by Vega, W. H.
“Come on,” he says, appearing and motioning for me. One door is slightly smaller, and Blake pushes it open to reveal a bathroom. The other door opens up to a very tiny bedroom where luggage is piled in the small space between the bed and wall. A small flat screen TV is mounted on the opposite wall.
“In case anyone needs some privacy or wants to take a nap,” he explains.
We walk back out into the main part of the RV, and I’m still in shock.
Ben, Ryan, Liam and Jack are sitting at the table, looking at something on a laptop.
Jason and Reese, who now play back up for me, are sitting on one of the couches, going through their phones.
“I can’t believe how nice this is,” I say.
“Our albums are doing so well, the label was able to splurge on this. It’s going to make traveling a hell of a lot more comfortable, especially since we’ll be spending more time on the road.”
I nod and finally sit down on the empty couch, and Blake joins me. I notice there is another flat screen TV mounted in the front of the RV.
We settle into the drive and everyone starts to do their own thing. Jack joins Elvis in the front of the RV for a while, and Ryan ends up going into the bedroom and taking a nap.
“He had a late night,” Blake smirks. I don’t ask for an explanation, mostly because I don’t want to know. “Hey, I want to show you something.” He gets up and grabs his iPad from his nearby bag. He turns it on and pulls up a photo of a house.
“What’s that?”
“My realtor sent me this house last night. Apparently the couple is going to put it on the market in November, but as of right now it’s not even listed yet.”
I gingerly take the iPad from Blake, feeling my stomach bubble over with nerves.
The house is newer construction, but has an older vibe. There’s a huge wraparound porch, and a large manicured yard with shady trees. The inside is beautiful with crown molding; fire places and built in shelves. “It’s really nice,” I say slowly, “but I’m not sure why you’re showing it to me.”
Blake looks hurt for a moment, but quickly recovers. “I just thought it looked like something that you and I might like. In the future. I’m sorry, though. I guess it’s too soon.”
“No, Blake, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I guess, I just didn’t think we were going to be looking until the tour ended…” I trail off because I don’t want to say ‘and once we were engaged.’
“You’re right. It was silly.”
I take his hand. “It’s not silly at all. Let’s just focus on getting the tour going, and then your realtor can send us all the pictures in the world.”
Fifteen
Blake
I leave Paige alone with her book and head over to the table with my duffle bag. Making sure that no one is looking, I rifle through the bag and find the inner pocket. I unzip it, and pull out the velvet box. Keeping the box tucked safely inside the bag, I open it and stare at the brilliant diamond nestled on the velvet padding.
After a few seconds, I gently close the box, place it back in the inside pocket, and zip it carefully. I close the duffle bag.
Kenny had been thrilled when I went over last week and asked for Paige’s hand. She had been at rehearsal, and I had been relieved that Daisy wasn’t over visiting. Not that I didn’t want Daisy knowing, but I didn’t want to run the risk of her saying something to Jami and then Jami letting it slip to Paige.
I told Kenny that I wasn’t sure when I was going to ask Paige, and that I was going to wait for the right moment. I figured near the holidays would be romantic and we were only a month away from Thanksgiving.
I look over at Paige, and feel completely overwhelmed by my feelings for her. Not just the love that I have for her, but also the desire. As I'd gotten older, I didn’t think that you could have love and physical desire in a relationship. I remembered feeling that way about Paige, but I chalked it up to us being young, and having a mostly long-distance relationship. When I had settled with Savannah, I'd thought we at least had the desire part down.
Foolishly, I'd never imagined that the best relationships had love, desire and respect. Because not only was I physically attracted to Paige, but I fucking loved her in a way that made me fiercely protective of her. And I respected Paige. I don’t want to say that I didn’t respect Savannah, but I certainly didn’t value her the way a fiancé should have.
But until the moment was right, and I was certain that Paige wasn’t going to be freaked out, the engagement ring was staying tucked safely inside my bag. Not even Ben or Ryan knew about it, and I was going to keep it that way.
For now.
The day passed by slowly, and we ate fast food in the back of the RV, hoping to make it to Ft. Lauderdale before ten.
“This was definitely nicer than spending fourteen hours in the van,” Paige says, flopping down next to me on the couch and snuggling up.
“Agreed.” I look out the darkened windows. “I think we’re just about there.” Elvis has gotten off the interstate.
Ten minutes later we pull up outside our hotel, and we begin unloading our bags and start checking into our rooms. Paige and I share a small room – that seemed to be an unspoken understanding among the group, and everyone else breaks off into twos and threes to go to their rooms.
“This is definitely nicer, too,” Paige smiles as we drag our luggage into our room.
I laugh. “Yeah, no more sneaking in and out of your room at night.”
“Ha ha. Like anyone was surprised.”
We put our things down and Paige heads into the bathroom and turns on the shower.
“Did you want to do anything?” I call out, knowing that if I set foot in the bathroom, I won’t be able to control myself.
“Like go somewhere?” she calls back, sounding confused.
“Yeah. I mean, we could always go down to the bar and get a drink, or go out and see some of the city.”
I hear the shower turn off.
“I was kind of thinking we could stay in.”
I turn around and see Paige standing in the bathroom doorway, dripping wet and completely naked.
“Uhh.” I’m rendered speechless.
“I take that as a yes,” she teases.
“It’s a hell yes,” I say quietly, moving towards her and scooping her up like a baby doll.
Paige laughs and doesn’t protest when I fling her on the bed. Instead, she spreads her thighs for me and that’s all the invitation that I need.
I wake up and notice sunlight filtering in through a crack in the curtains. The next thing I notice is my hand across Paige’s bare breasts.
“Mmmm,” I groan. “I could get used to waking up like this.”
Paige cracks her eyes open at me and smiles.
“So could I.”
She rubs at her eyes and then rolls over so that she’s sitting on her elbows, facing me.
“I’m not scared anymore,” she says.
My mind is still foggy from just waking up so it takes me a few seconds to process what she’s saying.
“I’m not scared about us,” she clarifies. “In fact, I was up most of the night thinking about us and I’ve never been more sure of anything.” She plays with a piece of hair that has fallen across her collarbone. “You can have your realtor send us as many houses as she likes. I’m ready to look at houses once we’re back in Nashville.” Her bright blue eyes pool with tears and it pulls at my heart.
“Hey, hey,” I say quietly, pulling her towards me. “We don’t have to rush into anything. I’ll wait as long as it takes.” The last thing I want is for Paige to feel pressured. I never should have showed her those pictures from the realtor. I just got so excited myself, especially since I now have the ring on me.
“That’s not why I’m crying,” she sniffs, wiping at her nose.
“I’m confused.”
“I’m just so sure about you, Blake. And I love you so much. I’ve never been this happy and I’m so tired of my past
acting like one giant road block to my life and my happiness.”
“Oh, baby,” I murmur, kissing her. “You’ve already proven that you are so much bigger and better than what happened to you. Every day you amaze me with your strength and your ability to love. The past is not getting the best of you. Anyone who knows you can see that.”
“Really?” she asks, clearly insecure. It’s moments like this, when Paige is more vulnerable than usual, that remind me just how strong she really is. I know, probably better than anyone, besides her parents, just how much Paige had been through. I remember her cutting me off. I remember the trial in the media. I remember what Paige was like when she returned to Nashville, still broken and trying to heal. Her transformation is amazing.
“Yes, really. You’ve already won.”
She brightens at my encouraging words and kisses me on the lips.
“I meant what I said,” she insists, “I’m ready. I know we’re focused on kicking off the tour now, but you will always come first. I’m ready for us to start our life together.”
I smile mischievously. “So, you want to head over to the courthouse this morning?”
She blanches, her face paling and her eyes wide.
“I’m only kidding!” I laugh and she swats at me, quickly recovering. “Don’t worry. I won’t rush things that much!”
“I would have!” she argues, “I just didn’t expect that!” She stammers, blushing. “I am ready. I just had started to picture myself in a white dress, surrounded by my family.”
“Baby, I was teasing. I want to see you all decked out in a white dress.” I push myself out of bed and rub at my tired eyes. If Paige was up for most of the night thinking, then she must really be tired, because we spent a big chunk of last night christening every piece of furniture in our hotel room.
“I’m starving and I need caffeine, which I’m guessing you need, too.”
“Most definitely.”
I pull the blinds back and bright sunlight fills the room. I can see that we are about three blocks from the beach, and I can make out a boardwalk not far from us. “Alright. Want to get dressed and head out to find a breakfast place? It looks great out there.”
“Sure!”
We quickly dress and head out of our room, not having to worry about checking out today. We'll stay in this hotel one more night and then head out tomorrow morning to make our way towards Orlando and then onto Tallahassee.
Sixteen
Blake
The weather outside is warm and balmy, and we hold hands as we weave among the small streets, checking out touristy beach shops and hidden cafes. We settle on a small café that has street tables and plenty of shade. I order a hot coffee and Paige orders an iced coffee and we each order a bagel.
“Gosh, it’s so pretty down here,” Paige remarks, slipping her sunglasses on.
“Mmhmm,” I agree, my mouth full.
Paige sips at her coffee and then puts it down and fixes me with a look.
“Did I do something?” I ask playfully.
“No. I just want you to know that I’m serious about not being afraid any more. And I don’t care about all that crap with Savannah’s family.”
I reach over and take her hand. I can’t help but wonder what her ring finger will look like once there’s a sparkling diamond on her hand.
“I know. But there’s no rush. No matter what, we still have to wait for this tour to wrap up.”
“I know. But I just want you to know how sure I am.”
“I know, baby. Don’t worry. We’re going to do everything right this time.” And I mean it. We’re going to go at Paige’s pace and we’re going to do things traditionally.
We spend the rest of the morning wandering about, ducking into shops and strolling along the beach. All too soon, we have to head back to the hotel to get ready and head over to our venue. I lose sight of Paige once we arrive at the music lounge.
I say music lounge, but when we arrive it’s actually a small arena.
“Damn,” I say to Ben and Ryan, “I had no idea we were selling this many tickets.”
Ben nods, equally impressed. “Jack just told me that we have a ton of places like this booked. And check this out.” He pulls out his phone and scrolls through to a gossip site. “We made gossip news,” he laughs.
I take his phone and quickly scan through it. There’s a photo of us with Paige, mentioning how we were kicking off our tour this weekend and that we were both the two hot new country acts to follow.
“Hot new country acts,” I repeat.
“Yeah, well clearly they are referring to Paige when they use the term hot,” Ben says.
“Speak for yourself,” Ryan chimes in, flexing his bicep. “I think I’m pretty damn sexy and so far the chicks do, too.”
I didn’t even want to think about the tail that Ryan will be chasing on this tour.
“Does it make you sad at all?” Ryan asks.
“Huh?” I ask.
“Not being able to chase after the girls with us.”
Ben bursts out laughing.
“Not at all. Have you seen my girlfriend?” I smirk.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, fuck you,” Ryan mutters which only makes Ben laugh louder.
“He’s still mad that he didn’t get his shot with her,” Ben explains.
“Oh, I know. I was there that first night we watched her perform.”
Ryan flips us off and heads out of the cramped dressing room.
We finish getting ready and then we’re being called to go onstage. Like our last tour, we’re playing first, even though we get equal billing as Paige. But we aren’t fools; we know that Paige is a better seller than us. And rightfully so. Rust is damn good, but we aren’t as good as Paige. Then Paige and I will close the show with two of our songs.
We take the stage, and we hear the fans go wild. It’s funny because the band seems to have more female fans than male fans, but Paige also seems to have more female fans, so usually our audiences are female heavy. Ryan doesn’t complain though.
We start out with some of our older songs, which honestly aren’t that old, but they aren’t on the new record. We throw in a few of our newer songs, and as we start doing our final number, I see Paige step into the stage wings.
It’s hard to concentrate on my singing when I see her, because she’s so dolled up. Paige is always gorgeous, but I forget what she looks like when she’s performing. She still looks like Paige, which was very important for her from the beginning—she never wanted to look like someone else, but she's definitely an “enhanced” version of herself.
She blows me a kiss and laughs, and I know she’s teasing me. I look away, even though the image of her in cowgirl boots and a bright red dress is emblazoned on my mind. Damn! There’s something about a woman in a red dress and cowgirl boots! It’s just so country and so sexy, especially with her all-American blonde hair and blue eyes. I can still picture her scarlet lips and when I look back, I see her hair hanging in loose tendrils, framing her face.
The woman is damn beautiful.
We finish our set, and I have a quick two minutes with Paige before she has to go on.
“You kicked ass!” she squeals, as I pull her into a tight hug.
“Thanks! I loved looking over and seeing you in the wings.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get out sooner to see more, but it took me longer to get ready than I'd planned.”
“They seem to be a great audience. I know they’re going to love you.”
Paige, adorable as ever, bites her nails, insecure. “I hope so.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Wherever we go, people have gone crazy for you. Even Tim McGraw and Faith Hill loved you. You’ve got all kinds of fans that you don’t even know about.”
“Oh my god, don’t even mention Tim and Faith. Just the thought of them having watched me perform makes me feel sick!”
I laugh. “Why?”
“Because they are Tim and Faith. They aren’t supposed to like peopl
e like me. They aren’t even supposed to know little people like me!”
“Paige, that’s all changing. You’re about to become ‘Paige Lawson: Country Superstar.’ ’’
“Stop!” She says, shoving me playfully. We hear her name being announced and her eyes widen with fright. “Oh gosh! Here I go!”
I give her a quick kiss and then she runs out onstage, smiling and waving at people like it’s the most natural thing in the world for her.
I want to stay and watch her whole set, but I have to go change before my number with her, so I do that first, and then I come back and watch her finish up.
She’s smiling at me like I’m the best thing she’s ever seen when I join her onstage. The audience seems to know what’s coming and they go nuts for our music.
When it’s finally over, we head off stage and meet the rest of the crew in the wings.
“Y’all were fantastic!” Liam says happily. “I’m getting ready to place a call to Kenny to tell him how well y’all did!”
Paige is beaming and Ben and Ryan are high fiving.
“Come on! Let’s go celebrate,” Ben says and I look over at Paige who shrugs and nods. We don’t normally go out with everyone, but the energy is so high between the group tonight.
Paige quickly changes and takes off some of her makeup and then we all cram into an exclusive bar in Ft. Lauderdale. We're having a good time, sharing some drinks, but mindful that we have to perform the next day. Paige really lets loose, dancing out on the dance floor and beckoning for me to come join her. She doesn’t need to ask more than once—she’s irresistible as she shimmies under the pulsing lights.
“You’re not even drunk,” I murmur, moving behind her and sliding my hands around her waist.
“I know. I just feel like dancing.”
“Well, I’m certainly not complaining.” I press myself further against her, feeling her warm body move up and down against me. I run my hands along her bare arms, and feel the heat pulsating from her skin.
