by Sm Donaldson
She spins around to leave and I try to grab her arm. “Ivie, it’s not like that.”
She makes it to the door when the horns go off. We were told that means we have to stay where we are. She kicks the door. “FUCK!”
Good, this means we are stuck here together and she’ll have to listen to me.
“Don’t you come near me!” She screams at me with tears in her eyes. She slides down by the wall. “Why do you do this to me? You know, at least when Chad beat the shit out of me it was just physical. I can’t handle all of your mind games. Emotionally you are killing me.” Tears are freely rolling out of her eyes.
I sit down on the floor across from her and she draws her feet up, bringing her knees to her chest.
“Ivie, I don’t deserve it, but please just listen to me.”
“What choice do I have? We’re locked in here, right?”
“I wish that wasn’t the only reason you were listening to me.”
About that time, we hear an explosion. It shakes the walls around us. A set of stage lights fall over and shatter.
Another explosion, this time more shit around us starts falling. I look over at her and she is shaking with pure fear.
Grabbing her hand, I pull her to me, picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder fireman style. I run over to the stage area and let her down. “Get up under the stage, baby, and cover your head.”
She crawls quickly up under there and I go in after her.
Pulling her to me, I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head. “I love you, Ivie, I really do.”
Hiding up under a stage shaking in fear isn’t my idea of a good time. Especially being that I just had this melt down with Gable and now he’s holding me. I want to be angry with him, I want to tell him to get the hell away from me. I can’t though, I need him.
He strokes the side of my face. “Shh baby, it’s okay.”
“D-don’t c-call me ba-baby.”
“Just rest. Just rest. We’ll talk later.”
I must have dosed off because the next thing I know, I’m being put on the stage on my side.
I open my eyes and Gable smiles. “The firing has stopped but the sandstorm still has us on lockdown.”
I sit up, hanging my feet off the stage. He sits down by me. “Ivie, I’m gonna talk and you’re just gonna listen. I’ve got some things to say and I’m going to try and make them come out like they are supposed to, but I can’t promise anything.”
I nod and shrug. “I’m kinda trapped so what else am I going to do?” This annoys me.
He throws his hands up in frustration. “I’m a fuck up. The other night, I was on my way to tell you all of these things in my head. I stopped when I saw that guy kissing you. I was going to just go back to my room and keep it to myself.”
He touches my hand and looks into my eyes. “But I couldn’t. I thought about the fact that I couldn’t stand to see you with someone else, you’re supposed to be with me. The thought of you kissing someone else, having sex with someone else, marrying someone else, having kids with someone else, I can’t do it. You have always been mine. Hell, whether or not either of us were willing to admit it.”
He looks at me as if he’s expecting me to say something.
I motion to him. “Can I speak now?” He nods his head. “How can I believe you, Gable? The whole pregnancy thing brought so many things to the front burner. So many things that we’d been avoiding. Then, how you treated me after I lost the baby.” I shake my head, trying to avoid the tears that are ready to spill. “I cried for two solid days. You made me feel like I was nothing but a mistake to you. I was freaked out and I guess I should’ve called you the minute I found out, but I was scared. How was I to know that before I could tell you, some psycho would take all of it away from me? He took my spirit, my drive, a baby I didn’t even know that I wanted, but most of all, he took you.”
He scares me by grabbing my face and pulling it to his. “Baby, he did not take me from you.”
“Yes, he did, you left me. Had it not been for Scarlet, I don’t know what I would have done. I thought I was losing my mind, and besides a few generic texts, I never heard from you.”
He looks up at me with tears in his eyes. “I planned on coming out to Scarlet’s like I said, but when I went back in the house...”
He stops and I see him trying to swallow, he continues. “I saw my room and how hard you fought. Then, I walked around the bed and the carpet was saturated with blood. One spot was his, but there was a good sized spot that was yours. I lost it. I knew that you could’ve died right there, along with my baby. I began to wonder if maybe that was one of the reasons my dad never came back after he went to prison. Was it because he was afraid to lose it all when someone walked away from him?”
I go to say something and he stops me. “I know that’s not true, my dad was a coward and a jackass. I acted like one, too, but I learned I was trying to distance myself so it didn’t hurt so fucking bad. What it did show me, though, was how it would feel to not have you in my life, in my bed as my partner. That’s not a life I want, Ivie, not even close. I want you with me for the rest of my life. I love you.”
“Gable.” I wipe the tears from my face. “I can’t promise I’ll go right back to how we were before. I can’t promise to go straight back to being in your bed every night. I can promise you that I love you and I want to be with you. It’s just, trust is going to be an issue for me right now. I lost a lot. So, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m not putting a label on this. I don’t want to be with anyone else, but I can’t give you myself completely yet. If I do and this doesn’t work, it’ll kill me this time.”
He slams his mouth to mine. “I love you and I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving it to you every day.”
All of the emotions and adrenaline pumping through my body seem to go straight to my core while he’s kissing me. I run my hands down his chest to his crotch and I feel his hardening cock though his jeans.
He runs one of his hands over my hardening nipples. Lowering his head, he bites at the nipple through my shirt. Pulling my shirt over my head and taking my bra off, he pushes me back on the stage. He starts unbuttoning my jeans to slide them down and he looks up at me, with hooded eyes. “Baby, I have to taste you.”
Kissing my inner thighs and working his way to my core, the first flick of his tongue on my clit makes my back arch up and I practically start bucking off the stage.
He whispers to me. “Hold on baby, we are going to do this right.”
After a few minutes of exhilarating pleasure, he climbs up my body. Looking down, I see at some point in all of my bliss he’s stripped his clothes off, too.
I can’t help but chuckle and he smiles at me. “Babe, that does nothing for my confidence.”
“No, it’s just I didn’t realize you’d taken your clothes off, too. I guess I was too busy eating up all the pleasure you were giving me.” I glance back down at his amazing cock. “And nothing should ruin your confidence.”
He grins. “Oh, well by all means, I’ll continue.”
A few moments later he’s thrusting into me. We both at first enjoy the slow tantalizing way we are enjoying each other’s bodies, but after a few minutes our need for each other wins. We are both grinding and moving faster and faster. Nipping and biting at each other, my legs are over his shoulders while he’s slamming into me. We are both sweating when we finally both come. I scream his name as I feel a warm jet shoot inside of me.
Looking at each other, we smile. As he kisses my temple, I look into his eyes. “I know I’m on birth control now, but should we be using condoms anyway. Nothing is 100%.”
He smiles. “Baby, I want nothing between us, and if we are that 2% that gets pregnant with birth control, then that’s what happens. We will deal with it. I’m proving to you that this,” he motions between us, “Is the real deal.”
“I love you, Gable.”
About that time the door bursts open wit
h Keeg and Stoney.
Stoney screams. “WHAT THE FUCK! OH MY EYES, MY DAMN EYES. I CAN’T UNSEE THIS SHIT!”
Keeg laughs. “Well it’s about fucking time. If I had to walk up on her in mid sex dream again, I was seriously gonna lose my shit.”
We are finally home for a couple of weeks. I surprised my sister, which was awesome considering I knew the huge surprise she was getting a day later.
Ryder and I had been working on the plan for weeks. He was surprising her with a Spring Break trip to Destin, where Cade’s wife has a house on the beach. Ivie and I showed up the day after they did. The next day, my Mom even snuck in. Ryder walked her out to the beach and asked her to marry him.
I’ve never seen my sister so happy. I’m so glad she’s found her happiness because I know I’ve found mine.
The record company liked the demo that Ivie and I made of our lyrics combined. We worked on a chorus and a couple of more verses to go with it.
The song finally came off as stupid guy hurts girl he loves, she can’t get over him but he broke her heart. They finally talk to each other and work things out and figure out there could never be anyone else.
Sound familiar? They say the test market on the song is off the charts, that people like the “couple” singing to each other. After we finish the last leg of the USO tour, we are heading in to the recording studio.
They even got us a place in Atlanta so we don’t have to be so far from home.
But today is a big day. Today, I’m going to see my father for the first time in years. Actually, Scarlet, Cade, myself and our mothers are all meeting with him.
Our mothers met at the beach house and hit it off. Who knew you could bond with a lady that was married to your shitbag dying ex-husband at the same time you were?
He is meeting us here at Ryder’s house. I had mom sell her place while I was gone, so now when I’m home, I guess Ivie and I are staying with Scar and Ryder.
Of course when I got here, I got a very long and scary lecture from Nana, which I deserved. She gave me hell for acting like child and running from my responsibilities. Then, she told me if I ever treated a sweet girl like Ivie that way again, she’d do something involving a baby calf thinking my dick was his mom’s tit.
Needless to say, I promised her it would never happen again.
“Gable, he’s here.” I hear mom call from outside the room I’ve been hiding in.
I meet everyone in the living room, and I see a very sick, weak old man.
Cade and I take seats on each side of Scarlet with our mothers on our sides.
He looks up from his chair. “I know you guys are thinking this is Karma. You’re right.”
My mother looks at him. “Dan, are you throwing that in for my benefit, since you know I believe in karma?”
He shakes his head. “No, I just wanted to come here and apologize for it all. I’m glad you kids found each other. I’m not much of a man, I know that. God has a funny way of teaching me lessons.”
Finally, I break out of my reserved status. “So, I’m glad you’re happy we found each other, but should we be looking for other siblings around the United States? Or are we just the lucky bastards that ended up with you as a father?”
“You three are my only children. I had wives after prison, but I made sure I’d never have any more children.”
Scarlet looks up at him. “Good thing to know. I wouldn’t want anyone else to feel the heartache, disappointment and hate we have for you. We were just kids and you caught us up in the middle of your fucked up head games.”
He puts his hands out. “I know y’all will never forgive me and I deserve that. I came here to let you know that when I pass, all of my assets will be divided amongst the five of you in this room. I know it will never make up for anything, but I want you to have it. Now, please know that I’m sorry. I was young, I fell in love with two totally different, beautiful women, and then had three beautiful children. The only part of my life I regret is not getting to spend more time with you. I’ll be going now. All of my arrangements have been made, after I pass you’ll each be contacted by my attorney.”
With that, he leaves. I’m shocked, very shocked.
We walk into the kitchen where, Ryder, Nana, Annabelle and Ivie are waiting. We go over what he said and in talking to everyone else, we decide that none of us will keep his money. We will all vote on one charity when the time comes.
Ivie and I go upstairs to lie down after mom, Cade and his mom leave. Not long after dozing off, I hear a blood curdling scream from down stairs.
Ivie and I fly down the stairs to find Nana sobbing, Ryder beating the shit out of a wall, Scarlet trying to stop him, Annabelle in shock crying, and Judd’s parents holding each other.
I look between all of them. “What’s going on?”
Nelson has finally went over to help Scarlet with Ryder and Scarlet looks at me. “It’s Judd, he was injured and medi-vaced out to Germany. They aren’t sure...they aren’t sure how...if he’s…” She breaks completely down.
Ivie is crying and she rushes over to be with Annabelle, who we know is more than just his friend.
I hold Scarlet and hug Nana.
Nana, being a true strong Southern woman, stands up and gathers us around. “Alright children, we are gonna pray. We are gonna pray that they bring that boy home to his family. Now, join hands.” We all join hands and Nana prays. She breaks up a few times trying to get through it, but once she finishes, we all go in the kitchen and Nana puts us to work.
“Ryder, call your daddy and have him get his butt to the house. Nelson, Naomi, go home and get packed for Germany. If the military isn’t sending you there to be with your boy, Abbott Cotton is. Scarlet, you call my friend Ms. Parker and tell her what’s happened and to fire up those old ladies on the prayer chains. Ivie, Gable, you guys field the phone calls at this house and run up to Tom’s Deli and tell Mrs. Phanie we are gonna need some food. She knows what we normally get.” Annabelle looks at her, lost. “Annabelle, baby you come sit on this couch with Nana. I know he’s more to you than you’re letting on. I know this because he told me you’re more to him before he deployed.”
Annabelle collapses on her lap and sobs. Everyone else starts doing as they were told.
“Gable, come on! We are gonna be late for the press interview.” We have an interview for winning a rising star award.
He runs in, kissing me on the lips. “I’m coming, babe. Sorry, I ran late working out. I know you don’t want my body going to hell.”
I laugh. “Babe, I’ve always loved your body, even when you were a seventeen year old who still had some baby fat.”
He slaps me on the ass. “Hey, I never had baby fat.”
I giggle. “Okay, I’ll agree to make you happy.”
He runs to the bedroom to put clothes on. “This conversation isn’t over. Tonight, you will be punished for saying lies about me.”
Once we make it downstairs to the press room and meet up with Keeg and Stoney, it’s not long before the reporters start firing off questions.
“So is it true, Gabe, that you and Ivie have been together for years?”
“Is it true that you said you’ll never marry her?”
“Ivie, do you see other men?”
I finally put my hand up. “Okay, I’ll address all of those questions and then I want all questions directed to the award we are here to talk about.”
“Gable and I have been in a relationship for almost two years. We don’t really discuss marriage, and I will never see other men.”
After fielding some questions about our new album coming out and PR stuff, they start back on Gable and me.
“So Gable, we’ve heard you guys say you don’t have labels on your relationship.”
“That’s right, labels are for other people, not the people in the relationship. Ivie knows that she’s the only person for me and that’s all that matters. I’m her only and she’s my only.”
“We’ve heard that your first origin
al song was about your love. Is that true?”
I look up and smile. “The truth is we have secrets in all of our lyrics. Any song that has ever been written was someone’s story.”
Gable looks at them. “Now, thank you all for your time, but we have a show to get ready for.”
We have a show at a Military Hospital tonight for wounded soldiers. After Gable’s dad passed away, they decided that due to what happened with Judd, they would donate all the money to programs for wounded soldiers and their families.
Making our way back up to our room, Gable pins me to the wall in the elevator and kisses my neck. “You did good in there, babe. You really took charge, it was kinda hot.”
“Ha ha. They were reaming the shit out of us.”
He looks over at me. “Did you find out from Scar what time they’ll all be here?”
“Yeah, their plane is due in at three this afternoon.”
He nuzzles into my neck more. “Good, so we have the suite for a few hours to ourselves.”
“Mmm, sounds good.”
“Oh, don’t think you aren’t paying for your baby fat joke this morning.”
“Oh, Mr. Johnson, are you going to spank me?”
He tugs at my ear with his mouth. “Oh, Mrs. Johnson, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I laugh. “Those reporters would shit if they knew we were already married.”
He smiles. “Yeah, good thing we ran off to Vegas before we got super famous. Do you regret us not having a big wedding?”
“No. Do you regret us never telling anyone but our families that we’re married?”
“Nope, I told you a long time ago, Ivie. You are all that matters, the rest of the world can fuck off.”
“So sexy, this is the kind of stuff awesome songs are made from.”
The elevator doors open and I think about the pregnancy test sitting on the bathroom counter in our room waiting for Gable to find it.
We walk in our suite and Gable heads to the bathroom as I sit on the couch with my bass.
