Covering the Carolinas (28 page)

“
Never mind. Just get your ass over here
before Lynds and I start arguing.”

I shake my head and smile. They fight like brother
and sister. Jake and I make our way to the middle and have a seat.
Chase gets a case of beer from the truck, and we all pass them down
and pop a top.

Without saying a word, we each take a long pull and
sit there quietly. I can hear the water moving below, the hot
summer breeze blowing through the trees, and the sound of crickets
surrounding us. This is the perfect way to end a great night.
Feeling that someone is staring at me, I glance to my right, and
sure enough, Jake has those baby blues right on me. I smile back
and take another swig of my beer.

“
So, Belle, do you
think
you’ll ever come back home for good?”
Lyndsay asks.

I search my heart and soul for the answer. “I love
Lattimore, but I don’t think I’ll ever come back home for good. I
mean, I’d love to, but it doesn’t look like it’s in the cards for
me. It’s kinda funny how Beau is dying to get out, and I’d love to
stay here forever.”

Chase doesn’t say a word as he crushes his beer can,
tosses it into the water and begins to walk toward the other side
of the track. Lyndsay motions for me to go see what the hell is his
problem.

“
I’ll be right back,” I tell Jake. Getting up,
I finish my beer and grab two more before going that
way.

I don’t holler at Chase to stop; instead, I walk to
catch up with him. Chase isn’t one of many words, and whatever is
bothering him must be pretty big for him to walk off like that. As
my feet leave the track, I can see he’s sitting on an old pine
stump.

Once I reach him, I hand him another beer and have a
seat beside him. We open our cans and just drink for a minute.

“
Chase…” I start to say as he interrupts
me.

“
Don’t, Bella Blu. Just don’t,” he pleads with
hurt in his voice.

So I don’t. I don’t say it. I don’t tell him that I
wish he could go with me, that I hate not seeing Lyndsay and him
every day, and how I wish there was a way for me to have the best
of both worlds.

Instead, I take another drink of
my beer, look at him, and turn off my emotions. “Chase, what do you
want me to do? I can’t believe you’re acting like this. It’s not
like I can change my life. This is all
I’ve ever
wanted.”

Glaring at me, he shakes his head.
“Tell me, Bella Blu. Does he make you happy?” With a deer in the
headlights look, I’m speechless. “That’s what I thought. When he
hurts you, I can’t promise I’ll be here to pick up the pieces,” he
says as he stands to leave, and then we feel it. The shaking of the
earth below us. We look
at each other and run as fast
as we can to the trestle.

As we get on the trestle, we hear the sound of the
whistle. It’s coming; the train is coming. Lyndsay and Jake are
sitting in the middle as I start to run toward them and yell for
them to run. Chase takes me by the arm and stops me from running
toward them.

“
Train! Y’all run!” I shout a heart-wrenching
scream as he pulls me to safety.

“
Chase! Let me go! We can’t just stand here
and watch,” I say as tears form inside my eyes.

“
Yes, we can, and we will. I’m not letting you
go.”

Fear consumes my body as I watch
Jake and Lyndsay run hand in hand across the track.
They should just jump. Why didn’t I say
that?
I can see the headlight of the
approaching train, and tears begin to stream down my cheeks. No
longer able to see Jake and Lyndsay, I turn and face into Chase’s
chest as a sob escapes my lungs. He places his hands in my hair and
consoles me.

“
Bella Blu, they are gonna be okay. I
promise.” As I stare up into those chocolate eyes, my tears
continue to fall as I nod in agreement. Then, he kisses my
forehead. Closing my eyes, I wait for it to be over, praying that
when I open them that I’ll see two people standing on the opposite
side of the trestle alive and well.

With the train now in the distance, we step back on
the trestle and make our way to the other side. With a well-lit sky
from the full moon above, it’s very easy to notice that there isn’t
a body on the other side, let alone two. Chase looks at me with
fear in his eyes, and we follow the track across.

Once we reach the other side, panic sets in because
they are nowhere to be found. Glancing both ways, we begin to yell
for them, and after what feels like forever, we hear voices from
below. Chase and I lean over the trestle and see them standing on
bank soaking wet. Relief enters my body, and I begin to shake as
happy tears begin flowing from my eyes.

Chase approaches me and pulls me in for comfort.
When I finally get myself together, I look up at him and smile.
“Thanks, Chase.”

“
You know I wouldn’t have it
any other way,” he says as his eyes tell me so much
more.

As I’m about to tell him the truth about what I want
in life, Jake and Lyndsay appear on the trestle.

Running for them, I can’t get there fast enough.
Lyndsay and I meet and cry together. Then, Jake takes me in his
arms.

“
Thought that didn’t happen often?” he
questions.

“
It doesn’t. That has only happened to us one
other time, but it’s never been that close. I swear I was terrified
when I couldn’t see you. What if something would have happened to
y’all?”

Taking my face in his hands, he responds, “There are
no what if’s. We are okay, and if anything, this has brought me
back to reality.” He places his forehead on mine.

“
Um, I think it’s time we get outta here,” I
say with everyone in agreement. We make our way back to the
vehicles while the overwhelming feeling that something is different
is definitely in the air.

“
We’ll see y’all tomorrow night at Joe’s,
right?” Lyndsay asks me as she eyes Jake.

“
Yeah, but remember that we want to be
incognito,” I say in a questioning tone.

“
We will do our best, but no
promises,” she says as she gets into her
car
and heads home.

Chase is still standing there as she leaves. “What
was that?” he asks.

“
I dunno, but you know Lynds.”

“
Exactly. I’ll see y’all tomorrow. Just text
me when y’all get there, and I’ll let you in the back.”

“
Thanks, Chase,” I say as I give him a hug
goodbye, but hoping he understands why I’m thankful.

Jake and I make our way to the truck, and he opens
my door like earlier tonight, but he’s not the same as he was
before the train. Once Chase is gone, I tell Jake to hold up a
minute.

I slide onto the seat beside him
and notice an unsure look in his eyes. “Jake, is everything
okay?
Really
okay?”

Turning off the truck, he turns toward me. “Yeah,
everything is just fine. Come here.” He motions to me. I do as he
says and come within inches of his godlike face.

“
I’m here. Now what?” I say with a smirk, as
there is no distance between the two of us.

“
Do you know what I thought
about when I saw the train coming?” I shake my head no because I am
uncertain. “I thought about life, us, Lattimore, and what it would
be like to never get on a stage again. I can’t imagine not having
any of that, but I will tell you what, I don’t know what you would
do without Chase and Lyndsay in your life. It’s very evident that
they mean
more to you than you
realize.”

At this point, I’m unsure of what Jake is trying to
tell me, but I’m pretty sure my heart already knows. He puts the
truck in reverse, and we drive quietly back to the farm.

Chapter 5

As we drive back to the farm, it seems that I notice
the little things that I love about this town, like the way one
light is missing in The Depot sign, how you can always hear a cow
mooing in the distance and the smell of country air.

Once we are back at the house, we make our way to
the front porch. “Hey, Jake. Thanks for coming home with me,” I
say. He turns around and looks at me.

“
Belle, this has been the
best couple of days of my life. I always knew you were special, but
now I realize why. You… Belle… are the real deal. You are what
every guy dreams about. You take life by the horns and just live
it. You have friends, family, and a support system that I can
only
dream about having.”

“
What do you mean? I thought your family was
great.” We turn and sit on the steps.

“
My family is great, but they don’t get it. My
dad always wanted me to enlist, but that wasn’t what I wanted.
Music has been a part of my life since I can remember. I knew that
someday
it would be my life. They are
proud of me, but my dream isn’t my dad’s. Sometimes I wish I could
have been that person for him, but this is my dream. He’s only been
to one of my concerts since I started headlining. Mom, on the other
hand, loves it, but she’s kinda caught in between. She just tries
to keep everyone happy. One time, she surprised me by showing up.
Belle, it made my day. I think that’s the best show I’ve ever had.
Just be thankful you have your family’s full support.”

“
What do you mean? Did something happen
between you and your dad?” I ask.

Looking up into the sky, Jake replies, “Ever since I
can remember we were told we would enlist, make him proud, and
carry on the tradition. He always supported my music until he
realized that was what I wanted for my future. He’s proud of me,
but his pride gets in the way.”

Placing my hand on his lower back, I move in closer.
“I wish there were something I could do to fix that, Jake. I
couldn’t imagine not having my family behind me one hundred
percent. Please let me know if I can do anything for you. If you
ever need someone to lean on, I’m here for you.”

He lifts my chin for me to look into those baby
blues, and then he brings his kissable lips to mine.

“
Thank you, Belle. I knew the day I heard that
sweet voice of yours on stage, it would be more than just a song.
It’s the sound of a relationship that will last an eternity.” He
brings his lips to mine again. The kisses are sweet, soft, and
tender this time, almost as if he’s trying to relay a message of
what I really mean to him.

As headlights pull into the drive, we separate.
Squinting, I notice that it’s Beau. When he gets out, he joins us
on the porch for a few minutes, noticing our wet clothes. He knows
exactly what we have been up to.

“
So, she made ya jump, huh?” Beau
asks.

“
Twice,” Jake answers, and
Beau
seems confused.

“
Um, there was a train comin’. Jake and Lynds
had to jump,” I say timidly.

“
Dammit, Belle! That’s why I always tried to
keep you away. Wait. Where were you if he jumped with
Lynds?”

Staring at the solid wood below my feet, I try to
avoid this conversation. “I was talkin’ to Chase. He got his
panties in a wad, and I had to smooth things over.”

He shakes his head. “When are you
gonna grow up, Belle? You can’t run after him every time he get’s
upset. You’re not gonna be around forever.”
Ouch, that hurt.

“
Shut up, Beau! You’re just mad because I’ve
made it out of this podunk town, and you haven’t. You got so much
talent it’s ridiculous how you waste it around here!”

Jake looks at us like we are about to throw punches
and then starts to laugh.

“
What’s so funny?” I ask.

“
Y’all. It’s like you’re
five or something. Cute, I’ll tell ya… real cute. I’m gonna get
outta these clothes,” Jake
says as he walks
inside.

Turning toward Beau, I say, “You know, he’s exactly
right. We both need to grow the hell up.” I go inside and head
straight to my room to get ready for bed.

As I get ready, I let the events of the night replay
through my brain. My emotions are a mess. Jake and I are taking
things to a different level, and it’s getting hot fast. Chase is
telling me he doesn’t want to be without me. Lyndsay is the same
old Lynds, and Beau is my obnoxious older brother who will never
change and will always wish he could be more like me. What a
freakin’ night.

After I finish getting ready for bed, I check on
Jake. Walking next door, I knock gently before he answers for me to
come in. As I enter the room, I notice he’s standing there wearing
only a pair of gym shorts and glistening from a fresh shower.

“
Sorry about that, Jake,” I say as I close the
door.

“
Come here,” he says as we make our way to sit
on the edge of his bed. “Look. I just had to get away from you two.
Y’all are at each other’s throats more than you realize. Be
thankful you have Beau, but also remember that you’re holding part
of his dream. I wish there were a way we could make it a reality
for him.”

Stunned by what Jake just said, I
decide to tell him my idea for Beau if I ever get to headline.
“I’ve always wanted to take Beau with me on the road if I got my
own tour. That way I’d always have family with me and help him live
his dream
as well.”

Jake hovers over me and forces my body against the
mattress. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, but
definitely not as sweet as you. You need to tell him that; he needs
you to give him hope.” His lips touch mine, and I begin to feel the
heat rise once again. I beg for Jake to move closer, to make me
feel him against me, and to cross the line of no return. Instead,
he walks the line, pushes the limit, and makes me only crave him
more.