Learning to Breathe Again (36 page)

BAYLEIGH HAD MANAGED TO SNAG a table across
from the bar and in a corner. Rick and Brian had joined her as soon
as they’d arrived. Brian had brought Kaitlyn, his on-again,
off-again girlfriend, and Rick was busy trying to talk Maddie into
joining them. Maddie and Kaitlyn were busy trying to scope the room
for a man for Bayleigh.

Bayleigh shook her head as she watched a
young man approach Maddie. Her gaze narrowed as Maddie started
nodding enthusiastically and pointed towards their table.

“
Rick, I swear to God, if
she’s sending him over here to talk to me, you’d better be prepared
for me to crawl into your lap and start making out with you,”
Bayleigh muttered as the man started making his way to their
table.

Rick set his drink down and shook his head.
“I can think of a few worse things,” he winked at her as a shadow
fell over the table. Brian’s eyes went wide as he took in the man
standing next to their table.

“
Miss Morrow? I’m David
Wilson, one of the signing agents for Nashville Music House. Have
you heard of us?” He held his hand out to shake hers and then
handed her a business card he withdrew from his pocket.

Bayleigh tilted her head to the side as she
reached out to take the card. “I’ve heard of your company. What can
I help you with?”

“
I happened to be here last
night and I heard your song. You have a lot of talent.”

“
Thank you.” Bayleigh dipped
her head in acknowledgement.

“
Now, I understand Dusty
Rhodes has already optioned that song from you, but with talent
like yours, there’s bound to be a whole portfolio sitting around
waiting for someone to snatch it up. Am I right?”

Bayleigh glanced towards Maddie who was still
standing near the bar. “I’m not sure I’d say I have a whole
portfolio, but yes, I have written other songs,” she answered the
man in front of her.

“
I’m interested in hearing
them, if you’re interested in selling them. If you’ve heard of us,
then you are aware of the caliber of the artists we pitch to,” he
nodded at the card in her hand. “You have my card. My assistant
will be glad to set up an appointment for you, if you call
her.”

“
Thank you, Mr. Wilson. I
will think about it.” Bayleigh nodded, as she glanced at the card
in her hand.

“
You do that. It was a
pleasure to meet you.”

“
Same here, Mr.
Wilson.”

Bayleigh looked around the table at her
friends as the other man walked away. “You guys can pick your chins
up off the floor now,” she told them with a laugh.

“
Bayleigh, that man is one
of the top recruiters for his music publishing house! He pitches
music to all the big names in Nashville, on like a daily basis!”
Kaitlyn told her, leaning forward to make sure Bayleigh could hear
her.

“
I know who he is. I saw him
sitting here last night,” Bayleigh admitted.

“
Then how can you sit here
and simply say you’ll call him? I would have been pulling out songs
left and right on the spot to sell to him!” Kaitlyn shook her head
in disbelief.

“
Yeah, for someone who’s
been dipping their toes in the water for a decade, you’re awfully
calm,” Brian agreed, looking across at her.

Bayleigh forced herself to unclasp her hands
and hold them up to show everyone how much she was shaking. Rick
laughed and nudged her shoulder with his. “You and your poker
face,” he shook his head.

“
Now, someone please tell me
I didn’t stutter or say something stupid, please? Please tell me I
didn’t just blow it?”

“
You were calm, cool and
collected. I would say you nailed it,” Brian told her with a wink
as his sister joined them.

“
Holy shit, ‘Leigh! I about
died when David Wilson approached me! Did he make the offer right
here?”

“
No, he told me to call his
office and set up an appointment.” Bayleigh looked over at her
friend. “You didn’t set this up, did you?”

“
No, I swear! I knew he was
here last night but I thought he had left before you took the
stage,” Maddie insisted as she took the seat between Bayleigh and
Kaitlyn. “How can you be sitting here and not freaking out? One of
the biggest recruiters in Nashville just told you he is interested
in your songs!”

Bayleigh laughed and out her hand for her
friend to see. “I’m freaking out on the inside, see?”

Maddie took Bayleigh’s hand and squeezed it.
“Well, this calls for a celebration, don’t you think?”

“
Anything but tequila,”
Bayleigh agreed.

“
How about a shot of Jack?”
a voice asked from above them. Bayleigh froze and glanced up at the
man who’d stepped up to the table.

“
Jack,” her whisper was lost
in the noise of the bar. She wasn’t positive, but she was pretty
sure her heart had just skipped a beat. Bayleigh squared her
shoulders and stared at the man standing beside the
table.

“
I think I’d rather take a
shot
at
Jack. Got
your pistol on you?” she asked Rick. She caught the grin that Brian
was quick to cover.

“
Do you want us to make him
leave?” Rick asked her as he eyed Jack, distrust evident on his
face.

Bayleigh swallowed hard and looked at her
friends, her eyes locking onto Maddie, who gave her an encouraging
smile. “Time to pick which road, I guess. But I can have him tossed
if you want me to,” Maddie leaned in closer to whisper for
Bayleigh’s ears alone.

Bayleigh shook her head and looked towards
Jack. “No, I’ll talk to him. Could you guys give us a few minutes,
please?”

“
You sure?” Rick looked
between the two.

Brian clapped his friend on the back and
pulled him to his feet. “C’mon buddy. You can be a watchdog from a
stool at the bar. Let’s go figure out what Maddie has hidden behind
the bar that we can pilfer from as a celebration.”

Bayleigh smiled her thanks at her friends and
watched as Jack settled himself in the chair across from her. “What
are you doing here?” she asked him, the smile fading from her
features.

Jack cleared his throat and looked down at
her hands clasped together on the table before he raised his eyes
back to her. ““Baby, I’ve missed you so much. I can’t tell you how
sorry I am that I pushed you away. I drove all day to get here
yesterday.”

Bayleigh swallowed hard. “And that’s supposed
to make it all better now?”

“
No, but it’s supposed to at
least let me get a foot back in the door,” Jack admitted. “Jason
and Nicole pounded it into me before I left Texas that apologizing
was only the first step of many I would need to take if I wanted to
win you back. Nicole assured me there would be a lot of begging and
pleading involved as well, at least on my part. But I guess you’re
the one who has to decide if I’m worth another chance. I was so
wrong to say what I did to you,” Jack’s voice was rough with
emotion.

“
Wrong about what, exactly?”
Bayleigh steeled herself against the emotion.
Be tough
, she told herself.

Jack leaned forward, a hand near hers but not
quite touching her. He stared down at their hands but didn’t speak.
Bayleigh could feel her heart rate increasing just from his
nearness. She loved this man, more than anything, but if he didn’t
trust her, there was no hope.

Jack’s eyes raised and met hers. “I was wrong
about pushing you away, forcing you to leave, not talking to you
for days, and assuming that Dusty was more than just a friend. All
of it, Bayleigh. Everything and anything that made you leave me.
I’m sorry for all of it.”

Bayleigh pressed her lips together. It would
be so easy to just accept it and ignore the hurt that was still so
raw and fresh. But she’d always done that with Will, and look at
the mess her life had turned into.

“
And the next time an old
friend greets me with a hug or a kiss?” she asked him, her eyes
straying to see her friends at the bar.

“
I’ll hang around, get an
introduction.” Jack moved his hand a fraction of inch, still not
touching her, but she could feel the heat of his hand now.
“Bayleigh, I have so many issues when it comes to women. My
therapist had a field day with me this week when I went in to talk
to her.” Jack moved his hand closer so that he could reach out and
touch her with one finger.

Bayleigh looked down at their hands before
looking back at him. “How does that make it right?”

“
It doesn’t and I’m not
trying to make excuses. I just know I can’t lose you,” he covered
her hand with his. “Please tell me I haven’t completely fucked this
up,” he begged.

Bayleigh took a deep breath and looked away.
She saw Rick and Maddie together at the bar, so completely perfect
for each other but for whatever reason, unable to get past their
complicated history and be together. And then there was Brian and
Kaitlyn, another match made in heaven, but the two of them were
still working their way through hell to get to each other. She
thought of her brother and Nicole and all they’d gone through
before reconnecting.

Bayleigh could see Maddie
watching her from the bar and remembered the conversation she’d had
with her earlier. She was standing at that crossroads now and she
needed to pick which direction she would be heading. One path would
be with Jack at her side, maybe not forever, but at least for now.
The other was without him and alone. “
Some
choice
,” she thought as her focus returned
to Jack.

“
I don’t know what I want to
do, Jack. I need time to think.”

Jack took a deep breath and nodded, his eyes
never leaving hers. “I won’t give up, Bayleigh. I know I screwed
up. I know I hurt you.” He glanced over at her friends and then
around the bar. “I also know we’re not going to solve everything
between us tonight in a crowded bar with your friends watching
every move. Can I take you somewhere more private?”

Bayleigh’s eyes traveled the same path Jack’s
had just a moment before. She took a deep breath and looked across
the table at him. “I think I need time alone to process, Jack,” she
saw the hurt in his eyes. “I just got out of a relationship with a
guy who didn’t care about what I wanted, who tried to control me
and who my friends were. I can’t go back to that. I won’t go back
to something like that,” Bayleigh swallowed past the lump in her
throat. “I need to make sure I’m doing what’s right for me
now.”

Jack took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ve got
a hotel downtown for a few days. Can I at least call you?” he
reached across the table and cupped her cheek with his palm. “I
just miss you, Bay.”

Bayleigh closed her eyes and gave a short
nod. “I’m not making any promises,” she warned as she opened her
eyes and looked into his. “You can call me as long as you’re not
trying to pressure me.”

“
I promise, no pressure,” he
agreed in an instant. He glanced over at the bar again. “So, what’s
Rick story? Why the watchdog attitude?”

“
He’s overly protective of
me and Maddie. And if you think he’s a watchdog with me, you should
see him with Maddie,” Bayleigh looked at her friends and shook her
head. “One of these days, those two are either going to
spontaneously combust around each other or kill each other,” she
looked back at Jack. “You’re welcome to hang around with us
tonight, if you’d like, but I’m not sure what kind of reception
you’re going to get from them.”

Jack sighed with regret and leaned back. “I
know, and I can’t say I blame them. But if it means time with you,
I will put up with any attitude they want to dish out.” He knew
he’d at least gotten that answer right when she smiled.

Bayleigh turned and waved her friends back
over. Maddie slid back into the chair next to her and bumped
shoulders with her friend. “Everything okay?”

“
I’m trying to pick a path,”
Bayleigh muttered back, accepting the glass of wine Rick held out
to her. She noticed Brian had grabbed a beer for Jack. “I’m not
going anywhere anytime soon, though.”

“
Ah, playing hard to get.
Good plan,” Maddie teased, clinking her own wine glass against
Bayleigh’s. “Make him work for that forgiveness.”

“
I’m not playing games,
Maddie,” Bayleigh denied, her voice pitched low to prevent it from
carrying across the table. “I just need more time.”

Maddie nodded and gave her friend’s arm a
sympathetic squeeze. “I know, sweetie.” Maddie’s gaze flicked to
Rick before coming back to Bayleigh. “Just be careful. Time doesn’t
always work in your favor.”

“
One of these days, you’re
going to tell me that whole story,” Bayleigh told her, shaking her
head.

“
Maybe when I’m ninety,”
Maddie agreed, shaking her head. “So, ‘Leigh, any chance I can get
you back up stage tonight?” she asked, raising her
voice.

“
Hell, no. One near panic
attack a week is enough,” Bayleigh shot the idea down with a laugh.
“Your band can provide the entertainment tonight,”

Bayleigh was able to relax and enjoy the
evening with her friends, not quite ignoring Jack, but not being
overly attentive either. Rick and Brian talked business with him,
discussing different aspects of the legal system while she, Maddie,
and Kaitlyn dissected different people in the bar.

Bayleigh glanced at her watch, surprised to
see how late it was getting. She and Dusty were supposed to meet
the next morning at his studio so she could work on some songs with
him. She tapped Maddie’s arm and pointed at her watch.