felt his long hair in my fingers. I pulled away, just to catch my breath, and he started to kiss my neck. His lips moved to my ears and nibbled on my earlobes.

  “First, I’m going to spank you for not believing how much I loved you back when you heard that audio—then I’m going to fuck you until you can’t move.” He exhaled sharply, and I felt his breath on my neck. “Then I’m just going to keep fucking you until the sun comes up.”

  “You’re not spanking me for something I didn’t do!” I pulled back and glared at him playfully. “You were the one that made the recording!”