What We've Become (My Kind Of Country Book 2)

by M. Lynne Cunning

  “I’m standing right here,” Katie reminded them as she followed them down the staircase into the basement. The stairs themselves may have creaked under their weight, and seemed in need of some repair, but the basement opened up into an incongruently modern setting, causing her eyes to grow wide.

  “Wow,” Katie whispered.

  Mason was already ambling forward, running his hands along the edge of the sounding board, a mixture of switches, buttons, and little levers greeting him.

  “For the love of God, don’t touch anything!” she exclaimed. Chad put a gentle hand on her shoulder, amused at her fearful concern.

  “It’s okay, he’s fine.” He turned to the young boy. “Go ahead and check it out, pal. I’ll show you how to use it all in a second.”

  They watched as Mason shimmied out of his coat and tossed it on the back of one of the chairs pulled up to the equipment, crawling onto the chair to get a better view. Katie held out the tray.

  “I bought you a coffee. I didn’t know if songwriters and singers required coffee for the creative process, but I figured it couldn’t hurt.”

  Chad pulled one of the paper cups from the tray, his smile still plastered across his face. “Coffee always makes things better, and I doubt any creative person will ever tell you any different.”

  “I’m glad to know my search for a Starbucks wasn’t in vain then.” She undid her jacket and hung it on one of the hooks by the staircase. “Are you sure he’s okay to be playing with that?”

  “He’s fine, Katie. It’s a new gadget for him to play with. Maybe he’ll—” Chad went silent as footsteps clomped down the stairs. A man with greying hair appeared, holding up his hands in surrender.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Chad. I just wanted to let you know we’re leaving for the evening. You can lock up whenever you’re done.” The man turned his attention to Katie, jutting out his hand. “Sorry for the rudeness. I’m Barry, Chad’s manager.”

  Katie shook his hand gently. “I’m Katie. Good to meet you.”

  She watched as his dark eyes bulged suddenly. “You’re Katie?” He sent a questioning glance over at Chad, and her uncertain glance followed.

  “Yes, Barry. This is Katie. And that’s Mason, her son.” He tossed his head to the side to indicate the boy behind them, his gaze never once deviating from the direction of his manager. An unspoken truce was made.

  “Ya’ll have a good evening. Good to meet you...Katie.” An amused grin tugged at the corner of Barry’s lips, but he left without another word.

  “What was that all about?”

  Chad waved a hand dismissively. “Nothing. He’s just being an idiot.”

  “He seemed to know me, Chad.” She narrowed her eyes. “What did you tell him about us?”

  “Nothing, I swear it. Obviously, he’s just heard me say your name in passing or something. He doesn’t know a thing about us. I promise.”

  Katie held his gaze a few moments longer. Despite not believing him, she gave a reluctant nod and let it go. She peered over her shoulder to confirm Mason was out of earshot, and then she lowered her voice. “You promised you would never lie to me again.”

  Chad moved closer to her, his jaw softening slightly. “I’m not lying to you. Barry knows absolutely nothing about what happened when I left Nashville. It’s your name he knows, not you in particular.”

  Katie immediately wondered if Chad’s ex, Liz—and, ironically Jay’s ex, too—had spread her name around, causing Chad grief in the process. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask, but she decided against it, tucking that topic of conversation in the back of her mind for later on. She might be gullible when it came to Chad, succumbing to his charms as she had in the past, but she also knew that not believing him a few months ago when she, in fact, should have, had led her to the mess she was in. He had sworn to never lie to her again and, right or wrong, she believed him. “Do you live here?”

  Chad shook his head, pulling up another chair beside his, motioning to her to sit. “It’s actually Barry’s house, but it does feel like I live here lately,” he joked, taking a sip from his coffee cup. “Thanks for this, by the way.” He held the cup up. “I could use the energy jolt.”

  “You’re welcome. With the new single doing so well, you must be being pulled in all directions lately, huh?”

  Chad opened his mouth to answer but didn’t get a chance. Instead, he stood up and strode over to Mason, who stood on a wheeled chair in front of the recording booth, his body stretched dangerously across the control panel. He held the chair in place, preventing it from rolling out from under him. “Careful, Little Man. That chair is going to move. Let me show you something, okay?” He motioned for Mason to follow him, and the two of them disappeared into the recording booth.

  Katie watched through the glass as Chad set her son up in front of one of the microphones suspended from the ceiling, adjusting it to his shorter height. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Mason was wide eyed with excitement and nodding furiously. It was safe to say his case of boredom had been cured. She laughed to herself as she watched Mason pull his harmonica from his jeans pocket. She didn’t even know he’d brought it with him.

  When Chad finally opened the door and came back out of the recording booth, he wore a smug grin. “He’s going to record himself playing the harmonica. I think I should apologize to you in advance.”

  Katie laughed. “That tape is going home with you, not me.”

  “Maybe he’ll grow up to be famous, and that ear splitting recording will be worth millions,” Chad reminded her.

  “Perhaps I can lock it away until then.” She watched as Mason plunked the oversized earphones over his ears and held the harmonica up in front of the microphone. “Is he playing it right now?”

  “Soundproof glass. We only hear him if we want to hear him.” He motioned toward the abundance of controls and switches before him, grinning.

  Katie sighed dramatically. “Oh, now that, is music to my ears.”

  Chad took a seat by her again, idly watching the little boy tinker with his newfound toys. “To answer your question from earlier, though—yeah, it has been a bit hectic since the single was released, but it’s worth it, too, you know?”

  “You must be on top of the world. All that hard work is starting to pay off.” Katie cupped her hands around her coffee, the warmth of it seeping into her fingertips.

  Chad snickered softly. “Definitely. I’ve been signing autographs and taking pictures with fans when I go out places. I’m actually starting to feel a little bit famous.”

  “You are.” Katie nodded, tilting her head slightly. “I mean, you already were...to me, anyway.”

  “You didn’t even know who I was.”

  “You’re wrong about that.” Katie pointed an accusing finger at him. “I knew who Chad Ashton was. I listen to the country music radio station all the time, remember? What I didn’t know was that Chad Ashton and Chad Kirkwood were one and the same.”

  “Stick with Chad Kirkwood, he’s a good guy.” Chad leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

  Katie leaned forward as well, matching his stance playfully. “I might know who Chad Ashton is, but I don’t think I know him enough to be able to compare him to Chad Kirkwood. That just wouldn’t be fair at all.” She cast a quick glance in her son’s direction and he caught her eye and happily waved back.

  “You think you might like Chad Ashton more?”

  Katie turned back to Chad, chuckling lightly at his question. “Like I said, I can’t compare you with someone you say I don’t know. What makes Chad Ashton so different from Chad Kirkwood?” She was laughing now, unable to hide her smirk any longer.

  Chad reached out for her hand and stood up. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

  She laughed harder, setting her coffee cup on the floor. “Oh, what? Chad Ashton has a secret superhero suit or something? I can’t leave Mason in there without being watched.”

  He reached down and covered her hand with his, pul
ling her gently to her feet. “He’s fine. We’re not leaving, just...come here. I have to show you something I have wanted to show you since you walked down those stairs.” They both glanced quickly at Mason again, who was paying them no attention, his face contorted in concentration as he played his harmonica into the microphone. Chad then tugged on Katie’s hand, walking backward to face her while he led her past the glass window, and opened the door into what must have been a storage closet, subsequently blocking their view of Mason. With one more gentle pull, Katie stumbled towards him and he pivoted, holding her against the wall and himself as his lips landed against hers, causing a surprised gasp to escape her throat. He kissed her gently at first, but his kiss became more forceful when she didn’t pull away.

  Without thinking, Katie’s fingertips, still warmed from the heat of her coffee cup, trailed upwards to his throat, and she could feel his pulse beating wildly beneath his skin. His hands rested on her hips, and his kiss lingered as he slowly pulled his head away from hers, his eyes gleaming even in the shadows of the darkened room. “That was Chad Ashton,” he whispered playfully.

  The sound of his voice, husky and hoarse, brought Katie back to her senses, and she took a hesitant step away from him, pulling her hands from his neck, convinced the heat of his skin might burn her. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Maybe not, but it was just as unbelievable as I remembered.”

  She couldn’t look him in the eye. “You’re making this harder on me, Chad.” Her fingertips touched her swollen mouth tentatively, her gaze meeting his. “Why is this so hard?” The question reeled through her mind and escaped from her lips without realizing it.

  Chad stepped closer to her again, his hands on her shoulders to hold her firmly in place. “Katie, it shouldn’t have to be.” His voice was hushed and tender. “I need you to realize...you should be furious with me right now. Hell, you should be grabbing your coat and your son and be storming out of here. Yet, you’re not. You’re standing here with me now, after kissing me back. And you wanted it just as badly as I did.”

  She might not have known much about Chad Ashton, but he seemed to know her very well.

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAD

  If silence was truly golden and ignorance was really bliss, it was safe to say that Chad was doing something wrong. While Katie had left the recording studio on good terms with him—he felt he knew her well enough to know if she’d been upset at him for his actions or not—he hadn’t heard a word from her in over two days. The thought plagued him that he’d made a huge mistake by kissing her and letting her know that not a damn thing had changed in regard to his feelings for her—but he didn’t regret it, and that was mostly because he was confident enough that it hadn’t been a mistake.

  So, what happened? It had been a welcomed surprise when she called asking to see him, and he hadn’t asked why she’d made that call. The reason didn’t matter. Whatever led her to choose to contact him, it was a blessing. When she left, she’d hugged him back, thanking him for giving her and Mason a sneak peek at the life of a recording artist. Mason was jabbering frantically about how cool it all was, and Chad wondered amusedly if the young boy would even be able to stay awake for the car ride home.

  He wasn’t sure what he expected after kissing her, and being able to spend some time with her, but two days of utter silence wasn’t it. He kept checking his phone for text messages and missed calls as he ducked in and out of interviews and appearances. His mind played tricks on him, pulling his phone out of his pocket often when he was sure he’d heard the text alert or the ringing of an incoming call. It was driving him crazy, and the urge to call her was beckoning within him in an astoundingly loud voice. He couldn’t push her, though. Kissing her—and then blatantly pointing out her positive response to that kiss—was forward enough. Anything more might drive her away instead of bringing her closer. Emotionally, Katie was so close to him, it was as if she was a part of him—he could feel it. Mentally and physically, however, she might as well have been a million miles away, her uncertainty and distrust erecting concrete walls he would never break down if she didn’t give him the chance. When it came down to it, he could want her and love her all he wanted, but Katie needed to make the decision to come to him; he couldn’t do it for her. He wouldn’t do that to her.

  He wouldn’t be like Jay.

  How that man managed to treat Katie the way he did and still keep her for himself, Chad would never understand it. While he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain of it, his gut told him that no love lived within that home anymore. Katie had distanced herself from everyone following Jay’s choice to leave her, only to push everyone further away when Chad’s true identity had been revealed in such a cruel and disbelieving way. Now, she held on to the only thing she seemed really sure of: her loveless, but convenient, relationship with the father of her son. It was illogical thinking in Chad’s eyes, but he could see how, after everything she’d been through, Katie found an odd comfort in the low expectations she had of her current relationship. Jay, on the other hand, seemed just as disinterested in truly being with her. To him, their relationship seemed a practical ruse that looked good from the outside, and that made sense, despite the lack of true companionship and the nonexistent connection. To Chad, Jay seemed to want Katie as his own because he should, not because he actually wanted to want her; like he owed her that much after everything he’d put her broken heart through. Despite his dislike of the man, Chad believed that Jay, deep down, must mean well in his reasoning. He hoped, anyway.

  However, could he not see that things were getting worse, and not better? They may have once loved each other—Chad couldn’t attest to the validity of that—but now their union seemed volatile and destined for destruction. It was a ticking bomb getting dangerously close to exploding and destroying everything and everyone in its wake. How could Jay and Katie not see that?

  Objectivity is the key, Chad surmised. Well, perhaps Chad’s perspective was somewhat biased, but he still didn’t believe he was wrong in his assumptions. He might be in love with Katie and wanting to do right by her and Mason, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t see what was right in front of him for what it really was.

  Did it?

  A gentle knock sounded at the door of the office he was camped out in while waiting for his next meeting—his producer for the new album had a few things he wanted to go over—and the interruption saved Chad from having to ponder this question any further. Chad quickly heaved his boot clad feet from the desk, sitting up in alarm at the unexpected company.

  Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Chad thought, his jaw clenching tightly at the sight of Jay, who stood comfortably leaned up against the door jamb, his hand still on the handle.

  “I have made some pretty big mistakes, Chad.” Jay didn’t look angry or agitated as he spoke, but his finger tapped rhythmically against the door frame, giving away his inner tension.

  “We all have, I suppose. That’s life...” Chad covered his confusion with a fake grin. “...and that’s what country songs are spawned from.”

  Jay didn’t seem to hear his joke. “One of my biggest mistakes was taking her to your single release party.”

  It irked Chad that he didn’t even have the decency to say Katie’s name. “Well, I would beg to differ, but I could see how you would see it that way. It was a bold move, Jay. And a confusing one, for that matter.”

  “Like I said, it was a mistake. And as for mistakes, I’d like to request that you leave her and my son alone.”

  Again, he didn’t use Katie’s name, and Chad bit back the urge to snap at him for it. Chad had more important things floating through his mind.

  Does he know I kissed Katie? The thought resonated through him, and he finally decided that Jay couldn’t possibly know or he would have jumped over the desk between them by now and fought to recover the pride that had gotten him into this mess in the first place. “We’re friends, Jay.” He would make no promise to stay aw
ay; there was no use making a promise he knew he could never keep.

  “Funny, that’s the same rehearsed answer she keeps giving me.”

  “It’s not rehearsed; it’s the truth. Katie and I are friends, despite what you might be thinking.”

  Jay scoffed, shaking his head in protest. “I’m not blind, and, frankly, I don’t blame you. All I’m asking is that you don’t ruin this chance for her to start over.”

  Chad arched an eyebrow at his insinuation. “I would never ruin anything for Katie. Don’t blame me for your faults, Jay.” Chad stood, deciding this conversation needed to end soon, before it turned into something neither of them wanted within the halls of Mercury Records.

  Jay stiffened, his tone growing terse and impatient. “You’ll ruin everything, Chad. It pains me to admit it, but you have the ability to ruin everything for us, and I hate you for that.” Jay’s frigid glare pierced Chad’s gaze. “I know I’m to blame for much of what led us here to this moment, but, damn it, if there is any time I’d like you to hear me out, it would be right now. Just leave them alone and let me have my family back.”

  Chad didn’t move. He couldn’t. Shock paralyzed him, though he struggled to maintain his outward composure. Jay saw him as a threat, admittedly hated him, and was asking him to back down and let him have another chance at being a family. Politely enough, even. Chad never thought he would ever have an ounce of respect for the man that stood before him, but he did.

  “I can’t let you have something back that I don’t have in my possession to give you. Katie is not mine, but you and I both know she’s not yours, either. Your comments and suggestions have been duly noted, Jay, but I’d recommend that you question your own motives in all this and decide who is really putting Katie’s chance at starting over in jeopardy. You can close the door behind you.”

  Jay stared incredulously at him, obviously wanting to retaliate in some way. Chad’s cell phone rang shrilly on the desk between them, breaking the tension, thick as fog between them. He dropped his gaze to the caller display, seeing Barry’s name flashing on it. He picked it up and let his thumb hover over the answer button, glaring expectantly at Jay.