Toad

by Cambria Hebert

  “Your Honor.” Mr. Warren spoke up. “Due to today’s events, I would ask that the court bid leniency on my client and also give me a little time to prepare a better defense for his… new crimes.”

  “You have some nerve asking me for anything,” the judge quipped.

  I stopped listening as they all went back and forth, arguing amongst themselves. A smile formed on my lips as it sank in that I was finally out of this mess.

  Leaning over to my lawyer, who was watching everyone with amusement, I said, “Everything is clear on my end?”

  He smiled. “Clear as glass.”

  “Send me the remainder of my bill.”

  “I will do that,” he said.

  I covered his hand with mine. “Thank you, Walter.”

  “Don’t thank me. You got the evidence. I had the easy part.”

  Nate got the evidence, not me.

  A huge smile overtook my face. “I can go now?”

  He nodded.

  I stood instantly, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door. As I was about to push through, Will stepped in front of it, his face dark.

  “Move,” I intoned.

  He didn’t, so I shoved right by him and marched out the door.

  “Aerie!” he snarled, following me out into the hall.

  I turned around. “You’re not supposed to be this close to me.”

  His face twisted. “This is all his fault.”

  I batted my eyes. “Whose?”

  “Roth.”

  A dead calm washed over me, and I stepped right up to Will and poked him in the chest. “No, Will. The only person you have to blame for any of this is yourself.”

  He grabbed my hand as I was snatching it back and squeezed.

  I kneed him in the balls.

  He groaned and doubled over.

  “Don’t ever touch me again,” I spat, then turned and walked way, not bothering to glance back, even when he yelled my name.

  Outside, I lifted my face to the sun and smiled. An image of Nate filled my head, so I pulled out my cell, anxious to call him, beyond excited to give him the good news.

  But as I stared down at my phone, a better idea formed in my head. I’d stop and get a bottle of champagne, then rush over to Ten’s and tell him in person. I wanted to see the look in his eyes when I told him.

  Finally, I was free.

  Nate

  I lurched back, narrowly avoiding the fist flying at my face.

  “I take it things in court didn’t go the way you hoped,” I quipped. Instantly, though, I wondered about Aerie. Where was she? Did Will make it here before her? Had he done something to her?

  “Where’s Aerie?” I demanded and rushed toward the door.

  Will’s fist plowed into my face. I stumbled back, surprised, but not really.

  “What did you do to her?” I spat, tasting blood.

  “Relax.” Will scoffed. “She’s not here. The second she got her freedom, bitch took off and left us both in the lurch.”

  Like I was going to believe that. But I did feel better that he didn’t know where she was. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t be in here with me.

  “That’s the only free hit you’re going to get,” I said, swiping the blood off my lip. “I guess you didn’t appreciate the gift I sent you.”

  “Gift?” he said, his eyes going blank.

  “You know, that nice basket filled with green lifesavers and plain yogurt?”

  His eyes rounded and his nostrils flared. “That was you!”

  “I find it a little telling that you actually didn’t know it was me. That it could have been a list of people.”

  “You son of a bitch!” he roared and came at me.

  I moved at the last second, and he fell into the entry table, knocking the frames and Ten’s Grammy onto the floor.

  “You better hope that didn’t break,” I told him.

  With a battle cry, he lunged at me again. This time, I wasn’t as quick, and his fist smashed into my jaw. My head snapped back, and a little bit of pain exploded through my face.

  “That’s for sleeping with my wife!” he spat, shaking out his hand.

  “I’m pretty sure the states of California and Nevada have no record of her ever being your wife,” I snarled, no longer feeling the sting of his hit.

  “You smug little bastard,” he growled.

  I rushed him, caught him around the waist, and plowed him back. We both hit the wall, but I recovered first, drawing back my fist and burying it in his gut. He made a sound and bent forward. I took advantage and decked him in the face.

  Surprise flared in his eyes when his face snapped back. Then he surged at me.

  We went down in a flurry of fists and grunts. He was bigger than me, which sucked giant monkey ball sacks, but I wasn’t completely lacking. I might have been on the skinny side, but I wasn’t small. And I spent my high school years on the wrestling team.

  Banking some of the raging anger I felt for this asshole, I breathed in deep and moved, slipping out of his hold and putting him in one of my own.

  He bucked and fought me, but I held strong.

  “Let me tell you how it’s going to be,” I intoned, breathing heavily. “Stay the fuck away from Aerie. Keep your mouth shut to the press. Tuck your tail and that tiny dick of yours between your legs and go home to Daddy.”

  He roared and thrust up, literally standing off the ground with me on his back.

  Well then. Maybe I took the insults too far?

  I felt him bending as if he were going to whip me over his head and drive me into the floor. Thinking fast, I drove my fist into the side of his head, and he staggered. I leapt off him, landing on my ass, then scrambled up.

  Broken glass crunched under his feet when he rushed me again. I grabbed him low, spun around, and put him in another hold.

  He ran at the wall, the crazy bastard, bouncing us both off it and disengaging my grip. We both crumpled to the floor in a heap.

  I lay there breathing heavily, trying to figure out my next move.

  I felt his hand grab my ankle and tow me closer. Glass scraped at my arms as he yanked.

  I kicked him with my free foot, and he let go. We both jumped up, and he lunged. We landed on the table, me beneath him. I tried to buck him off, but he outweighed me and he knew it. His eyes lit up with some kind of victory, as though he thought he’d won.

  His hands went around my neck, and as they tightened, he taunted, “When I’m done with you, I’m going to go find her… and I’m going to fuck her brains out.”

  Using all my strength, I drove my knee up toward his groin. I didn’t get the full effect of the hit because of the way we were positioned, but it was enough that he let me go. I scrambled out from beneath him and picked up the Grammy that was close by on the floor.

  This thing was heavy, and I knew Ten wouldn’t mind if I used it to knock a motherfucker out.

  Will wasn’t paying any attention to me. Instead, he was gazing at the open front door, and a slow, sick smile spread over his features. “Oh, look,” Will mused, swiping at his bloody nose. “There she is now.”

  I ripped my eyes off him only long enough to see Aerie standing in the doorway, clutching a bottle of champagne, a horrified look on her face.

  “Run!” I yelled.

  A few things happened at once… The sound of the champagne bottle hitting the floor and shattering filled the room, and Will darted in the direction of my girl. With a yell, I pulled my arm back and launched the Grammy at him, using every bit of my remaining energy.

  The award slammed into him, knocking him sideways, and he crumpled to the floor.

  Mac and Ben rushed into the house around Aerie, and I ran toward her.

  “You okay?” I worried, looking her over, making sure she wasn’t hurt.

  “I’m okay,” she answered, but I was beyond hearing.

  “There’s glass.” I fretted. “Jesus, don’t cut yourself.” I lifted her into my arms so her feet wouldn’t touch the ground.


  “My face is broken!” Will wailed from his position on the floor. “He broke my face!”

  “Don’t move,” Mac said, his voice leaving no room for pity. “Cops will be here in under five.”

  “Your arms are shaking,” Aerie said, pushing her fingers through my hair. “Put me down. You need to sit.”

  “I’m fine, princess. It’s just the adrenaline,” I said, finally realizing she was okay.

  “You’re bleeding!” She fussed, dabbing at my lip.

  “I broke his face,” I said, kinda proud of myself.

  “Fighting is not the answer.” She admonished.

  “Guy deserved an ass beating,” I said, still trying to catch my breath.

  “Mm-hmm.” Mac and Ben both agreed.

  “Here’s a seat, boss,” Ben said, placing a chair down and gesturing toward me.

  “Make sure there isn’t any glass under it. Her feet—”

  “He was talking to you,” Aerie said gently.

  I glanced around at Ben. He nodded and patted the seat.

  “Well, I could maybe sit,” I said casually.

  I carried Aerie over to the chair and sat down, keeping her in my lap.

  “I’m gonna sue you for everything you’re worth! I’ll see you in jail!” Will threatened, his words kinda slurred.

  Mac put his foot on him, holding him down.

  “What happened?” Aerie turned my face this way and that so she could see what I was sure were several bruises.

  “I came over here, and he attacked me!” Will yelled.

  Mac made a sound. “Not the way I saw it. Looked to me like you showed up, tried to pick a fight, and Nate here tried to shut the door in your face. You forced your way in and attacked him. He was just defending himself against an intruder.”

  “That’s exactly what happened.” I agreed.

  “Liar!”

  Mac grunted. “Well, feel free to tell your version to the cops. It will be three against one.”

  “You guards weren’t here when I got here,” Will demanded.

  “Yeah,” Aerie said. “I sent them here ahead of me.”

  All four of us were lying.

  All four of us smiled.

  “I can’t imagine this is going to go over real good when the judge hears about what happened here today. Especially not after you narrowly avoided going to jail for what you pulled on Ms. Boone.” Ben taunted.

  I turned my stare on my girl.

  “I’m all yours,” she whispered. “No one else’s. Never was… Never will be.”

  “All mine,” I echoed, and she nodded. “That sure makes my face hurt a lot less.”

  She made a sound and leaned in, kissing me gently on all the places I was hurt.

  Sirens carried in the distance, and Will started yelling more threats that no one bothered to listen to.

  “The next time someone puts a ring on that finger,” I told her, “it’s going to be me. And you’re sure as hell going to remember.”

  “That’s one ring I’ll never take off.”

  Cops filed into the house, and Mac filled them in on what was going down. Will was handcuffed and pulled to his feet. He swayed crookedly and would have fallen over if it weren’t for the officers holding him up.

  The whole side of his face was distorted and swollen. I actually had broken his face.

  Fucker deserved it.

  As the cops towed him out, he turned back and glared at me.

  I waved at him with all four fingers and smiled sweetly.

  He tried to lunge back into the room, but the cops hauled him out of sight.

  “It’s finally over,” Aerie said, relief making her voice shake.

  Gathering her closer, I kissed the top of her head. “No, princess. It’s just beginning.”

  And what a beautiful beginning it was.

  Aerie

  “And the winner for Country Album of the Year is… Aerie Boone!”

  The applause was deafening and so was the thundering of my heart. Even though I heard my name, processing it was something else altogether.

  “Princess,” Nate said right beside my ear. “That’s your cue.”

  My eyes latched onto his, asking if this was for real, as he stood, pulling me to my feet along with him. The entire row we were sitting in stood, closely followed by everyone else.

  “You need me to carry you to the stage?” he asked, smiling wide.

  I squealed and kissed him quickly. Ten, Violet, Derek, and even Violet’s brother Vance were all here tonight. All people I had come to love. All people who became the family I never had. My eyes filled with tears as they smiled and congratulated me as I moved toward the stage.

  Onstage, I was oddly transported out of this epic moment and back to another night when I’d been on a different stage, under lights, and glancing out at an empty auditorium with Nate’s arms around me from behind.

  That wasn’t the night it began for us, but it did define who we became as a couple. Without him and his support, I knew I probably wouldn’t be standing here clutching this prestigious award (or any of the other three I’d won earlier in the night—including Country Artist of the Year).

  The crowd grew silent when I stepped up to the mic. My eyes sought and found Nate, who was still standing, smiling up at me with pride and love.

  “I just want to thank everyone for giving me a chance to say who I really am and for letting me really discover it for myself with this album.” There was more applause, and I caught my breath. “To Time Track, for believing in me and staying with me even when the situation was less than ideal. And to the fans who have listened to the music and sent their love.”

  I looked at Nate again, standing there in a deep-green velvet tuxedo jacket and a stupid bowtie that he somehow made look so freaking sexy.

  “And finally, but definitely not least,” I said, smiling at him as if he were the only one in the crowd.

  “I like being last!” he yelled out, and people laughed.

  “You’re definitely my last,” I told him, putting a hand over my heart. People stopped laughing and awed. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Nate, the man who not only helped write Confessions, sang background vocals on our song “Reality,” but also changed my life and my heart. This album isn’t just mine. It’s ours. You’re the best partner any girl could ask for, and I love you so much. Thank you for seeing a princess when the rest of the world saw a toad.”

  I turned away from the mic to be escorted offstage by the presenters when the crowd started laughing and applauding. I turned back in time to see Nate bounding up the stairs, two at a time, and rushing across the stage.

  The green velvet of his jacket brushed my bare arms and closed me in softness when he swept me close. I laughed. He bent me backward, dipping me toward the floor and kissing me deeply right there in front of everyone.

  The applause was deafening. The background music came up, and the presenters around us cheered.

  Nate lifted his face, still keeping me captive in his arms. “I’m proud of you, princess. And I love you more than Fruity Pebbles.”

  I was still beaming when we made it backstage, where Byron Ryan was waiting.

  “Aerie.” He spread his arms wide. “Way to clean house tonight!”

  I felt myself blushing as I smiled. “Thank you for everything, Mr. Ryan.”

  “Byron.” He corrected. “And you did all the hard work. Both of you.”

  “You were right,” I told him. “Telling my side of the story on my album instead of releasing a statement or two was so much more cathartic. And it was a way for me to get out so much without actually having to confirm if it was all true or just part of the song.”

  People were still speculating, and Will was subject to a lot of the speculation… none of it good. That, along with the legal troubles his daddy bought him out of, insured Will Solberg’s reputation was less princely and more… toad.

  Giggle.

  “Stick with me, kid,”
Byron said. “Your next album will be even better.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  “And you,” he said, turning to Nate. “Be expecting a call from my office on Monday. I’m about to keep you very busy.”

  Nate nodded, then amended. “As long as you know Aerie is my number one, then I’m down for any work you throw my way.”

  My heart tripped a little. I liked being someone’s top priority above money, success, and fame. For a girl who had been from poverty and alone to rich and popular and back to isolated and broken… I knew a lot about all the different states a woman could live in.

  But there was one that topped every single one.

  Being loved by Nate.

  I took his hand, lacing our fingers, and gave it three little squeezes. I love you. He returned the gesture instantly, leaned over, and kissed my head.

  Byron stared between us and smiled. “Of course, of course. Wouldn’t even try to keep my dream team apart.”

  I leaned into Nate’s side and smiled.

  “Now you two go on. Enjoy your success tonight, Aerie. I’ll be in touch.”

  When he was gone, we were treated to what I knew was probably the only minute we were going to get alone for a while.

  “So once we blow this joint, what party does my girl wanna hit up first?” he asked, pulling me into his chest.

  I wrinkled my nose and pursed my lips. “I think we should get on our new plane and go home.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Tennessee?”

  I nodded. I barely stayed in L.A. anymore. Nate moved into the ranch house, and now with him and Cheeto there, it was the only place that felt like home. Though, his dad’s house was a close second.

  My hands slid down his back, and I cupped his butt. “The only party I want to go to is a private one. The only clothes allowed is that bowtie you’re wearing.”

  He smirked. “Chicks dig a bowtie.”

  I laughed.

  “What about the rest of the family?” he asked.

  “They can fly down with Ten in the morning. We can all celebrate then.”

  “I like the way you think, princess,” Nate mused, kissing me.

  From behind, someone called out my name, and I groaned.

  Putting his hand on my lower back, Nate directed me toward the waiting crowd and photographers. “C’mon. Let’s do this thing so I can get you alone.”