When Worlds Collide (My Kind Of Country Book 3)

by M. Lynne Cunning

  “Katie, you just got finished saying you weren’t even sure you made the right decision. I’m not blind, so you didn’t have to say it out loud. Deep down, you may not want to run that farm as a business like your father did, but you do love that property, if only because it was his. And Mason loves it. Hell, I’m kind of a fan of it myself, seeing as it’s where we met.”

  He gave her a sideways glance, pulling her hand back into his again. This time, he pulled her gently up onto the side of the bed, reaching out to run his thumb across her cheekbone where a stray tear had escaped. “Once again, you’ll have nothing owing against the farm, and you have time to figure out what you really want to do with it. You don’t have to completely forget about the past in order to move on from it. Just give yourself time.”

  Katie couldn’t take her eyes off him, convinced he must be joking. The man she’d let into her life before him had spent the last few months blatantly telling her she needed to sell the property in order to start over anew. And just when she finally had convinced herself that he might be right, enough to list it for sale and accept an offer on it, the man she vowed to move on with had bought it back. She’d chosen to sacrifice the farm for him, and for the sake of a real shot at building a life together. But Chad ultimately reminded her that she shouldn’t have to sacrifice the things she loved at all. The sacrifice wasn’t the important part, being together was.

  “I can’t believe you bought the farm from me,” she whispered, her tone still incredulous.

  “I didn’t. Chad Ashton did.”

  She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. “I always was a fan of that guy.”

  Chad smiled against her lips. “Are you upset that I did it without telling you?”

  Katie shook her head, kissing him again. “No. I just can’t believe you would do such a thing.”

  “And I can’t believe you’d think I wouldn’t,” he replied before kissing her back.

  Chapter Nineteen

  CHAD

  The flashing strobe lights and rhythmic thumping of the bass pounding through the speakers of the arena were causing Chad a whirlwind of mixed feelings. The tingling, fluttery sensation in the pit of his stomach rivaled the feeling of consuming fifteen cups of strong coffee—on top of the six cups he had actually drunk throughout the day. He’d always been told that a little anxiousness before going onstage was a good thing—“If you lose that, the magic is gone,” Barry once reminded him—but the nervousness he felt right now was unlike any case of butterflies he’d ever experienced before any show before.

  “Are you all right? Green ain’t exactly your color, my friend.” Andy appeared backstage, and Chad was relieved to see him. They’d written songs together and been friends for years. He’d stuck by Chad through his hiatus from the music industry after Liz left him, and had even been the one to show Chad the newspaper article about him and Katie. Andy was a friendly face, and someone who knew Chad as more than just Chad Ashton; that meant something to him.

  “I’m good. Just a little nervous.”

  “Understatements really are your thing, aren’t they?” he laughed, patting him on the back.”This ain’t your first rodeo, so what’s got you all twisted up?”

  Chad didn’t know where to start. It was the opening night of the tour, so that held its own daunting factors. The first night set the pace and precedence for the rest of the tour. There would always be little things that would require tweaking, but those were things artists prayed that they noticed and the audience didn’t. It was inevitable that there would be something they would want to correct or change after tonight’s show, but the sound check had gone off without a hitch earlier in the day. They were ready.

  It was also his first live show since the accident. Chad moved slower now, less than three months since it happened, and there would be no running around on the stage or jumping from the pedestal the drums were on to the main stage. The song lineup was scheduled in order to allow for slower ballads to be sung in between the faster, up-tempo songs, giving Chad ample time to rest his legs and conserve his strength between sets. A stool was set up to sit on during the slower songs, but he would use it only if needed. He noticed earlier that Barry had leaned a cuffed crutch against the wall just to the left of the main stage, but be damned if Chad was going to let it come to that. He planned to play it smart and careful, but resorting to a crutch? That wasn’t going to happen.

  “It’s just been a while, I guess,” Chad chuckled at Andy. “I’m practically a decrepit old man this time around.”

  Andy picked up one of the guitars from the stands lined up near the stage, laughing to himself. “You ain’t going out there alone. Just remember that. Your band, they’ve got you covered.” Andy played a couple chords, his ear tilted downward as he listened to the resulting sound. “Saw your wife out there in the front row.”

  The mention of Katie only heightened the fluttering in his abdomen. “She’s not my wife, Andy. You know that.”

  “You can call her what you want, man. I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at her and that boy, sorry to say it. If she ain’t your wife now, she will be. Mark my words.” Andy turned at the sight of Barry coming in the back door, offered Chad a thumbs-up sign, and followed in Barry’s wake.

  Andy didn’t always show up at Chad’s shows, but he—along with almost everyone else in Nashville that he knew—had made some kind of collective decision to help him out with this show any way he could. Because of it, the population behind the stage was three times the normal number, and every room, hallway, and path seemed congested with people.

  “He’s right, you know.”

  Chad turned around at the voice, his eyes wide. It may have seemed like most of Nashville was in the building tonight, but he never expected Jay to be anywhere close to the venue, let alone leaning up against one of the walls backstage. “Right about what?”

  He watched as Jay took him in; Chad’s stance, expression, and stillness exuded suspicion. “About you and Katie. She looks at you like you’re the only one in the room like you’re the only one she needs in the room.”

  “It’s good to see you, too.” Chad tried to swallow the defensiveness in his tone, but it proved a difficult task. It had been more than two months since he’d laid eyes on the man, so he figured he maintained every right to keep his guard up now that he’d shown up on such an important evening.

  Jay pushed himself away from the wall with his foot, pulling himself up to his full height. He set his gaze on Chad, squaring his shoulders to face him. “I didn’t come here to argue, I swear.” He held up the concert pass slung around his neck. “I still work at Mercury, remember?”

  “You’d never know it. I haven’t seen you at the offices in a while. Not like I used to.”

  “It’s different when I’m trying to avoid seeing you,” Jay said dryly. “I can make myself pretty scarce when I want to.”

  Chad didn’t give a damn about Jay’s excuses. The only thing that mattered was that his avoidance and unwillingness to face the future was wearing on Katie. After all they’d made it through, the least Jay could do, he felt, was sit down with her and work out some kind of plan like they’d mentioned the last time they saw each other. “Katie’s worried about you, you know.”

  “I know.” Jay swallowed. “I’m trying, I am. I do see her for a bit when I come to pick up Mason.”

  “No, you give her a quick wave as you’re strapping Mason into that sports car of yours. I don’t think you’ve said more than two words to her since she convinced the police not to arrest you.” It was a low blow, he knew it, but he felt compelled to remind him of how much Katie had done for him. The least he could do was talk to her.

  “I’ll talk to her soon. I’m just not—”

  “Ready. Yeah, I know, Jay. I don’t know if any of us are, but time is slipping by whether we like it or not. Wouldn’t you rather spend it on good terms with us, instead of no terms at all? I mean, it’s not like you can say we’re even on
bad terms with each other if there’s a complete absence of communication. That’s sad.” Chad gave him a wry grin. “Seriously, just call her. You two have a lot to talk about. I’ll stay out of the way, if that’s what you want, but just talk to Katie, alright?”

  Jay seemed taken aback by his plea. Finally, he nodded. “I will. Soon. I guess I just haven’t forgiven myself—”

  Chad held up his hand, cutting him off. “I’d like to think we’ve all forgiven each other for our past regressions. It doesn’t mean we have to forget them, but we do have to move forward. There ain’t nothing good that can come from focusing on the past.” He paused, then added, “Life changes us; not always for the better, but always for the future.”

  “Smart words.” Jay raised his chin to meet Chad’s eyes. “You’re a smart man, Kirkwood.” He held out his hand hesitantly.

  The gesture surprised Chad, but he took the man’s hand and shook it earnestly. “Just talk to Katie. It’ll be good for both of you.”

  Jay nodded again. “Good luck tonight. That’s what I actually came here to say. Good luck. You’ve got a full house.”

  “Looks that way. And thanks. Does Katie know you’re here?”

  “No, and I’d like to keep it that way, if that’s all right with you. I don’t want her to misconstrue my reasons for being here. You know, like you almost did.” Jay pulled his hand away, shoving it back in his pocket.

  He wasn’t going to admit it, but Chad preferred it that way for now, too. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin this night for Katie; she’d been looking forward to it for too long. “You got it.”

  Jay seemed to be debating whether to say more. In the end, he only gave Chad a half-hearted smile.“See you around, Kirkwood.”

  “You will. Take care, Jay.”

  It took only a few seconds for him to disappear into the sea of people scurrying about, and Chad was staring at the spot he’d stood in long after he lost sight of him.

  He took a minute to collect his thoughts, and then Chad made his way through the sporadic clusters of stage crew and volunteers to the black curtain that divided backstage from the main stage. He pulled the curtain to the side just a bit, and he was thankful he could see past the large video screen that obstructed most of the curtain from view.

  Just as Andy said, he could see Katie and Mason in the front row. Beside them were his parents and Jillian—he’d made sure the tickets for those specific seats were always set aside for his family, at this concert and any in the future that they chose to attend. Mason was turned around in his seat, sitting on his folded legs, and everyone around him seemed to be laughing, including the women who occupied the seats behind him. Chad was confident Mason didn’t know the women, but that didn’t matter to him. He would talk to anyone, and say anything for a laugh. He was a clown when he wanted to be, and he loved the limelight.

  Good for you, Little Man, Chad thought to himself. Make your mama smile. She lights up the room when she smiles.

  “You’re on in ten, Mr. Ashton.”

  Chad turned to see a teenage boy, freckled and awkward. He wore a sticker on his shirt that read Volunteer, and held a clipboard. Chad wondered what he was keeping track of on the papers clipped to it, and thought about asking him. “Thank you,” he said instead. He had ten minutes to prepare—ten minutes to find Barry and advise him of a slight change in the song selection. It was a deviation from the planned schedule, but not necessarily from his own. It was a deviation, nonetheless, and it did little to ease his nerves.

  ***

  It took all of three seconds for the roar of the crowd and the bright lights to destroy the butterflies in his stomach and pull a huge grin across his face. When he stepped onto the stage, the octaves of the screams rose even higher, and he waved to the audience, who were on their feet and clapping with such fervor that the sound boomed just as loudly as the first few chords of Chad’s hit, Take Me Home.

  He stared out over the crowd as he pulled the microphone from its stand, taking in the homemade signs and waving hands vying for his attention.

  Other than Katie and Mason, this was what he lived for.

  He brought the microphone to his lips and began to sing the first verse, only to be met with thousands of other voices singing along with him. He closed his eyes for a moment, to savor the collective sounds, sights, and feelings he could easily have lost a few months ago.

  When he opened them, his gaze was locked on Katie and Mason in the front row. He gave Mason a big wave as he moved across the stage, and the young boy jumped up onto his chair, cheering and clapping emphatically.

  The song neared its completion as Chad made his way back to the middle of the stage. He stole a glance down at his parents and saw his father nodding up at him.

  Pride swelled inside Chad. Hayden’s lips weren’t moving, but the look in his eyes spoke loudly.

  His father was proud of him.

  He sang his way through the next three songs as planned, pulling the stool out into the middle of the stage for a ballad he’d written with Andy, the third track on the new album. He would never admit to the relief he felt at being able to give his hips and legs a rest by sitting down for that song, but he did welcome it.

  A blanket of lighters lit up the crowd in front of him, and he smiled, despite the sadness conveyed in the song’s lyrics. He strummed the final chord on his guitar, and the arena went from eerily noiseless to an eruption of applause. He turned to the side of the stage, looking for Barry. He was there, as expected, and he signaled to the rest of the band to exit the stage. The band members looked confused, but they obeyed, taking their water bottles and whiskey glasses with them.

  Chad remained seated on the stool, his guitar still at the ready.

  “I want to thank each and every one of you for the love and support you’ve sent to me over the past few months.” His voice sounded deep and thunderous as he spoke into the microphone without the music to accompany it. “I’ve received more get-well cards and well wishes than I’ve ever seen before in my life, and I’m pretty sure y’all broke my social media pages.”

  A rumble of laughter echoed throughout the crowd, mixed with whistles and clapping.

  “So, I know I’m not jumping off the stage to come and greet you guys, and I know I’m not bouncing around on stage, hyping you all up with party songs and acrobatics, but I just have got to know one thing...Despite all that, are y’all having fun, anyway?”

  The audience erupted into cheers, echoing loudly, though the walls may crumble around them from the weight of it. Chad saw Mason cup his hands around his mouth and let out a loud hoot of approval.

  “Well, all right. Just thought I’d check,” Chad chuckled, lowering his gaze to focus on the guitar in front of him. He strummed it once. “I’m going to slow things down here even more, just for a few minutes.” He strummed the guitar again, verifying it was in tune. “This song I’m about to play for you; it’s not on the new album. To be honest, the only person who has ever heard it is my manager, and he’s probably having an aneurysm backstage because it’s not on the list of songs to be played tonight.”

  Laughter met Chad’s ears, and he smiled again. Okay, he was embellishing a bit, and Barry did know he was going to play it, but Chad had only told him about it minutes before he went onstage. Barry wasn’t overly receptive to the idea, but he’d told Chad to do what he needed to, just as Chad had expected.

  “So,” he continued, adjusting the microphone a little lower. “After I’m done singing it for you, you guys can let me know what you think. And, if we play our cards right, maybe we can get permission for it to be recorded on the next album, but we’ve got to ask the pretty lady I wrote it for first.”

  Catcalls and hoots sounded, resulting in more laughter. Chad zeroed his gaze in on Katie, who was already wide eyed and shaking her head, silently begging him not to put her on the spot. She hadn’t expected it, but she knew exactly what he was going to play. Chad threw his head back and laughed.

 
“Katie, this one’s for you, babe. It’s been a long time coming.”

  The first few chords were familiar on Chad’s fingers as he picked the guitar in a delicate sequence. He’d played it many times, alone in his apartment, and had hummed it to himself when his guitar wasn’t close at hand. The song was a part of him, a melody he could never forget, that flowed through him as warm and necessary as the blood in his veins.

  By the time he brought his mouth up to the microphone, Chad could feel the pain coursing through him. Not from his injuries, or the stresses of the show, but from the painful emotions the song evoked in him. He had written it in the wake of Katie’s decision to work things out with Jay, when nothing could take his mind off the hurting he felt at having lost her. Even then, he knew she was the one he was meant to be with, even if she had chosen to be with someone else. He’d held out hope that their paths, though winding and tangled, would cross again, becoming one. She was the one, his one. Nothing would change that.

  He worked up the nerve to look down at Katie during a short instrumental piece, too afraid to meet her gaze while singing. Everything that she meant to him, all the beauty he saw in her; he feared he would choke up and be unable to continue. Tears were glistening down her cheeks, and Elaine’s hand was strung across Mason’s lap to hold Katie’s hand on the other side of him.

  His mother knew what Katie meant to him, too; he had told her outright, through cracked lips and a croaky, raw voice, the first time she’d spent the night in the armchair beside his ICU bed after he’d awoken. It was the most important thing he needed her to know, save for his apology for not being the son she deserved and for staying away so long, which came soon after. His mother and the rest of his family may not know his and Katie’s full story, and perhaps some of it was meant to stay buried away, but he’d felt compelled for her to know that Katie was a part of his life now, a part of him. His mother had cried joyous tears then, as well.

  Chad began to sing the final chorus, too engrossed in the song to stop, and too in love with Katie to avert his eyes elsewhere.