“I think that went well,” Becky said to Jack and Sky when they slipped behind the curtain.
“Can you give us a minute,” Sky said to Jack and Becky, as he took Meg into his arms. When they were alone, he asked, “How do you think it went?”
Meg’s eyes grew wide. “I don’t know what to say, other than thank you. I can’t believe you did a national television interview to announce we’re a couple.”
“I meant every word, Meg. You’re the only woman in my life, and I care about you very much.” He leaned in to kiss her, and as his tongue began to explore her mouth, they were interrupted.
“Time for meet and greet,” Mac said.
Sky and Meg walked hand in hand to the area where the meet and greet session was about to take place. Sky kissed Meg before he took his place next to Jack, and Meg joined Becky next to Jarrod.
The line of fans began to move forward, and Meg’s stomach churned every time a woman came on to Sky. Each time, Sky rejected the advances, and pointed to Meg. Some of the women were angry, others were embarrassed, and a small number came over to Meg to apologize.
Following Becky’s lead, Meg was polite to the fans who approached her, even posing for a few selfies with some fans. She was surprised that a couple of the young fans asked her questions about Sky, like what his favorite food was, or did he ever sing to her at home.
“You’re doing great,” Becky said when they had a free moment. “Keep it up, and you’ll win them over in no time.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because every fan that takes a selfie with you or talks to you will post about it on social media. They’ll spread the word that you’re nice, and that will help win over the other fans. You’ll see.”
I hope you’re right, Meg thought as she accepted a hug from another fan. After the fan moved on, she caught Sky grinning at her. She felt butterflies in her stomach when he winked at her before posing for a photo with another fan.
When the last of the fans left the meet and greet area, Sky pulled Meg into a tight embrace. “You did great, baby,” he said. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Becky is a terrific teacher. I don’t know how I’d have managed to get through tonight without her.”
After the band’s pre-show ritual, Meg and Becky took their places at the side of the stage and watched as Sky, Jack and the rest of the band poured every ounce of their energy into the show. They played one hit after the other, and they were drenched with sweat by the time they finished their last encore.
Mac hustled everyone back to the bus, where the guys took turns showering while Meg and Becky hung out in the back lounge.
After he got out of the shower, Jack pulled Sky aside. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
Jack pulled two plastic cups out of a cabinet, and poured a measure of whiskey in each, before handing one to Sky. “How serious are you about Meg?”
“Why?”
Jack took a sip from his cup before answering. “Because I was thinking that it might be time for Becky and me to have our own bus. We’re thinking about…well, never mind what we’re thinking about. The point is that I don’t want to leave you on the bus with the band. We’re partners in this thing, and if I get my own bus, then you get yours. And I want to make sure that you and Meg are the real thing before we make that move.”
“I don’t understand. What does Meg’s and my relationship have to do with us getting our own buses?”
Jack sighed. “The truth is, Becky and I have wanted our own bus for a while, but we were afraid to leave you alone. We didn’t know what would happen, or what you might do. We wanted to protect you.”
Sky’s eyes grew wide. “Protect me? From who?”
“Yourself, mainly.”
Sky took a sip of whiskey, and nodded his head. “I’m not sure what to say about that, other than thanks. You’re right, I did need to be protected from myself. But that’s in the past. I’m crazy about Meg, but this is so new to me that I can’t answer where it’s going.”
“Do you plan on taking her out on the road with you each weekend?”
“As much as I can, depending on her schedule.”
Jack nodded his head. “So, are we doing this? ‘Cause if so, I want to get this in motion right away. Separate buses would make a great gift for the girls, don’t you think?”
“How and when are we going to do this?”
“There are plenty of buses we can lease, and the girls can add some personal touches to them. It will give them a fun project to work on. Let’s try to make time to take a look when we get back home.”
“So…we’re just going to surprise them?”
“That’s the plan.”
After the final show of the run, Meg was glad to get back home. “Bus life is fun, but I can’t wait to have a real shower and sleep in my own bed.” She leaned over and kissed Sky on the lips. “Thanks for taking me out on the road with you this weekend.”
“Anytime, darlin’,” he said. “How about next weekend?”
“I’d love to, but I have to check on my work schedule first.” She reached for the door handle, but Sky stopped her.
“I’m coming inside with you. I don’t want you walking in on some sort of ambush,” he said. “I don’t care whether your house is alarmed or not.”
“I’m sure it will be fine. And besides, you can’t protect me all the time.”
“But I can when I’m with you,” he said, hopping out of the Tahoe. He grabbed her suitcase and carried it to the front door. Using Meg’s spare key, he opened the door and quickly punched the alarm code into the keypad.
“You kept my spare key?”
“I didn’t want to leave it lying around the house. Never can tell when a crazy person might break in and take it.” He carried her bag inside and set it down in the hallway leading to the small laundry room.
Meg frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not sure I like that you have a key to my house.”
“What if we swapped keys?”
“What are you talking about?”
Sky reached into his pocket and handed Meg a key on a heart-shaped silver key chain. “Happy one-month anniversary.”
Meg was at a loss for words. “Anniversary?”
“Yeah, it’s a month since we met in Tampa. I thought giving you the key to my house was a good way to mark the occasion.”
Tears welled up in Meg’s eyes as she inspected the heart on the keychain, and noticed it had a series of four numbers engraved on it. “What do these numbers mean?”
Sky wrapped his arms around Meg. “That’s the code for my house alarm,” he whispered in her ear. “Only fair that you have mine, if I have yours.”
His tongue teased her earlobe, then made its way down to her neck, while his hands slipped inside her t-shirt and found the clasp for her bra. “You know, you’re welcome in my house anytime. That’s why I gave you my key.” He unclasped her bra, and released her breasts. “I want you to trust me, and know that you’re the only woman in my life. Tell me you trust me.”
Meg’s knees went weak when Sky began to fondle her breasts. I’ll tell you anything you want to hear, as long as you’re touching me. “I trust you, Sky,” she whispered. God help me, because I’m falling for you.
“I’ve loved having twenty four-seven access to you the last few days, and holding you tight each night as we fell asleep. I’m not ready to leave you yet. I need you, baby.”
“Oh, God,” Meg gasped as Sky’s hands roamed her body. “I need you too.” She took him by the hand and led him down the hall to her bedroom. “It’s luau time.”
Sky laughed out loud. “Only this time you don’t have to be quiet.” He removed his shirt and kicked off his boots as he entered the bedroom. “And I intend on making sure your neighbors know you’re home. I’m gonna make you scream and moan, baby.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Over the next few weeks, Meg’s life ran at break-neck spee
d. At Sky’s insistence, she spent weekends with him on the Johnson Bishop tour bus, and she became acclimated to the band’s routine out on the road. On the days she wasn’t out on tour with Sky and the band, she worked twelve hour shifts at the hospital.
Sky continued to post occasional photos on social media of him and Meg and, as Becky predicted, most fans began to accept their relationship. Meg found being Sky’s girlfriend most difficult when she was at work, where other hospital staff members whispered and pointed at her when she walked by them, or stopped by the nurses’ station to ask about getting concert tickets for friends or relatives in the cities where the band was scheduled to play. She was often asked questions about what Sky was really like, and she did her best to maintain their privacy while deflecting questions or using well-rehearsed answers that gave nothing away.
Despite having an alarm installed at her home, Sky refused to let Meg stay there alone, and insisted on either staying the night with her when she slept at the cottage, or having her stay with him at his log cabin in the woods. “Mallory hasn’t been caught, and until she is, I’d feel better knowing I’m around to protect you. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.” He grinned, and added, “And besides, you know how much I like having access to you and your gorgeous body.”
On the nights they stayed at the log cabin, Meg often came home to find Sky grilling on the back deck. “You’re really quite the grill master,” she said with a laugh one night while settling into a deck chair and watching him plate up dinner.
“You’re always there for me, in any way I need you, when I get off the stage,” he said, as he brought a platter of grilled fish and vegetables over to the table where Meg was sitting. “Only fair that I’m here for you, to make your life better, when you get home from a long day at work.”
How did I get so lucky? “Well, I want to you to know that I appreciate you, too.” She selected some grilled asparagus and salmon from the platter, and after a forkful, said, “Mmm…this is delicious. Who taught you to cook?”
“Mrs. Beasley. She buys groceries and leaves me instructions on what to do with them.”
“We haven’t seen her in a while. Why don’t we invite her for dinner tomorrow night?”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll call her later.”
They continued to eat, while chatting about their respective days. Meg told Sky about some of the challenges she faced that day in the trauma center, and Sky told Meg about the song he wrote with Jack.
When they finished eating, Sky asked, “What are you doing the first week of April?”
Meg shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess my usual routine of work and going out on the road with you. Why?”
“The Academy of Country Music awards are that week in Las Vegas. We don’t tour the weekend before because there are tons of interviews, rehearsals for the awards show, and a benefit concert. I was hoping you’d come with me.”
Her eyes grew wide. “To the ACMs? Really?”
“Why are you surprised? You’re my girlfriend. Girlfriends go to awards shows with their boyfriends.”
“It’s just…that’s a really big deal. You want me to walk the red carpet with you too?”
“Yeah, the whole thing.”
“I’ll have to take time off from work.”
“Trust me, it can easily be arranged.”
“Easier said than done.” Meg furrowed her eyebrows as thoughts raced through her mind. How can I keep taking time off from work? And where am I going to get the money to buy the clothes I’ll need for this trip?
Sky interrupted her thoughts. “You okay? You seem awfully quiet.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just have a lot on my mind, I guess.”
“You know what I have on my mind?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Why don’t you tell me.”
Sky grinned. “You, and your gorgeous body.”
Meg laughed as she stood up and began to clear the dishes from the table. “You’re incorrigible.”
“And you love it.”
Later that week, Meg met Becky after work to shop for dresses for the ACM awards. She was impressed that the sales people in each store greeted Becky by name, and Becky explained that she did a lot of shopping for dresses, both for herself and for some of her celebrity clients.
“So you continue to work with clients, even though you’re on the road with Jack and the band every weekend?”
“Sure. It’s easy, because most of my clients are in the music business and are on the road on the weekends anyway. I can also work with them online, too.”
I wish I had that option, Meg thought. It would make being on the road with Sky so much easier if I didn’t have to be at the hospital during the week when we’re home.
Meg followed Becky to the designer section of the department store. She blanched at the price tags as she flipped through the racks of dresses, and mentally did the arithmetic as she tried to figure out what she would have to cut out of her budget in order to afford a dress for the event.
“This might look nice on you,” Becky said, holding up a beaded black gown with a deep v-neck.
“Umm…I don’t know,” Meg replied.
“Come on, just try it on. And try these two also,” Becky said, holding up a cream lacy gown with a cut out back, and a mint green sleeveless gown.
Meg’s eyes lit up when she saw the green gown Becky was holding. “Okay, I guess,” she said, as she followed Becky to the dressing rooms. She tried the black gown on first, and she opened the dressing room door to show Becky.
“No, definitely not. Even if we altered it, it doesn’t do anything for you. It’s pretty, but just not for you. Try the other ones on.”
“Okay,” Meg said, and returned to the dressing room. She slipped the cream gown on, and opened the door in order to get Becky’s input.
“Turn around,” Becky said. “I want to see the cut out back on you.” When Meg turned around, Becky said, “Hmm…I like it, but I don’t love it on you. Your first time on a red carpet is special, and you want the perfect dress. There are going to be a lot of cameras and eyes on you, because this is the first time Sky is bringing a date, other than Fiona Beasley, to an awards show.”
Meg nodded her head, and returned to the dressing room. She fingered the material of the mint green gown, and sighed. This is the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen, she thought, as she took another look at the price tag. But I can’t spend two months’ rent on a dress I’ll only wear once.
“Meg? Aren’t you going to try the green one on?”
“Umm…yeah, just give me a minute.” Meg slipped the gown over her head, looked in the mirror, and gasped at her reflection. “Wow,” she said, under her breath. She turned around and looked at herself from all angles, admiring how the color brought out the green of her eyes, and complemented her light olive skin and long chestnut hair. “Wow,” she said again, amazed at the way the simple sheath hugged her curves, emphasizing her slim waist and the swell of her full breasts.
“Meg?”
“Umm…just a sec.” Meg opened the dressing room door and slowly walked out.
“Oh my God! That’s gorgeous on you!” Becky clapped her hands and said, “I think we have a winner. I can’t wait to see Sky’s expression when he sees you in it!”
Meg wrinkled her brows, and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“What are you talking about? It’s perfect with your coloring and eyes. You have to get it!”
“I’m just not sure. I think I want to shop around some more, and see if I can find something I like better.”
“But it’s the perfect dress. I don’t understand.”
Meg bit her lip and turned around so she didn’t have to face Becky. “Like I said, I think I want to shop around some more.” She dashed into the dressing room and slammed the door shut. I am so out of my league. It was ridiculous to think I could afford to buy a dress for the awards show. I’m just going to have to tell Sky that I ca
n’t get the time off. She stole one more look at herself in the mirror, before stepping out of the gown and placing it back on the hanger. Her eye caught the price tag one more time, and she shook her head. This is never going to work.
Instead of turning towards Sky’s house after leaving the store, Meg steered her Jeep towards her cottage. I need some time alone to figure this out. How am I going to tell him I’m not going to go with him to Las Vegas? Rather than turning on the radio, she chose to drive home in silence so she could think.
Meg pulled into the driveway, and cut the ignition. She sat in her Jeep for a moment before getting out, realizing it was the first time she was going to be alone in her house since the night Mallory attacked her. Why haven’t the police caught her yet? How hard could it be to find her? Sky even gave them a photo of her driver’s license. She took a deep breath, summoned up her courage, and made a dash for her front door.
She bounded up the two stairs to her front porch, turned the key in the lock, and punched in the alarm code before slamming the door behind her. She turned on the lights in the house and finally exhaled. I hate being afraid in my own home. Maybe I should have just gone to Sky’s, she thought, as she opened each closet door and checked under her bed to make sure she was alone.
I need a drink after tonight, she thought, as she pulled a bottle of white wine out of the refrigerator and poured herself a glass. She carried it out to the living room, where she sank into the soft sofa cushions and pulled an afghan over her. She took a deep sip, and savored the immediate calming effect it had on her as it slid down her throat.
“That hits the spot,” she said aloud. She opened her laptop to check her bank balance, and shook her head. Even though I hardly ever have to buy groceries anymore, because Sky either takes me out or we spend most of our nights in at his house, the savings don’t add up to the price tag on that dress. Even the double pay I received the week I worked as Sky’s private duty nurse doesn’t cover it. “I just have to work up the courage to tell him I can’t go,” she said under her breath.
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