Katie laughed as Mason re-enacted the scene, and she made a mental note to thank Julia for her hospitality. Lord knows, Jay didn’t seem to have much of it.
“You can build a fort here anytime, Mase. Don’t ever think you can’t.”
He turned back to the television. “I don’t feel like it right now, but it was cool then.”
She nodded, huffing at the boredom that plagued her as well. “Well, we can do whatever you want, Mason. The sky is the limit.”
Mason wielded himself around again to face her, folding his legs in front of him in one fluid movement. “Let’s go see Chad.”
He could’ve asked to go to the zoo, or even to the mall to see Santa Clause. Hell, he could have asked to go to the moon. Katie would have expected all those requests from her seven-year-old long before she expected Chad’s name on his lips.
“We can’t do that, Mr. Mase.”
“Why not? You said you missed him.”
Katie would’ve asked herself why kids had to be so damn logical, but she was too busy trying to come up with a reason her son couldn’t see the man he called a friend.
Friends. The label halted her frantic mind. A quick glance at the clock told her she still had a few hours before Jay would be home. Besides, Chad was a busy man right now. There was a good chance he wouldn’t have time for a chat with the little boy.
“I’ll give him a quick call, but he might be really busy, okay? Don’t get your hopes up, all right?” Mason’s face was already lit up in anticipation as she searched through the call records on her phone and pressed the buttons to dial the number he’d called her from. Maybe he could show her how to save the number in the phone, too, seeing as she was too proud to ask her son to teach her.
“I didn’t expect to see your number on my caller display. Hey, Katie.”
The happiness in his voice made her grin. “I was hoping to cash in on that smile.”
Chad chuckled softly in her ear. “I meant it. What’s going on?”
She could hear the soft strum of a guitar in the background, the same few chords over and over. “Actually, I was just going to see what you were up to. I understand that you’re busy with—”
“If you want to see me, Katie, just ask.”
She blushed and turned her back on Mason. “I was wondering—actually, Mason was wondering, too...”
Chad was chuckling again, and an image of what he must look like as he smiled right now passed through her mind. “I’m just fiddling around with some of the songs I’m recording for the album. You tell Mason that he and his currently blushing mom are more than welcome to come and hang out with me here if they’d like.”
“It wouldn’t be for long. We don’t want to disturb you, and I don’t even know where to go to find you.”
“You’re rambling.”
Katie took in a deep breath, peering over her shoulder at her son. He gave her a look of puzzlement, and Katie returned it with a thumbs-up. Mason let out a cheer and fisted pumped the air.
“Just tell me where the recording studio is, and I’ll bring an extremely excited little boy over to say hello.” She scribbled down the address he recited and winked in Mason’s direction. “I guess we will see you soon.”
“I’m lookin’ forward to it.”
That made three of them.
***
Katie pulled the car up to the place that matched the address Chad had given her. She was surprised to find it was a house, not a big industrial-looking building like she expected. She killed the engine, thankful for the drive to be over. City driving had never been her thing, and driving in a place she wasn’t familiar with was even worse.
Mason, whose right hand was gripping the passenger door handle tightly, didn’t much like her driving abilities here, either. Making a slight detour for Starbucks had made the trip longer, but the bold aroma drifting from the cups made it all worthwhile.
Balancing the tray of coffee and hot chocolate, Katie led Mason to the doorstep and let him ring the doorbell, glancing at the address scrawled on the paper once again before shoving it into her coat pocket.
Chad answered the door with a wide smile, his thermal long-sleeved shirt and jeans giving him a comfortable look. He only wore socks on his feet, and Katie idly wondered if she’d ever seen him without his boots on.
“What took you so long?” Chad directed his question toward Mason jokingly, ushering them in out of the wind.
“Mom got lost trying to find Starbucks.”
Chad burst out laughing, biting his lip to suppress his amusement. “She’s got a mean caffeine addiction, Mason. We both know she would go to the end of the world for that stuff.”
“But I got a peppermint hot chocolate out of the deal, so it’s okay.” Laughter erupted again, and Chad high-fived the boy.
“I’m standing right here,” Katie reminded them as she followed them down the staircase into the basement. The stairs themselves may have creaked under their weight and seemed in need of some repair, but the basement opened up into an incongruently modern setting, causing her eyes to grow wide.
“Wow,” she whispered.
Mason was already ambling forward, running his hands along the edge of the sounding board, a mixture of switches, buttons, and little levers greeting him.
“For the love of God, don’t touch anything!” she exclaimed.
Chad put a gentle hand on her shoulder, amused at her fearful concern. “It’s okay, he’s fine.” He turned to the young boy. “Go ahead and check it out, Little Man. I’ll show you how to use it all in a second.”
They watched as Mason shimmied out of his coat and tossed it on the back of one of the chairs pulled up to the equipment, crawling onto the chair to get a better view. Katie held out the tray.
“I bought you a coffee. I didn’t know if songwriters and singers required coffee for the creative process, but I figured it couldn’t hurt.”
Chad pulled one of the paper cups from the tray, his smile still plastered across his face. “Caffeine always makes things better, and I doubt any creative person will ever tell you any different.”
“I’m glad to know my search for a Starbucks wasn’t in vain, then.” She undid her jacket and hung it on one of the hooks by the staircase. “Are you sure he’s okay to be playing with that?”
“He’s fine, Katie. It’s a new gadget for him to play with. Maybe he’ll—” Chad went silent as footsteps clomped down the stairs. A man with greying hair appeared, holding up his hands in surrender.
“Sorry to interrupt, Chad. I just wanted to let you know we’re leaving for the evening. You can lock up whenever you’re done.” The man turned his attention to Katie, jutting out his hand. “Sorry for the rudeness. I’m Barry, Chad’s manager.”
Katie shook his hand gently. “I’m Katie. Good to meet you.”
She watched as his dark eyes bulged suddenly. “You’re Katie?” He sent a questioning glance over at Chad, and her uncertain glance followed.
“Yes, Barry. This is Katie. And that’s Mason, her son.” He tossed his head to the side to indicate the boy behind them, his gaze never once deviating from the direction of his manager. An unspoken question seemed to pass between them, followed by an unspoken answer.
“Ya’ll have a good evening. Good to meet you...Katie.” An amused grin tugged at the corner of Barry’s lips, but he left without another word.
“What was that all about?”
Chad waved a hand dismissively. “Nothing. He’s just being an idiot.”
“He seemed to know me.” She narrowed her eyes. “What did you tell him about us?”
“Nothing, I swear it. Obviously, he’s just heard me say your name in passing or something. He doesn’t know a thing about us. I promise.”
Katie held his gaze a few moments longer. Despite not believing him, she gave a reluctant nod and let it go. She peered over her shoulder to confirm Mason was out of earshot, and then she lowered her voice. “You promised you would never lie to me again.”
Chad moved closer to her, his jaw softening slightly. “I’m not lying to you. Barry knows absolutely nothing about what happened when I left Nashville. It’s your name he knows, not you in particular.”
Katie immediately wondered if Chad’s ex, Liz—and, ironically Jay’s ex, too—had spread her name around, causing Chad grief in the process. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask, but she decided against it, tucking that topic of conversation in the back of her mind.
She might be gullible when it came to Chad, succumbing to his charms as she had in the past, but she also knew that not believing him a few months ago when she, in fact, should have, had led her to the mess she was in. He’d swore he would never lie to her again and, right or wrong, she believed him. “Do you live here?”
Chad shook his head, pulling up another chair beside his and motioning her to sit. “It’s actually Barry’s house, but it does feel like I live here lately,” he chided, taking a sip from his coffee cup. “Thanks for this, by the way.” He held the cup up. “I could use the energy jolt.”
“You’re welcome. With the new single doing so well, you must be being pulled in all directions lately, huh?”
Chad opened his mouth to answer but didn’t get a chance. Instead, he stood up and strode over to Mason, who stood on a wheeled chair in front of the recording booth, his body stretched dangerously across the control panel. He held the chair in place, preventing it from rolling out from under him. “Careful, Little Man. That chair is going to move. Let me show you something, okay?” He motioned for Mason to follow him, and the two of them disappeared into the recording booth.
Katie watched through the glass as Chad set her son up in front of one of the microphones suspended from the ceiling, adjusting it to his shorter height. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Mason was wide-eyed with excitement and nodding furiously. It was safe to say his case of boredom had been cured. She laughed to herself as she watched him pull his harmonica from his jeans pocket. She didn’t even know he’d brought it with him.
When Chad finally opened the door and came back out of the booth, he wore a smug grin. “He’s going to record himself playing the harmonica. I think I should apologize to you in advance.”
Katie laughed. “That tape is going home with you, not me.”
“Maybe he’ll grow up to be famous and that ear-splitting recording will be worth millions,” Chad reminded her.
“Perhaps I can lock it away until then.” She watched as Mason plunked the oversized earphones over his ears and held the harmonica up in front of the microphone. “Is he playing it right now?”
“Soundproof glass. We only hear him if we want to hear him.” He motioned toward the abundance of controls and switches before him, grinning.
Katie sighed dramatically. “Oh, now that is music to my ears.”
Chad took a seat by her again, idly watching the little boy tinker with his newfound toys. “To answer your question from earlier, though—yeah, it has been a bit hectic since the single was released. But it’s worth it, too, you know?”
“You must be on top of the world. All that hard work is starting to pay off.” Katie cupped her hands around her coffee, the warmth of it seeping into her fingertips.
Chad snickered softly. “Definitely. I’ve been signing autographs and taking pictures with fans when I go out places. I’m actually starting to feel a little bit famous.”
“You are.” Katie nodded, tilting her head slightly. “I mean, you already were...to me, anyway.”
“You didn’t even know who I was.”
“You’re wrong about that.” Katie pointed an accusing finger at him. “I knew who Chad Ashton was. I listen to the country music radio station all the time, remember? What I didn’t know was that Chad Ashton and Chad Kirkwood were one and the same.”
“Stick with Chad Kirkwood, he’s a good guy.” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
Katie leaned forward as well, matching his stance playfully. “I might know who Chad Ashton is, but I don’t think I know him enough to be able to compare him to Chad Kirkwood. That just wouldn’t be fair at all.” She cast a quick glance in her son’s direction, and he caught her eye and happily waved back.
“You think you might like Chad Ashton more?”
Katie turned back to him, amused by his question. “Like I said, I can’t compare you with someone you say I don’t know. What makes Chad Ashton so different from Chad Kirkwood?” She was laughing now, unable to hide her smirk any longer.
Chad reached out for her hand and stood up. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
She laughed harder, setting her coffee cup on the floor. “Oh, what? Chad Ashton has a secret superhero suit or something? I can’t leave Mason in there without being watched.”
He reached down and covered her hand with his, pulling her gently to her feet. “He’s fine. We’re not leaving, just...come here. I have to show you something I’ve wanted to show you since you walked down those stairs.”
They both glanced quickly at Mason again, who was paying them no attention, his face contorted in concentration as he played his harmonica into the microphone. Chad then tugged on her hand, walking backward to face her while he led her away from the glass window and opened the door into what must have been a storage closet, subsequently blocking their view of Mason.
With one more gentle pull, Katie stumbled towards him and he pivoted, holding her against the wall as his lips landed against hers, causing a surprised gasp to escape her throat. He kissed her gently at first, but his kiss became more forceful when she didn’t pull away.
Without thinking, her fingertips, still warm from the heat of her coffee cup, trailed upwards to his throat, and she could feel his pulse beating wildly beneath his skin. His hands rested on her hips, and his kiss lingered as he slowly pulled his head away from hers, his eyes gleaming even in the shadows of the darkened room.
“That was Chad Ashton,” he whispered playfully.
The sound of his voice, husky and hoarse, brought Katie back to her senses. She took a hesitant step away from him, pulling her hands from his neck as though the heat of his skin might burn her. “We shouldn’t have done that.”
“Maybe not, but it was just as unbelievable as I remembered.”
She couldn’t look him in the eye. “You’re making this harder on me, Chad.” Her fingertips touched her swollen mouth tentatively, her gaze meeting his. “Why is this so hard?” The question reeled through her mind and escaped from her lips without realizing it.
Chad stepped closer to her again, his hands on her shoulders to hold her firmly in place. “Katie, it shouldn’t have to be.” His voice was hushed and tender. “I need you to realize...you should be furious with me right now. Hell, you should be grabbing your coat and your son and be storming the hell out of here. Yet, you’re not. You’re standing here with me now after kissing me back, and you wanted it just as badly as I did.”
She might not have known much about Chad Ashton, but he seemed to know her very well.
CHAPTER TEN
CHAD
If silence was truly golden and ignorance was really bliss, it was safe to say that Chad was doing something wrong. While Katie had left the recording studio on good terms with him—he felt he knew her well enough to know if she was upset at him for his actions or not—he hadn’t heard a word from her in over two days. The thought plagued him that he’d made a huge mistake by kissing her, and by letting her know that not a damn thing had changed with regard to his feelings for her.
But, he didn’t regret it. And that was mostly because he was confident that it hadn’t been a mistake.
So, what happened? It had been a welcomed surprise when she called asking to see him, and he hadn’t asked why she made that call. The reason didn’t matter. Whatever led her to contact him, it was a blessing. And when she left, she’d hugged him back, thanking him for giving her and Mason a sneak peek at the life of a recording artist. Mason was jabbering frantically about
how cool it all was, and Chad wondered amusedly if the boy would even be able to stay awake for the car ride home.
He wasn’t sure what he expected after kissing her and being able to spend some time with her, but two days of utter silence wasn’t it. He kept checking his phone for text messages and missed calls as he ducked in and out of interviews and appearances. His mind played tricks on him, making him pull his phone out of his pocket often when he was sure he’d heard the text alert or the ringing of an incoming call. It drove him crazy, and the urge to call her beckoned within him in an astoundingly loud voice.
But he couldn’t push her. Kissing her—and then blatantly pointing out her positive response to it—was forward enough. Anything more might drive her away instead of bringing her closer. Emotionally, Katie was as close to him as if she was a part of him—he could feel it. Mentally and physically, however, she might as well have been a million miles away, her uncertainty and distrust erecting concrete walls he’d never break down if she didn’t give him the chance.
When it came down to it, he could want her and love her all he wanted, but Katie needed to make the decision to come to him—he couldn’t do it for her. He wouldn’t do that to her.
He wouldn’t be like Jay.
How that man managed to treat Katie the way he did and still keep her for himself, Chad would never understand it. While he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain, his gut told him that no love lived within that home anymore.
Katie had distanced herself from everyone when Jay left her, only to push everyone further away when Chad’s true identity was revealed in such a cruel and disbelieving way. Now, she held on to the only thing she seemed really sure of: her loveless-but-convenient relationship with the father of her son.
It was illogical thinking in Chad’s eyes, but he could see how, after everything she’d been through, she found an odd comfort in the low expectations she had for her current relationship. Jay, on the other hand, seemed just as disinterested in truly being with her. To him, their relationship seemed a practical ruse that looked good from the outside. It just made sense, despite the lack of companionship and the nonexistent connection.
My Kind Of Country: The Complete Series Page 21
