She chuckled, genuinely touched that he'd called her before his sister. “Aww. I won't tell her.”
“Good. She'd kick me,” Chris teased. “I miss you, Taryn.” His voice turned serious. “I won't forget last night. Not ever. Everything about it makes me think back and smile.”
“Me too,” she said, casting a glance at Kyra. If she said much more on it, her friend would pounce. If she didn't say a lot, Chris would wonder. Despite the after-sex feelings and concerns, she'd had a great night. “Thank you again.”
“No, thank you for opening my eyes. Gotta go. Don't have too much fun without me.”
Taryn hung up, unable to contain her smile.
Kyra definitely pounced.“That look! It's a look of love!” she squealed, grabbing Taryn's arm.
Taryn scrunched up her face, then shook her head. “Will you stop it? I know the whole wedding and love season is going on around here, but seriously woman! I'm not in love. Just very much in ... something.”
“Something?” Kyra prodded.
“You are relentless, Kyra Sanders!” Taryn raised her voice.
“I might be. You know I want you to be happy.” Kyra turned serious.
“I know, and I want you to be happy. I guess that makes us even, even with our continuous jabbing over relationships and marriages. Let's get one thing straight- this part will stop on the tour bus, or we're bound to strangle each other.”
“Sure, once you're in a relationship with Chris, I'll stop.” Kyra smirked.
“I could call him up right now and say we're officially dating,” Taryn shot back.
“Damn it! I can't easily ask Matt to marry me just to win!”
Taryn cracked up. “I dare you! I totally dare you!”
“Oh my God, are you crazy?” Kyra gasped. “I can't do that!”
“You should know the answer to that.”
“Oh. Right. You are friends with me.”
Taryn stopped tapping her fingers on the table. “I guess I'd better get ready to go back to work. What are you up to the rest of the day?”
“What I should do is go over some of the promotional stuff for the album release and tour. What I'll probably do is go bug Matt to let me play around with cars. I kinda like working on them.” Kyra wiggled her fingers. “Dirty fingers are fun,” she whispered.
“Naughty, naughty girl. Get out of here. Thanks for bringing me lunch.” Taryn picked up her mess, then wheeled toward the trash to drop her empty plate and bag in.
“I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up. Have a good rest of the day.”
“Make sure your hands are clean!” Taryn called after Kyra as they parted ways.. She headed off to clean up and clocked back in ten minutes later. While she worked on the computer and half day-dreamed, a couple barreled through the doors. Taryn glanced up and gasped as Marty and his girlfriend approached, carrying a very hurt and bloodied dog. “What happened?” she asked, then picked up the phone to call Kyra's mom out front. “Hey Beth, we've got an emergency out here.”
“We were about to head to Harmony's Echo when a car going the wrong way almost hit us. We swerved, and the dog came out of nowhere,” Marty explained. His eyes were full of terror.
Beth and one of the other vets ran out from the back, heading straight toward them. Chaos erupted as they surrounded the wounded, whimpering animal. Marty's girlfriend was in tears.
“I'll stay here and take care of the paperwork,” Marty told them. “Why don't you go on back? You can tell them more.” He kissed Angie on the cheek, then helped her up. She followed Beth and the other doctor on shaky legs. Once they were behind closed doors, Marty turned to Taryn. “Have you ever been so paranoid, you think you keep seeing the same person over and over again, even though it can't be possible?” Marty grabbed a seat and flopped down on it.
“A few times.” Taryn pulled up the file she needed on the computer and was prepared to ask questions, but she waited for Marty to elaborate. This must be concerning his brother, like the one night at the show. They didn't know each other that well, but it was obvious he needed to get this off his chest.
“I swear I see my brother everywhere, but he's still in prison. Being this paranoid is annoying.” He watched the door that his girlfriend had gone through, then stared at Taryn again.
“Yeah, I bet it is. Is there an anniversary or memory right around this time that might have you thinking about it?”
“There's several things, but I don't know why I'm more bothered this year than anything. If I hadn't thought I saw him the night of the concert, I never would have looked to see if he was out. Anyway, I swore I saw him in the other car. I know it was my imagination, because Angie knows the person in the other car. I can't stop seeing my brother everywhere. I hope like hell this shit doesn't happen when we're out on tour. Sorry to let this all out on you, Taryn. You barely know me, and here I am, telling you this crazy story.”
She peered over at him, shooting her best sympathetic smile. “No worries. I think this happens a lot when people are in shock or stressed. You obviously had a rough afternoon already.”
“Yeah, for sure. So, on to that paperwork.” Marty pulled himself together and leaned closer.
*****
“Hey, big brother.”
Chris opened an eyelid, unsure of his surroundings. The bright lights bugged him. His body ached. “Hmm,” he muttered, trying to pull it together.
It hit him almost immediately.
“Lissy?” he croaked. The transplant. The hospital. Kansas. That's why everything felt completely weird.
“Yeah. You've been in the recovery room for about twenty minutes, kinda dozing in and out.”
“Feels weird,” he muttered, unsure if that was really his own voice.
“I bet.”
“Where's your mom?”
“I'm here.” Bridgette's voice drifted in somewhere to his left. “Everything went well. You'll be monitored for a while, then as long as you're good, you can be discharged tonight.”
“Need to call Mel,” he uttered again.
“Lissy already did. Is there anyone else you need to call?”
“Taryn. I need to talk to her.” Picturing her sexy smile, Chris calmed down. Taryn, the woman he couldn't stop thinking about. He missed her already.
“Do you want one of us to text or call?”
“No. Me,” he pleaded. “And water? Or something?”
“Sure thing. I'll get you some water,” Bridgette promised.
“The act of waking up after being put under sucks,” Lissy commented. “Thank you, Chris. I know this is all weird.”
“It is,” he rasped, “but you don't need to suffer over it.”
“Here you go. See if you can sit up a little. And I have your phone.” Bridgette placed a cup in his hand.
Chris opened his eyes again, trying to focus. The lights still irritated him, so he squinted until he could get used to it. He raised the cup to his lips, almost jumping when cold water sloshed over onto his lap.
“Easy.” Bridgette put her hand over his and guided the cup to his lips. Chris' hands, along with his arms, trembled slightly. After getting a few sips down, it started to alleviate the dryness.
“Thanks,” he said after getting enough for the moment. “Can I have my phone?”
“Of course.” She placed it in his hand.
“Thanks.” Chris dialed number two, which was Taryn's speed dial number.
“Chris! How are you? Did you already have the procedure done?”
“Yeah,” he uttered, so glad to hear her voice.
“Oooh, listen to you. You're all groggy.”
“Still in the recovery room. Wanted to hear your voice.” Closing his eyes, Chris clutched the phone to his ear like it was his lifesaving device.
“I'm glad to hear yours. Do you get to leave tonight?”
“Think so. As long as nothing goes wrong. Only been out twenty minutes, I think.”
“I'll be ready to nurse you back to health this week
end,” she said softly. “I'm glad everything went well. Thank you for calling me. You take it easy, and I'll see you soon.”
“Looking forward to it. Taryn … I love you.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I can't thank you enough for this, Chris,” Bridgette said as she brought breakfast to his room at her house the next morning.
He'd slept all sorts of funky. He had weird dreams, very vivid and intense, and every time he woke up, his body acted like it hated him. Nausea slammed him off and on, and he recalled at least twice getting sick. They'd told him that might be a side effect from the anesthesia. He didn't put much thought into it until actually experiencing the effect.
“You can stop saying that. I don't want your thanks. I won't take out my frustration on a sixteen year old.” He said it as cordially as possible.
Bridgette set the tray down on the night stand and stood to her full height. Her lips thinned.
“Did you ever miss us?”
“All the time.” Her tone came out full of tears.
“What happens after all this is said and done? I know I have a few more of these appointments, but what about when I'm done donating?”
“What do you mean?” She sat on the edge of the bed.
“I mean, are we to ever call you again? Do we put twenty years behind us and forget the details of why you left? Or do we go on and pretend like this never happened?”
“I don't have an answer. Seeing you and Melody brought up a lot of painful memories and feelings. I don't want to sweep into your life, ask such a big favor, and then expect you to never talk again, but I don't know if time will help ease these feelings on either end.” She picked at a piece of fuzz on the blanket, avoiding eye contact.
He nodded, respecting her answer and honesty. “Guess we play it by ear.”
“Yep.”
Not much of an answer. Chris had a feeling they'd never hear from her again, and he didn't know that he'd be too bothered by it. No more holding on to the past like he'd been.
“So tell me more about Taryn. I heard you say you loved her yesterday.”
Chris froze. Oh hell, so it was real. He hadn't dreamed it. “I care about her a lot. A whole lot. I was hoping it wasn't real. That wasn't the ideal opportunity to tell her for the first time.” He didn't know whether to be happy or angry that she shifted the subject. So, talking about what they would do was off limits, but she wanted to know about his life- which included Taryn.
“You must really care if you were insistent on calling her.”
Chris smiled sheepishly. “I've never met anyone like Taryn. She's a drummer- actually Kyra Sanders' former drummer. Now she's playing drums for Mel's band.”
“I thought you were?”
“Temporarily. I stopped enjoying the drums the day you walked out while I was playing.”
Silence filled the room.
“Chris...”
“Sorry. That wasn't meant to come out the way it did. I suffer from depression, too. Maybe I have been for longer than I realized. You were right when you pointed that out last time I was here, but I didn't want to go into the subject with you.”
“I have a lot of regrets.” Bridgette stood, pacing the room. “Melody invited me to her wedding. I want to go, but I'm not sure I can leave.”
“I'm sure she'll understand,” Chris muttered, not actually believing it. So Mel went through with it and sent an invite.
“I'll be sure to send something for them. This Jameson, is he a good man?”
“Do you really care?” he snapped.
Bridgette reeled back. “Of course I care. I'd go if it weren't for Lissy's condition.” A pained expression crossed her face.
He held up his hands, then shrugged. “You don't have to explain yourself to me.”
“Yes I do. I need to … I need to do a lot of things, but I don't know how. You hate me. I see it in your eyes.”
Chris winced in pain, then leaned back against the array of pillows behind him. “Hate's a strong word. I might have used it several times over the last twenty years, but I can say now that I don't hate you. Don't mistake that for forgiveness, because I'm definitely angry, and I'm nowhere near the point of forgiving you.” His words came out bitter and edgy near the end. “But I've made up my mind. No matter what you do or don't do in terms of a relationship with us, I won't let my depression or my feelings about what you did control my life any longer.”
*****
“You two get the house to yourself this weekend. I'm afraid of what I'll come back to!” Taryn teased Kyra as she drove her to Harmony's Echo for her weekend with Chris.
“Nothing much. Don't forget, Andrew's with us. We're not going to,” Kyra cupped a hand around her mouth, pretended to look for people even though they were the the only two in the car, then whispered, “porn out or something. Unlike you.”
Taryn giggled. “I won't be porning out, you freakish woman!”
“I'm not the one who came up with that word!” Kyra shot back. “In other non-porn and boyfriend related news, Landon says he wants to come see Baby Stetson a few more times. I think before the summer tour, he's going to decide for sure about signing you guys. I think it might be a good idea to keep this between us, but you were asking about it, so I wanted to tell you.”
“He seems like a good manager. So much better than Mark. I wouldn't mind being under his management.”
“Landon's been amazing. I was so nervous about transitioning to a whole new team during the preparation for my comeback, but he's made it worthwhile. I think having him work with Baby Stetson would be a plus, so it'll be nice to have all of this going on in the summer. Next is to get y'all a recording contract.”
“Did you get confirmation yet if you're performing at the ACM's?” Taryn hadn't been to an awards show in years. Another fun perk she used to love when being on tour with Kyra.
“Yes, and I don't know all the details yet, but they're honoring me and Tucker McGinnis with a new award. That's all I've been told. Apparently, there's going to be a performance in our honor, then we get to sing together.”
“You haven't met him before, have you?” Like Kyra, Tucker burst out on the scene and had instant success. He started out at nineteen on a reality singing show, but he definitely had some talent, unlike many of the latest stars to hit the scene from a reality show.
“No, and I want to. It was Tucker's story that inspired me to get back to everything after Brandon's attack. I started listening a lot to Tucker's music- not that I didn't previously, but I paid a lot more attention to his lyrics than I did before. I'd love to write a song with him one day. He pens some deep, emotional stuff.” Kyra pulled into Chris' parking lot. “I'm hoping to take Matt and Andrew to the ACM's, if I can get Matt to take the time off. I'm half tempted to talk to Rhett and see if he can help me get people to cover things at the shop.”
Taryn laughed. “Do it!”
“No. I'll probably just ask Matt. The last thing I want to do is meddle, because I know Matt still likes to keep some things the way they are.” Kyra put the car in park, then killed the engine. “All right, time to get you in your nurse's station,” she teased.
Taryn shook her head and laughed as she waited for Kyra to put her chair together and bring it over for her to move into it.
Kyra grabbed Taryn's duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. “There's Melody.” She pointed.
Sure enough, Chris' sister opened the door to the apartment and headed toward them. “Hi guys!”
“Hey. How's our patient today?” She'd talked to Chris earlier and he seemed out of it, which was normal.
“Getting better. I think he's milking the attention. Good luck, Taryn. He's going to take this whole weekend to play the poor, recovering guy, when I know all he wants to do is get up and move around a lot more. What did you get yourself into?”
“You don't want to know.”
“Yeah, well, don't come calling me if he gets to be too much. You've officially freed me of my duti
es, and I hereby state that I'm running away.” Melody smirked. “If you need anything … wait, no! What am I saying? You're stuck with my brother! That's it!”
Kyra doubled over in laughter. “Looks like you've got some work ahead of you, Taryn.”
“Quit your teasing, both of you! He can't be that bad!”
Melody shrugged and started for the apartment again. “He's my brother. I'm probably bound to think he's that bad. Seriously, I'm glad he's got you to keep him company this weekend, because Jameson and I had plans for tonight before this came up. I would have canceled, but Chris told me no way.” She stopped, then put a hand on Taryn's shoulder. “Watch out for him, will you? I mean emotionally. He'd kill me for checking in on him like this, but I'm worried about Chris because of how he feels about the whole situation.”
“You've got my word,” Taryn promised.
“Huh, that's Andrew calling.” Kyra pulled her phone from her purse when it rang. “Gotta take this.”
“Just hand me my bag, and you can go. I'm good.” Kyra did so, waved, then took off talking on her phone.
“Okay, Chris, it's new nurse shift time. Taryn is here and ready. I've filled her in on the details of the day.” Melody held the door open for her as she rolled inside.
“You spent way too much time outside for only a few details to tell. What are you up to, little sister?” Chris sat in his recliner chair, looking plenty worn out. “Go enjoy some time with Jameson. Thanks for staying with me for a while.”
“I suppose you're welcome,” Melody shot back, hugging him. “Go easier on her than you did me, huh?” Melody's eyes danced with amusement as she grabbed her purse and took off. “See you two later!”
When they were alone, Chris shook his head. “Despite what I'm guessing she insinuated, I'm not that bad. You're a sight for sore eyes, drummer girl.”
Dropping her duffel bag on the floor, Taryn rolled toward him. His words from the other day played in her mind. Would he say something about that? He'd told her he loved her, which came out of nowhere, and Taryn still didn't know how to process it. “How are you feeling?”
Offbeat (Love and Music In Texas Book 5) Page 28