Fighting For Our Forever

by Heidi McLaughlin

  “I’m so sorry for everything, Jamie. I really, truly am. You’ll always be the last person I ever want to hurt, and you’ll always be the one woman I’ll ever love.”

  I step away from him and brush the tears away. “I’m sure you’ve loved others.”

  Ajay leans against the bars, his lips purse as he shakes his head. “Never.”

  “You don’t have a girlfriend?”

  “Not since you. I’ve gone on a few dates recently, but that’s all they are, dates.”

  I don’t know if I want to believe him or not, but the old me says Ajay would never lie to me. The new me, though, is about to say something sarcastic but when I open my mouth to do so, the bailiff walks in.

  “Judge Harvey is ready to make his ruling.”

  “On what?” I ask as he unlocks the cell door.

  “How would I know, I’m only told what to say and do around here. Now, do I need to cuff you both or will you walk to the courtroom without incident?”

  I look back at Ajay and wink. “I don’t know, Ballard, what do you think?”

  He laughs. “I have a tour bus waiting, it probably won’t get us far but it’s worth the try.”

  “Very funny you two.” The bailiff motions for us to walk in front of him. When I feel Ajay’s hand on the lower part of my back, I automatically lean into him and even though I want to put as much distance between us as possible, I can’t.

  In the courtroom, Fletcher is sitting at his table and Ajay’s lawyer is at his. I really don’t know where I’m supposed to go so I go back to sitting behind Fletcher.

  When Harvey comes in, he tells us to stay seated before calling Ajay and I up to stand in front of him.

  “After due diligence by our esteemed clerk, it has been determined that Ajay Ballard and Jameson Foster are indeed still married.”

  “Great, I’d like to file the petition to have our divorce finalized,” I say to Harvey.

  He huffs and continues speaking, “After a meeting with a lawyer in our family division, it’s also been determined that due to the circumstances surrounding your current situation, Ms. Foster, in conjunction with Mr. Ballard’s financial status, the law precludes me from granting a divorce without filing new paperwork.”

  “What situation are you in?” Ajay whispers to me. I shake my head, hoping he understands that I’ll tell him later, even though I won’t.

  “Your Honor, my client is prepared to file the necessary paperwork today for dissolution of marriage, however it should be noted that he will not agree to pay alimony nor spousal support due to the length that they were separated before his career started, as well as the fact that they are only currently still married due to the negligence of Ms. Foster,” Ajay’s lawyer blurts out. Ajay turns and mumbles something under his breath.

  “Shark, huh?”

  “He’s paid a lot to protect us.”

  Harvey clears his throat and clasps his hands together. “As much as I’d love to see the both of you pay for your crimes behind bars, I feel this is going to be punishment enough: For the next ninety-days you will stay married and spend at least three days together each week. Mr. Ballard, you’re allowed to travel with your group, however, I suggest you make your schedule amenable to this sentencing. Ms. Foster, you will accept the terms of Mr. Ballard’s schedule, provided it falls in line with my sentencing, and see to it that yours does as well. You will both appear before me at the end of your sentence and at your request I will sign off on your divorce. Until then, you’re a married couple and your lawyers can figure out the rest.”

  “Your Honor, you can’t demand that they spend time together,” Fletcher says.

  “But I just did. It’s either this or I sentence them both for vandalism.”

  “This will be fine, your Honor,” Ajay says, much to my dismay. Before I can object, Harvey adjourns court and slams his gavel down.

  “What just happened?” I ask anyone who can hear me.

  “Looks like you’re still my wife.”

  “The fuck I am,” I say, storming out of the courtroom.

  15

  Ajay

  The way Whiskey storms out of the courtroom sends a very strong message. It’s abundantly clear that she doesn’t want to be married to me. It’s fine, I get it. She has a boyfriend and wants to move on with her life. I can’t really blame her, but is it really that bad to have to spend a few days a week with me for ninety days?

  Katelyn is by my side, hugging me tightly as I watch Whiskey’s retreating backside disappear through the door. Elle’s in front of me as well and Harrison is talking to Saul.

  “What a mess,” Elle says.

  “Let’s go to lunch and talk about things,” Katelyn says, motioning for all of us to get moving. Once we get outside, I look everywhere possible for any sign of Whiskey, but the foot traffic here is light and she’s nowhere to be found. It pains me to think that she went running to her boyfriend, but honestly, she probably did. I’m simply the pain in her ass that won’t go away.

  The drive over to Bailey’s is short but it feels like an hour. I’m watching the passersby, trying to spot Whiskey. I want to talk to her before I have to leave. I need to tell her that I will do whatever she wants during the time we have to spend together. If that means I’m sitting in Bailey’s while she works, so be it. It’s not what I want, but I lost the opportunity to have a say years ago.

  As soon as we step into the restaurant, people gasp. Beside me, Elle mutters, “Great, lunch will be lovely with people asking for my dad’s autograph every five minutes.”

  “I am so glad it’s not me,” I lean down and tell her.

  She smirks. “It will be soon enough. Enjoy the quiet while you can.”

  This is one of the reasons why Elle is such an amazing manager, she has faith in us. Not only as a group but also with our individual crafts.

  The hostess takes us to our table and tells us that our waitress will be by to get our drink orders.

  “Excuse me,” I say, grabbing her attention. “Is Jamie working today?”

  “She is, but she’s not here yet. Do you want me to let you know when she gets here?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “This isn’t a PR nightmare, right?” Elle asks. I don’t know who she’s talking to, so I keep my mouth shut. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  “Nothing,” Harrison says. “So, Ajay’s married, it’s not like it’s the end of the world.”

  “But married and seeking a divorce?” Elle sighs. “The rag mags are going to be all over this. I swear that judge has the biggest bone to pick with you,” she says, looking at me.

  “I have a meeting with him in about an hour,” Saul adds. “I’m going to see if we can get the divorce pushed through. It’s not going to do either of them any good to prolong this for three months.”

  “We could offer him money,” Katelyn says, much to Harrison and Saul’s disagreement. I like her, she’s feisty, and the fact that she wants to pay off a judge so I can get a divorce is comical.

  I sit there while they decide my fate, halfheartedly listening while watching for any sign of Whiskey. It’s not going to matter what I say, they’re going to make the decisions for me because when it comes down to it, Elle owns my ass.

  “Until we get this resolved, we need to figure out Ajay’s travel schedule. I have to submit it to the courts,” Saul adds.

  “What about the wife’s schedule? Surely, it shouldn’t be Ajay’s responsibility to always be here?” Elle asks.

  “I think because of financial situations, Ajay needs to take the brunt of the travel,” Saul tells her.

  “That’s bullshit.”

  “Don’t cuss at the table, Elle,” Katelyn admonishes her daughter causing us all to laugh.

  The same waitress I had the other day sidles up to our table and takes our drink order. After we’ve gone around the table, she puts her pad away and looks at Harrison. “Are you Harrison James?”

  “I am,” he says.

/>   “Wow, just wow. Like, oh, my God, you’re in Bailey’s and I’m your waitress. Like, wow!”

  “Don’t you know any other adjectives?” Elle asks.

  “Elle James, what has gotten into you?” Katelyn wants to know.

  Elle shrugs and picks up her phone.

  “Um, do you think we could take a selfie?” the waitress asks Harrison.

  “Maybe after lunch?” he suggests politely, but by the look on her face, you’d think he just killed her pet rabbit or something and not put her off for an hour.

  As soon as she’s gone, Saul starts to figure out a back-up plan on how to I get out of the sentencing.

  “It’s fine,” I say. “It’ll be a pain, but I can handle it.”

  “I’ll talk to Liam and JD, see if we can make sure the jet is available or at least let you use it when we’re not.”

  “Thanks,” I reply. “I appreciate it.”

  “This is really going to hamper the tour, Ajay. We need to either find a way to get this decision appealed,” Elle mumbles the last part as something catches her attention on her phone. “Well someone’s already let the cat out of the bag that you’re here trying to get a divorce. I bet she called the Enquirer.”

  “She wouldn’t do that,” I say in defense of Whiskey. “She couldn’t care less about media attention.”

  Just then she walks in and rushes toward the back. “When do we leave?”

  “After lunch,” Harrison says. I nod, get up from the table and head toward the bar. When Whiskey doesn’t come out, I go through the doors into the kitchen. “Where can I find Jamie?” I ask one of the cooks. He points with his spatula at the door that says “Manager” on it.

  I knock twice and she tells me to come in. I do so, opening the door slowly. She’s sitting at the desk, hiding behind a computer. Her eyes meet mine and even though I smile, she frowns.

  “What are you doing here?”

  I motion toward the dining area. “Lunch.”

  “No, back here. Why are you back here?”

  “I wanted to talk to you. You ran out of the courtroom before we had a chance to discuss the schedule.”

  “What schedule?”

  “Whiskey,” I say her name, dragging it out.

  “Look, Ajay. I don’t give two shits about what Harvey said, okay? You have your life, and I have mine. They’re not going to magically mesh together and become some cohesive unit for a couple of months. His sentence is stupid, and I’ve told him as much. You can go back on tour and I’ll do my thing here. I’ll tell him you came back if that’s what you want.”

  It’s not what I want, at least it wasn’t until now. Sitting in the cell with her made me realize how much I’ve missed her and want her in my life, and yet here she is, offering me an out. She’s willing to lie for me, just so she doesn’t have to see me again.

  “I don’t think it’s going to work that way, Whiskey. My lawyer said something about checking in with the clerk every time I come to town.” I shrug and hope she buys my lie.

  She throws her pencil down and rests her head in her hands. “I hate Harvey. I swear to all things holy, I’m going to get him back for this.”

  Ouch, am I really that much of a bad guy that she doesn’t want to spend a couple of days with me each week?

  “What’re you doing tonight because I think we should go over to his house and spray paint it.”

  My eyes widen, and I start shaking my head back and forth as my mouth opens to tell her no.

  “I’m just kidding, Ajay. I wouldn’t… well, yes I would…but I won’t.”

  “That’s good because I’m not sure I have enough bail money saved up if you were to get thrown back in jail.”

  “You’d bail me out?” she asks, lifting her head from her hands.

  “In a heartbeat,” I tell her.

  Whiskey sighs. “Look, you don’t have to be nice to me or hang out with me. Come to town, show your face around here. I’ll do my part so neither of us gets into trouble.”

  “I have to leave tonight, but I’ll be back.”

  “Will you miss shows because of this?”

  I nod. That’s the unfortunate part, unless our schedule shows we’re lucky enough to have three days off between shows. It’s unlikely though. “Harrison will cover for me.” Which also means I won’t get paid. However, she doesn’t need to know that. “I’m going to keep my room over at the Inn, and like I said, I’ll be back in a few days and maybe we can talk?”

  “About what, Ajay? I think we said all we needed to say earlier today.”

  I frown. She’s right but I want more from her. I want to know about her life while I was gone, and she’s kept that from me. Probably with good reason. I think of anything to say, anything that will give me an excuse to stay in her office with her for a bit longer.

  “The door says ‘Manager’. Is that you?”

  She nods slowly. “Yeah. The owner lives in Florida so it’s just me. I work most days but cover the nights on the weekends because the tips are better, and the bartender can’t handle the rush we get.”

  I go over to her cork board and look at the flyer for their house band. A couple of the guys listed are people I used to play with. “Lee Johnson’s still playing?”

  She laughs. “The other day I ran into Jolene Johnson and she said you stopped by her house to talk to Lee, asked him to join your band.”

  “Why would I do that?” I ask her, completely confused.

  “Dunno, but I knew she was full of it.”

  “Sinful Distraction has one of the best young guitarists in the industry right now. He’s called Hendrix.”

  “Really?” she asks. “He’s that good?”

  “Yeah, and he knows it. Cocky little shit. Anyway, how would Jolene know?”

  Whiskey laughs. “She’s married to Lee. You should see her, she’s a Parton wannabe with kazoos out to here.” Whiskey holds her hands out from her breasts to mimic the size of Jolene’s.

  “Wait, Jolene Johnson married Lee Johnson?”

  “Yep, and she hyphenates her name.”

  “Wow, that’s some seriously small town shit.”

  “Yeah, it is, but hey, so is getting married at eighteen and getting knocked up…”

  And just like that the mood in her office changes. Our mistakes are laid out on the table to remind me of what I’ve done, as if I could ever forget. I don’t know if she did it on purpose or what, but her tactic was effective. I move toward the door and rest my hand on the knob. Without turning around to look at her I tell her, “I’ll call ya, Whiskey, and let you know when I’ll be back in town.”

  I leave, shutting her door behind me. In the dining room, my pseudo family is deep in conversation and I don’t really want to talk to anyone right now so, I send Elle a text letting her know that I’m heading to the Inn to pack my bag and let Mrs. B know that I’ll need to make a block booking on my room. As soon as I open the door, I’m greeted with her million-dollar smile.

  “Is it true?”

  “That I’m a famous musician and woman are madly in love with me?” I wink at her. She pats my arm and chuckles.

  “Always were a charmer.”

  “Mrs. B I can’t even charm a snake, let alone a beautiful woman.”

  Again, she pats my arm. “I heard you and Miss Jameson Foster are still married.”

  “Apparently,” I say, correcting her. “Seems our divorce never went through. We just have to wait out a couple of months and then she’ll be free of me.”

  “Oh, nonsense. That young woman is madly in love with you, just you wait and see.” I would love to agree with her, but something tells me that Whiskey will keep me at arm’s length for the entire ninety days.

  “I need to leave town for a few days, but I want to know if I can rent my room until the divorce is final. Judge Harvey is forcing Jamie and I to spend time together.”

  “He always was a sneaky bastard,” she says, causing me to laugh.

  “I agree, Mrs. B.”
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br />   “Your room will always be here, Ajay. Don’t you worry. But I have a feeling you’ll be moving in with Jameson and Evelyn before too long.”

  “Evelyn?” I ask as I try to run through the names of her family members and friends that I can remember.

  Mrs. Buxley sets her hand on my forearm. “It’s best she tells you about Evelyn.” She walks off, leaving me confused. At this point Whiskey would rather eat rat poison than tell me anything.

  16

  Jamie

  As much as I don’t want to admit it, I’ve missed Ajay. It had taken me years to forget him, although I never really forgot, I just pushed him aside as a part of my life that didn’t work out. Once I had Evelyn, she became the only person who dominated my thoughts. And now, as I sit at my desk, watching Ajay through the security camera, I’m wishing he would turn around so I can see him one more time before leaves. He says he’s coming back, but he said that before and it’s taken him almost eight years to make good on his word… and he really only did so because my father arrested him.

  As if he knows I’m thinking of him, his face lights up on my phone. I groan as the device vibrates, moving slowly across my desk as a result. I choose not to answer. I know he has Evelyn today but the conversation we need to have has to happen face-to-face. Even my father knows this.

  I shut off my monitor, gather my things and head toward the kitchen to let the guys know I’ll be back later. Being the manager has its perks. I can come and go as I please. The downside is that in a small town like Bailey, employees are limited so when someone calls in sick or needs a day off, I am usually the one to cover. For the most part, I don’t care, but sometimes the hours can be a bit too much, especially for Evelyn.

  The drive over to my parents is about fifteen minutes from the bar. They live close to the ocean on the outskirts of town, while Evelyn and I live in town near her school, the park and our small downtown. I enjoy being part of the community and want Evelyn to grow up surrounded by these people. My little spitfire of a daughter is loved by all around here.