“Will you be okay that I’m a washed-up has been at twenty-eight?” She leaned up, kissing him on the cheek.
“You crazy? That means I have a sexy-ass stay-at-home wife who will be there to service me whenever I need it. And you’re young enough to still have that smoking body.” He played along with her.
She loved him for everything he was able to do for her. For all the ways he took her mind off the crap that continued to find doubts in her everyday life—for the way he loved her, no matter what her damage was. She’d found a once in a lifetime love with Garrett Thompson, and she knew no amount of wanting to be on stage would ever take the place of what they had together. It was a simple as that.
“You ready?” he asked her as she shook her hair free of the curlers she’d been wearing.
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I’m tired, and I wanna be with you. I don’t want to sleep apart anymore; I don’t want to wake up without you by my side. I just want us back.”
He wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her forehead. “I want us back too, babe, but remember what I’ve always said. I don’t want the us to be at the expense of you.”
She’d never forget those words because they’d been the sweetest he’d ever spoken.
* * *
“San Diego!” She waved to the crowd they were playing for tonight. “It feels so good to be saying goodbye to the tour here tonight.”
The crowd screamed, appreciative of the show she’d been putting on for them. The last time she’d done a last concert of the tour, it’d been bittersweet. She’d taken everything in and hadn’t wanted it to end. Tonight, she was doing her best to slow herself down, not to rush it so the fans could get the type of show they’d paid for.
“Do you all mind if I bring my husband out on stage? He’s taking me on vacation after the show tonight.” She grinned at them, listening as she got a resounding yes.
Again, Garrett came on stage, wearing his Harmony Stewart shirt. It never failed to make her laugh, and she knew part of the reason he wore it was to make her laugh. As he sat down and Jared and Shell joined them, she realized she did want to look back on this memory and live in it. This was what meant the most. Good friends, good music, and good fun.
* * *
“Your letter to your followers will post in about thirty minutes,” Shell told her as they got ready to go their separate ways. Jared was taking her for a trip someplace where none of them could talk about work. “Other than that, I’ll see you in five days.”
They hugged, each wishing the other a great time.
“Give mama a hug,” Garrett told EJ as he passed his son over to Hannah. They were leaving EJ with his West Coast family for the week. At first they’d wanted to take him on their Hawaii getaway, but everyone had rallied around and told them they needed time to themselves. In the end, they’d relented.
She hugged him tightly, kissing him on the forehead, telling him to be good and she would FaceTime him whenever possible, before she handed him over to Marie. “It’s like he doesn’t even care.” She laughed.
Marie gave her a sympathetic look. “Kids are resilient. Call whenever you need to, but have fun with your husband.”
That had been the phrase everyone had told her, so she definitely planned to.
She and Garrett held hands as they waved to family and friends before making their way into the airport and to their terminal.
“You worried about the letter you wrote?”
She shook her head. “I meant every word of it, and like everyone always tells me, if they’re true fans, they’ll get it.”
I wanted to take a second and let you all know what’s going on. I know some of you have heard whispers and tabloids have been talking about my leaving country music to go pop since I’ve had two number ones there this year.
Well, they’re right, and they’re wrong.
I’m leaving, but it’s not country music. It’s all music for right now.
If there’s one thing I learned on this tour and in the past few months, it’s that I’m not cut out to be a working mother. I’m not cut out to let my husband be halfway across the country from me and let him see his child grow up through pictures.
This business isn’t easy and neither is marriage.
When you put the two together, you’re never sure what’s going to come out at the end.
Me, I choose my marriage. I choose my family.
I hope you’ll understand. I’m still going to record, but there won’t be any touring until EJ and any future children are of age. I’ll be active here like I’ve always been, and I’ll be on stage with Reaper like I’ve always been. It might be selfish, but my family comes first.
I love the job, I love y’all, but I also love a two-year-old with dimples who calls me mom and a green-eyed hunk of a man that worships the ground I walk on.
I’d be stupid to give it up, and I hope that you all understand.
Love,
Harmony
Hannah got the notification her post had gone live and then shut her phone off. She wasn’t interested in hearing what anyone who wasn’t in her life had to say. This was her decision and she was sticking to it.
Chapter Thirty-Three
* * *
“They aren’t kidding when they say this place was paradise.” Garrett took a drink of his beer, stretching out on the lanai of their hotel room.
Hannah glanced over from where she lay next to him, drinking her own fruity concoction. “No they weren’t. I could get used to this, and to be honest, I’m kind of scared to go back to reality in two days. I feel like we should just have your mom and dad fly EJ here and buy a house on the beach.”
He laughed. “Havock would love it at least. I think he’s had enough of Tennessee. Sometimes I see him gazing out at the grass, and I think I hear him wishing for the ocean.”
She laughed, throwing a hand against him stomach. “Stop, he loves where we live. Actually he loves being anywhere EJ is.”
“He does,” Garrett agreed, pushing his sunglasses down further on his face. He’d been dozing off and on for the past hour. He was still tired from the parasailing excursion they’d done yesterday. It had been totally worth it, but a day on the ocean had drained him.
“Do you think he’d be that way about any kids we have?” she asked quietly.
“Hannah?” he questioned.
“No I’m not pregnant.” She held up her drink. “Would I be drinking if I was pregnant? But I will be honest with you and tell you it’s crossed my mind lately. Would it be so bad to add another kid to the mix? I’ve always wanted two, and with EJ being two, now would be the perfect time to try.”
She said it all in a rush, and Garrett could tell she’d probably been thinking on it for a long time.
“I’m up to the challenge if you are,” he told her honestly. He’d do anything with her, as long as they were together and worked as a team. Being married wasn’t hard with her, their relationship came easy, and while sometimes they argued, he knew they were pretty damn solid.
“Really?” Her eyes held a look of anticipation, and it made him happy he’d been the one to put it there.
“Seriously, if it’s something you want to do, when we get home, go to the doctor, get off the birth control, and we’ll let nature take its course. I love our family, and I’d be excited to add another kid into the mix. Maybe this time we could have a little girl with your smile and your eyes. That’d make me happier than anything in the world.”
“I didn’t think you’d agree to it,” she admitted as she took a sip of her drink.
“It’s not to say I’m not a little nervous. You were so sick before, and leaving you when you had to tour was the absolute hardest thing in the world. I felt like such a piece of shit, and the worst husband to walk the face of the earth. Maybe that’s something we can talk to the doctor about, get it straightened out before it starts.” He took a drink of his beer. “Besides, have I ever told you no about something you really wanted?” He pu
rsed his lips at her, shooting her a bored look.
“That house on the beach here, you didn’t seem receptive to the idea.” She squealed when he reached over and pulled her into his lap.
Lifting the hair off the nape of her neck, he pulled her into a kiss. “How about we practice for when we get our shot? I wanna make sure we get it on the first try like we did last time.”
Her body heated up at the thought. “Sounds like a good way to spend the afternoon to me.”
* * *
Hours later, they lay in bed still kissing. They’d spent the afternoon with him inside her, and even now as he lay between her spread legs, leaning his head down to capture one bare nipple between his teeth.
“I don’t think I can ever get enough of you.” He rubbed his cheek against the nub, teasing it with the stubble he was sporting.
“I hope you never do.” She wound her fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth back to where he had been teasing. “Again?” She smiled sleepily at him.
God, he wasn’t sure he could come again, but there no mistaking the thick length of his erection against her thigh. He couldn’t believe he was hard again. Not after having her three times since they’d come inside. The lanai door was open and a soft rain had begun to fall at some point during their afternoon of love, and it caused a chill in the air.
Using his left hand, he pulled the sheet down to expose her other breast to his gaze, cupping it as the tip pulled taught against the coolness of the room.
“I love looking down and seeing your wedding ring.” She pushed her feet against the mattress, pressing up into him, giving herself over to the desire running through them.
She was wet, having already taken three of his releases, and it helped him slide past the swollen flesh that greeted him. “I love yours too.” He leaned down, nipping at her collarbone. “That little piece of jewelry that says you belong to me always gets me hot.” He nosed into her neck, capturing her pulse point with his lips.
They were quiet as they continued to push and pull against each other. It wasn’t the pulse-pounding coming together it normally was for them; this was lazy, dream inducing, and full of the type of eroticism normally found in soft porn.
When they came, it was quiet, understated, and slow.
Garrett lifted his head from Hannah’s breast. “I think I’m done for.” His face was sleepy, his eyes heavy, his tone the most relaxed she’d ever heard it.
Grasping him around the neck, she answered with a yawn. “I think I am too.”
With the quiet of the raining Hawaii afternoon around them, they fell into the sleep of two lovers who’d worn each other out and had nothing but time together on their schedule.
Chapter Thirty-Four
* * *
Five Months Later
Hannah grinned as she stood in the back of the room as the record label and Black Friday make a huge announcement. They would be holding one of the biggest rock shows ever in the US, the first one that would rival the rock festivals in Europe, and her husband’s band was headlining. More than likely this would catapult them into the stratosphere, and she couldn’t wait. They were some of the hardest working guys and the hardest working band she’d ever met.
“Shhh, Daddy’s talking.” She did her best to shush EJ as she listened to Garrett.
“We’re really excited to introduce the US to the kind of show that’s been taking place overseas and in South America for years. For one place here in the states to hold sixty-thousand-fans strong…we’re beyond excited. To headline that show? It’s an amazing honor, and one we feel privileged to accept.”
Hannah’s heart exploded with pride as she watched the guys handle the press as seasoned veterans. It was time for the people at home to see just how polished her guys were.
“You doing okay?” Shell asked as she stood with them and bent to grab for EJ. He went willingly up into her arms, scampering until he could put his arms around her.
Hannah rubbed her stomach, smiling ruefully as she looked at her son. Hard to believe he’d be three this year and would soon be a big brother.
“C’mon, Havock,” she argued with the dog. “Let me get this shirt on you.”
He looked at her like he wanted to go pee on the carpet and then let it sit there for a few hours before alerting anyone to it.
“You’ll have another baby.” She pitched her voice in the tone he liked. “You know how you take care of EJ and you two love each other? You’ll have another one.”
Finally she got him to let her put his paws through the armholes of the shirt. Breathing heavily, she sat back on her knees, admiring her handiwork. Both EJ and Havock wore shirts proclaiming they were going to be big brothers.
It had taken much longer than she’d thought it would, and she started to panic when she heard the garage door opening.
“EJ, c’mere!”
He came running in, and she scooped him up right as Garrett came through the back door. Immediately, his eyes took in what was before him.
“Big Brother? Are you sure?” He had a huge grin on his face.
“Found out for sure today!”
He sat his stuff on the counter and grabbed both her and EJ in his arms. “I wondered, but you weren’t sick.”
“I know.” She laughed loudly. “I wasn’t sure myself, but we confirmed it today. We’re now a two-child family.”
And she couldn’t have been happier.
They were doing their best to keep this second pregnancy under wraps, and so far, ten weeks in, she hadn’t been plagued by the same sickness that had rendered her useless last time. The only she thing she needed was a power nap early in the afternoon and an early bedtime. She hoped even that would go away as the pregnancy wore on.
“I feel like I should be an old hand at this. I was pregnant when they toured last time,” she smirked.
The press conference concluded, and she waited patiently for Garrett to get done before he walked over to them. Their eyes caught as he glanced up from the person he was talking to. Didn’t matter how long they’d been together, how many arguments they had, or how many issues they lived through, she knew there would always be this magnetic attraction that ran through the both of them.
“Good God.” Shell sighed. “If you weren’t already pregnant, you’d be pregnant by the time he stopped eating you up with his eyes.”
She didn’t mind at all. He took EJ from Shell’s arms, holding him tightly to his chest before bending down and placing a chaste kiss on Hannah’s lips. “How are you?”
“Hungry,” she admitted, grasping hold of his hand as he reached down to caress the stomach that didn’t yet have a bump.
“Then let’s get outta here, we can’t have you hungry.”
She loved the possessive look in his eyes, the way his body shielded hers as they walked towards their vehicle, and the sure way he held their son in his arms. Without a doubt he would do the same for the child they were going to have in a few months’ time, and she knew she’d fall even more in love with him. He opened the door for her, ushering her into the SUV before walking back to put their son in his car seat.
Glancing out at the Nashville skyline, she watched as the sun started to set, a content smile on her face. Over the years many people had tried to tell her who to be, what to feel, and how to behave. Instead she felt at peace with the decisions she’d made that led her to this quiet afternoon, because no matter what hat she wore or what role she played—above all she was most comfortable with her friends and family.
Epilogue
* * *
Hannah Thompson grasped her son, EJ, around the waist as he stood to the side of the sound guys.
“You ready to see dad perform?” she lifted his ear protection off his ears to ask the question.
He turned around to her. “Yeah,” he smiled the same dimpled smile Garrett always gave her. “Thanks for coming out here tonight, mom.”
Freakin’ melted her heart. They’d never watched the show from the audience
. She’d always been too scared, because Black Friday frequently told their fans to form a mosh pit, there were usually circle pits, and she was flat out worried both of them would get tousled by the massive amounts of bodies that crammed themselves into the general admission area of their concerts. Tonight though, EJ had looked much older than his six years when he’d told her he wasn’t a baby like his brother anymore, and he wanted to watch his dad and uncles perform from the audience.
Telling Garrett had been the only thing she could think to do. They didn’t travel with security and it was rare they told their children no when it came to a request involving the other parent. The compromise had been the two of them watching the show from the sound engineer’s booth, located at the back of the general admission area. It was always gated off, and usually security stood outside to keep the public from bothering the guys trying to do their job. Shell kept their youngest son backstage with her and Jared’s daughter. Hannah hoped the two wouldn’t wear her friend out; she owed her friend an adult night out with her hubby for keeping the kids.
The lights dimmed and she dutifully pushed his ear protection down over his head, waiting for the guys to make an appearance. The crowd was a palpable force she could feel all the way from her feet up to her ears. They were excited, chanting Reaper and Black Friday in succession. Music played, but it was a well-known song by an older band, this told the guys backstage they had a few minutes to make their way up. It was the last quiet time they had before going to perform.
She found herself clapping along with the rest of the crowd, holding her breath, waiting to see Reaper in all his glory, waiting to hear the first beats of the song she knew they started with. EJ clapped his hands too, yelling along with the thousands of other voices. She wondered if knew exactly why he was yelling and then she decided it didn’t matter.
The beginning drum beats hit as well as the guitar chords, and she felt the excitement well up in her chest. The crowd, and her, knew Reaper would be coming from stage left; he always came from stage left. Hannah knew when people saw him, because she could hear the immediate screams of feminine origins. That was when she saw him too.
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