Only The Beginning (Rockin' Country) (14 page)

*     *     *

Garrett stood on stage, chest heaving, sweat pouring down his back. As the crowd chanted “Black Friday” he couldn’t help the grin that covered his face. This was where he felt most alive. He fed off the energy of the crowd, and for an hour and a half a night he felt completely invincible.

“We’re gonna slow it down for a second, Omaha. Is that okay with you?” His words were met by a huge roar from the crowd. “Now, you know a few days ago I invited a lovely young lady on stage to sing with us in Nashville. Who was that?”

“Harmony,” the crowd shouted back at him.

“That’s right,” he grinned and motioned towards where she stood in the wings. “She came to visit me for a few days, and she’s here tonight. Would some Black Friday fans like to hear her sing again?”

Hannah cringed. At least in Nashville, people really knew who she was. Surprise didn’t even begin to describe her feelings when the crowd roared with pleasure. Garrett motioned for her to come out.

“Do I have to get her a seat again?” Jared asked from where he sat across the way. “That shit made it online. You better get your game straight,” he talked to his friend.

Garrett flipped him off. “There’s a seat right here with her name on it.” He slapped the chair beside him.

As she made it out to the group, he handed her a microphone. “Everybody say ‘hi’ to Harmony.”

She smiled brightly and waved at the crowd who responded to her just like they had to him. “I hope everybody is having a good time tonight at the show, I know I am,” she told them as she had a seat and crossed her legs. Turning in her seat, she moved to face Garrett.

“You want to sing the same song we sang a few days ago?” he asked, grabbing her hand.

She couldn’t believe he was being so touchy-feely with her in front of his fans, but she couldn’t deny that she liked it. “Sure,” she told him softly into the mic. “If they don’t mind.”

“Nah, they don’t mind.” He pointed out to the crowd. “Do ya?”

Jared started playing the opening chords of the song and the crowd screamed, pulling out cell phones and recording devices. This time Hannah was more in control of the situation and not so caught off guard, her voice was much surer and much stronger than before. In a matter of minutes the song was over and everyone was screaming for them. Hannah went to get down from the stool when Garrett appeared in front of her, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her down. She reached up and gave him a hug.

“Thanks for inviting me out here,” she told him.

“Thanks for coming.” He settled his hands on her hips and spread his legs, leaning so that he was more on her level. Before she knew what he was doing, he leaned down, kissing her in front of all the fans. The screams were deafening, even to the two of them. When he pulled away, he tapped her hip slightly. “See you in about thirty more minutes.”

When she got back into the wings, her phone was already buzzing. One message was a text message from Shell.

So you have so much to tell me! I just read that Garrett kissed you on stage at his concert. I’m expecting all the details!

Hannah knew she had been neglecting her friend for the past few days, but it had been needed.

I’ll call you when I’m on my way to Kansas City. I’ll need your help to stay awake anyway.

Not knowing when she would have the chance to do so again, she took a picture of Garrett on stage, standing in front of the drum kit. From where she stood, it was of him with the crowd behind him. She knew that everyone would love it, so she uploaded it to her Instagram and tagged him in it.

@ReaperBF doing what he does best! Look at that crowd behind him! Thanks for having me out!

Putting her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, she decided she would enjoy the rest of the show and worry about the rest later.

*     *     *

“I can’t believe you have to go. I kinda wish we sang the same type of music, and then I could bug management to let you stay on my tour.” Garrett pushed her hair back from her face as they stood outside the venue.

He had her boxed in at the SUV, one hand at her hip, one hand at her hair. She was doing her best not to show him just how much she was going to miss him. This had become so normal for her in such a short amount of time. It scared and thrilled her all at once.

“I know, I wish that too, but maybe our differences are what make us want to be together so much,” she told him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“And she’s smart too,” he whispered, putting his hands at her neck and pushing her head up so he could see her eyes. She rewarded him with a small laugh that tugged at him. “I really think I’m gonna miss the hell outta you,” he told her truthfully.

“I think I’m gonna miss you too. You have that way about you, Garrett Thompson.” She played with the shirt that covered his chest.

“Oh yeah,” he flirted. “What kind of way is that?”

“The way that makes just about every woman you come into contact with want to fall at your feet. You smile with those dimples of yours and the whole population just wants to tell you ‘yes’ to anything you ask. You’re kinda funny too.” She tilted her head up, placing a kiss at his jawline.

“You have that way about you too, Hannah Stewart. That’s why I’m going to miss you so much. I really wish I could drive down with you to Kansas City, but we gotta be out of here in just a few minutes,” the apology was in his voice.

“I understand. Sometimes this relationship isn’t going to be easy, and I think it would be good if we realized that now.” She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. She squealed as he tightened his arms around her, lifting her off the ground with the strength of his embrace.

“You’re right, we’re going to have to get used to this. I’ll call you later?” he asked as he let go of her, setting her back on the ground.

“I’ll be waiting on it. We can always FaceTime, and you know how I love to Instagram.” She did her best to smile brightly for him.

He could tell that she was sad, even after their short amount of time together. “We’ll see each other soon,” he promised. “Have a good show tomorrow night, and be careful tonight. If you need anything, just call. I’ll pick up, no matter what time it is.”

“Same here,” she told him, walking over to the driver’s side and popping the door open. “Tell the guys thank you for welcoming me so nicely. I meant to say something, but I completely forgot about it.”

“I’ll be sure and let them know,” he told her as he watched her buckle her seat belt before pulling out into traffic.

For the first time in a long time he went back to his bus and onto the next city with a very heavy heart.

*  *  *

“W
hy in the world do I have so many notifications?” Hannah asked out loud a few days later as she and Shell sat at dinner.

“I have no idea. You know I don’t follow that social media crap that you do. Your hot boyfriend probably posted something about you,” Shell quipped.

Even though her face flushed, Hannah shook her head. “He’s not my boyfriend. We haven’t put a label on it. More than likely it’s that Rocker’s Edge magazine that’s been posting crap about me the last few days. Our fans are okay with us being together, but this magazine hates that one of their own is fraternizing with the ‘enemy’. Garrett told me to ignore it, but they keep tagging me.”

“Whatever about the magazine. Just block them and move on with your life. Back to Garrett. You stayed with him for a couple of days and you kissed. The two of you text, talk, and do all kinds of other stuff all the time. He’s your boyfriend.”

Leave it to Shell to cut to the heart of the matter and decide to stop beating around the bush. “Like I said, we haven’t put a label on it, but I do talk to him every day.”

“You tell yourself what you need to, but you do need a label for it.”

Hannah checked her phone and saw that she had been tagged on a picture from Instagram, but it was one of her with the entire band.

We miss you @HarmonyStewart! Come hang on with us again soon! BF

“Aww, that was sweet. The guys from the band posted a picture we all took together and told me they miss me.” She turned her phone around so that she could show Shell.

“Which one is that?” Shell asked, pointing to Jared, who was pictured sitting beside Hannah and Garrett in the booth.

“That’s Jared.”

“He’s cute,” Shell commented.

Did she tell her friend about what Garrett had confided in her? “He is and he’s nice, but he’s got some…issues,” she finally said.

“Don’t we all?” Shell mumbled.

“His are a little bit more complicated than other people’s, but he did ask me for your number. He said he thought you were kind of cute.”

Hannah bit her lip. She shouldn’t have said that—now Shell would be interested.

“He did?”

“Yeah, but seriously, I don’t know if I want you involved with him.”

Shell regarded her with keen eyes. “What do you know that you aren’t telling me?”

It wouldn’t be breaking Garrett’s confidence if she was just trying to warn a friend, Hannah reasoned with herself. “According to Garrett, he’s had and continues to have some substance abuse issues. I get the feeling he gets clean and can stay there, but then things happen in his life and he falls off the wagon.”

“Have you ever seen it?”

“Not the using, but I did witness some very dramatic emotion switches,” Hannah answered. “I was only around the group for a small amount of time. I did hear him and Garrett get into an argument one day when I was talking to him. It was pretty heated.”

“Well, I guess it’s my decision then on what I want to do,” Shell sighed.

“That it is. I can give him your number if you want me to, and then it’ll be your decision on if you want to answer the phone.” Hannah stopped and looked at Shell, a small smile playing on her face. “I have a feeling I’m going to be hanging out with these guys a lot, so I want you there with me. Having said that, I don’t want you in a place that’s going to hurt you. You’re my best friend.”

Shell pondered that for a minute. What would be the problem if she was friends with someone who obviously needed one? While it had been fine for her to be by herself for a few days, did she really want her friend to go off and have a life that didn’t include her? Since becoming Hannah’s assistant, the time she had for herself had become very little. If she didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves to her, then she might not have a life at all.

“Oh what the hell? Give him my number, and then I’ll decide if I want to answer it if he decides to call.”

“You’re sure about this? I don’t want you to do something that you feel like you have to because of me.”

“How long have you known me, Hannah?”

“Too long,” she joked.

“You’re so funny, but really, when have I ever done something I didn’t want to do?”

She had a point. Usually it was Hannah doing things that she didn’t want to because she felt like she had to. It was never Shell. Shell had no qualms about telling anybody no.

“Okay, I’ll give the number to Garrett to give to Jared.”