“What do you plan to do with all of your stuff?”
“Is it still packed up from the last time I made you mad and you threatened to kick me out?”
That was fun times, my parents threatening to kick me out of the house I paid for.
“Yes, no sense in wasting all that work,” she sniffs.
“Then I’ll have someone come get it in the next few days. It’ll be shipped to Nashville, that’s where I plan to live from now on.”
Mom sniffs. “Don’t get too comfortable, I doubt this will last, Bri.”
“I hope you’ve already given the movers a tip,” Dad echoes her tone.
“Trust me, they’re taken care of. See you later.”
It gives me a thrill to slam the phone down in their ears, even if it’s a cell phone and what I really do is passive aggressively disconnect the call.
I should be upset, but the fact of the matter is I’m used to it. Since I was lucky enough to have singing as a career, all my parents have done is cash in on it. They like to go around telling others how they sacrificed for me, but it’s all a lie. They never sacrificed a damn thing. They didn’t come with me on the road, they hired people to. They weren’t the ones missing their prom and homecoming. That was me.
And even if they did, I’ve paid them back hundreds of times over.
It doesn’t take a shrink to explain why I’m okay with being married to EJ. It gets me out from under their thumb, out of the house I paid for but was forced to put their names on it, and into a family that truly looks like they love each other.
It’s the type of family I’ve wanted my whole life, and now it’s right at my fingertips. Surely God wouldn’t give it to me, and then rip it away. Right?
Shaking my head to get those thoughts out, I pick my phone back up and call EJ. While it’s ringing, before he even picks up, I have a smile on my face.
“Hey.” His deep voice has a hint of excitement. I tell myself it’s because he’s talking to me.
“Hey, I have a question,” I go in quickly, hoping he won’t be able to say no when I tell him I have to move my stuff.
“Shoot. If you’ve got questions, I may have an answer.”
It’s cute the way he’s so damn corny. It’s not how I expected him to be. The vibe he gives off, exudes coolness and an ingrained sexiness that I’m not sure he could ever get rid of if he wanted to.
“My stuff is at my parents’ house,” I start, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. I hope he doesn’t ask me, because I don’t want to get into the whole complicated history of my relationship with my parents. “It’s been there since I’ve been on the road so much. It’s already packed,” I rush forward. “Do you care if I have it delivered to your house in Nashville, since that’s where we’re going to be spending most of our time?”
“No,” he answers. “My house is your house. I mean we’ve both been uprooted, but it’s my responsibility to take care of you.”
Even though his words warm a spot in my heart, it also pisses me off slightly.
“EJ, I don’t need to be taken care of, and I hope you don’t think that’s why I haven’t put up a huge fight over what’s happened between us.”
He sighs. “I don’t mean it that way. It’s just you’re my responsibility now. I take the vows we said seriously, even if we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. It’s just the person my parents raised me to be. From the time I was young, I knew I’d treat my wife the way my dad treats my mom. It’s been ingrained in me since I can remember.”
His words give me pause, but then I ask him something that’s been gnawing at the back of my neck. “Even if you don’t love me?”
We’re both quiet for a beat, causing me to rush ahead.
“I don’t expect either of us to love each other now, if that’s what you’re grappling with. I’m just saying, your parents probably taught you marriage meant love, and we’ve gone about this in such a backwards way.”
“I could love you,” he whispers.
The words give me a flutter I’ve never had before, one that starts at my toes and ends up at the top of my head, before falling back right around to where my stomach is.
If my parents can’t love me, how can he?
“No, you couldn’t.”
“I could,” he argues. “It doesn’t take much to see who you are on the inside, Bri. You’re not the super-confident girl you play on stage, and you aren’t okay with others telling you what to do. You grin and you bear it because this is the career you want, but you’re beginning to re-think the career you want, aren’t you?”
He’s hit it all right on the head. This man. He’s only known me for enough days to maybe add up to a week and he already sees right through.
How can no one else? How can he get it all, when no one else can see it?
It’s because they don’t care, Bri.
The sad thing is, it’s true. They don’t care, but still I let them have control of my life, of me.
“I am,” I answer softly. “I’d like to put myself first.”
“You’ve never done that, have you?”
I shake my head, but he can’t see me. It’s easier to admit with the motion instead of speaking.
“But you’re going to now,” he continues. “Because I want you to, if you’re going to be my wife, I want you to know your worth. Your worth is huge, and nobody better ever try to sell you short. I’ll take care of it if they do.”
“EJ,” I sigh. “Don’t make me promises you can’t keep.”
“People break their promises to you, don’t they?”
All the time.
“Here’s the thing about me, Bri. I mean what I say and I say what I do. You may have had some sort of little boy who wasn’t man enough to stand up for what’s right before, but you have me now. Nobody will fuck us over, Bri, I promise you that. I’ve spent my whole life watching record execs defer to my dad, and then I’ve watched both he and my mom hand those same execs their asses on silver platters because they underestimated what a strong relationship does for a couple. We’re gonna make this work, and we’ll make it work together. We’ll have everything we want, they’ll underestimate us, but we’re gonna take it all, Bri. We’re gonna take it all.”
And somehow, when he says it, I truly believe it.
Chapter Seven
EJ
“Thank you for helping me,” I begrudgingly tell my little brother as he grunts, picking up a box that’s just been delivered to my Nashville home.
“I don’t recall you really giving me a choice,” he huffs as he hauls it down the hallway, setting it down in a room that was once empty.
Back when I’d first moved in, I had great plans of turning it into a game room, or maybe even a little studio, but like most things in my life, it got pushed to the side. Since Grey Skies has become popular it’s hard to make plans, and even harder to have free time to execute those plans.
So the room that was once empty is getting filled up. With stuff that belongs to my wife. Still weird to say or think that word. It’s about halfway full of stuff Bri’s sent down to have here for when she’s in town. “I gave you plenty of choice,” I huff as I set the last box down. “Plus, she doesn’t have a lot of stuff. I mean, this could have been so much worse.”
Now that we’re done, it’s a little more than halfway full. Both of us know men who have more shit than this.
“You’re right.” He lays down on the floor, putting his arms above his head. “But this tells me I’m fuckin’ outta shape and before we go back on the road, I need to start working out again.”
“I never stopped.” I pat my waist, proud of the flat stomach I’ve been able to maintain. “But damn I gotta cut back on the cigarettes.”
“Fuckin’ with your voice?” RJ asks as he sits up, running a hand through his hair.
“After I wake up and go through my morning routine, it’s taking more for me to get it warmed, and my voice is scratchy,” I admit. “It’
s nothing obvious yet, but fuck.” I sit down next to him, sighing hard as I let my arms dangle between my legs. “Besides riding my bike, it’s my only stress relief.”
RJ laughs loudly, glancing over at me. “Dude, you’re a newlywed, you should be fuckin’ that stress relief.”
I’m once again reminded my marriage is not conventional. I’m not even sure if it should be legal considering we were both drunk as fuck. “I know, but that’s not the life I’m living right now.”
“When is she gonna be here?”
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I check my calendar. “She’s got a concert tonight, and then she’ll be headed to town. Her talk show got canceled. I’m gonna go pick her up, her flight is supposed to be here at three a.m.”
“Damn, so not to get too deep into your business, but how’s it going with her?”
I blow out a breath. “We haven’t had much time to talk in the past few days. The time difference is killing us, but she’ll be here for about two full days, so I’m hoping we can learn a bit more about each other. I’m gonna introduce her to the guys, plus Mom and Dad want us over for dinner, I’m still unsure if we’ll be accepting or not.”
“The conversations, are they like superficial?”
“Yeah.” I beat my fist against the floor, in a rhythm I hear in my head. “That’s another reason I’m excited for her to be here. It’s like as soon as we were talking into a video chat, she clammed up on me, and I’m not sure why.”
“Maybe she’s shy, or not sure what’s going to happen. You said she’s young.”
“She is. Just turned twenty-one.”
“Dude.” RJ shakes his head. “The two of you have a fight on your hands.”
“I know, but like I told her, marriage isn’t mean to be played with for me. Maybe we did the wrong way, but I’m planning on giving this a real shot.”
“I wish for the best for ya, man. I know you, you’re a lot like Mom and Dad, way more like them than I ever will be. You want the love story.” He plays with a string on his shorts.
His voice is low and his eyes refuse to meet mine. “RJ, you can have the love story too. Getting your heart broken once isn’t the end of the world.”
“It is when the chick you care about more than anything is the daughter of your dad’s best friend, and you can’t go any-fucking-where without seeing her.” He scrubs his heels over his eyes. “But luckily for Mom and Dad you do still believe in love.”
“You’ll get there,” I tell my brother, sad that he feels the way he does. Truth is, it’s a shitty story, but it’s his story to tell. Not mine.
“Yeah, we’ll see.” He stands up, looking around the room. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”
“Nope, thanks again for your help. I’m gonna take a shower and try to get some sleep before I have to go pick up Bri. I won’t be at the studio tomorrow. Expect to see me the day after.”
The grin he gives me is pure asshole. “Mmm hhmmm, keeping that wife all to yourself. Bow-chicka-bow-bow.”
“Stop.” I throw my shirt that I took off about thirty minutes ago at him. “When you meet her, please don’t be an ass.”
“I won’t, seriously. I want you, more than anything, to be happy. And just judging your attitude the past few days, I think this girl can do that. You’ve been searching for shit your entire life, and I think this might actually be what you’ve been searching for.”
I don’t argue with him, because I think he might be right.
B: Hey, I’ve landed and I’m getting a snack at one of the bars. I’m starving! Let me know where you are when you get here.
Her flight got in a little earlier than anticipated. Luckily for her, there’s no traffic at three a.m., and it’s not taken me long to get to BNA in Nashville. My stomach gives a slight flip at the thought of seeing her in person again. We’ve talked on the phone a few times, but it doesn’t compare to actually seeing her.
EJ: Walking in right now. Just let me know where you are.
As soon as I walk in, my eyes immediately find her. If I didn’t know what she looks like without the stage makeup and hair, though, I wouldn’t know she’s a world-famous pop star. Standing at one of the kiosks, she’s paying for what looks like a sandwich and a water. Her and the person working the register are sharing a laugh, both look exhausted, but also like they’re trying to make the best of whatever day they’ve had.
“Hey,” I greet her from behind.
Turning around with her food and luggage, she sees me, smiling brightly. Those eyes of hers, they fuckin’ get me every time I see them. “Hey,” she answers back, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “Aww, fuck it,” she mumbles as she sits down her stuff and wraps her arms around my waist.
“I feel like we were just here, ya know in an airport.”
She giggles, although it’s muffled by my shirt. “I’m getting a sense of déjà vu myself. What I’d really like to do though is sleep in a real bed tonight.”
“I can definitely help you with that.” I let her go and grab her suitcase. “C’mon, let’s get outta here.”
“I’m kinda surprised.” She takes a bite of her sandwich. “Sorry, I’m starving.” She gives me a sheepish look. “That there aren’t any paparazzi here. Isn’t Nashville, like, a huge music town? I thought twice about having you pick me up here.”
“If you’re still hungry, we can swing by a drive thru. I don’t want you to be starving. And here, people tend to respect privacy. It’s different here than it is in California or anywhere else. I’ve been to all those places with my parents, and no other place in the world is like Nashville.”
She looks at me as she takes another bite, chewing and swallowing before she speaks again. “Then I’d love to see Nashville through your eyes, because truth is, I’m looking for a place to call home. Right here seems just as good as anywhere.”
A smile spreads across my face as we make it to my Range Rover. “Good, I love Huntington Beach because I have family there, but Nashville is always gonna be home to me, and I’d love it if it were home to you too.”
Five minutes after we get into the SUV and I head toward my house, she’s asleep in the passenger seat. A warmth spreads across my chest that I’ve never felt before, and as I see the dark circles under her eyes, I’m reminded of how my dad always protected my mom. He always made sure she had enough rest, enough to eat, people who cared more about her than they did the bottom line. Right now, I’m not sure if anyone except for Madison cares more for Brianna than the bottom line. What I do know is she’s got me now, and one thing I don’t do is disappoint the people I care about.
Another thing I know? This awkwardness from the past few days is gonna go away. My wife and I? We’re gonna get to know each other very well over the next few days, and by the time she leaves, we’re gonna know where we stand.
Chapter Eight
Bri
I’m startled awake by a very loud boom, causing me to sit up and look around frantically, trying to remember where I am. If I’m still on the bus it could mean we’ve had a wreck and if I fell asleep on a plane - fuck me - we’re probably going down.
Instead, strong arms wrap tightly around me, making me feel safe for the first time in a very long time.
“It’s okay,” EJ’s gravelly voice speaks from beside me. It’s thick with sleep and sex on a stick. I’d love to have it at my ear every morning of the week. “Just a storm. It’ll blow through.”
There’s another boom causing me to jump even harder. “I’m not used to storms like this.” I cringe as I see lightning through the curtains covering the window, running a hand through my hair. I’m struck with a question I have to ask. “How did I get here? The last thing I remember is getting into your SUV.”
He rolls over onto his back, rubbing the palms of his hands along his eyes. It’s like he’s relegated himself to the fact he’s not going to go back to sleep for at least a few more minutes. I can’t help but notice his chest and the way his arms and for
earms flex, the ink moving as he does so. Those green eyes of his open, and it looks as if he’s having a hard time focusing, before his sleepy gaze pins me against the bed. “You fell asleep.” He yawns, the dark hair on his face making his teeth impossibly white, the black diamonds in his ears twinkle even brighter. “So I carried you in here, took your pants off, and put you to bed. You were obviously exhausted.”
Relaxing as I hear the rain beat against the windows and roof, I lay back to the pillow, rolling over to face him. Finally, I feel at peace. “I was really tired, thank you for taking care of me.”
He rolls over so that he’s facing me. When he answers, he rolls his eyes slightly, making a motion with his hand as if it’s no big deal. “Well apparently somebody has to.”
The grin he gives me is all dimples and straight, white teeth. It’s everything I’ve missed over the past few days. I’ve never had a partner besides Maddie before, never really had anyone that was on my side, or anyone to share anything with. I have to admit it’s different, but there are parts of it I like. “Thanks for taking me on.”
“I kinda have to.” He reaches out, grabbing my fingers in his. “I put a ring on it and claimed my last names as yours.”
A giggle works its way up, until I let it loose, entwining my fingers with his. “What time is it? The darkness is throwing me off.” I look around for a clock.
He reaches behind him, pulling his phone off the bedside table. I notice how closely he has to hold it to his face, remembering him telling me he got bad eyesight from his dad. “It’s one-fifteen.”
Power Couple: A Marriage of Convenience Romance (The Nashvegas Series Book 1) Page 5