My Kind Of Country: The Complete Series

by Michelle Thomas

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAD

  Chad took a step away from the microphone suspended before him, his hands cupped over the headphones he wore. That was it, he could feel it. He knew without even looking up into the watchful eyes of the guys in the sound booth that he wouldn’t need to record the song again. He exhaled in relief and lifted his gaze toward the pane of glass separating him from his producer and manager. As he’d expected, they both wore wide smiles of satisfaction. They felt it, too, then; the air of finality, of a process seen through to completion.

  He was back.

  He was back in tune with himself; the man who’d fought to get to this point in his music career, and who had subsequently clawed his way back from what could have been the abrupt end of it. He was back creating music that, not only was he excited to reveal to his fans and hear their reactions to, but that also had the attention of the executives within the industry, too.

  In a matter of months, he’d managed to achieve some level of forgiveness from the people who’d helped him throughout the years, even though he knew damn well they should’ve packed up and gone on to find someone worthier of their guidance and unwavering support.

  Instead, after disappearing from Nashville for a handful of weeks without so much as a note or call to any of them, he’d returned to find his band and business partners—a group of guys who had done all they could in the time he’d been gone to prevent the media and powers-that-be in the city from finding out he’d left—waiting for him, albeit impatiently. That told Chad more about them than they could ever say. They were friends, not just people who worked alongside him.

  That’s not to say he didn’t return to a flurry of wide eyes, angry outbursts, and curse words. He heard it voiced in many different ways, but everyone he knew cried out the same concerns. “What the hell would possess you to do that?”, “You could have contacted someone!”, and “Maybe we were sitting here thinking you were dead!” were just a few of the retorts he’d faced.

  His friend and fellow songwriter, Andy, actually hit a wall and caused his knuckles to bleed when Chad first appeared back at the studio after his impromptu hiatus. Andy tossed insults and fits of outrage at him, visibly struggling to hold himself back from throwing a punch along with the string of expletives. He let Chad know in no uncertain terms that his little vanishing act was unfair, uncalled for, and downright irresponsible.

  Chad knew that was his way of saying he’d been worried sick about him, especially seeing as Andy rarely showed any sort of negative emotion outwardly. He was only one person in a long line of them who’d flung around choice words when Chad returned, but he’d expected it.

  Hell, he’d welcomed it.

  At that point, it had been almost a relief to know that there were other people who were dealing with hurt and anger about things that had happened, even if it was all directed at him. That meant he wasn’t suffering alone. He was fully aware of how deranged he was to think such a thing.

  Chad also knew there was something no one was willing to say out loud, but he was pretty sure he could guess what it was. He’d quickly noticed how everyone phrased their statements towards him—saying “What if we’d thought you were dead?” instead of “We thought you were.” He also picked up on the fact that, though they were concerned about his wellbeing and state of mind, no one really questioned him as to his exact whereabouts during those weeks. That could only mean one thing.

  Liz.

  Obviously, she had figured out his whereabouts long before he’d known hers, and she subsequently let the most important people back in Nashville know that he was okay. Call it damage control—or maybe just a love of gossip—but he supposed he should be thankful she’d helped him out that much. Lord knows she’d made an absolute disaster of everything else in his life, so he figured it was the least she could do.

  He’d barely spoken to her since parting ways with her on the other side of the border, speaking civilly to her only when something work related required it. It was funny how a city with more than six hundred thousand people could seem so small sometimes.

  But perhaps, out of everyone, his manager, Barry, held the least amount of grudge against him following his return.

  “As long as you’re okay, Chad, then I’m just glad to see you back where you belong.” Barry’s words struck a chord somewhere deep within him, wondering then what it would take for him to view Nashville as the place he truly belonged again the way Barry did. Chad also decided that he must have been one of the people Liz had called—therefore, giving him time to calm down and setting his manager’s mind at ease—but the lack of hostility was welcomed, nonetheless.

  Barry also seemed overly eager to get Chad back into the life he’d walked away from, and he supposed that was because it was the man’s job. He wondered if there was more to it, but he was certain he was doing it all for Chad’s own personal benefit rather than just for their careers. That made him wonder just how much Liz had divulged to him, but Chad didn’t have it in him to confirm that she’d, in fact, notified anyone of where he was, or what she had deemed relevant to tell them.

  Now, though, as he stood in the middle of the recording studio and tugged the headphones from his ears, basking in the energized glances from his colleagues, he knew two things for sure.

  The first was that this new single was the one. It would surpass the success he’d had with Take Me Home and put his name out there for the world to remember. The knowing excitement that radiated from Barry and his producer on the other side of the glass confirmed it. The song was country—real country—and it fit his voice, his demeanor, and his idea of what country music should be. And it should, seeing as he’d written it with Andy’s help. No matter what releasing it would do for his career, he knew he would always be proud to call this song his own.

  The second thing he knew was that the pain he felt at losing Katie the way he did was just as raw and fresh as it had been three months ago. Without that kind of immeasurable pain to eat away at his emotions and burn a ragged hole through his heart, he never would’ve been able to sing the song he just recorded with as much truthfulness and emotional upheaval as he had. Hell, he probably never would have dreamed of recording such a song before he’d left Nashville. There were just some songs that were so deeply rooted in a singer’s own personal demons that no one else would be able to convey the agony and self-destruction that led to those words being paired with a melody.

  “What the hell happened to you in Canada?” Barry had remarked the day he sat down and performed an acoustic version of the song for him to hear. Chad could tell he was half-joking, the raised corner of his mouth giving him away. He’d arched an eyebrow at him, anyway, and Barry responded by raising his hands in mock surrender. “I’m not complaining, trust me,” he added, a full-fledged smile taking over his features. “The music you’re cranking out is amazing, Chad. It’s deeper, for lack of a better word. But, you—I don’t know how to say it. You’re still you, but you’re not...you.”

  Chad scoffed quietly at that, reaching out to lean his guitar back into the stand. He couldn’t bring himself to answer the question, but he had a feeling his manager didn’t expect him to.

  If only Barry knew just how right he was. Chad wasn’t himself anymore, at least not the man he’d been prior to walking away from his life in Nashville as he’d once known it.

  Maybe he never would be again.

  CHAPTER THREE

  KATIE

  Katie heard Jay come home from work before she actually saw him. She hadn’t yet grown accustomed to leaving the door unlocked while he was away during the day, still uncomfortable with the city life. Even at the farm, she’d been sure to lock the door at night, and also when she left for any extended length of time.

  She could hear the shuffling as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, cursing as he tried one key, then another. Katie bit back a smirk as she crossed the room and turned the deadbolt, pulling the door open to come face to face with
his flustered expression, balancing multiple bags and boxes in his arms, his fingers tangled in a jumble of keys. However, the crease in his forehead quickly disappeared at the sight of her, his face breaking out in a wide smile.

  “Thanks, I was just about to give up and sit down here in the hallway until you got worried and came looking for me,” he chuckled.

  “I figured I’d better do something quick before your colorful language started to concern the neighbors.” She stepped back to let him and his baggage pass, offering him a joking grin in return. She closed the door once he was inside, fighting the urge to relock it.

  Instead, she followed Jay through the open living area into the kitchen, returning to the bar stool she’d been perched on before his arrival, the hot mug of coffee still on the kitchen counter billowing steam into the air. She eyed the bags he’d brought home as she took a sip from it, curled her nose up as the liquid burned her lips, and set it back down again to cool.

  Jay had bought things—multiple things—and he wasn’t exactly an avid shopper, which usually meant he either had some big idea he was going to try to convince her to go along with, or he’d done something that required an apology. Either way, she raised her eyebrows dubiously at him.

  “What’s with all the retail therapy?” she asked, trying to keep her tone even. The last thing they needed was another argument or conversation that resulted in her asking him to stop pushing his plans on her.

  Jay stopped rustling through the bags. He squared his shoulders as he turned his attention to her, his hands splayed before him on the countertop as though to steady his balance. “I have an idea, Katie.”

  What a shocker, she thought, and fought the urge to roll her eyes. Give the guy a chance. “Why does that worry me?” she retorted instead.

  “Christmas holidays. Mason gets two weeks off from school for the holidays already, so let’s pull him out for an additional week. Then, the three of us can spend three solid weeks together. No sprinting back and forth across the border, just a real family Christmas. Let’s do it, Katie.” He was practically vibrating with enthusiasm as he spoke, and she chuckled absently at him.

  Opening her mouth to speak, she realized she couldn’t think of a good reason right offhand why it was a bad idea. She quickly closed her mouth again.

  It was his turn to laugh at her. She was rarely speechless. “See? Even you, queen of all things logical and overanalyzed, can’t come up with a way to turn me down. Katie, it’ll be great. We’ll get a tree, and we can go shopping for Mason’s gifts together, and—”

  “The farm can’t be left alone in the dead of a Canadian winter like that. I’m sorry.” She said it softly, not wanting to crush his excitement.

  He deflated almost immediately, exhaling sadly. “It always comes back to that place. Is there—”

  Katie held up her hands. “Don’t tell me to sell it, Jay. I’m not listening to that again.”

  Jay cocked his head to the side, motioning for her to bring her defensiveness down a notch. “That’s not what I was going to say. What I was trying to say was, is there any way that we can hire someone to keep an eye on the house or something? Just for a few weeks?”

  They both grew silent. Time seemed to stand still with the lack of movement and sound between them. Faintly, Katie could hear Mason talking to himself as he played in his bedroom down the hall. He must be completely engrossed within his imagination not to have heard Jay come home. That was probably a good thing, because she was sure she wouldn’t be able to fend them both off if her son got wind of this idea. “Even if I could, the house isn’t prepared to withstand winter for any length of time. I would need to go back to get it ready. I can’t put that on someone else.”

  “So, you’re saying that if you could make a quick trip back to the farm, you could get it all prepared to be left unattended for three weeks and arrange for someone else to step in and check on things for you while you and Mason stayed here for the Christmas holidays?”

  Katie held his gaze. Was that what she was saying? Did she really want to stay here for that length of time with him? Did she want to give Mason that kind of opportunity to really see his dad, to spend the entire holiday season with him?

  When it came down to it, she did. She couldn’t deny the appeal of not having to keep up with the constant travelling schedule she’d been maintaining. She welcomed the notion of not having to keep her bags packed and not having to tear Mason away from Jay each time they left again for another five days.

  “You would be willing to take time off from work?” she asked.

  “I can book days off sporadically throughout those weeks so we can all spend time together,” he offered. “I won’t sit here and say I can stay home the entire time, but I’ll be here as much as I can be, and definitely on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” He nodded, making a promise with her.

  His words surprised Katie, and she would’ve been lying if she said she believed he’d be so accommodating. Jay’s work had always been first and foremost for him, and he made sure that what needed to be done within the walls of his office was done before anything else—family, friends, or time away—could be contemplated.

  “Besides, you’re probably going to want the odd day away from me. You like your space, and I can appreciate that,” he added, grinning ruefully.

  “You’re making it sound like I’m always trying to get away from you.”

  “Maybe you’ll want to after three weeks of being here, but at least, then, we’ll know.” His smile never faltered, and Katie could see the accomplishment written on his face. He knew he had her, that she was going to agree.

  She sighed, shaking her head. “All right, Jay, here’s the deal. If I can go back to Canada for a few days to get the house set up—you know, stuff like the hot water talk, the water pipes, the heaters, and blah, blah, blah—and if I can convince Ed Johnson down the road to look in on the place while Mason and I are here, and if I can count on you to be here enough that Mason won’t end up feeling like he’s just always waiting for you to get home…then, I guess it looks like we’re all spending Christmas together.”

  Jay let out a holler, slapping his hand down on the counter in triumph. In seconds, he was around the kitchen counter and holding Katie tightly. She squealed, laughing when her feet left the ground as he spun her around. He’d just set her back down on the floor when she recognized the sound of Mason’s little footsteps coming down the hallway.

  “Please just don’t let him down, okay?” Katie whispered, locking eyes with Jay. He’d heard Mason coming to see what was going on, too.

  “I promise. I’ll be here for him this Christmas.” He turned to face his son’s confused gaze just as the boy rounded the corner into the kitchen.

  “I didn’t know you were home, Dad!”

  “Just getting in the door, I swear. How was your day?” He stooped to chat at eye level, ruffling his son’s hair playfully. Immediately, Mason attempted to smooth his unruly hair.

  “Boring. There’s nothing to do here.”

  “Oh, Mase, there is so much to do here! Get your mom to take you around the city tomorrow and check it all out. You won’t be bored, I guarantee it.” Jay glanced over at Katie, but she held her hands up. She didn’t know what he wanted her to do.

  “I don’t have a clue where to go here,” she explained. “You forget, I’ve never lived here before.”

  “You can take us out tomorrow, Dad, and show us some stuff!” Mason exclaimed, and Katie saw the anticipation in his eyes.

  “I’ve got to go to work again tomorrow, pal. I’m sorry.” Jay held up a finger in pause, and she knew he was scrambling for a way to make the situation better. She would be as well if Mason was looking at her so dejectedly.

  “How about we spend tonight showing Mom how to work that cellphone we got her so she can easily look up all the cool sites that are close by? That way, you guys can make a list of them and plan to go check them out next time you’re bored stiff.” Jay ducked his head
to catch a glimpse of Mason’s eyes, seeking confirmation that he’d moved beyond his bout of sadness.

  Sure enough, the boy peeked out at him through his messy bangs, the wheels of mischief and imagination turning once again in his overactive mind. “Can we find a zoo?”

  Jay chuckled. “Go grab a pencil and some paper from your room, and we’ll all sit down and create a list of things we can look for in the area, okay? A zoo can definitely be at the top of the list, my boy.”

  Mason cast a wide-eyed glance of sheer happiness at his mother, and she offered him a slight nod to get him moving along. She wasn’t keen on figuring out how to stare at a teeny tiny cellphone screen, or using it for absolutely everything the way most of the modern population did. But she knew Jay was right, it was a necessary evil, and it’d help her and Mason to get more acquainted with their new surroundings.

  When their son skidded in his sock feet around the corner and down the hallway toward his room, Jay rose to his full height and reached out for her. “This is going to be great. I mean it. Thank you for agreeing to this.”

  “There were a lot of ifs in my conditions, but I agree with you. If it works out, I think we’ll all have a nice Christmas here. A little relaxation sounds oddly appealing.” She smiled up at him, letting him wrap his arms around her.

  “It will be a perfect family Christmas. We’ll go all out. More festiveness than you can handle.”

  She nodded against him, glancing toward the hallway. Her eyes rested again on the unpacked bags still sitting on the counter. “So, those shopping bags are...”

  Jay pulled away to beam down at her. “Your outfit for Saturday night.”

  “But I’m not going anywhere Saturday night.”

  “Sure, you are. Come with me to that release party I’m attending. I was just going to go make an appearance, but why not use it to celebrate our upcoming holidays? Let me show you off a little bit.” He leaned down and gently kissed the side of her face.