“Are you sure you didn’t read our bio?” he questioned her, his voice completely serious.
“I’m a fan, I have read your bio, but you know as well as I do that they keep your real names locked down. Did I seriously just guess it right?”
“You did.”
“See,” she cleared her throat, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “Most basic names ever. What do they go by on stage?”
“Bradley is our bass guitarist and he uses Raven. See, we’re normal except for our death metal stage names.”
She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “I’m beginning to truly believe that.”
As he opened his mouth to talk, he heard a loud noise from the back and then lots of yelling. “Hold that thought, I got to take care of something.” He dropped his phone to the mattress with Hannah’s call still connected.
Garrett jumped out of his bunk and went to the back where the TV and game systems sat along with a large couch and a table. When he got there, he saw Jared on the ground beating on Brad. Chris pulled at them, trying to get the two off each other.
“What the fuck?” Garrett asked loudly.
He was the tallest of the group, and because of that he carried more muscle mass than the rest of them. He had also been known to beat the shit out of people that even looked at him the wrong way when he was younger. In every sense of the word, he was their leader. They broke apart, and no one said anything, they all just stared at Jared.
“Where the fuck is it?” he asked, his voice calm as he approached the man he called his best friend.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jared was the king of liars when he was like this, and they all knew it. The only one that would call him on it was Garrett. “Don’t make me go look for it and don’t look at me like I’m fuckin’ stupid. Where is it?”
“Why can’t you all just leave me alone?” Jared scream, lashing out again, this time going for Garrett.
Sidestepping his friend, Garrett shoved him up against the wall and pushed his hands behind his back, holding Jared down. “Because we love you. Now tell me where the hell it is, and better yet, where the hell did you get it?”
All the fight went out of Jared’s body as he nodded towards his bunk. Garrett walked that way, but before he went to the bunk, he picked up the phone in his own bunk.
“Hannah, hey. I have to call you back, we have a situation.” He hung up before she could say anything or ask him any questions.
Throwing the phone down on his bed with as much force as he could, he stalked across the aisle to Jared’s bunk and opened the curtain. In the corner sat a mirror and a razorblade. White residue still coated the mirror.
“Is this worth it?” Garrett asked as he stalked back into the area where they all sat. “For a twenty second high, is it worth it?”
“No, it never is,” Jared told him, his voice quivering.
“Then you better do something about it because, best friend or not, I’m getting sick of this shit.”
How could he bring Hannah into this group of people? She was the queen of country radio, and people loved her. How could he expose her to this?
Walking back to his bunk, he dialed her number, hoping that it went to voicemail but at the same time that she would pick up.
“Is everything okay? I heard a lot of yelling.”
He debated on what he should tell her. So far he’d been honest with everything about his life. He should be honest with this. “No, it’s not okay. Look, I have to be honest with you. I can’t expect you to go into this without telling you the truth about one of the guys.”
“Go into what?” Her heart thundered in her chest.
“I like you,” he told her. “I know it’s crazy. We just met and we’ve only hung out twice, but there’s something about you that I like. I would love to get to know you better, but it’s your decision if that happens. My band could hurt your public persona, and in your brand of music, that’s everything.”
“How could they do that?” She didn’t want to comment on him liking her until she figured out just what he was trying to tell her.
He ran a hand through his hair, pissed that Jared was putting him in this situation. “Remember when I said that I’d experimented with drugs, but other members of the band kinda do their own thing?”
“Yeah.”
“Jared, the guy who was so nice and polite to you the other night,” he hated telling her this. “He just put one of the other guys down on the ground because he snorted a whole bunch of coke and didn’t know what to do with himself. So if you can’t handle that, tell me right now.”
After a few moments of silence, his voice pleaded, “Hannah, say something.”
“Can’t you do something to help him?” she asked, her voice so small on the other end of the line. This scared her.
He sighed, blowing out a deep breath. “We’ve tried. His parents have tried. Jared is who he is. He’s got the biggest heart of anyone I know, and he’s everyone’s best friend until he picks up that mirror and does a line off of it. It’s his fatal flaw.”
“But it’s not yours,” she told him softly.
“You’re right. It’s not. But Jared comes with me. He’s my best friend. I would never turn my back on him. No matter what he does, I’m always going to be there for him. He’s always been there for me. We’ve been in more scrapes together than I can even mention. We started this together. I’m not giving up on him because he has a habit that he can’t kick.”
As crazy as it sounded, she admired that about him. He obviously was persistent.
“Well, if you can handle me being so bad in the sack that my last boyfriend cheated on me and left me for a fling with another woman, then I can deal with your friend,” she said in a rush.
“I’m sorry, what?” He couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re bad in the sack so your last boyfriend left you?”
“He cheated on me. I’m assuming I’m no good when it comes to sex.”
She was young, and he figured that no matter what her stage persona said, she was also very self-conscious in her own skin. Especially in the business they were in. Everyone told you that you had to have a six-pack, straight teeth (the whiter the better), your hair cut just so, and never mention anything about the little tricks that got you that way. Garrett was more than willing to take a chance on her.
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that when the time comes?”
Her stomach fluttered. This man was talking like he already knew they would have an intimate relationship. “Okay,” her voice squeaked, and she had to clear her throat.
“If you’re okay with me, then I’m okay with you,” he told her, glancing over to the bunk that held Jared, probably sleeping off his high.
“Then I guess together we’re okay.”
Garrett knew to make this work they had to see each other. Their relationship couldn’t sustain on technology alone. “Where are you?” he asked abruptly.
“I’m in my hotel room fixing to leave for the airport.”
“No, I mean what city are you in?”
“I’m flying to Kansas City to do a concert there in two days. I have a day and a half to lounge around. Well, part of a day and a half anyway.”
Someone meant for this to happen, Garrett decided. “Awesome, we’re going to be in Omaha within the next few hours. We’re not too far away from each other. Do you want me to come get you or do you want to come to me? If this is going to work, we have to spend time together.”
He was right and she knew it. Biting her thumbnail, she thought for a moment. “You can come get me. When is your concert?”
“We’re performing tomorrow night.”
She quickly looked at the calendar on her phone. “Great, I’m not performing until the day after tomorrow, and I don’t have any obligations for the press or radio. How about you come get me, I’ll hang out with you and go to your concert tomorrow night, and then I’ll either drive myself or take
a short flight back to Kansas City for my concert the next day. Does that work?”
“So you’d stay with me, right?” He wanted to be clear.
“Unless you have a roommate. I know some bands double up.”
“No, this band doesn’t. Trust me on that. Chris snores like a lumberjack.”
She laughed, that fluttery feeling coming back to her stomach. She was going to stay with Garrett Thompson. Overnight. And a day. Stuff like this never happened to her. “So when should you hit Omaha?”
“A few hours. Probably right about the time you hit Kansas City, so you’ll have to wait on me to get to you, but it shouldn’t be any later than this afternoon.”
“Okay,” she told him, zipping up her suitcase. “I’ll be waiting.”
“I can’t wait to see you,” he told her softly. After dealing with Jared he needed some good in his life.
“Same here, I’ll see you soon.”
They hung up and Hannah screamed. She was spending the night with Garrett Thompson. Spending the night did not equal getting naked and doing the wild thing, but still this was big. What in the world was she going to wear? Quickly she dialed Shell’s number, and before her friend could say anything, she blurted out, “We’ve got to stop at Victoria’s Secret. I’m spending the night with Garrett tonight.”
Chapter Nine
* * *
“Are you sure you’re okay with me leaving you here?”
“Hannah, I’m not a child, and you’re not babysitting me. I will be perfectly fine if I stay in a hotel room by myself for a while,” Shell smiled indulgently. “I’ll order room service, a movie, and enjoy your suite until you get back. I promise, I’m good.”
“I still feel bad,” Hannah worried her lip between her teeth.
“Don’t.” She put her hands on Hannah’s shoulders and turned her so that they faced one another. “I don’t have to be there every step of the way. I’m fine staying here by myself, but if it makes you feel better, next time just ask Garrett if it’s okay that I tag along.”
The two of them usually did everything together. It had been that way since Hannah and Ashton had parted ways. It felt odd for Hannah to leave Shell behind while she went off to start another chapter of her life.
“Go and have fun. Do you want me to pull up that picture that Garrett did for that magazine a couple of months ago? The one where he’s shirtless in the rain? You’re spending the night with that man. Do not give it up because you’re worried about me. I’m just gonna tell you now, I wouldn’t think twice about it.”
Hannah laughed, shocked. “Well thanks for nothin’ BFF.”
They heard Hannah’s phone start buzzing with the ringtone she had assigned to Garrett. “There he is. Answer it, and go have fun!”
“Hello?”
“Hey,” she could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m here, what room are you in? I’ll come up there and help you grab your stuff.”
“No, that’s not necessary. I haven’t unpacked anything, so I’ll just meet you down there in a few minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Oh wait,” she stopped him before he hung up. “What are you driving today?”
“I rented an Escalade. If the guys all want to go out later, they’ll need a big vehicle. See, I’m a nice guy.”
“That you are. I’ll be right there.”
Shell sat in a chair next to the door, her legs crossed, her foot swinging. “Did he offer to come up and bring your stuff down?”
“Yes, Mom, he did.”
“Well that’s more than I can say for Ashton—who couldn’t even lift your suitcase, much less carry it down to his car.”
Hannah couldn’t help the snort that came out of her nose. “That was unbelievably mean, but oh so true.” She reached down and hugged her friend before letting the door shut behind her.
Shell looked around the empty hotel room, and with a smirk, she said out loud to no one but herself, “I hope she took my advice and got that birth control up to date.”
* * *
The day was beautiful yet cold as she stepped out from the hotel and onto the curb. She hadn’t noticed earlier how chilly it was, and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms as she waited for Garrett to come around and pick her up. Her jacket was in her suitcase, and she made a mental note to remember to get it out.
She noticed an Escalade pull up with tinted windows. The passenger side one came down partway, and she saw Garrett inside. She all but ran over to the car and jerked the door open. She was that excited to see him.
“Did you not bring a jacket?” he asked as he pulled his sunglasses down to get a good look at her.
“No,” her teeth chattered as she hopped into the passenger side.
Shoving the gear into park, he took his sunglasses off, setting them in the cup holder and then unbuckled his seat belt. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask what he was doing, but he pulled his hoodie over his head, leaving him in a long sleeve shirt. “Here, wear this. The heater is good, but if you’re anything like me, you get cold and it’s hard to get warm again.”
“I am the same way, so thank you.” She put the hoodie over her head and noticed that it swallowed her whole. The ends of the sleeves fell so far past her hands she could probably double them up, and she figured that when she stood it would probably look like a dress on her. Hannah couldn’t help but pull the neck of the shirt into her nose and breathe deeply. It smelled just like him, and she knew that if given the chance, she would take it with her when she ultimately had to leave.
“You’re welcome, now I have to figure out how to get the fuck outta here.”
He glanced over at her, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
“You said that just because you know I hate that word,” she accused.
“Maybe. But it’s one of my favorite words, so we’re going to have to come to some sort of compromise about it.”
Ignoring him, she checked his blind spot. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“Kinda, and I’ve got the GPS,” he pointed to the satellite map on the console.
“Are you one of those people who has to have complete quiet when it comes to finding your way out of a place you aren’t familiar with?”
“Not really, but as soon as I make this turn, I’m on the main highway, so feel free to talk as much as you want,” he told her as he merged into traffic and took the exit that would take them straight to Omaha.
“I meant to tell you something.”
“Oh yeah?” He set the cruise control and moved to lean on the console, one hand on the wheel. “What’s that?”
“I got myself a ‘Garrett’ file.” She pointed to her forehead.
His dimples showed as he looked between her and the road. “You finally got enough information, huh?”
“I did,” she nodded. “You’re persistent, you love your fans, you like apple pie moonshine, and you love your best friend more than he probably even knows.”
On impulse, he reached over and grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “Thanks for listening to me by the way. I’m glad I didn’t scare you off. I was scared I would.”
“I’m not saying that it didn’t scare me at all. I don’t like physical violence, and I didn’t like what I heard, but I understand that it was necessary. It takes a lot to scare me off of something that I want.”
He liked the sound of that. “So do you want to hear about what we’re going to do tomorrow?” It was getting a little too serious between the two of them, and he wanted it to go back to a fun date.
“You have something planned?”
“Well,” he pulled his hand from hers and scratched the stubble on his cheek. “I wasn’t going to have one, but I made the mistake of opening my big-ass mouth to my mother. I told her I was taking a beautiful woman out for the weekend. Of course she knew it was you, and then she hounded me for a few hours about what I had planned for us to do. When I told her I didn’t have anything planne
d, she literally sent me a list of things that we can do in Omaha. I found something that I thought you would enjoy. Then I sent it to her for her approval.”
Hannah laughed. “Oh my God, your mom and my mom could be BFF’s. Mine’s the same way. She’s texted me a few times since that picture of us showed up together.”
“Your mom texts? That would be nice if mine learned how to do that, but no, she calls me at 5 a.m., and then bitches when I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“Oh yeah, my mom just learned how to do all the tech-savvy stuff like texting, Facebook, and Twitter. So she’s cute about wanting to use it all the time. She would rather do that stuff to show me that she can rather than call me.”
“Hey, don’t knock that shit. At least then you can pretend like you didn’t get the text or something. With a phone call, they know you at least got the voicemail.”
She smacked him on the shoulder. “Do you really do that to your mom?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes. She’s nosey.”
“She’s your mom, she’s supposed to be.”
“What about you? Are you nosey?” he teased.
“Not really. I mean I guess I kinda used to be back when I started in the business. I still read the gossip magazines and the blogs and all that stuff. None of them ever had anything about me in them, so it was okay for me to read it. Then it was like things changed, and overnight people cared about me, about what I was doing, and it wasn’t so much fun anymore. I’m private and I don’t care much for paparazzi,” she admitted.
“But you do all the social media stuff.”
“Yeah, because I can control it. I don’t mind giving the fans a glimpse into my personal life, but I want to be able to show them on my own terms.” She shifted in her seat. “Anyway, we got off topic. What are we doing?”
“We’re going to the aquarium that they have in town. They also have a zoo, but I’m not sure how cold it’ll be. I didn’t have time to check all that out.”
She grinned over at him. “Do you know that I’ve never been to an aquarium but I’ve always wanted to go. I’m excited now.”
“Good, I’m glad. I was worried you would think it was lame or something, but I had limited time and resources to work with.”
Only The Beginning (Rockin' Country) Page 6
