Taylor’s Legendary Heart: Sweethearts of Country Music, Book 2

by Pinder, Victoria

  He found her earplugs from the side of the bed and handed them to her. Wow. She’d have left them, and she needed them to rest on the bus. She tucked them in her bag near the door. “Then I’ll see you in Denver?”

  He pressed his hand to her shoulder until she straightened and faced him. “I’ll be there. Happy to be your husband.”

  “No, we’re not telling anyone, especially my mother and father.” Her heart took off like a bullet train. But then she met his green-eyed gaze and said, “But I'm okay with saying boyfriend.”

  He tugged at her waist. “Absolutely, though when you're ready I’d like for us to plan a big wedding where your parents can come and order whatever wines they want.”

  Which was something her parents would love, as their life was always about throwing the best party. She ignored the heat rising in her neck and said, “I… I’m late.”

  He nodded. “As always. Real quick though, I have news about Keith.”

  Her shoulders tensed. She hadn’t thought about that mistake in… a while. She swallowed. “What about him?”

  “Good news.” He massaged her back, smiling while he said, “The lawyer had his suit tossed out. He’ll never bother you again.”

  She hugged him and heard his steady heart that beat like a song she wanted to hear. “You always take care of me.”

  He hugged her tight and for a moment she was in a bubble where only the two of them existed. “It’s now my job, as your husband.”

  The hug ended and so did the sweet moment. Husband. That would kill his career. She couldn’t do that to him. And somehow, he didn’t see it. She felt transported to the other side of the Grand Canyon when all he’d done was pick up his own bag. “Eddie, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  He traced her cheek. “Then just be happy like you always are and don’t stress about the future.”

  Her skin buzzed and her hair stood on end. There was a small voice in her ear that kept reminding her that Eddie was perfect and awesome and she… well she made mistakes, a lot of them. “Easier said than done. I gotta go.”

  He walked her to the door. “I love you, Taylor.”

  And she believed him. It was the same for her, but he was a rock god and she was… well she’d never be him. She went to her tiptoes to kiss him as she said, “I… love you too and that’s the scary thing about all of this.”

  His lips met hers and every cell in her body craved him. He let her go and said, “I’m going to LA a happy man.”

  And she was heading to Salt Lake and then onto Denver, where she was opening for Miranda with her band. For now, she was able to steal time with Eddie, but this couldn't last.

  She would not hurt him like his parents had. And she couldn’t abandon her friends or her tour or her chance.

  There was no middle in this and in the end, they’d both end up… broken.

  Her shoulders slumped on her way to the tour bus. There was no way she’d not hurt him.

  Eddie was about to be another mistake.

  She had to find a way to end this before she ended up messing up his bright future.

  She didn’t wave at anyone as she climbed aboard the bus and slipped into her seat.

  Once again, she was last, so she sat near the front near Rissa. She wrapped herself in her bus blanket that didn’t relieve the pins and needles she had poking her body.

  Rissa kept her hair in a pony tail and must have said goodbye to Jake before hopping on the bus and taking a seat in the front with her guitar out, since her boyfriend wasn’t in sight. Katie Lyn and her family took the back, Cinnamon was traveling with her brother for this leg, so Mac, Taylor, and C.C. stretch out on the available extra seats. Rissa asked, “Taylor, are you okay?”

  No one could know. Eddie’s ring was around her neck now where no one might see. She folded her hands in her lap and said, “Happy to be heading to Salt Lake for our tour with Miranda.”

  Rissa checked on her guitar and asked, “Any progress on that song? We can put it out as a special for the second album.”

  Good. Yes. Work. If she chose to continue this life she’d built, she’d have to pull her weight. Her face heated as she said, “No… I’ll try to work on it later.”

  “Sounds perfect.” Rissa settled into her seat.

  “Can I ask a question?”

  “Shoot.”

  “How are you handling being on the road and being with Jake?”

  “It’s hard but we get time off and we both live in Nashville. He’s my reason for going home.”

  Dan started the bus and Taylor took out her headset to listen to the melody she’d recorded already. She then continued with the same beat and tried to work on the rest.

  The song flowed as she remembered Eddie and how he made her… feel alive as she wrote out… You have looked through my shy eyes… You could tell we are so different… We’ve been breathing to the same air…

  Rissa glanced over her shoulder. “Not bad.”

  Taylor set her iPad to the side. They were probably halfway to Salt Lake and there wasn’t much to see outside.

  Rissa’s brown eyes conveyed her sympathy as Taylor said, “Maybe, it’s hard to put this into words.”

  Rissa laughed, sat beside her and said, “I get it. But you should get some sleep.”

  Sleep? It wasn’t even noon. The drive was eight hours but they'd left early in the morning so they could practice. “Why?”

  Rissa grinned. “Because Rolling Stone is waiting for us at the next hotel.”

  Taylor opened her iPad and connected to the internet. “What? Seriously?”

  “Search us on YouTube,” Rissa said. Taylor saw they had over a million views since last night at the award show. “Our live performance at the CMAs is blowing up with online viewers.”

  “So why are we on the cover and not Miranda?”

  “With this many hits; our song going sky high, we’re on our way to real success, plus they think the country is eager for an all-girl band.”

  She hadn’t imagined so many viewers as she scrolled for the comments to see what people thought of their music, but instead read how she was just using Eddie. Every comment was negative, hating her. “Oh, goodness.”

  Rissa’s nose curled as she tried to cover the screen. “Don’t read that…”

  Her ears were steaming. She’d known she’d ruin Eddie’s career if anyone knew the truth of their marriage. Her throat was dry and parched and she noticed her hands trembled. “They hate Eddie and me.”

  “Trolls don’t matter.” Rissa lifted her hand away.

  She scanned more comments that claimed she was using Eddie; she was using her looks to get ahead, and that Eddie deserved better than a floozy.

  Wow.

  The strangers were horrible.

  Tears rushed down her face as she turned off the screen. “But they’re right.”

  Rissa bumped into her side gently and asked, “What’s right? That you have horrible dance moves? Because that’s so not true. Our fans love you on stage.”

  A small laugh escaped her lips as she said, “I do have horrible dance moves and I do just jump around like a backup cheerleader, but that’s not the point.”

  “What is?”

  Darn. Her cheeks were wet. She couldn’t contain her emotions. This wasn’t good. She swallowed and wiped her face. “They say Eddie deserves a good girl, not one with a trail of broken hearts.”

  Rissa patted her on the back and stared with her arms wide open. “I think you and Eddie get to decide what you want in life, not nameless idiots on the computer with nothing to do but talk trash.”

  Wise words, but Rissa loved Jake who supported her and her career with social media and vested interest as running the bar where the band launched, and their paths were together. Eddie was shooting to another part of the world and she wouldn't be able to follow. She sighed and said, “You’re right, of course.” She straightened in her seat. “So, no more reading that nonsense.”

  Rissa winked as she stood and said
, “Good. So, rest, and be picture-perfect when we arrive.”

  “I will.” Taylor already envisioned wearing her white shirt with pink glitter, jeans, and the heart belt buckle. She picked up her tablet. “I’ll finish the song and we’ll rock the stage in Salt Lake.”

  Rissa pressed her hand on Taylor's shoulder. “Taylor?”

  She glanced up as she adjusted the blanket she had around her legs. “Yeah?”

  Rissa leaned closer. “You’re allowed to want, and have, a happily-ever-after.”

  Her lips quivered. If only she was, but Eddie didn’t need her ruining his chance at super stardom. Eddie deserved everything he’d earned, far more than she did. He was the smart one. But she nodded and said, “Of course.”

  “I hope you believe that.” Rissa sauntered off.

  “Thanks, Rissa,” Taylor called, but her heart cried out as she stared at her screen. Eddie was rock royalty and had a heart of gold. If she continued her life like this with her own goals, she'd hurt him by not being there.

  And she couldn’t do that.

  Somehow, she needed to set him free, even if it killed her inside.

  14

  Eddie finished showering and put on his snug black shirt that the fans all seemed to enjoy on stage and fixed his red hair.

  Stage makeup wouldn’t take long, unlike the ladies.

  The makeup of women always took way longer, as he’d seen for himself the other night when he’d waited for the Lipstick Outlaws.

  He cracked open the black door of his dressing room, noting the gold star on the outside, in case one of his staff needed him. The room had a nice living area, dining area and hair/makeup station for the performers.

  Sure enough as he stepped away, Tam knocked and opened the door fully.

  He waved her in and directed them to the couch. As he sat, he rested against a soft pillow. Tam took the seat across from him, wearing her black crew t-shirt as she liked to blend in with the others. She asked, “Eddie, did you see that the Lipstick Outlaws are blowing up on YouTube?”

  His ears buzzed. Taylor deserved every ounce of success. His heart constricted but he ignored the small part of his that screamed he’d relive his childhood trauma where his parents ignored him all over again, in the next year while he and Taylor would be apart. Taylor wasn’t like them, but still he was apprehensive. “What?”

  Tam opened her phone and showed him the almost two million hits on their performance. “From the awards show.”

  Taylor looked very happy as she played her piano, slender fingers flying. This was exactly the girl he’d fallen in love with years ago. And the ring under his shirt reminded him she cared. He relaxed his shoulders and said, “That’s great.”

  Tam’s lips pressed together as if she disagreed. “Read the comments.”

  The serious tone put him on guard.

  But he scrolled and read the comments.

  Taylor was being ripped apart though she looked amazing. And most of the comments were trolls who complained about nonsense. They were all wrong as Taylor was beautiful, smart and the only woman for him. He handed Tam her phone back. “Nothing changes for us. Taylor has always been the only girl for me.”

  Tam set the phone beside her and folded her hands on her knees. “Which breaks the hearts of your legions of fans when you destroy their fantasy where you star in their dreams.”

  His tour was sold out for the next year and a half. If no one bought his next album… well he’d cross that bridge later, but he was a real artist whether he was popular or not. He met Tam's neutral expression and said, “They have their own lives to lead just like I do.”

  She put her phone in her pocket. “You have an image to uphold. Basically, I recommend that we put out a commitment to all our vendors that you are looking forward to your tour and working on your next album.”

  Easy. He nodded his agreement and pulled out his own phone. No calls from Taylor. Hopefully she wouldn’t read the comments as she didn’t deserve haters because of him. She’d cried easily over grades and he knew those opinions would bring tears instead of excitement. Maybe she didn’t know the paycheck those views would be. He put his phone on the small coffee table between them. “Get started on that, but I’d like to figure out how to stop Taylor from getting so much hate.”

  Tam said, “She and her bandmates are making a lot of money, overnight. Their single is now trending higher.”

  Good. Success was perfect. Taylor had had years of hard work without monetary reward. On the other side, he’d been catapulting higher and higher. Nobody deserved success more. “Well, success also has another side as those comments proved. I fear half of what might upset her is because of me.”

  “Those views will be a hefty paycheck.”

  His phone rang. Tam stood as she laughed and said, “Oh, look, your Taylor is calling.”

  Probably to tell him the good news about her single. He picked up his phone but called out to his assistant, “Tam-”

  She waved as she headed toward the door. “I’m leaving.”

  Tam closed the door, so no one interrupted him as he said, “Taylor, hey.”

  Her voice was fast, and her sniffles confirmed his worst fears. “Eddie, showing up at the CMAs with you was a big mistake.”

  Yet she was on her way to making thousands of dollars, overnight. He laughed and countered, “Or an awesome one. Tam told me your single is going higher.”

  She exhaled loudly. “Well that is good news, and one of the things I wanted to talk about.”

  One meant she had a few things going on in her mind. He massaged his temples. “So, what’s going on? You made it to Salt Lake?”

  She sounded calmer as she said, “I’m in my room getting dressed for a Rolling Stone cover.”

  His eyes widened and he sat up. “Wow. That’s amazing. You must be on the moon.”

  She laughed like herself as she said, “We are. The article is called ‘The Girls from Nowhere.’”

  Yet she was one of the most qualified female musicians he’d ever met. Her entire band played their own instruments and weren’t just dancing on the stage. He ran his hand through his hair. “You’re not from nowhere. You play beautifully.”

  She scoffed and sounded like she sat down somewhere as he heard a noise that was probably cushions. “That apparently doesn’t sell the story as well.”

  He knew she'd get at least one endorsement out of the article. His name sold everything from sneakers to cars at this point. Taylor was in for a happy surprise. “I’m thrilled for you.”

  "Eddie," her voice cracked, "I need to make a commitment to my bandmates and my career.”

  He wouldn't see her much either when he toured the Oceana, Australian and then Asian countries. His body tightened as he waited for her to say “divorce” but he said, “And you should. Tam’s putting out a statement that I’m committed for the next eighteen months to my own tour.”

  Taylor let out a small sigh and then said, “Our commitment with Miranda is almost over, and I’m sure Val is working on something for us. I want to go with my band on the road and produce the second album.”

  Years of being told that art mattered more than hugs replayed from lectures as a child. Every muscle in his body was now alerted. “You should.”

  Her voice went higher as she said, “Eddie, you don’t seem to see that we’re separating for the next year and a half.”

  The cold metal of the ring around his neck branded him. “Are you intending on finding another guy while you work?”

  “No,” she said fast.

  Calm enveloped him and he relied on years of coldness brushing against his skin and stealing his emotions while he sat taller on the couch to get ready. Music careers tended to have a short lifespan which was why he was saving as much of his fortune as he could. “I can wait. I’m busy too.”

  “Love and happily ever after is not supposed to be waiting for the ride of your life to end,” Taylor said.

  Hers was just starting. And she deserve
d every penny of success. “Everything works out when you want it and work toward it.”

  She said, “You are so optimistic.”

  “I learned it from you.” He remembered how for years she’d tell him to turn his frown into a smile while in school. The woman he'd married now was more reserved, but hopefully once they were alone, without touring the world, she’d have a chance to be secure and happy again. She’d married him because she trusted him, and he’d do everything to prove her right.

  The last thing he’d ever do was hurt her.

  “Eddie, we’ll talk in person in Denver, okay?”

  “I’m happy to wait for you, Taylor, and plan a big wedding and honeymoon, once we get a free chance in our schedules. I don't care how long it takes.” He meant every word.

  She sounded like she was crying when she had no reason, her life was going fast and furious and that amount of views meant in a great direction. “Schedules? You shouldn’t… I’m being called to go on stage. I’ll see you soon, at my parents' house.”

  His spine was rigid rather than relaxed. What did she want to talk about? “I love you. See you soon.”

  Taylor sniffed and said, “I love you too, which is why we need to talk, seriously.”

  Something big was coming. He needed to be prepared.

  But her promise was around his neck and he remembered how she'd told him she loved him.

  Since he’d first met her as a teenager, he’d wanted nothing else.

  Guess it was time to update his visions and dreams. Now that he had Taylor back in his life, he just needed to figure out at what point they’d be together.

  He’d wait for her.

  Eddie closed his eyes and meditated for a few minutes in silence.

  Silence helped him think far more than sharing ideas with a team.

  Especially the ones that worked for him and all had their own reasons for being on this tour with him, so their advice on his personal life was jaded.

  He would stay quiet and have faith that all would work out with Taylor and their marriage.