Forever Red

by Carina Adams

  But he’d also worked every day since he turned fourteen. His bible-thumping Baptist family believed hard work made the man, and they never let him forget that his “hobby” wasn’t a real job. Didn’t matter to them that he’d made more in a few years than his parents had in a lifetime, because all they saw was that he wasn’t really working. Their opinion was always just in the back of his mind, waiting for a moment like this to come out and taunt him.

  “Finn, if it was me, and my wife and baby needed to be home resting, I’d cancel the whole fucking tour to be with them. There is nothing more important right now than your family. They are your full time job right now.”

  He listened, letting my words churn in his mind before he nodded. He finished his beer. “Move Noah to bass, but leave Tex on percussion. Liam can handle steel. It’ll smooth the sound. And I’ll be back before he gets sick of it.”

  We talked for a few more minutes discussing which songs we could drop from the lineup. I was distracted, though. I’d been telling him the truth when I said that if it were my wife, I’d shut the entire tour down just to be with her. I hadn’t thought about settling down or having kids in years. I hadn’t met anyone that I wanted to share a life with.

  Except Lia. A vision of her sitting on the porch, pregnant with my baby, watching me work in the fields while she kept her feet up and sipped sweet tea flitted through my mind. Hell, yeah. I would never tour again if I had her and a family at home.

  After Finn left to join Nikki, I checked my phone. Lia would still be in school, but I’d call her as soon as I could. After the weekend we’d just had, I was even more addicted than I had been. I was still amazed that she’d agreed to come with me, but now I was counting down the days until I could spend every minute with her.

  *****

  “How many days left?” were the first words out of my mouth when she picked up the phone later that afternoon.

  “Eleven more days of school, but twelve until I can close my classroom,” she said with a laugh. “When you count weekends and days until I’m actually flying to you, we’ve still got seventeen.”

  I groaned. “I’ll never survive. You need to quit your job.”

  She laughed. “Maybe you need to quit yours.”

  “Let’s quit together and run away.”

  “Nathaniel Kelly, it’s not even four o’clock. Are you drunk already?”

  I chuckled at her condescending tone. “Nope. I’m sober, babe. We could go to the Virgin Islands. Or Scotland. Or, hell, even Canada. Just tell me what kind of climate you want and we’ll go. They’d never find us.”

  “Are you high? Have you been hanging out with Willie again? Did he maybe slip you some of his wacky weed?”

  My girl thought she was a comedian. “Seriously, tell me where you want to go, I’ll buy tickets and we can disappear tonight.”

  I grinned at her sigh. “You are something else, you know that, right?” she asked and I nodded at the wall – I did. “Where are you tonight?”

  I glanced out the window at the concrete wall. “Fuck if I know. Charlotte, I think. Nikki’ll tell me before I go out and make an ass outta myself.”

  “What are you going to do without her?”

  “It’ll be your job.”

  “To keep you from making an ass out of yourself? I’m pretty sure that’s more than a full time job.”

  We laughed the next half hour away until someone banged on my trailer door, letting me know it was time to get my shit together. “Shit. Someone needs me. I gotta go, babe.”

  “Okay. Have a great show.”

  “Want me to call you later? Or do you need to sleep?”

  “Did you really just ask me that?” she countered back. “If you don’t know the answer, then I definitely need the sleep.”

  Another bang let me know that the person outside was getting impatient. “I’ll call you tonight then.”

  “Have a great show, Neil.”

  “Come in,” I hollered as soon as I disconnected from her.

  Molly came in, already dressed for the show. Her welcoming smile fell when she saw me. “You’re not ready.”

  I glanced down at my jeans, boots, and black tee. It was what I wore every concert, or at least a variation of my normal clothes. “What should I be wearing?”

  Molly’s eyes got big and she gave me an annoyed look. “They said white button up and black jeans.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about.

  “We have a photo shoot in fifteen minutes. Followed by an interview.” Seeing my face still blank, she growled in annoyance. “The Country Weekly interview?”

  “Shit.” I had forgotten all about it. “That’s today?” I raised my hands in defense when she inhaled a sharp breath. “Give me five and I’ll be ready.” I didn’t wait for an answer, just hurried back to my room.

  Twenty minutes later, I was smirking at the camera, one hand around Molly’s waist, while she gave me a flirty smile of her own. It was the photographer’s idea, not mine. Then he put Molly in front of me, my hands covering hers across her stomach. By the time he thought he had what he needed, I was tired of smiling.

  We sat together for the interview, sipping on hot tea and laughing as we relayed stories of Molly’s old band and the time we’d spent together. The whole thing was going really well until they focused on me.

  “Nate, you know I have to ask. I read recently that you are country music’s hottest bachelor.”

  “I read that, too,” I mumbled, knowing what Sue, the reporter, was about to ask.

  “And that you are a serial dater,” She said and I nodded again. It used to be true. “But I’ve also read that you may be off the market.” She glanced at Molly out of the corner of her eye. “Anything you can tell me?”

  I inwardly groaned, knowing that she was connecting Mols and me in her mind. Putting on every bit of charm I’d learned to use over the years, I grinned at her playfully. “There are a lotta things I can tell you, Suzie Q, so why don’t you ask me what you want to know.”

  Sue uncrossed her legs and adjusted in her seat. “Are you still single?”

  I braced my elbows on the arms of my chair. I’d been asked this question hundreds of times, but I’d never really answered it. Usually, my response was humorous or self-deprecating. Not today. “I’m not.”

  I felt Molly tense next to me while Sue’s eyes glinted in excitement. This was a juicy piece of gossip that would go viral before she left the venue. “You’re not?”

  I shook my head once. “I’m not.” I shrugged. “We’re not getting married tomorrow”—then I laughed—“at least, we don’t plan on it. But, yeah, I have a girlfriend.”

  She arched an over-plucked eyebrow. “You don’t plan on getting married tomorrow,” she repeated cautiously. “That sounds as if you’re saying you do plan on getting married at some point.”

  I tipped my head, watching her. Red was going to kill me. Kill me dead. I chuckled at the thought. “Isn’t that the entire point of a relationship? Why bother if you don’t plan on getting hitched one day. We haven’t discussed it. I’m not even sure she’d call herself my girlfriend, but I could see myself marrying her one day.”

  “Wow. Someone stole Nate Kelly’s heart.”

  “I wouldn’t say she stole it ‘cause I’m giving it willingly. But she definitely put it back together.”

  “Now I’m curious. Is she someone we know? Someone in the music business?”

  I laughed. “Oh, no. I’ve already said too much. I can tell you that we’ve known each other for a long time. And when she’s ready to tell people, we’ll tell people. But know that right now, I’m taken.”

  She pursed her lips but then turned to Molly. “You’re with him all the time so you must know who this mystery woman is.”

  My friend nodded. “I do. I met her a few weeks ago. I think she’s a sweetheart. And, between you and me, she keeps him on his toes.”

  “And she doesn’t have a problem with your friendship or you being on
tour together?” The way she said it – as if it were completely unbelievable – pissed me off. I wanted to tell her that not all women were jealous and insecure, and to get fucked, but Molly answered before I could.

  “If you can’t trust the man who just publically admitted he wanted to marry you, I’m not sure there is anyone you can trust.”

  Nikki came in the room then, ending the interview, and escorting Sue out. As soon as the door was closed, Molly grabbed my arm. “You need to go call Lia,” she hissed angrily.

  “Why?”

  If looks could kill, she’d have murdered me on the spot. “You are a dumbass.”

  I could only stare, forcing myself not to laugh.

  “You do realize she thinks you’re talking about me, right?”

  “Sue?” I asked and she nodded. “No she doesn’t.”

  Molly glowered. “Yeah, she does. Or at least that’s how she’s going to spin it. Call Lia.”

  I nodded, grabbing my phone. I relayed the information to Red as soon as she picked up, knowing I was needed in my dressing room. I left out the marriage part, but told her everything else I could. She wasn’t upset but found it hilarious.

  “You actually told a reporter you weren’t single?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “Are you trying to kill your career? Women buy tickets to your shows because they want to fuck you. If you’re taken, they won’t buy any more tickets.”

  “Thanks,” I said bitterly. “I thought they came to see me play ‘cause they like my music.”

  “Well, that too.”

  “Me saying I have a girlfriend won’t keep the women away, Red.”

  “Of course it will,” she argued. “What kind of woman is going to try to sleep with someone else’s boyfriend?”

  I cleared my throat. “The kind that come to my shows on the off chance they’ll get to sleep with me.”

  She was quiet for a few heartbeats. “Ew. That’s kind of nasty, Kelly.”

  “You asked.”

  “I did.” She groaned. “Are there going to be lots of those women around this summer?”

  “Probably. But I’m going to be way too busy with you to pay any attention.”

  “Good answer.” I could hear the smile in her voice and it made me smile. “Did you really tell the reporter that you weren’t single?”

  “I did. I told the reporter that I had a girlfriend. And just so we’re all on the same page, that’s you. You’re my girlfriend.”

  “Oh, really? Aren’t you supposed to ask me or something? I mean, if we’re going to act twelve, we should go all out.”

  “Baby girl, I’m Nate Kelly. You should just be on your knees, thanking God right now that you get to call yourself my girlfriend.”

  “I’m concerned about your lack of self-esteem. You really need to learn how to love yourself despite all your flaws.”

  “Okay, smartass. I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you later.”

  “Bye, boyfriend.”

  I laughed as I hung up, turning to find Rebel and Boone staring at me. “Girlfriend?” the latter choked out around a laugh. Charlie “Boone” Boone, could play anything with keys and the way he played the piano made people stop and listen. But he was an ass that would cling to whatever weakness he could find. “Did I just hear you say the word girlfriend?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah.”

  Before he could say anything else, Reb lifted his chin. “Noah’s looking for you. Molly’s about to go on.”

  “Thanks, man.” I grabbed the door, but I didn’t make it into the hall before I heard Boone say, “Jesus, hell is about to freeze over, man.”

  I shook my head and kept walking.

  *****

  I’d been wrong. The news from my interview didn’t go viral immediately. In fact, nothing was said about it for almost two weeks until the Country Weekly article went live. What was supposed to be a small interview actually made the front cover, along with a picture from the shoot. It had been so long that I’d almost forgotten about it.

  “What in the hell did you do?”

  I shook my head at the seriousness in my sister’s voice. I had no idea what she could possibly be pissy about. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, you’re on maternity leave so it isn’t your problem.”

  “Nathaniel,” she sighed in the overdramatic way our mom used to. “Have you been online today at all?”

  “Nope. We’re on the way to Phoenix so the boys and I are on bus two.”

  Having two busses hadn’t just been a preference, it had been a necessity. No way in hell eleven guys and two women could live on one bus for months at a time. So I had my bus with the rest of the single guys. I got the bedroom – because I was me – but the five of them got to have ‘executive bunks’ that were bigger and nicer than the normal bunks.

  On bus two was Molly, Nikki, and the married guys. Instead of a back bedroom that they’d fight over, the room was filled with fold down couches in case a family came to visit. It was the room we’d jam in, the place where we could practice, and the place we’d all hang on long trips. There were eight bunks on this bus, so they were smaller, but no one seemed to mind. When I was on bus two, though, I got lost in my band and never paid attention to the outside world.

  “Well, let me enlighten you.” Whatever I’d done, she was beyond pissed. I heard a rustle of paper in the background and then she cleared her throat. “Are wedding bells in the future for Nate Kelly? He certainly thinks so. I got a chance to sit down with Mr. Heartbreak himself, along with his lady love Molly Ray as they talked their current tour, how their relationship started, and what might be coming soon for these two love birds.”

  I couldn’t say anything because I couldn’t make my mouth work.

  “What. The. Fuck. Nathaniel!”

  “That is not at all what I said.”

  “Really?” Nik shot back. “‘Cause it’s right here, in black and white. Letting mom think you and Molly are a couple just so you could get her off your back was one thing, but telling the world that you’re together? I can’t spin this shit.”

  “She asked if I was single. I said no.”

  “You said what?” she seethed. “Why would you say no?”

  “Because I’m not.”

  “Shit. Shit. Shit!” She sighed. “Get Molly and Google this shit Nate. Then call Lia before she sees the article herself. It’s that bad.”

  Nik wasn’t exaggerating. It wasn’t just bad. It was horrific. The photos they’d included were enough to condemn me. Then the article twisted my words and made it sound like I’d been talking about Mols.

  It wasn’t just the one article, though. Gossip sites had taken the story and run with it, using old pictures of Molly and me to make their point. There were even polls to see how long we’d last. Some people were appalled that I’d date a girl so much younger while others felt that I would break her heart and leave her devastated, ruining her career in the process. I wanted to tell all of them to get a fucking life.

  Molly only gave me an “I told you so” look before she locked herself in her bunk to call her own manager. Hopefully, between the two of them, they’d be able to figure something out. The timing couldn’t be worse, though, because Lia was supposed to fly into Phoenix and join us in two days.

  I didn’t know what I’d do if she decided not to come.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  ~ Cecelia ~

  “Have you seen this?” Cort practically screamed as she burst into my room. I looked up from where I was lying on my bed reading and saw the magazine in her hand. I nodded. Her eyes grew wide. Pointing at my packed luggage, she demanded, “Then why in the hell are your bags still packed?”

  “Because I leave in the morning.”

  She raised both eyebrows and gave me a look that I could only decipher as “are you shitting me?” before she opened the book and read an excerpt. “‘We’re not getting married tomorrow, at least, we don’t plan on it’ says country music’s favorite bad
boy when asked about his relationship with Molly. CeCe, you cannot go on tour with this ass.”

  I bit my tongue before saying something I knew I’d regret. I knew what the article said. Neil had read it to me. Four times. I could practically recite the thing now. He was pissed. Molly was pissed at him. But I just thought the entire thing was funny.

  Until now. “I take it you got the mail.”

  “Ugh!” She yelled in frustration before reading more to me. “When asked if she thought she could trust the man that’s been known to love ‘em and leave ‘em, Ray replied, ‘If you can’t trust the man who just publically admitted he wanted to marry you, I’m not sure there is anyone you can trust.’ One thing we know for sure: these country rebels seem perfect for each other.’ How are you not upset about this?”

  “Because their words were twisted. You know as well as I do that they are not a couple.”

  “Do I? Even Nate’s mom thinks they are!”

  “Why do I tell you anything?” It was more a question for me than her. I honestly couldn’t remember why I would share that tidbit of information with her.

  “Because I’m your best friend and you know I’ll tell it like it is. I’ll be honest with you, even when you don’t want to hear it. Unlike some people.” She held up the magazine as if it was proof.

  I grabbed an animal cracker from the bowl next to me and popped it in my mouth. “I love you, too, Cort. I’ll make sure I send postcards from every city.”

  “Whatever.” She tossed the magazine on my bed. “Be a dick. Just remember, nobody likes a dick.”

  I grinned up at her. “Speak for yourself. I like dick. I like a lot of dick. That’s why I’m going.” Cort groaned again before turning and stomping out of my room, slamming my door behind. “I love you, too!” I yelled. I was going to miss her like crazy.

  *****

  I wasn’t surprised that Mike showed up at the airport instead of Neil. He’d told me that he was being hounded by photographers ever since the article came out because everyone wanted to catch him and Molly together. What did surprise me, though, was that Noah had come, too.