The Price of Love (Rockin' Country Book 2)

by Briscoe, Laramie

  “The fuck?” he asked as he saw the picture of him with a brown-headed girl. She was sitting in his lap, and he had his head on her neck. From the angle, it looked almost like he was trying to kiss her, but when he took a good look; he saw that his forehead rested against her shoulder. He probably hadn’t been able to keep his head up at that point.

  “That’s my question. Why would you go and do something like this?”

  “I don’t even remember it. Jared promised me that he wouldn’t let me do anything stupid.” Where had Jared been?

  “I already talked to him. He took a five-minute bathroom break, and when he came back, this was going down,” she told him. “But Jared isn’t responsible for you making good decisions. Have you heard from Hannah? I’m sure she’s seen this.”

  Fuck. His wife. “I woke up to you pounding on my fucking front door, Mom. No, I haven’t talked to my wife yet.” Fear took hold around his stomach. They were at a good place. What if this caused a setback?

  “I think you need to call her.”

  This was all too much. He was hung over; he needed water, aspirin, and a shower to be able to think straight. He was going to lose his shit, and he didn’t want to do that with his mom. “I think you need to get the fuck out of my house. She’s my wife; I’ll do what I need to do.”

  “Don’t talk to me like that, son.” She emphasized the word son.

  He sighed. “I know you mean well, but I will take care of this in my own way. I love you, but I really need you to leave.”

  Marie hesitated, then walked over to where he sat, pulling him up for a hug. “No matter how old you get, I want to fix things for you, and I’m going to give you some unsolicited advice right now. Call your wife, apologize, tell her you love her, and for the love of God, take a shower. You stink to high heaven.”

  He smirked, a small chuckle coming from his throat. “Will do, Mom. Thanks for coming to check on me.”

  “It’s what we do. Love you,” she told him as she let herself out of the house.

  Suddenly feeling tired again, Garrett fell back against the couch cushions. What the fuck was he going to do now? How did he explain this to Hannah? He couldn’t even make his finger move over the button that he knew would connect them on his phone. The dilemma was answered for him when the phone vibrated in his hand and he saw the picture of the person that he most wanted to see. He wasn’t sure how he would be received when he answered, but he knew he had to answer. Swiping his thumb across the screen, Hannah’s picture disappeared and the call engaged.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he answered, hoping with everything he had that a little sweet talk was what she needed to forgive him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  * * *

  Judging from the way Garrett’s voice sounded, he was not having a good day. “How are you?” she asked, carefully.

  He cleared his throat twice and then cursed. “Fuck this, answer my FaceTime, I need to see you.”

  The call disengaged, and then she got his FaceTime request. Accepting it, she was surprised at the way he looked. Her mouth hung open and she whistled.

  “I know, I look like hell.”

  “Garrett, babe, what did you do to yourself last night?” she questioned, her eyes taking in his appearance. He looked awful.

  “Something very stupid if the tabloids are to be believed.”

  Hannah could see the guilt on his face, could almost physically feel it through the phone. “Did you wake up by yourself this morning?” she whispered.

  “Fuck, Han, I was drunk, but I wasn’t that drunk.”

  “Are you sure? Because from what I saw, you could barely hold your head up.”

  The hurt was there in her eyes as he watched but so was anger. She was mad. “I know it looked bad.”

  “It did, almost as bad as the pictures with me and Bryson.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “What we have to remember is that not everybody is happy about our marriage. There are some people that want it gone or want to see us struggle. We have got to stop putting ourselves in situations like this.”

  She was right. He had been a dumbass to think he could go out in public and drink his loneliness away. He should have done it in the comfort of his home with his friends. They were no longer the locally known band that everybody wanted to buy a drink. They were now internationally known, and some people chomped at the bit to wait for them to fail. He couldn’t put himself in that situation again, not when it threatened what he had with her.

  “I’m so fuckin’ sorry.”

  Hannah smiled brightly at him, and that was almost his undoing. “I can tell by looking at the picture that you were not into it. I’m not mad at you, honest. I’m mad at her, whoever she is. When did we, as women, stop having respect for ourselves?”

  “God, I love you,” he chuckled. “We’re okay?”

  “We are fine. I’m confident in what we have here. The two of us need to remember who we are. Even though we see ourselves as normal, we have to remember that not everybody else sees us that way. Let’s promise now that we stop putting ourselves in these situations.”

  Somehow the roles had reversed. “As funny as this sounds, I’m proud of you for being the one to lift me up this time.”

  She laughed loudly. “It is kind of weird, huh? I guess it’s what we do when we love each other.” Her eyes shone brightly with the laughter.

  “I can’t wait to see you,” he told her softly. He wanted so much to reach through the screen of the phone and push her hair back from her face.

  “I can’t either. Have you taken a look at your schedule?”

  “I have,” he nodded. “I think I can make it out for a day next week. I know you can’t do anything, they’ve fuckin’ booked you solid.”

  Hannah groaned and frowned. “Shell and I received the last of my dates yesterday. In this entire eight-week stretch, I have a total of five days off. Can you believe that?”

  “They want to be sure and cash in.” He rolled his eyes. “Seven more weeks, and I can see you next week. We got this.”

  She hoped he was right. It was hard to feel completely confident when everything was working against you. “What day do you think you can make it out next week? One of my days off is next week. Maybe we can meet in Nashville and tour that house?”

  “You are so excited about that damn house.” He shook his head.

  “I am!”

  “Okay,” he relented. “Send me when and where, and I’ll be there with bells on.”

  “Sounds good.” She clapped her hands. “I gotta go for now, I have a radio interview. Be sure and take a shower, cause you look like you stink.”

  “Love you too.”

  She blew a kiss at him. “I do love you, that’s why I’m being honest. I’ll see you in a few days?”

  “See ya.”

  He disconnected, glad that he had been able to call her and get it worked out. The countdown was now on for next week.

  * * *

  Hannah stood in Nashville International Airport waiting for Garrett to walk through the baggage claim area. He’d texted her five minutes ago that he’d landed.

  “I hate to bother you, Harmony, but do you think I could have an autograph?”

  That soft voice interrupted Hannah’s stalking of the entrance, and she glanced around, seeing a girl who was probably in her early teens. An older woman came to a stop behind the girl.

  “I’m so sorry, I told her that you were busy, but she got away from me,” the woman told her, her breath coming quickly.

  “It’s okay,” Hannah told them, smiling as best she could. “Do you have anything for me to sign?”

  Sometimes it was hard to be polite, especially when her heart was in her throat, waiting for the other half of her soul to meet her. It had been a long week, and all she wanted to do was let Garrett wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. Sometimes, though, duty called. She watched as the girl reached into her messenger bag and pulle
d out a Sharpie, along with a notebook.

  “Can you sign here?” she asked, indicating the first page.

  “Am I the first one?” Hannah asked, noticing that the notebook looked brand new. That was kind of exciting.

  The girl nodded. “We’re here on vacation for the week, and I was hoping to run into some people to get autographs from. You were the number-one person I wanted, I can’t tell you how excited I am about this.”

  “Aww, thank you,” she told the girl. Her excitement and nervousness over seeing Garrett abated a little. It was this girl’s dream to meet her. “What’s your name?”

  “Madison.”

  Hannah started signing and decided to keep the conversation going. Garrett wasn’t anywhere to be seen yet, anyway. “Have you wanted to come to Nashville for long?”

  “Yes.” The girl nodded, not offering anymore.

  Glancing up at the mother, Hannah noticed tears in her eyes. The way the girl had said yes made her think there was more to the story.

  “It’s what kept her going,” the mother whispered.

  Hannah didn’t have to ask. “I just went into remission from cancer,” the girl told her. “This is my dream come true.”

  “Wow.” Hannah breathed to keep the tears from coming to her eyes as well. She hated that people had to go through these things, especially children. “Do you wanna take a picture?” she asked, as she finished signing the notebook.

  Madison nodded. “Can I take one with him too?” She pointed behind Hannah.

  Hannah glanced behind her, noticing that her husband now stood patiently waiting. “I don’t know,” she winked at him. “You’ll have to ask Reaper yourself.”

  He caught Hannah around the neck, pulling her flush to him. Her back to his front. “She likes to try and make me blush. What’s your name, sweetheart?” he asked as he let go of Hannah and motioned for the notebook.

  “Where are you and Madison staying?” she asked the mother while Garrett kept Madison entertained.

  She rattled off the name of a hotel that Hannah knew wasn’t in the best part of town. “You don’t want to stay there, trust me.” Putting her hand on the older woman’s shoulder, she pulled out her cell phone and spent a couple of minutes texting while they continued to make small talk. “Okay, you’re set up. I want you and Madison to have a great time. There’s a car waiting outside for you, it will take you to the hotel that I’ve booked for you for the week, this car will also be at your disposal for your trip here. Have a great time, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call my assistant, Shell.” She wrote Shell’s number on the back of a card and handed it to the woman.

  If someone had asked her, she would never be able to tell them why she felt the need to do this. She’d never done anything like this before, but there was something about this girl and this woman that made her want to help. She didn’t have to do it in front of a group of people, and she didn’t even want a thank you. The tears in the older woman’s eyes was enough.

  Garrett put his arm around Hannah again as he and Madison came to stand closer to them. He reached out and shook the mother’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to be able to be number two in her book. I hope you have a great time in Nashville; I’m still learning about it myself, but what I’ve seen so far, I love.”

  His words seem to put the other woman at ease—it gave her time to get control of her emotions. They took two more pictures, and then Hannah hugged the mother. “Have a great time.”

  She and Garrett quickly made their way out of the hustle and bustle of the airport to her Land Rover that her mom had dropped off at the airport for her earlier in the day. Once there, he grabbed her up in a hug, kissing her softly on the lips before opening the passenger side door for her.

  “I’m excited that we both got here around the same time.” She grabbed his hand as he backed out of the parking spot.

  “Me too, but I’m getting to where I fucking hate airports.”

  She frowned at his choice of words. “We got out of there just in time; we have to meet the realtor in an hour, and it’s going to take us a little while to get across town.”

  He grinned over at her. “Have you seen it yet?”

  “No, I’ve been waiting on you.” She bounced in her seat.

  Hannah wasn’t sure why she was so excited, she just knew that this felt like another part of the progression of their lives as a married couple. This was the type of thing she saw them doing when they got married, not flying red-eyes at all hours trying to see each other for a few minutes here and there. She had to keep reminding herself that it would all work out in the end. She had to believe that.

  Chapter Fifteen

  * * *

  When they pulled up to the address that Hannah had put into the GPS, Garrett whistled. “This is awesome.”

  “I know.” She clapped her hands together with excitement. In person, she could see that the pictures on the internet didn’t do the house justice. She had loved the gray exterior in the pictures she had seen, but in reality, it blended in so well with the surroundings that it looked as if it had been carved out of the landscape. When she got out of the SUV, she glanced around the property and noticed that she also liked the land it sat on. While the house was in a subdivision, it still had a little over two acres worth of land. The house sat in what she thought to be the middle of those two acres.

  “Hannah?” A man in a suit approached her.

  She smiled and stuck out a hand when she noticed it was the real estate agent that she had seen a picture of on the website. “Hi. Jacob, right?”

  “Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Same here. This is my husband, Garrett.” She introduced the two of them and waited while they shook hands, and then Jacob rolled up his shirt sleeve to show Garrett a Black Friday tattoo he had.

  “If I wasn’t a rocker, I would be the same way, dude,” Garrett laughed. “All buttoned up with my tats a secret, so I could make it in the corporate world.”

  “Okay, so Hannah, I’ve told you everything I know about the house, I toured it the other day and it’s spectacular. Do either of you have any questions for me?” he asked as they made their way to the front door.

  “Can we, for the love of God, go in?” she asked, impatient.

  He laughed, used to people being excited to tour the house that they wanted to make their own. “We sure can.” He disengaged the lock that was on the front door, and then stepped in, turning off the alarm system before he motioned them in.

  Garrett grabbed her hand, pulling her in behind him. “So this place is already equipped with security?”

  “It is,” Jacob answered. “The person who owns the house now is a well-known producer, and at one point had people dropping off CDs and drives with songs on them all the time. Word has it that someone got a little over-zealous and actually got into the house one night. He upped the security after that. Should you decide to make an offer on this house, the security is top-notch, and we can go into that at the end if you want.”

  Garrett nodded, feeling better about the situation. He wanted Hannah to be safe when he wasn’t around. Finally, he allowed himself to take a look at his surroundings. There was a definite cultural difference from California houses to houses in Tennessee.

  “While this is modern,” Jacob was saying, “you’ll still see a lot of hallmarks of southern homes, which Hannah will probably get a whole lot more than you.”

  “I love these hardwood floors.” Hannah’s eyes were already bright, and they were only in the foyer.

  “It’s not hardwood through-out, but for the most part it is. There is a mother-in-law suite, which you could see to the left of the house when you pulled up, that’s connected by a walk-way. It’s being used right now as an office, and it has carpet, as well as the movie room. There’s tile in the dining room too, it’s got a nice mixture, I think.”

  “There’s a movie room?” Garrett asked, eyebrows high and a bright smile on his face at the sound of t
hat.

  “Yes, there is,” he confirmed, consulting the printed-out folder he had in front of him.

  “I sent you the link,” Hannah gently scolded him. “Didn’t you take a look at it?”

  “Kind of.” He shrugged. “I didn’t really need to. If you’re excited, I’m excited.” He slung an arm around her shoulders.

  “I guess that’s sweet, but I wanted you to know what you would be coming to look at.”

  “I do like it,” he assured her. “The pictures that I did see didn’t do this place justice.”

  They made their way further in, both admiring the lighting coming from the large windows and the big rooms.

  “It’s going to take a lot of furniture to fill this place up,” she laughed as she held onto Garrett’s arm.

  “Or a lot of kids,” Jacob joked. “It’s got four bedrooms.”

  They glanced at one another; neither of them had broached that topic yet. “Someday,” Hannah answered, vaguely.

  They passed through a kitchen that would have made any chef jealous, through a dining room, and out onto a back wrap-around porch.

  “The only thing that does suck is that you can’t hear the ocean,” Garrett told her, wrinkling his nose.

  “Sacrifices.” She winked. “We both have to make them.”

  “The living room isn’t huge, but it’s got a really nice stone fireplace,” Jacob said as he led them back into the house.

  “Does it ever get cold enough here to use that?” Garrett asked.

  Jacob and Hannah glanced at one another, both wearing looks of amusement. “He only has to wait until the first snow shuts down the city,” Jacob laughed.

  “Snow? You don’t get a lot here do you?” Garret asked.

  “Doesn’t take a lot,” Hannah told him dryly. “Half an inch, a few flakes, whatever—it shuts down the city.

  “Can you please do me a favor if you buy this house? The first time he’s here when winter weather madness strikes, let me know how he handles it,” Jacob laughed.

  She really liked the realtor and hoped that Garrett would agree with her in putting an offer on the house. “Will do. It will be one of the most interesting days of my life, I can tell you that!”