Full Circle (Rockin' Country #3) (7 page)

“Are you nervous?”

They had successfully made it into the limo and were in the long line of cars that would take them to the red carpet. Garrett had asked the question quietly, with a whisper she almost couldn’t hear.

“Not with you here, I’m not. If I were by myself I would be.” She grasped their hands together. “With you, I feel like I have my strength.”

“I’m a little nervous.” He squeezed her hand. “Only because I want this to happen for you. I could give a shit what people think about me, but you deserve this. You deserve the recognition and for everyone else to see how amazing you are.”

She swallowed roughly against the lump in her throat. “I don’t need it. As long as you tell me things like that, I know things are perfect.”

“I know you don’t need it, but I want it for you.”

There was a knock on the window, and they were interrupted by one of the production assistants for the Grammys who directed them on how they should get out of the car and greet the reporters. It was the first in a long line of things they would be told to do for the night.

They exited the limo and made their way onto the red carpet. As soon as they stood in front of the press line, they couldn’t hear anything other than their names.

“How much does this remind you of the first night we met?” he whispered in her ear.

She smiled, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek, causing the crowd of photographers to go wild. “Best night of my life.”

*     *     *

“Next up, to perform the song that won an award earlier tonight for vocal event of the year, is everyone’s favorite newlywed couple Reaper and Harmony. Please welcome them to the stage.”

The lights were down as they faced each other on stools, holding hands, one microphone between them. Hannah heard her cue, closed her eyes, and let the words fly from her mouth. The firm grip of Garrett’s hand kept hers from shaking, and she knew it was the same for him; adrenaline did crazy things to the body. When he began singing, she opened her eyes, seeing the brilliance of his green ones—for once he’d foregone sunglasses—and the love that showed there. They were lucky to be doing this together, and she knew it.

As they finished singing, she realized how quiet it was in the building. Their voices faded, and there was a moment where no one did a thing, and she was nervous that they’d bombed this in a big way. Then, in a huge rush, everyone whistled, applauded, and gave them a standing ovation. Glancing over at Garrett, she registered the surprise on his face as well. Neither one of them had expected it. Not sure of how to react, she hugged him hard, burying her face in his chest as the emotions tumbled out of her. There was no one else in the world she knew she wanted to take this journey with, and she was blessed to be on it with him.

*  *  *

“W
hy the fuck do you let this show make you cry?” Brad asked Hannah as the two of them sat in the back of the lounge. She’d been crying for the better part of fifteen minutes, and while the show hadn’t bothered him either way, he was sad for her. Havock didn’t know what to do and was curled at her feet, his head beside them, offering her silent comfort.

“Opie died! How are you not crying?” She sobbed into her tissue

“It’s a TV Show.” Brad laughed, pausing the remote. “You can’t take it this serious.”

“But it’s such a good love story, and now he’s with Donna again, and oh my God, did you see Jax break down? I just want to hug him.” She sobbed quietly, folding the tissue into a neat square before wiping her nose.

“I’m sure you want to do more with Jax than hug him,” he mumbled. He’d heard not only Hannah but Stacey talking about the things they’d like to do to the fictional character.

“What the fuck happened?” Garrett asked as he came into the back room, taking in his crying wife and his laughing friend.

“Opie died,” she explained to him, crying even more as she huffed out a breath.

“Who?” His eyebrows came together in question, and it was obvious he was wracking his brain trying to figure out who in the hell the person was.

“TV show, dude. You wouldn’t get it,” Brad explained, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. He loved watching TV with her and getting her riled up.

“Shit.” Garrett had a seat on the other side of the lounge. “I thought that was a family member I hadn’t met yet. I was about to freak out.”

“Well, I hate do to this,” Brad took the blanket off his legs and got up from the couch, “but she’s not my chick to comfort, so good luck, buddy. I’m gonna go call your sister.” He clapped hands with Garrett as he made his way out of the lounge.

Garrett grimaced before walking over to sit beside his wife. He got under her blanket and lay next to her, shooing Havock to the floor. “Babe, are you okay?”

She nodded, sniffling. “It’s just so sad. I know it’s only a TV show, and Brad probably won’t want to watch anything with me again because I’m such a girl, but I couldn’t help it.”

He wrapped her in his arms, warm puffs of air disturbing her hair as he kept laughing. “This is why I love you, seriously. You’re such a sensitive person, and that’s something I needed in my life. There was no soft until you came along. I like the changes you’ve made in my personality.”

She did too, but she wasn’t sure if it was couth for her to say that. She hadn’t really known him before they started dating. “Why do you say there was no soft? You were pretty sweet with me from the beginning.”

“I was sick of everything, and I’m not proud of the way I treated women before you came along, but I can’t change it now.”

This was something they’d kind of touched on before, but not in depth. There was a time when she wouldn’t have wanted to, but they needed to be honest with one another. Marriage without honesty wasn’t marriage. It was a business arrangement that only one person knew the rules to. “You mean groupies?”

“Yeah, I do. They were for one thing and that was it, but there’s a part of my personality that needs that,” he admitted, his eyes dropping from hers.

Pulling his chin up with her fingers, she forced him to meet her again. “Is that why the other night happened?”

“Yeah.” She was quiet for a long time, longer than he was comfortable with, so he rushed to explain. “If you never want to do that again, I understand. I know it’s not romantic and it’s not sweet.”

“It’s not,” she agreed. “But that’s what I love about it. It doesn’t always have to be perfect and sweet…there are times when I truly want you to take me.”

He breathed deeply, his nose flaring as he took in the words she’d spoken. “You really do like it?”

“Yeah.” She ducked her head, embarrassed. “I do. There’s something about you not worrying about being finessed and taking care of me that I love. I kind of like that you’re a jerk in that moment.”

“You don’t always like when I’m a jerk,” he teased.

“No, I don’t, but in that moment when you are with me, like that, I love it. I never thought I’d be the type of woman who did, and no one is more surprised than I am, but I’m comfortable with you, and I trust you. I know you would never hurt me, and I know you’ll always take care of me in the end.”

“Fuck yeah, you’re never going to walk away from me unsatisfied.” He nipped at her neck. “If that ever happens, then the two of us need to have a talk, and you need to tell me what the fuck I’m doing wrong.”

Communication was key, and she knew that after her disastrous relationship with Ashton. “Us talking like this is the best thing we can do. I love that you’re not afraid to talk about your feelings, that you aren’t afraid to let me know what’s going on in your head. I’m not a mind reader, and you aren’t either.”

“So you’ll tell me when something is wrong?” he questioned her, flipping the script. “There was a time a few months ago when you weren’t being completely honest with me.”

“And that time is gone,” she assured him. “I care more for our relationship than to let that happen again. It’s not worth it.”

“Good.” He leaned down, kissing her softly on the mouth. “Now the reason I came back here to grab you was to see if you wanted to hear this song I’ve been working on. I need a female voice on it, and you’re the best one I know.”

She beamed at his compliment. “I would love to help you if you want it.”

Grabbing her hand, he led her to their room and had a seat on the bed, putting the acoustic guitar she’d gotten him for Christmas on his knee. The chords he played were dark and haunted, telling a story of asking a woman to stay if he told her he loved her.

“Did you write this?” she asked, curious as to what woman he was talking about when he asked that question.

“Not really, I’m finishing it up for Jared. It’s kinda a gift for someone.” He winked at her. “But when we record it, we want a female harmony part—no pun.”

It dawned on her. This was Jared’s gift to Shell for Valentine’s Day if she was brave enough to make the trip. As he played again, indicating where he wanted her to come in at certain parts, her eyes took in the words, and she almost felt like crying again. Shell was going to love this, and if it was the last thing she did, she would get her friend out on the road for this. It was time for the other couple to be as happy as they could be.

*  *  *

H
annah was on a stealth mission. She’d made up an excuse to Garrett about needing to run a few errands before their show. She’d even playfully arched an eyebrow and winked at him, suggesting she was getting ready for Valentine’s Day when he’d questioned her too closely. It was hard not to come clean with him, especially since they normally shared everything, but this secret was going to be a good one.

Taking a deep breath, she followed the GPS in the rental car they’d let her use. Checking her blind spot, she took her exit and gripped her hands along the steering wheel. She still hated driving in places she wasn’t familiar with, but she was thankful traffic was light this afternoon in Charlotte, NC. The GPS dinged, letting her know that she’d gone the right way, and she couldn’t help but grin. As she entered the airport grounds, she quickly looked for where she needed to park and managed to navigate the signs with surprising ease.

“You’re gettin’ better at doing this stuff by yourself.” She breathed a sigh of relief as she parked the car and leaned back against the leather of the seat, letting herself relax.

Her phone sat in the cup holder, and she grabbed it, checking for missed messages. She saw one from Shell time stamped less than ten minutes before that said they’d landed and she would be waiting for her in baggage claim. Twisting around, Hannah grabbed her jacket, putting it on before she exited the car and shouldering her cross-body bag. Even though they were in North Carolina, it was still pretty cold. The air bit at her cheeks as she jogged across the parking lot.

Once she got inside the airport, she checked the arrival board, making sure she knew where she needed to go in order to find her friend. When she spotted the flight number and location she needed, she went off in that direction. On her approach, she saw Shell and Stacey. They had hooked up in Nashville and had flown in together to surprise their men.