Feels Like Home

by Kelly Elliott

  Feels Like Home

  Book 5 Southern Bride Copyright © 2020 by Kelly Elliott

  ISBN EBook 978-1-943633-67-8

  ISBN PAPERBACK 978-1-943633-68-5

  Cover photo by: Shannon Cain/Photography by Shannon Cain

  Cover Design by: RBA Designs, www.rbadesigns.com

  Interior Design & Formatting by: Elaine York, www. allusiongraphics.com

  Developmental Editor: Elaine York, www.allusiongraphics.com

  Content Editor: AmyRose Capetta, Yellow Bird Editing

  Proofing Editor: Rachel Carter, Yellow Bird Editing

  Proofing Editor: Fairest Reviews Editing Services

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For more information on Kelly and her books, please visit her website www.kellyelliottauthor.com.

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 – Anson

  Chapter 2 – Bristol

  Chapter 3 – Bristol

  Chapter 4 – Anson

  Chapter 5 – Bristol

  Chapter 6 – Anson

  Chapter 7 – Bristol

  Chapter 8 – Anson

  Chapter 9 – Anson

  Chapter 10 – Bristol

  Chapter 11 – Bristol

  Chapter 12 – Anson

  Chapter 13 – Bristol

  Chapter 14 – Bristol

  Chapter 15 – Anson

  Chapter 16 – Bristol

  Chapter 17 – Anson

  Chapter 18 – Bristol

  Chapter 19 – Anson

  Chapter 20 – Bristol

  Chapter 21 – Bristol

  Chapter 22 – Anson

  Chapter 23 – Bristol

  Chapter 24 – Anson

  Chapter 25 – Bristol

  Chapter 26 – Anson

  Chapter 27 – Bristol

  Chapter 28 – Anson

  Chapter 29 – Bristol

  Chapter 30 – Bristol

  Chapter 31 – Anson

  Chapter 32 – Bristol

  Chapter 33 – Anson

  Chapter 34 – Bristol

  Chapter 35 – Bristol

  Epilogue – Anson

  Thank You

  Other Books by Kelly Elliott

  I WOULD NEVER take the feel of Bristol wrapped in my arms for granted. I felt so at peace with her. Especially after we made love, which we had just done. The sounds of her soft breathing, the feel of her warm breath as it hit my chest. God, I loved her so damn much. And I knew what I was about to ask her to do was most likely not going to go over well.

  “I met this guy tonight.”

  “Hmm…was he cute?”

  I smiled and kissed the top of her head. “He’s older. He’s from Nashville.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, he said I had the voice and the looks to make it.”

  Bristol turned and rested her chin on my chest. “Make it?”

  “Yeah. In Nashville.”

  Her brows pulled in slightly. “What do you mean?”

  “He wants me to audition for a record company. He asked me to come to Nashville.”

  Bristol sat up and smiled. “He did!?”

  I laughed. “Yes! He really thinks the record executives would be interested.”

  Bristol crawled on top of me, and I moaned when I felt her heat. It didn’t take long for my body to react.

  “Anson, that is amazing! I always knew someday you’d catch the ear of someone. Now, how should we celebrate?” She waggled her eyes and rubbed against me.

  I placed my hands on her hips and smiled. “Give me ten more minutes and I’ll show you how.”

  She giggled. “When is he thinking you should make the trip? Oh, maybe we could plan a road trip this summer!”

  I swallowed hard. This was the part I didn’t want to tell her.

  “Tomorrow.”

  She laughed. “No, seriously, when is he thinking?”

  “Bri, he’s leaving tomorrow and wants me to meet him in Nashville, the day after.”

  With a look of utter shock, Bristol shook her head slightly.

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him yes. Bri, this is the shot I’ve been looking for. To be managed by a company like Big Music Management is a dream come true.”

  She nodded and moved off of me, pulling up the sheet to cover her beautiful body. A part of me hated that she had done that. It was something she’d never done before, and I couldn’t understand why she felt the need to cover herself up now. I could see her mind working, and I knew if I could just make her understand that it would only be for a short time…

  “Two years.”

  “Two years?” she asked, her voice strained.

  “He said if I can give him two years, he thinks I could really have a successful career. I googled him, and he represents some of the top acts in country music.”

  “Wait, Anson, what exactly are you trying to say here?”

  “Bri, it’ll just be for two years, that’s all. If things don’t work out, we’ll come back to Texas.”

  Her eyes widened. “And if things do work out? Then what?”

  I shrugged, not really having thought that far ahead. “I guess we’ll figure it out.”

  She stood and quickly started to get dressed. We were in the guest house on her folks’ farm. A place we often snuck to when we wanted to be alone now that we were both back home after college.

  “It sounds like you’ve got this all figured out.”

  I slowly got out of the bed and began dressing. “Well, I mean, I told him I needed to tell you first.”

  She pulled her shirt over her head and stared at me. “Tell me. Not talk to me first? You had to tell me. Did you really think I would just pack up a bag and leave with you tomorrow, Anson?”

  “Well, yeah. I mean, Bri, you know how hard I’ve worked to get to this moment. This is it. This is my chance.”

  She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Do what?” I asked, suddenly feeling a vice clench around my heart.

  When she started to cry, it nearly had me falling to my knees.

  “You’re asking me to give up my life. Have you stopped to think about me in any of this?”

  “Of course I have. Two years, Bristol, that’s all I’m asking you for.”

  She shook her head and fiercely wiped at her wet face as she stormed out of the house and headed toward my truck. I followed behind her and opened the passenger door as she climbed in, then I walked around and got in the driver’s seat.

  “You’re asking me to put my own dreams on hold,” she said. “Why are my dreams any less important than yours?”

  “They’re not, Baby, you know that. This is an opportunity I can’t walk away from.”

  She stared off into the distance while she got her emotions under control. “Anson, listen to what you’re asking of me. You met a guy tonight at a bar in Austin. He promised you a meeting with a record company but told you that you have to head back to Nashville with him tomorrow. How is this okay? You want me to pack a bag, leave my family and the town I love, as well as my own dreams behind, for a crapshoot chance at a singing career?”

  Her words felt like a slap in the face.

  “You don’t think I can do it?”

&n
bsp; Bristol sighed. “Oh, for the love of God, that is not what I’m saying and you know it. You’re letting this random guy fill your head.”

  “Okay, well, you calling it a ‘crapshoot chance’ sort of says a lot about your faith in me.”

  “That’s bullshit, and you know it, Anson. I know if you put your mind to it, you can make something of yourself. I know you’ve got the talent for it. I’m simply asking you to take a moment and breathe. I told you I’d go to Nashville with you. I told you I would support you in this dream, but I can’t just walk away from my life here at a moment’s notice. I have my own responsibilities. And you have responsibilities as well. What about your family’s ranch?”

  “What about my family’s ranch?”

  She closed her eyes and sighed.

  “Go ahead and say what you mean. Are you saying you can’t, or you won’t?”

  “That’s not fair. You’re asking me to put everything I want on hold. All I’m asking is that you give me a week. One week! Let me settle things here, explain to my folks, explain to your folks. Figure out where in the hell we’ll work, live. Anson, I cannot take a blind leap and leave it up to fate that we’ll both land on our feet. There’s a lot at stake here, and you know it.”

  I looked away from her. In my excitement, I hadn’t really thought about any of that.

  “I’ll find a job, you can find a job, we don’t have to stay that long. Give me a year then, that’s all I’m asking for. One year.”

  “I’ll go with you for the audition, Anson. We can stay a few weeks, see what it’s like there, then come back to Comfort and regroup. I can’t up and leave with you tomorrow simply because this guy says something you want to hear.”

  “If I’m going to try and make it in Nashville, I need to live there, Bristol, you know that.”

  She stared at me in disbelief. “I’ve stood by your side through all of this, Anson. I didn’t go to my senior prom because you had a gig in Dallas, and I wanted to be there with you. I’ve traveled hours by your side in your truck through countless states, helped you set up your equipment, helped book gigs. I know how much this means to you. But if you would stop and think for one minute about someone other than yourself, you’d see you aren’t the only person in this world with a dream. It was only a few days ago we were talking about our future. What about the ranch? Our dreams of building a house there, raising a family? What about my dreams of owning my own tea shop? I still want that, and I’m willing to put it on hold if you would stop and listen to me, but I won’t rush off to Nashville on a mad dash. This could be a wild goose chase for all we know.”

  “Bristol, I’m not asking you to give up on any of your dreams. I’m simply asking you to be by my side because my dreams don’t seem as important without you there with me.”

  “No, you’re asking me to jump in blindfolded. To leave everything and everyone I love behind without so much as a goodbye.”

  “What about me? Are you able to let me go any easier?”

  She glared at me, and I saw the tears coming back. “Don’t you dare do that. Do not guilt me, Anson Meyer. You know how much I love you. I love you more than anything, which is why I’m bucking on this so hard.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck and looked at the girl I had been in love with forever. Hell, we’d known each other our whole lives. There were pictures of us sitting in a bathtub together, butt-ass naked as 1-year-olds. We grew up together. Knew everything about each other. Her mother, Emmie, and my mother, Pearl, were best friends. Hugo, her father, and my dad, Carl, had known each other their whole lives. Our families were tied together through love and friendship. I loved her with everything I had, but this was my one shot and I felt it. I knew it in my bones that this guy was legit. Why wouldn’t she realize it and take the risk with me?

  “I love you, too, Bristol, but I’m going to Nashville. I have to go, Babe.”

  She swallowed hard. “That’s it? You won’t even try to work something out? You won’t give me a few days? You’re just going to rush on out of town and head there on the word of one man because he says so?”

  When I didn’t answer, she threw her hands up in the air and sighed. “I can’t do this anymore tonight. We both need sleep and need to start over again in the morning. We’ll work something out. Maybe you can leave tomorrow, and I can come a week later or something.”

  I didn’t reply as I pulled up to the front of her house. I glanced down at the business card sitting there.

  Robert Hanley. Big Music Management. CEO/Owner

  Bristol opened the door of my old Ford truck and said, “Promise me you’ll stop by in the morning and we’ll talk more about this?

  “Anson?”

  I looked up from the business card, the words Mr. Hanley had said to me still replaying in my head.

  “I was told about an up-and-coming country singer from Comfort. Recognized the name on the billboard outside. You’ve got the voice, not to mention the looks, to be the next big thing. I’m the man that can make it happen.”

  I had immediately googled the guy and saw he represented some of today’s top country acts. He wasn’t some random guy. He was the guy. I’d shared that with Bristol, but she’d basically ignored that part of the conversation. Anger built up inside of me; I couldn’t figure out why Bristol was so hell-bent on waiting.

  I smiled at her and said, “Goodnight, Bri.”

  Bristol looked down where I had been staring. When she looked back up at me, her eyes were so sad. As if she could read my thoughts. She knew what my decision was, what it had to be.

  “You and me?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  “Always, Bri.” My voice sounded foreign, even to me.

  “You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?”

  I looked away, and then turned back to her. How could I make her understand that I knew in my gut this was going to work?

  Before I could say anything, she stepped back and shut the door. I watched as she walked down the gravel path toward her folks’ house.

  Little did I know that I would spend the next six years regretting not going after her. Regretting that I hadn’t driven home that night, but instead, headed back to Austin.

  Then on to Nashville.

  Anson - Six years later

  “THAT BRIDGE IS burned, and there’s no going back.

  Let it burn. Let it burn. Let it burn.”

  The crowd went wild as I sang the last lines to the song that had made me who I was. One of the world’s top country singers. Six Grammys, four male Country Artist of the Year awards, two Entertainer of the Year awards, and countless other CMA’s and AMA’s under my belt.

  I had the life I always dreamed of.

  And I was miserable as fuck.

  As I waved my hand and tipped my hat, I walked off the stage. The applause and chants of more, more, more surrounded me.

  I always saved “Let It Burn” for last. People asked me why I ended every concert with that song, and I told them it was because it was the song that started my career. And besides, my manager told me to.

  I hated that fucking song so much, I had to fight the bile down every time I sang it. It was a song I wrote in less than ten minutes. A song I wrote born of anger, sitting in the middle of a hotel room in Nashville. A song that sealed my fate, if I was honest with myself.

  As I walked off stage, three people stood there and waited on me.

  Lanny, my assistant. Jennifer, the dog nanny for my chocolate lab, Zeus. Don’t judge. I love that damn dog; he came out on the road with me and we went everywhere together.

  And, last but not least.

  Robert, my manager and best friend. Well, best friend when I wasn’t pissed at him. He had, in a way, simultaneously made me and destroyed me.

  Jenny smiled and handed me Zeus’s lead. “He missed you tonight.”

  I dropped down to one knee and gave my 2-year-old lab some much-deserved attention.

  “Hey, baby boy. You were a good boy for Jen
ny, weren’t you?”

  Jenny nodded and then looked at her watch. “Okay, I’m out of here. Jake wants to hit some bar he heard about.”

  “Thanks so much, Jen!” I called out as she rushed off, throwing me a quick wave over her shoulder. Lanny had suggested Jenny when I said I wanted to hire someone to watch over Zeus while I was on tour. Which was all the fucking time now. I loved my fans, but I was exhausted from all the touring. Burned out wasn’t even a strong enough expression to capture the last few years.

  Jenny, who was Lanny’s sister, worked out great. Her husband worked a job where he could travel with us, and she was the best dog nanny around. I would have preferred to call her a pet sitter, but she came up with the freaking dog nanny title. Said it looked better on her resume.

  Robert walked up, a wide grin on his face. “Another sold-out show, Anson. You’re on fire.”

  I smiled. “Well, Atlanta is always a good showing.”

  He nodded and gave me a knowing look. He might have been my manager, but like I said, he was also my best friend. I told him about everything, including the emptiness I felt in the middle of my chest. I was surrounded by thousands of people, damn near every night, yet even with Zeus by my side, I had never felt so alone in my life.

  “You’ve got three days off before your shows in Nashville…Those will wrap up the US tour dates. Get some song writing done, will you? If you want a new contract, we need to deliver some new material. Plus, you still owe them a single.”

  I nodded. My commitment with my current record label was ending. I had given them three albums, by this point, plus a Christmas album that I had already recorded. It was due out in September. Robert was in talks to sign me on for a new four-album deal. I wasn’t really sure I had it in me to do four more albums. Hell, at this very moment, I wasn’t even sure I had it in me to do one.

  Lanny walked up and gave me that all-knowing smile. The one that said she knew exactly what I was thinking. Get Robert away from me before I lose my shit.

  “Robert, the jet is ready to go, and the limo is parked out back.”

  Robert didn’t always come to my shows, but he did try and make it to the bigger ones. I liked that he was there to support me.