Baby Stetson (Love and Music in Texas #1)

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

  “I don’t mean to. Well, okay, yes I do. I just wanted you guys to know how much I appreciate your friendship. Being in the band with you, making music, it’s been an experience for me. I love to express myself through music. And I know I’ve been holding back in the sense of wanting to stay close to home, but if you’re all on board, I think we should take this to the next level. I know you skirt around that topic because of me.”

  Now she really had their attention. They all were shocked.

  “It is more than just a side hobby for you all, right?”

  Had they never really discussed this? Of course, everyone had been excited when Rodney approached them with the idea of meeting someone in the music business. For so long, it had just been about playing music, doing something everyone enjoyed and did well.

  “Avery, wow.” Randy was the first to speak up.

  “I know. It’s not something you expected me to say. I’ve just had a lot of time to think lately, about my future, about taking that next step,” Avery admitted. She’d had a lot of thinking in general, but that was another story.

  “Our little Baby Stetson is growing up and ready to fly the coop,” Marty said with a smile.

  “It’s a big step, but I only have one life, and I want to be able to say I’ve gotten the most out of it.” Avery ran a hand through her hair.

  “Well it’s something we’ll all have to figure out, how to go from here,” Jameson said.

  Avery nodded. “Okay. Thanks for listening.” Shouldn’t they have been a little more excited? Maybe she’d just caught them off guard. Avery hadn’t approached them about pursuing music professionally. They had always gone with the flow and had a blast. Avery wouldn’t know what to do without her band mates and friends.

  “Do you want me to take you home?” Jameson asked, turning to her. “I’m nervous about you walking back. But I’ll leave it up to you. I’ll walk with you, drive you, whatever you’d like.”

  Jameson had been so great about everything. Avery missed spending time with the man she’d grown up with. Still fearful about losing their friendship, Avery hadn’t done her best to help things go back to normal. Yet here he was, still by her side, being a good friend. Avery hugged him. Jameson stiffened at first, then hugged her back.

  “What’s that all about?” Jameson asked when she let him go.

  “Just me being all emotional again. That was for being such a great friend ... especially after everything. I’m just in awe at how times and things change. I hate that we didn’t work out, but I’m so thankful for our friendship.” Avery wiped a tear away.

  “I hate it too. I haven’t forgiven myself. It seems like you’re happy with Lucas. I see you two eyeing each other all the time.”

  “Oh Jameson. I-” Avery’s heart sank. She hadn’t even thought of him seeing them, and she knew Jameson took their breakup hard.

  He waved a hand in dismissal. “No, it’s okay, Avery. I know you have to move on. I understand you don’t feel the same. You were my friend first, my best friend, and I don’t want that to go away. I know that things have changed, and we can’t get back fully to what we used to be, but I do want you to be happy. That’s important to me.”

  “I don’t even know what to say right now, Jameson. Thank you. You’ve been a great friend all these years. I hope one day you’ll find happiness.” Avery met Jameson’s gaze. “Do me a favor. Please, forgive yourself. Let go. We can’t change the past, or how we dealt with it, but we can move on. You deserve happiness.”

  “I’m not there yet, Avery. I know I shouldn’t hold on to these feelings, but I’m not over you. I’m not over at how dumb it was for me to do what I did.” Jameson was so stricken, his eyes full of hurt and misery.

  Avery bowed her head. What more could she say? Jameson lived in a pool of hurt, and no matter what she said, it would only be on his own time that he got over his feelings and dealt with them. “Well, just know, if you want to talk, I’m always here for you. Okay? Always. No matter what.”

  “That means the world to me, Avery. I don’t deserve you being so great to me, but I appreciate every bit of it.”

  “Oh Jameson. I wish you didn’t feel that way. You deserve a lot. And one day, you’ll see that. Come on, take me home before I cry again when I don’t even know why I want to cry so much.” Avery swatted him on the leg and bolted from her seat as Jameson chased her, laughing.

  She had so much to be thankful for.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lucas sat across the table from Avery’s parents. It was high time he’d sat down with them. To her mom and dad, Lucas was just a guest at the inn, but with his revelation to Avery about who he was, he thought it was best he talked to them, too. Especially since he was the one taking Avery on this trip. Avery was a grown woman, but Lucas felt a responsibility to make sure she was safe and taken care of. He wanted to take care of Avery.

  This was the second time he’d been in the house, and now that he didn’t have Avery next to him to distract him, Lucas had a chance to look around. Photos of Avery hung on the wall, from when she was a child, to her teenage years and adulthood. There were photos of her with her parents, there were photos of Paula, and photos of a baby and toddler Lucas didn’t recognize.

  The Callimers were a proud, happy family. Lucas had no idea the last time he’d been in a house filled with so much adoration and a comforting, homey setting.

  He wanted her parents to know he had good intentions.

  Lucas just hoped that his intentions toward her romantically weren’t brought up. For that, he didn’t have an answer. Not now. It was no secret and he had been seen with Avery at the inn.

  Avery wasn’t home yet. She’d gone to practice, and thank goodness, Paula wasn’t around either.

  “We’re very supportive of this trip. Avery’s father and I both think this will be good for her. She has always had questions, and though she doesn’t always let us know what she wants in that regard, we want her to have the opportunity.” Avery’s mom looked at her husband for affirmation. He nodded in agreement. Her father hadn’t said much during the time, but he kept casting looks at Lucas, as if trying to figure him out. “I’m glad to know that. I would still abide by Avery’s request, but it’s easier to know that you’re okay with this.” Lucas laced his fingers together, and then spread them apart again. He laid his right hand on the table, and let his other sink to his side. This was so not something he was used to. Sitting in a cozy dining area with the parents of a woman Lucas cared about wasn’t normal either. From what he knew of Avery, family was important to her.

  The front door opened. Lucas turned, wondering who was coming through that door. Avery walked in. When she saw him, her eyes went round as saucers. Something on her arm caught his eye. She had a large bandage covering her arm just above her elbow. “What happened to you?”

  “What are you doing here?” Avery asked at the same time. She turned to the open door. “Thanks for the ride! You can go home now, I’m in!” She closed the door and came into the dining room. The only available seat happened to be next to Lucas. She pulled it out and sank into it.

  “I second Lucas’s question, honey. What happened to your arm?” her father asked, pointing to it.

  “I tripped on my way to band practice,” Avery said. Lucas noticed she didn’t meet her parents’ eyes. There was more to the story, and he intended on getting the full details out of her somehow. “You should see the tree.” She smiled weakly.

  “Oh, Avery,” her mother said, shaking her head. Everyone laughed.

  “Okay, so I’m better at music than I am at making jokes. I know.” Avery laughed. “So, what’s going on here?” This time she turned her eyes on Lucas, questioning.

  “I came to give you all the details of the trip to meet your birth mother. You weren’t home yet, so I have been talking to your parents for the past half hour.”

  Avery groaned. “You haven’t grilled him and then some, have you Dad?”

  “Hey! I resemble th
at remark.” Her dad feigned hurt while flashing a sarcastic grin. “You’ll be happy to know I have been very good. Lucas here is a nice young man.”

  That felt good to hear, but Lucas had to disagree. He wasn’t that nice.

  “Mom? Has he?” Avery turned to her mother. Avery was smiling. Lucas longed for that kind of relationship. One he would never have because his parents were dead. Gone. For some, having a childhood like his would turn them away from wanting this kind of life. Not Lucas. He yearned for it all the time. He watched the exchange between Avery and her parents and hated himself for turning her world upside down.

  “He’s been a gentleman. Now I, on the other hand, have been inquiring about every little detail from this young man here.” Avery’s mom looked so serious that if he hadn’t been sitting here and known otherwise, Lucas would have believed her.

  “You guys are such teases. Why must you torment me?” Avery placed a hand over her forehead, playing the woe-is-me attitude. Then she burst into a fit of giggles. When she lowered her hand, it brushed Lucas’s and he reached to hold it. Avery closed her fingers over his.

  Lucas felt a sense of belonging.

  “Avery, we can leave tomorrow evening if that works for you.” Lucas hoped that would work for her. She gasped and faced him.

  “That soon? Really? I thought it would take much longer! Wow. Mom, Dad, are you guys really okay with this? And you can find help at the inn? We’ve been so short staffed, and-”

  “Avery, we want you to go. It’s going to be fine. We’re going to manage just fine. We’ll miss you, of course, but I believe that you are going to be in very good hands.” Her father gestured at Lucas.

  Nice.

  Lucas hoped like hell the trip went well. If Avery came back heartbroken and hurt, even if it weren’t his doing, he had a feeling it would take a lot to get in her parents’ good graces again. That put a lot of weight on his shoulders.

  Damn it. He didn’t like having that kind of weight.

  He couldn’t help how the meeting would go, but what he could make sure of was that Avery got to see some beautiful sights, and have some fun.

  “I appreciate that you are putting your trust in me, sir.” Lucas felt like he should say something.

  The man nodded. “My daughter seems to care about you, so I have to do my best to be open. You hurt her, though, and I know a few people.” The words came across very clear. Lucas understood.

  Which made him sink a little lower in his seat.

  Oh, quit cowering, you dumb ass.

  He straightened.

  “Well Lucas, Avery, I think I’m going to turn in for the night.” Avery’s mother walked around the table and planted a kiss on her daughter’s head. Her father also stood and waited for his wife. “Are you going to be up much longer? Paula hasn’t come back in yet. We had a talk earlier, but I don’t know if we got through to her.”

  From the behavior Lucas had seen with the woman, she must have been a handful. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. It sucked that they had to deal with the situation, but he was also glad to take Avery away from it for awhile.

  “If I’m going to be leaving tomorrow night, then I probably won’t be. There’s going to be so much to do.” Avery waved. “Good night. I love you, Mom. And you too, Dad.”

  There had never been a time that Lucas’s parents exchanged ‘I love you’s with one another, let alone with him. Maybe as a baby, but those were the days he couldn’t remember. This house, it was filled with so much love. Avery grew up a lucky woman, despite the way she had been left. Not every abandoned child had that same luck. It only made him admire Avery even more.

  When they were alone, Lucas pounced. “What aren’t you telling, about your fall?” he demanded, keeping her hand in his.

  Avery turned back to glare at him. “I’m not the only one not telling the full story. I talked to Jameson tonight. Why didn’t you tell me about the car?”

  “Touche.” Lucas winced. “To be fair, I didn’t mean not to tell you. It’s obviously been a strange few days. I’m sorry. Now, what about you? You averted your gaze when you told your parents, so I’m going to guess you’re omitting something.” He lifted her arm and turned it to look at the bandage.

  “I think someone was following me. I tripped, scraped my arm when I fell against a tree. When I saw a shadow, I got up and ran again until Jameson met me.”

  “Do you always walk in the woods at night?”

  Avery nodded, firmly setting her jaw. “I’ve played in those woods all my life.”

  “You didn’t happen to make out anything about the person following you?”

  “No. Too dark.”

  That’s what he figured, but it didn’t hurt to ask. “Damn it. Have you been getting any more of those anonymous texts?”

  “Not since that one.”

  “Avery, I’m glad we’re getting out of here for awhile. I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t like it. I can’t figure out why someone would want to run me over, and why someone would chase you. They may not be related, but, I don’t want to take that chance.”

  “You’re creeping me out, Lucas.” Avery paled. She gave his hand a squeeze.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to. I just want you to be more aware, okay? I know you’ve said you feel safe here. Something is off. I don’t want anything to happen to you, and there are plenty of people that share that same feeling. You mean so much to so many people, Avery. That includes me.” He pressed a soft kiss on her cheek.

  “I’ll be aware. I promise.”

  “Are you nervous about this trip?” He changed the subject a bit.

  “I’ve never been on an airplane.” Avery leaned closer to Lucas. He let go of her hand and slid an arm around her. When her head rested on his shoulder, he ran his hand over the top of her arm.

  “It may be scary at first, but I bet you’ll enjoy it. I thought, if you’re okay with it, I could take you sightseeing. The beach, a few other places.”

  Avery lifted her head from his shoulder and stared at him, her eyes lighting up like a child’s as if he’d just told her they were going to Disneyland. Which, if she wanted, he could take her there, too. “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely. If you’d like, we’ll fit in as much as possible.” That smile, the way she looked at him right now, was priceless. She grinned from ear to ear, looking happier than she had in a few days.

  “Thank you, Lucas.” She squealed, kissed him on the lips and then pulled back, sheepish.

  “Get some rest, sweet Avery. I’ll come by in the morning and help, if you’d like.” Lucas let go of her and got to his feet. Avery led him to the door.

  She seemed reluctant to let him leave.

  “Do me a favor, and call me when you get to your room.” Avery took his hand. “With everything going on, I want to know you made it just fine.”

  The request showed she cared. For that, Lucas was grateful. It had been a long time since someone worried about him. Lucas tipped her face up and kissed her. Damn, he adored those soft lips and the way she smelled. Her reaction to his kisses drove him wild. “I will. Sweet dreams.”

  *****

  Avery slept terrible all night. She kept waking up to dreams, each one a different variation of meeting her birth mother. Each one a different nightmare, with a terrible ending. She’d wake up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath, tears running down her cheeks.

  Now, as daylight broke, Avery decided to forget about sleeping. She might as well get up and begin her day, in order to get everything done that she needed to. To think, twenty four hours from right now, she wouldn’t be in the state. That thought was more than a little daunting. She found her large blue rolling suitcase and duffel bag, and made a headway in her closet. Choosing clothes for the trip wasn’t easy. For whatever reason, Avery shoved aside everything on hangers and realized she didn’t have much to go by. Dress up? Casual? What would be over doing it? Under doing it?

  Then a thought occurred to her. Why
worry so damn much about what she wore? She was obsessing more right now than when she dressed for a concert. It’s not like her birth mother would judge her by what Avery wore. And if she did, well, that would be stupid. There were far more important things to go by.

  Avery was just stalling. Grunting, she started to pull random clothes off hangers, paired them with pairs of jeans and skirts, and folded them neatly into the suitcase. If she had second thoughts in California, then she could just go shopping. No need to waste time on petty things like figuring out clothes.

  A few minutes later, just as Avery finished putting the necessities in the suitcase, someone knocked on the door. She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was seven o’clock. It must be Mom, already up and preparing her day. She probably heard the ruckus Avery had been making for the past half hour. Oops. She hadn’t meant to wake anyone up.

  “Come in!” Avery called. Sure enough, when the door opened, Mom’s good morning smile appeared, followed by the rest of her as she glided into the room. She looked from the suitcase to Avery.

  “I see you’re getting a head start,” Mom said, sitting on the bed beside the open bag.

  “I couldn’t sleep. Each dream I had was worse then the one prior,” Avery admitted, folding up the last of the skirts she’d chosen and placed them on top of the pile.

  Mom reached for Avery’s hand and pulled her to stand right in front of her. “Avery. You’re going to be just fine, whatever happens. I want you to remember that Dad and I love you, and we have been so blessed and lucky to have you come into our lives. You already know I was devastated after Paula ran off. Having you around was wonderful. When I first saw you, bundled up in that beat up Stetson hat, I believed it to be a sign. I knew then we had to do whatever it took to keep you safe. When your parents couldn’t be found, I told your father, no questions asked, that we were going to fight for you. I haven’t regretted a day of it since.”

  “Mom, you’re going to make me cry again,” Avery sniffed, but she couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her face. “I love you too. I’ve always wanted to know where I came from. I’ve loved being here with you and Dad in Harmony’s Echo. I’ve thought about what you said about following my dreams, and as hard as it will be to leave you, I realize that music is something I want to pursue. I want to thank you for the encouragement and neverending support you always give me.” Avery hugged her mother tight.