The Greatest Show (Willow Son #5/Brothers of Rock #20)

Welcome back to the world of Brothers of Rock!

A series built on love, life, and rock n
’
 
roll romance!

The bestselling series continues with rock band,
 
Willow Son
!

Meet the band!

Colby (lead singer)

Jett (guitar)

Van (bass)

Ryker (guitar)

Brantley (drums)

_____________

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NOW
...
 
are you ready for some
…

BROTHERS OF ROCK!

THE GREATEST SHOW (A Brothers of Rock
–
WILLOW SON
–
novel)

He knows how to be
a rockstar. Now he needs to learn how to be a father.

As drummer for Willow
Son, Brantley knows how to rock hard, party all night, then travel to a new
city to do it all again. But he's kept a secret from the rest of the band and
now it
’
s time to confess
–
he has a son. The arrangement
he made years ago seemed right at the time, but now his son is sick and
Brantley may be the only one who can save the young boy
’
s life.

Emma knew the risks
of hanging with a rockstar
–
back then and today. She thought that lying to Brantley was the best thing to
do but the decision has been eating her up inside. Now she needs his help.
She's not even sure he'll show up...but the second he steps through the door, that
raw lust and deep love they once shared comes rushing back. And when she sees
him with their son, the connection is instant and real.

The years apart, the
miles spread across the country, and the family they created during one crazy
night now comes together as Brantley learns the hardest lesson of his life
–
fame and fortune can
’
t buy everything.

(1)

*NOW*

Brantley hadn
’
t intended on hitting Harry
square in the jaw, but that
’
s
just what happened when you ran your mouth at a hot headed drummer.

As Harry stumbled back, his hands
reached out, trying to grab something to hold onto. He managed to, however,
clear off his entire desk as he fell to the floor, landing on his ass. That
’
s when Brantley lunged forward,
really unsure what he was going to do next. Maybe beat Harry until he stopped
talking. Maybe pick him up and apologize.

Brantley grabbed Harry by the shirt
and pulled at him.

“
Don
’
t ever say that again,
”
Brantley growled.
“
Understand me?
”

“
Christ,
Brantley,
”
Harry said. He
rubbed his jaw.
“
What the
hell is wrong with you?
”

“
Don
’
t ever ask me about my kid like
that again.
”

“
All
I asked was if you were going to see him.
”

“
That
’
s none of your damn business,
”
Brantley said.
“
Got it?
”

Harry licked his lips. His lip then
curled like a pissed off animal.
“
You
know what? It is my business. Willow Son is geared up for another leg of a
tour. You
’
re due in the
goddamn studio to finish some new songs. And the one thing you asked me to do I
had been doing. For you. Keeping this a secret from the rest of the guys. There
was one catch, Brantley. What was it?
”

Realizing his error, Brantley
stepped back. He offered his hand and helped Harry to his feet. He then touched
his own jaw, nodding.

“
Come
on,
”
he said.
“
Hit me.
”

“
What?
”

“
Hit
me, Harry. Make it fair.
”

“
Serious,
B, what is wrong with you?
”

Brantley kept tapping his jaw.
“
I got worked up. Hit me. Right
now.
”

“
No.
”

“
Fine.
I
’
ll make you. Let
’
s talk about your family, Harry.
All the skeletons in your closet. Huh? How
’
d
that work out for you? You ever get on the road with us and chase some tail? I
bet you have. Probably dropped our name to get some groupie to drop her
panties.
”

Harry
’
s
eyes went wide. He cocked a fist back and threw it forward.

Brantley took the punch with a
sense of pride.

Then Harry ruined the moment as he
let out a squealing yell and grabbed his hand. He jumped back and cradled his
hand, yelping.

The punch had been better than
Brantley expected. He licked the inside of his cheek and tasted blood.

“
Not
bad,
”
Brantley said.
“
Not bad at all, Harry.
”

“
So
what
’
s the goddamn plan
here?
”
Harry asked through
gritted teeth.

“
You
’
ve done all I asked,
”
Brantley said.
“
Thanks for that. But this is a
family problem now. My family.
”

“
Your
secret family,
”
Harry said.
“
You haven
’
t even told the band yet. You
have a son that
’
s in the
hospital right now.
”

Brantley moved at Harry again.
“
I fucking know that.
”

“
Then
do something!
”

Brantley grabbed Harry
’
s shoulder and put him against
the wall. He brought a fist back, ready to really get Harry to shut the hell
up.

The door blasted open and in came,
Colby, Jett, Ryker, and Van.

“
Whoa!
”
Colby yelled.

“
Holy
shit,
”
Jett said as he ran
forward.

“
What
the hell
…”
Ryker said.

Van assisted Jett and they pulled
Brantley away before he could hit Willow Son
’
s
band manager again.

“
Brantley,
what the hell is going on here?
”
Van asked.

“
Wait,
”
Jett said.
“
Are you bleeding?
”

“
Harry
hit me,
”
Brantley said.

“
He
hit me first,
”
Harry said.

“
What
is this?
”
Ryker asked.
“
A school fight?
”

“
No,
”
Brantley said.
“
We
’
re
fine. We
’
re good.
”

Brantley shook the guys away and
walked away.

“
You
good?
”
Jett asked Harry.

Harry fixed his tie.
“
Yeah. Great.
”

“
What
’
s going on?
”
Colby asked.

Brantley saw the guys look at
Harry, then at him. Harry still kept his mouth shut. He was fiercely loyal, but
paid a ton of money for that loyalty. Brantley knew he was in the wrong in the
situation though. Everything falling apart around him was his fault.

Because of one night and one
agreement made after that.

“
Shit,
”
Brantley said. He sat down in a
chair and ran his hands through his hair. He looked at the band, his brothers,
the five of them that made up the biggest rock band in the world.

“
I
’
m going to go grab a coffee,
”
Harry said.
“
Then call Portis and see what
’
s happening this week and next.
We have to keep our schedules fluid.
”

“
Fluid?
”
Colby asked.

“
That
’
s what I said,
”
Harry said.
“
That
’
s all I
’
m
going to say.
”
Harry took a
few more steps and then stopped and looked at Brantley.
“
I don
’
t
want an apology for this shit, B. I want you to talk to them. Right now.
”

Brantley made fists and clenched
his teeth together.

He knew it would end up like this.

Of course it would end up like
this.

What kind of man was he to pay
off the woman who had his son?

(2)

*THEN*

She wore a leather jacket and a
tight, white shirt under it. She danced by jumping up and down, bouncing her
head side to side, jamming to the music.

From the second Brantley saw her,
she became more intoxicating than the beer and whiskey he
’
d been drinking all night.

The crowd was big, maybe one of the
biggest for the band, but it was manageable.  Brantley took advantage of nights
like these because he knew it was only a matter of time before things were going
to get crazy for the band. Soon they
’
d
be ushered around backstage, telling security guards what girls from the show
to invite backstage.

Some of that started to happen
already.

When Brantley stood up and walked
forward, carrying his beer, a few people ran up to him, grabbed for his shirt.
They were fans, wanting a picture and an autograph. Brantley stopped, smiled,
signed a ticket and the top of a left breast, and then continued his voyage
through the bustling crowd. It was in between bands, the crew up on stage
hurrying to get one band
’
s
shit off and set up another
’
s.
Music blasted through the house system and that
’
s
the music she was dancing to. Off in her own corner, arms up, acting like there
wasn
’
t a single person in
the club.

Chances were she was drunk or high,
but that didn
’
t bother
Brantley. This was about having fun. Another city, another woman, another wild
night. That
’
s what the
dream was about. Women, music, and money. They were all actually making a
decent living already. A few record companies were sniffing around and their
current deal was up in a few months. That
’
s
when the seven figures would roll in easily.

Brantley made it halfway through
the crowd when someone bumped into him. He dropped his beer on the floor and it
disappeared in a sea of feet.

“
Ah,
fuck, sorry,
”
a guy said.
He turned and grabbed Brantley
’
s
shoulder.
“
Hey, man! You
’
re that guy! The drummer! Holy
shit. Willow Son rocks.
”

The guy shook Brantley and Brantley
shook him away. He grabbed the guy
’
s
arm.
“
Easy, man. Don
’
t fucking touch me.
”

“
Whoa.
Calmness, brother.
”

Brantley looked forward and started
to move.

But by then the woman was gone.

Shit.

The guy grabbed his shoulder again
and squeezed.

“
Hey,
”
Brantley yelled. He threw an
elbow into the guy
’
s ribs
and knocked him back.
“
I
said not to touch me, man.
”

“
I
pay your salary,
”
the man
yelled.
“
I bought a fucking
ticket to bring my girl here.
”

“
That
’
s fine. But don
’
t touch me.
”

Now everyone was looking. This was
all Brantley needed. To get in the middle of the crowd and start a fight. The
guys were pissed enough when he lingered away from backstage, let alone be in
the mix of the fans there to see Willow Son.

“
My
girl just wants to see you,
”
he said.
“
Got it?
”

“
Where
is she?
”
Brantley asked.
“
I
’
ll
be over there.
”

“
Hey!
Emma!
”
the guy yelled.

Brantley moved through the crowd,
nodding to fans, stopping for a couple autographs, joking with a few fans about
the guy that grabbed him.

Then he felt someone tug on his
shirt.

He looked back, ready to snap.

He opened his mouth and lost his
breath and voice for a split second.

There she was.

Standing right behind him.

Brown curly hair that was a mess
but in a sexy way. Her eyes matched her hair and she had a big smile on her
face. She touched his wrist and then grabbed his hand. Brantley felt his hand
squeeze right back.

“
Hey,
”
he said.

“
This
is crazy,
”
she said.
“
You
’
re
…”

“
Come
here,
”
he said.

Brantley pulled the woman behind
him.

They went to the opposite side of
the club and moved behind one of the gates. That
’
s
where they had a little privacy and a little more room. And it was a little bit
quieter so they could talk.

Brantley realized he hadn
’
t let her hand go.

That
’
s okay. She
’
s not going anywhere
unless it
’
s
with me.

“
I
’
m Brantley,
”
he said.

“
Duh,
”
she said.
“
You drum for Willow Son. I love
you guys. I
’
ve never seen
you live before.
”

“
Well
then. You could stand right here the entire night. Check out the show from the
side.
”

“
Really?
”

“
Of
course,
”
Brantley said. He
touched her chin, feeling the smoothness of her skin.
“
Someone as pretty as you doesn
’
t need to be in the crowd. Hey,
I saw you jumping around, dancing. You kind of stole my attention.
”

“
Oh
yeah?
”
she asked with a
flirty grin.

Goddamn
…

“
Yeah.
But don
’
t get too excited,
it doesn
’
t take much.
”

“
You
liked that I was jumping up and down,
”
she said.

“
Yeah,
I did. But you
’
re wearing a
leather jacket. So I really didn
’
t
get the full effect.
”

“
Sorry,
”
she said.
“
Here
…”

She stripped herself of her leather
jacket.

Brantley felt himself tighten in
all the right spots. Inside, he was sighing, wishing the goddamn band didn
’
t have to go on stage tonight.
Then again, there was still about forty minutes to kill.

The white shirt hugged her body
perfectly. There was a sliver of skin showing, enough to have Brantley reaching
for her, wanting to touch her. Of course, he
’
d
be a gentleman about it and at least find out what her name was before kissing
her. But after that, there was no stopping it.

“
Hey,
”
he said.
“
What
’
s your name,
sexy moves
?
”

She giggled.
“
Sexy moves? Can I please tell
all my friends that the hot drummer from Willow Son gave me a nickname?
”

“
Sure.
As long as I can tell all my friends that the beautiful woman dancing in front
the speakers thinks I
’
m
hot.
”

Brantley was close now. His hands
touched her sides. She put her hands to his. They looked at each other. He felt
something spark inside himself. That was okay. There was nothing wrong with
deeper feelings that went beyond what was going to happen after the show. Not
that those feelings mattered. Brantley fell in love each and every night. That
was the wonder of his life.

He inched closer, moving in for a
kiss before he could calm himself.

“
Your
name,
”
he whispered.
“
Give it up.
”

“
Make
me,
”
she whispered back.

“
You
’
re going to regret messing with
me,
sexy moves
.
”

“
That
’
s my name then,
”
she said.
“
Now you know it.
”

“
I
want the real name.
”

“
Again
…
make me.
”

Brantley was an inch away from
sexy
moves
’
thin, sweet
looking lips.

Then he heard a voice bellow,
“
EMMA!
”

Her head turned and she pulled away
from him.

“
Over
here!
”
she yelled and
waved.

Brantley looked and couldn
’
t believe his eyes. It was the
same asshole that had been grabbing at his shoulder.
Sexy moves
was the
asshole
’
s girlfriend.

“
Whoa,
wait a second,
”
Brantley
said. He reached for Emma.
“
That
guy
…”

She looked back at him and grinned.

“
Did
you get your autograph?
”
the guy asked.

“
I
’
m good here,
”
Emma said. She then pulled at
the gate, opening it to get through, back into the crowd.

Brantley grabbed the gate and
watched as she walked away. The asshole guy put his arm around her shoulder.
Emma looked back and smiled big. She then puckered her lips.

Brantley shook his head.

He then mouthed to her,
Come
right here after the show.

**

Brantley stood up from the drum kit
and was out of breath. The crowd had been freaking insane. They were so into
the music, singing every word of every song right back to the band. As he ran
his hand through his sweaty hair, Brantley looked out to the crowd with one
intention in mind.

Finding Emma.

It bothered him that she was with
someone else. They had come so close to kissing
…
and she had a boyfriend? What the hell was that about? Brantley had no shame if
a woman wanted to fool around, but to be that bold
…
it was sexy.

Emma was locked in the back of his
mind.

Brantley scanned the crowd and
couldn't find her. He sat back down as Ryker
’
s
guitar let out a long feedback squeal. He looked at Brantley and nodded.
Brantley hit air with one of the drumsticks as a four count to go into the
final song.

It was the band
’
s big radio hit right now.

The second Ryker played the first
part of the riff, the place erupted.

Colby stood at the edge of the
stage, holding the mic out, cupping his ear. One thing Brantley knew for sure
was that Willow Son wouldn
’
t
be playing little clubs for long. Colby was too good as a singer and he had a
knack for working the crowd that made the experience special for everyone
there.

Brantley played his heart out on
the final chorus, ending the show with a little bit of a drum solo. The next
time he stood up, the show was officially over. He tossed his sticks out to the
crowd, not caring who ended up with them. He walked to the front of the stage
and stood there with the band. They all waved, the crowd cheered, and another
show had come to an end.

Backstage, they dried their sweat
and went right back to drinking.

Brantley snuck away and went to the
side of the stage. The crew was busting their ass, collecting all of Willow Son
’
s equipment so they could load
it up in the van and get it to the next show. Harry was at the bar with the
club owner, talking business. Their merch manager was shutting down the table,
leafing through a big pile of cash.

Everything was in full motion.

Brantley kept his eye on the gate
where he had been with Emma.

There was no damn sight of her.

That didn
’
t surprise him though. She had her little flirty
moment with a rockstar and now she was gone home with her boyfriend. At best,
Brantley would slip into her mind when they were in bed later.

Brantley smiled.

“
Cheers,
”
he whispered and took a drink
of beer.

“
Got
one for me?
”

Brantley spun around and there she
was again.

“
Emma,
”
he said.

“
Brantley.
”

“
Sexy
moves
,
”
Brantley said.

Emma closed in on him. She clutched
to his sweaty t-shirt and slid her other hand to the back of his neck.
“
I think we were about here
before
…”

“
No,
”
Brantley said.

“
Uh
…
listen
…
about
him
…”

Brantley put his lips an inch from
Emma
’
s.
“
This is where we left off. And
this is where we
’
re going.
”