The Real Me (How to Tame a Heartbreaker Book 4) (24 page)

"No," Cam said. "It was just a pre-engagement engagement."

"A statement of intentions," Nick added.

"Aw, like
a promise ring?" Jade asked, setting their drinks on the table one by one. Cam would have normally thought Jason was out of his mind for making a statement like that, but as he sat next to Jax, he had a new appreciation for those types of sentiments.

"When I ask you, it's going to be a big deal," he whispered.

She smiled, but tried to look like he hadn't said anything.

"It's probably going to be
all over
the news," he said.

She knew he was pushing her buttons, so she tried to ignore him and stay engaged in the conversation as he whispered in her ear e
very chance he got.

"I'll bet we'
ll have to do another issue of People when we get married and one more when you have my babies."

His comments were making her blush and she pushed her side against his.

"You better stop," she whispered, glancing at him.

"What?
" he asked, smiling. "It's just the truth."

Chapter 25

Jax had the surreal privilege of seeing Cam play live on a beautiful Friday night in the middle of June. The concert was part of Fan Fair, and Cam was the headliner of the Friday evening show before he left for his trip to Europe. She got to spend the night with him after the concert, but he flew out early the next morning and she had to be at work for the fundraiser.

Mary was expecting guests to start arriving at 10AM, and Jax had gotten there early to help her get the house ready. Their annual
event was basically an open house. They invited prospective donors and when people arrived throughout the day, Jax or Mary would give them a tour and tell them about the house.

"How'd it go last night?"
Mary knew Jax had the concert the night before, and it was the first thing she said when Jax came in the door that morning.

"Oh my goodness it was so crazy and amazing that I can't even begin to
explain. I was so pumped I barely slept last night. Cam had to fly out this morning at six, so we basically just stayed up all night. He said he'd get some sleep on the flight. I got a couple of hours after he left and I'm fine as long as I have coffee." Jax took a sip of the coffee from the paper cup she was holding and sighed, remembering. "You should've seen him last night. I've seen him in action with a crowd, but never imagined he could turn it on like he did in front of all those people. I got to see it from his perspective too since I was backstage—thousands and thousands of fans just clamoring for his attention—waving their hands in the air and screaming. A few songs into the show, he told the band they could go take a break. Apparently, it was something he'd never done before because the band was dumbstruck when they came back stage and Cam's assistant Neil was freaking out and going on about what a loose cannon Cam was. He did thirty minutes of acoustic performance where it was just him and his guitar on a stool, and then he invited the band back up to finish the concert. Neil kept saying how he'd never be able to keep the attention of a crowd that size without the band and pyrotechnics and whatnot, but he had them eating out of the palm of his hand. It was gritty and real and so sweet. The whole place went nuts."

"
How'd you react to all that?" Mary asked.

"I couldn't believe it," Jax said, staring ahead and remembering the scene.
"I felt like I was in a dream the entire time. He looked back a few times to make sure I was still in the same spot, and each time I thought I might just swoon like one of the screaming fans."

"Were you a fan of his before you met him?"

She shrugged. "I was familiar with some of his music because it's unavoidable, but I didn't really know much about him before."

"You two have been spending a lot of time together. I'll bet it was hard to see him go this morning."

"Harder than I imagined."

"I guess the fact that he
travels a lot is going to be something you two will have to talk about in your relationship if you're going to make it work." Mary had a towel in her hand and was wiping the kitchen countertops as they spoke.

"I'm having a hard time processing that we even have a shot at anything
long-term, but Cam's convinced that we're gonna make it, so I guess that's one of the things I'll have to think about."

"Oh, it sounds like he really likes you. I have to say I'm not surprised that you've done so well, Jax. You're an amazing young woman and he's smart for wanting to hang onto you. Where's he off to this time?"

"He's got a string of European tour dates. He'll be gone for a month."

Mary paused her wiping and stared at Jax with a wistful expression.

"It'd sure be nice if he could take you with him sometime. Wouldn't it be amazing if you could see some of the world?"

Jax gave her a confused look. "He
can
take me with him anytime he wants," she said, laughing a little. "He actually gave me a really hard time for
not
leaving with him this morning."

Mary stared at her. "Well, good heavens Jax. I thought
you weren't invited—you know, like there was some rule about taking your girlfriend on the road."

Jax giggled again. "I'm sure there is a rule like that, but Cam's not much on rules."

"So he asked you to leave with him?"

Jax's smile faded when she realized how shocked Mary was. "Yeah, he asked me about fifty times over the last two weeks."

"And why'd you say no?"

Jax looked at Mary like she didn't know what to say. "I told him way back when we first got together that I have my own stuff going, and wouldn't be able to
put my life on hold."

"What do you have going on that you'd have to put on hold?" Mary asked.

Jax looked a little offended as she let out a little laugh. "Well, this place for one. I sort of thought you'd want me to be here for the fundraiser since I'm your only employee."

"Jax, you stayed here for
me
?" Mary asked, sadly.

Jax just
regarded her, feeling a little hurt that Mary was so surprised. "I want to help Mary. I mean, obviously this place means a lot to me or I wouldn't—"

"Oh honey, I didn't mean it like that." Mary turned and reached out to give Jax a little hug.

"Your friends wanted to surprise you, so they didn't want me to tell you until after the fundraiser, but baby we don't even
need
to have this fundraiser today. I thought you stayed in town because you
weren't invited
to go with him, or I would have told you sooner."

"Told me what?"

"I had a visit from an attorney with a huge surprise last week."

"What?" Jax looked as if she were impatient to get the news now that there was some.

"Your friends have donated the next year's budget for all ten rooms."

Ja
x shook her head in confusion. "We only have six rooms, and what friends are you talking about? Cam?"

"
Cam sent someone to tell me that his friends Jason, Nick, and Ben could do a hundred thousand this year. And we have ten rooms because Cam Bishop bought the house next door."

Mary gave Jax a huge smile revealing her gapped teeth. "We're expanding!"

Jax was sleepy and delirious, which made the whole conversation seem even more unbelievable than it already was. "Mary, are you telling me it's pointless for us to even have this fundraiser?"

Mary cringed as if she hated to think of it like that. "We'll always put whatever we earn to good use, but
yes, we've already raised more than I ever thought possible."

"And this all happened last week? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because he said he wanted you to be surprised at the fundraiser," Mary said. "I certainly never thought you'd turn down a trip to Europe to stay and help me with it, or I would have told you right away."

Jax sighed thinking about everything. "If he wanted me to go so bad, why didn’t
he
tell me?"

"He probably wanted you to decide to go on your own without feeling like you owed him something."

"Well, it's too late. I
do
feel like I owe him something. I can't believe he did that. Did he really buy the house next door? Which one?"

"The red one."

"It wasn't even for sale, was it?"

"For the right price, anything's for sale."

"Oh my God, I can't even think about that. Is it okay to let him do something that big?"

"It better be okay because it'
s already a done deal. I have the deed to the house in the filing cabinet. Does this change your mind about wanting to go with him sweetheart? If so, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"I honestly don't know if it changes my mind or not. I told him I wasn't going to follow him around like a lost puppy and something inside me feels too stubborn to go back on that just because he bought a big, expensive gift."

"Being stubborn never gets you anywhere, Jax. You know that."

Jax was silent for a few seconds. "I guess it doesn't really matter now since he's gone."

"Oh please Jacqueline, you're not the damsel in distress type. Just get on a plane and go to him."

"It's
a little more complicated than that now, unfortunately. His assistant Neil overheard Cam asking me to go along with him, and when I said no, Neil chimed in saying what a smart decision that was and how kind I was to let him go to work without always feeling like I had to tag along."

Mary's eyes got big. "Did Cam hear him say that?"

Jax smiled. "Yeah."

"What he say?"

"He cussed a lot and told Neil that I'd be welcome on as many trips as I'd agree to go on."

"So what's the problem?
Cam set him straight. It seems like this Neil character works for him and not the other way around."

"I know but it's just embarrassing after Neil pretty much said I'd be a distraction."

Mary narrowed her eyes at Jax. "Do not make me remind you that we cannot live our lives based on other people's comments. If I had let opinions stand in my way, I would have never opened this house. If you want to be with him and he wants you there, I don't see a problem."

Jax was quiet for a minute, absentmindedly straightening
the children's books on one of the shelves in the living room while Mary finished putting a few dishes in the dishwasher.

"Do you think I should surprise him?"

"I hate to see you do all that traveling by yourself, but I certainly do think you should go to him if that's what you both want."

"I think I do want it," Jax said, smiling.

"Well, go on then. Get you a ticket. I'll have Lucinda watch the house and I'll bring you to the airport myself."

Jax felt a surge of adrenaline as it sank in that she was actu
ally going to hop on a plane. "Do you think I should just get a one-way ticket? Because he's going to be over there for a whole month and I just don't know how long—"

"Just get a one way, baby. He'll take care of you once you get there I'm sure."

Jax went to the desktop computer Mary had set up in the corner of the living room and began to search for flights from Nashville to Frankfurt, Germany.

Two hours and twenty-five hundred dollars later, Jax was on her way to the airport. She was sleep deprived, and mostly stared out the window of Mary's car.

"Are you going to call him when you get there or try to surprise him by just showing up?"

"I'm obviously going to have to contact someone or I won't even be able to get close to him. I guess I should probably try to get Neil's number."

Jax sent a text to Hannah asking if they knew where she could get Neil's contact information, and Hannah text back saying Jason had it on speed dial since they both spent a fair amount of time helping each other keep Cam out of trouble. Jax thanked Hannah for the quick response and told her she was on her way to Germany to surprise Cam. Hannah promised not to say anything, and wished her safe travels.

Jax
considered contacting Neil before she left the states, but she thought he'd probably give away her secret if she called him too early. She had one last idea so she placed a call to Hannah.

"Hello?" Hannah said.

"Hey, I'm glad you picked up. I'm on my way to the airport and I just thought of something. I'd love to just surprise him without having to call Neil or anybody. Do you think you and Jason could find out what hotel he's staying at?"

"I'll ask Jason to try to find out. Text me your email address when we hang up, and I'll email whatever I find out.
"

"Oh, you guys are the best."

"I'm glad you're going to meet him," Hannah said. "He's gonna be so excited."

"I'm excited too," Jax said. "I don't know why I didn't just go with him in the first place." Then she
remembered. "Hey I heard you and Jason donated a bunch of money to the house. Thank you so much for doing that."

"We were glad to help. Did you find out what Cam donated?"

"Yes. Mary just told me a couple hours ago. I'm still trippin'."

"I know, isn't it sweet? I just love that guy."

"Me too," Jax said. She smiled thinking about how good it felt to mean that.

Jax had a
passport from a church mission trip she'd been on two summers before. She packed quickly and called her parents to tell them she was going to Germany with Cam. She had one of their credit cards in her wallet and asked if it was okay if she used it if she got in a bind. They expressed their worry about such a big trip, but agreed that she could use the card anytime she needed it.

She had a
one-hour flight to Charlotte, then a two-hour layover before a nine-hour flight to Frankfurt. There was a slight delay, but she arrived close to her scheduled time, which was eight o'clock in the morning Frankfurt time. She got some sleep on the plane but got off still feeling a little disoriented like she really didn't even know what day it was. Hannah sent an email with Cam's hotel information and the venue where he'd be playing in two days. Jax didn't know his schedule but now that she'd endured that flight, was glad to hear that he had two days to recover before he had to perform.