This Trust of Mine

by Amanda Bennett

  "Ha ha, funny. Let's go over there."

  Madison turned as we approached and tucked me under his arm. I looked between him and the tattooed man to my right, but Madison made no attempt to introduce us. I stood there clueless as to what was going on, until he mentioned the record deal up for grabs. I looked up at Madison slack jawed. Was he seriously just offering them a record deal?

  "Sorry, Tony this is my girl Kayla. Kayla this is Tony with Stealy Records."

  "Nice to meet ya Kayla."

  "You too Tony."

  "Well y'all think it over and give me a call on Monday. Pleasure meeting you guys."

  "Thanks Tony." Madison shook his hand and then turned towards me, just as Tony walked away.

  "Oh my god cowboy, look at you."

  "Shh, I'm afraid it was all a dream." He chuckled.

  "That's amazing." Before the last word barely made it out of my mouth, Madison's lips were sealed against mine. I wasn't expecting him to deepen the kiss as much as he did, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by it. I pushed my hands up the back of his shirt, gently dragging my nails down his taut sculpted muscles. When he eventually broke contact, I looked up at him in a daze with the same shit eatin' grin he had.

  "You're amazing. Let's get outta here."

  The entire ride home was spent talkin' about the record deal they were all offered. Surprisingly, they all sat there weighing out the pros and cons of it all. I was shocked when they all made the decision that if any of them had doubts, then they wouldn't go through with it. This group of guys really were in it for the pleasure of playing and nothing else. It was amazing to see them all stick together.

  Chapter 29

  Madison

  We pulled up in front of Kayla's house a little bit before nine. I assumed her grandparent's would be sleeping, but when I saw her grandfather sittin' out on the porch waiting for us, I guess I assumed wrong. I wasn't concerned with what he was doing out there, I assumed waiting for Kayla to get home safe, but when he motioned for me to join him on the porch, my stomach sunk.

  "Hi sir. Sorry we're home so late."

  "It's fine Madison, that's not why I called you over here. You need to get home."

  I knew exactly what he was implying and without saying a single word, I hopped over the fence and ran all the way to my grandparent's house. When I flung the backdoor open, I found my grandmother and Kayla's sittin' at the dining room table. My grandmother's face was buried in her hands and I could see the tears slowly dropping onto the old wood table.

  It took one look from Kayla's grandmother, to know that he was gone. I sunk down to my knees as every last ounce of air left my body. I couldn't hold back the onslaught of tears that began flowing from my eyes. Even though I knew this day was coming, it didn't make it any easier to take.

  I felt my grandmother's thin arms wrap around my lifeless body, tucking me into her small form.

  "He passed shortly after the show. He was so proud of you ,Madison. I had never seen him look more happy or proud of anyone after seein' you on that stage."

  I clutched her tiny frame to mine. She was my only lifeline left and I couldn't bring myself to let go of her yet.

  A little while later, my grandmother's arms were replaced with those of the only other person I wanted to see at this moment. I looked up through wet eyes into ones that mirrored my own. She whispered 'I'm sorry' and held me close, as I sobbed like a small child into her chest. Knowing I would never see my grandfather again, tore me in two and I found it hard to move to the sofa when Kayla urged me to do so. I fell back against the cushions, closing my heavy eyes. As I slowly drifted off into a light sleep, I felt her tuck herself into my side and I let a small smile spread across my lips.

  I woke up the next morning feelin' as though I drank an entire bar full of alcohol. My head was pounding and I could barely open my eyes enough to see where I was going. I went straight to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. I must've been in there for quite some time, because the water began to run ice cold. I pulled the curtain back and found Kayla perched on the edge of the counter, holding out a fresh towel for me.

  "You need to eat something." She whispered.

  "I know."

  I wrapped the towel firmly around my waist before I bent down and pulled her into me. I felt so empty without her touch and I needed it more than anything. I pressed my lips to hers immediately. I could taste the salt from my tears between our lips as I pressed them harder against hers. When I pulled back, I ran my fingers down the sides of her face. "I love you, Kayla. More than you'll ever be able to understand."

  Her hands pushed through my hair and her lips softly brushed against mine. "I do understand Madison, because that's how my love is for you."

  Chapter 30

  Kayla

  Cami and I stood in my bedroom looking over ourselves in the mirror. It was the day of Madison's grandfather's funeral and today more than any other day, I felt helpless. There hadn't been much that I had been able to do to console Madison over the last couple of days, but I sure as hell tried.

  I ran my hands down my dress, straightening out the hem so it looked perfect. I glanced over at Cami who was putting on her black patent leather heels. She looked up, just as I looked in her direction and gave me a halfhearted smile.

  "It'll be okay. I'm here for you if you need me."

  "Thanks Cam. There's just one thing I have to do before we leave."

  "Take your time love."

  I disappeared behind the splintered, wooden door to the bathroom. I glanced at myself one last time in the mirror before retrieving the white box from the small paper bag under the sink. I opened the box and sat the pink and white stick on the counter, before doing what needed to be done to get the answers I needed.

  I set the stopwatch on my phone and sat on the closed toilet for what felt like the longest three minutes of my life. When the alarm went off, alerting me that the three minutes were up, I had a hard time catching my breath. I pressed my hand firmly to my chest, willing my heart rate to slow, but it wasn't a possibility at the moment.

  I wrangled in my emotions as much as I could, before glancing down at the tiny stick that would unveil my future. "One line for not pregnant, two lines for pregnant." I repeated this at least a million times before finally having the courage to open my eyes. And just like that, I got my answer.

  To be continued...Look for the final chapter in the Raine Series, The Heart of Mine. Early July 2013