Full Circle (Rockin' Country #3)

by Laramie Briscoe

  She fought to keep the tears out of her eyes. Garrett was normally sweet, but those words were some of the most romantic she had ever heard in her entire life. Songwriting was something she loved and she thought she was good at, but she’d never been recognized for it before. This was definitely a special night for her. “Thank you, but you are way more than arm candy. You’re gonna be the thing that keeps me sane when we perform in front of everyone tonight.”

  That was something he was nervous about. He could hold a crowd of peers in the palm of his hand; the Grammys was a contemporary music crowd, and he wasn’t sure anyone would know who the fuck he was. He would do it for her, because for her he would do anything, but it didn’t mean he was completely comfortable with it.

  “We need to get goin’,” she told him as she glanced at the time on her phone and stuck it in her clutch.

  “Alright.” Marie came up to them, holding two plastic shot glasses. “Let’s do a celebration toast real fast and then send these two on their way.”

  Everyone held up their shot glasses, except Jared, who held a bottle of water, and toasted them for good luck.

  * * *

  “Are you nervous?”

  They had successfully made it into the limo and were in the long line of cars that would take them to the red carpet. Garrett had asked the question quietly, with a whisper she almost couldn’t hear.

  “Not with you here, I’m not. If I were by myself I would be.” She grasped their hands together. “With you, I feel like I have my strength.”

  “I’m a little nervous.” He squeezed her hand. “Only because I want this to happen for you. I could give a shit what people think about me, but you deserve this. You deserve the recognition and for everyone else to see how amazing you are.”

  She swallowed roughly against the lump in her throat. “I don’t need it. As long as you tell me things like that, I know things are perfect.”

  “I know you don’t need it, but I want it for you.”

  There was a knock on the window, and they were interrupted by one of the production assistants for the Grammys who directed them on how they should get out of the car and greet the reporters. It was the first in a long line of things they would be told to do for the night.

  They exited the limo and made their way onto the red carpet. As soon as they stood in front of the press line, they couldn’t hear anything other than their names.

  “How much does this remind you of the first night we met?” he whispered in her ear.

  She smiled, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek, causing the crowd of photographers to go wild. “Best night of my life.”

  * * *

  “Next up, to perform the song that won an award earlier tonight for vocal event of the year, is everyone’s favorite newlywed couple Reaper and Harmony. Please welcome them to the stage.”

  The lights were down as they faced each other on stools, holding hands, one microphone between them. Hannah heard her cue, closed her eyes, and let the words fly from her mouth. The firm grip of Garrett’s hand kept hers from shaking, and she knew it was the same for him; adrenaline did crazy things to the body. When he began singing, she opened her eyes, seeing the brilliance of his green ones—for once he’d foregone sunglasses—and the love that showed there. They were lucky to be doing this together, and she knew it.

  As they finished singing, she realized how quiet it was in the building. Their voices faded, and there was a moment where no one did a thing, and she was nervous that they’d bombed this in a big way. Then, in a huge rush, everyone whistled, applauded, and gave them a standing ovation. Glancing over at Garrett, she registered the surprise on his face as well. Neither one of them had expected it. Not sure of how to react, she hugged him hard, burying her face in his chest as the emotions tumbled out of her. There was no one else in the world she knew she wanted to take this journey with, and she was blessed to be on it with him.

  Chapter Eight

  * * *

  “Why the fuck do you let this show make you cry?” Brad asked Hannah as the two of them sat in the back of the lounge. She’d been crying for the better part of fifteen minutes, and while the show hadn’t bothered him either way, he was sad for her. Havock didn’t know what to do and was curled at her feet, his head beside them, offering her silent comfort.

  “Opie died! How are you not crying?” She sobbed into her tissue

  “It’s a TV Show.” Brad laughed, pausing the remote. “You can’t take it this serious.”

  “But it’s such a good love story, and now he’s with Donna again, and oh my God, did you see Jax break down? I just want to hug him.” She sobbed quietly, folding the tissue into a neat square before wiping her nose.

  “I’m sure you want to do more with Jax than hug him,” he mumbled. He’d heard not only Hannah but Stacey talking about the things they’d like to do to the fictional character.

  “What the fuck happened?” Garrett asked as he came into the back room, taking in his crying wife and his laughing friend.

  “Opie died,” she explained to him, crying even more as she huffed out a breath.

  “Who?” His eyebrows came together in question, and it was obvious he was wracking his brain trying to figure out who in the hell the person was.

  “TV show, dude. You wouldn’t get it,” Brad explained, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. He loved watching TV with her and getting her riled up.

  “Shit.” Garrett had a seat on the other side of the lounge. “I thought that was a family member I hadn’t met yet. I was about to freak out.”

  “Well, I hate do to this,” Brad took the blanket off his legs and got up from the couch, “but she’s not my chick to comfort, so good luck, buddy. I’m gonna go call your sister.” He clapped hands with Garrett as he made his way out of the lounge.

  Garrett grimaced before walking over to sit beside his wife. He got under her blanket and lay next to her, shooing Havock to the floor. “Babe, are you okay?”

  She nodded, sniffling. “It’s just so sad. I know it’s only a TV show, and Brad probably won’t want to watch anything with me again because I’m such a girl, but I couldn’t help it.”

  He wrapped her in his arms, warm puffs of air disturbing her hair as he kept laughing. “This is why I love you, seriously. You’re such a sensitive person, and that’s something I needed in my life. There was no soft until you came along. I like the changes you’ve made in my personality.”

  She did too, but she wasn’t sure if it was couth for her to say that. She hadn’t really known him before they started dating. “Why do you say there was no soft? You were pretty sweet with me from the beginning.”

  “I was sick of everything, and I’m not proud of the way I treated women before you came along, but I can’t change it now.”

  This was something they’d kind of touched on before, but not in depth. There was a time when she wouldn’t have wanted to, but they needed to be honest with one another. Marriage without honesty wasn’t marriage. It was a business arrangement that only one person knew the rules to. “You mean groupies?”

  “Yeah, I do. They were for one thing and that was it, but there’s a part of my personality that needs that,” he admitted, his eyes dropping from hers.

  Pulling his chin up with her fingers, she forced him to meet her again. “Is that why the other night happened?”

  “Yeah.” She was quiet for a long time, longer than he was comfortable with, so he rushed to explain. “If you never want to do that again, I understand. I know it’s not romantic and it’s not sweet.”

  “It’s not,” she agreed. “But that’s what I love about it. It doesn’t always have to be perfect and sweet…there are times when I truly want you to take me.”

  He breathed deeply, his nose flaring as he took in the words she’d spoken. “You really do like it?”

  “Yeah.” She ducked her head, embarrassed. “I do. There’s something about you not worrying about being finessed and taking care of me that I lo
ve. I kind of like that you’re a jerk in that moment.”

  “You don’t always like when I’m a jerk,” he teased.

  “No, I don’t, but in that moment when you are with me, like that, I love it. I never thought I’d be the type of woman who did, and no one is more surprised than I am, but I’m comfortable with you, and I trust you. I know you would never hurt me, and I know you’ll always take care of me in the end.”

  “Fuck yeah, you’re never going to walk away from me unsatisfied.” He nipped at her neck. “If that ever happens, then the two of us need to have a talk, and you need to tell me what the fuck I’m doing wrong.”

  Communication was key, and she knew that after her disastrous relationship with Ashton. “Us talking like this is the best thing we can do. I love that you’re not afraid to talk about your feelings, that you aren’t afraid to let me know what’s going on in your head. I’m not a mind reader, and you aren’t either.”

  “So you’ll tell me when something is wrong?” he questioned her, flipping the script. “There was a time a few months ago when you weren’t being completely honest with me.”

  “And that time is gone,” she assured him. “I care more for our relationship than to let that happen again. It’s not worth it.”

  “Good.” He leaned down, kissing her softly on the mouth. “Now the reason I came back here to grab you was to see if you wanted to hear this song I’ve been working on. I need a female voice on it, and you’re the best one I know.”

  She beamed at his compliment. “I would love to help you if you want it.”

  Grabbing her hand, he led her to their room and had a seat on the bed, putting the acoustic guitar she’d gotten him for Christmas on his knee. The chords he played were dark and haunted, telling a story of asking a woman to stay if he told her he loved her.

  “Did you write this?” she asked, curious as to what woman he was talking about when he asked that question.

  “Not really, I’m finishing it up for Jared. It’s kinda a gift for someone.” He winked at her. “But when we record it, we want a female harmony part—no pun.”

  It dawned on her. This was Jared’s gift to Shell for Valentine’s Day if she was brave enough to make the trip. As he played again, indicating where he wanted her to come in at certain parts, her eyes took in the words, and she almost felt like crying again. Shell was going to love this, and if it was the last thing she did, she would get her friend out on the road for this. It was time for the other couple to be as happy as they could be.

  Chapter Nine

  * * *

  Hannah was on a stealth mission. She’d made up an excuse to Garrett about needing to run a few errands before their show. She’d even playfully arched an eyebrow and winked at him, suggesting she was getting ready for Valentine’s Day when he’d questioned her too closely. It was hard not to come clean with him, especially since they normally shared everything, but this secret was going to be a good one.

  Taking a deep breath, she followed the GPS in the rental car they’d let her use. Checking her blind spot, she took her exit and gripped her hands along the steering wheel. She still hated driving in places she wasn’t familiar with, but she was thankful traffic was light this afternoon in Charlotte, NC. The GPS dinged, letting her know that she’d gone the right way, and she couldn’t help but grin. As she entered the airport grounds, she quickly looked for where she needed to park and managed to navigate the signs with surprising ease.

  “You’re gettin’ better at doing this stuff by yourself.” She breathed a sigh of relief as she parked the car and leaned back against the leather of the seat, letting herself relax.

  Her phone sat in the cup holder, and she grabbed it, checking for missed messages. She saw one from Shell time stamped less than ten minutes before that said they’d landed and she would be waiting for her in baggage claim. Twisting around, Hannah grabbed her jacket, putting it on before she exited the car and shouldering her cross-body bag. Even though they were in North Carolina, it was still pretty cold. The air bit at her cheeks as she jogged across the parking lot.

  Once she got inside the airport, she checked the arrival board, making sure she knew where she needed to go in order to find her friend. When she spotted the flight number and location she needed, she went off in that direction. On her approach, she saw Shell and Stacey. They had hooked up in Nashville and had flown in together to surprise their men.

  “Shell! Stace!”

  Her friends’ heads snapped up, and they ran for each other, wrapping themselves up in a group hug.

  “I’m so happy to see you,” Shell told her as they pulled back.

  “I’m so happy to see you too. It feels like forever,” Hannah told her, pulling a frowny face. Turning, she pulled Stacey into a hug too, but they had seen each other much more recently, since she’d been with them the previous week at the Grammys.

  Turning around, Shell looked for the two bags she’d brought on the baggage carousel. “How have things been going?”

  “They’ve been great. I’m hanging out and that’s about it. I can go shopping when I want to, I can spend time with Garrett when I want to, or I can do anything else that I want. This is definitely what I was looking for when I said I wanted to quit.”

  Shell took a minute to look at her friend. Hannah’s cheeks were full, not gaunt like they had been when she was so stressed. Her eyes did not hold dark circles under them, and the smile that lit up her face was genuine. This change had been good for her, and as jealous as Shell was, she was so happy for her friend. “It looks good on you. I haven’t seen you look this healthy in a long time.”

  “It’s all that exercising with Garrett. Do you know how depressing it is when you get on a treadmill next to your husband and he’s got like sculpted abs, and he’s not even breathing hard five minutes into a run, but you sound like you’re dying? I had to step it up.”

  Shell grinned, laughing along with her.

  “The question is, how are you? Have you made a decision about what you want to do? I wasn’t kidding when I said you should come out with us. There is no reason you shouldn’t be happy too.” The words were spoken softly, as Hannah didn’t want to make her mad or spook her. She knew that anything Shell did would have to be her own decision.

  Pulling her lip between her teeth, Shell reached out and grabbed one bag. “I know, and trust me, I’ve been thinking about it a lot, but I have to get there in my own head. I have to give myself permission to give up on this and to be okay with it. I know it makes no sense to anyone else, but it has to make sense to me.”

  “No, I get that.” And she did. Hannah understood Shell better than anyone, and she knew before Shell would allow herself to be happy, she would have to come to grips with possibly disappointing herself. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be here.”

  “I appreciate that, but I want to talk to Jared about it first. I’ve got to make sure he wants me around. I can’t make this decision until I know for sure what his feelings are.”

  Hannah wanted to throttle her. Everyone on the bus knew what Jared’s feelings were, but Hannah knew it wasn’t her place to push Shell into a decision. Didn’t mean she liked it, but she would have to respect it.

  Grabbing her other bag, Shell turned to face the other woman. “Okay, this is all my stuff. You ready to go to the hotel?”

  “Yup. Stace, you got yours?”

  The other woman nodded, and the three of them left together, hoping no one got a picture. Garrett’s phone wasn’t attached at the hip like it had once been, but he was still known to browse sites when bored. With Hannah’s help, Shell had gotten her and Jared a hotel room for the night. Stace was secretive about her plans, and honestly, Hannah didn’t want to know because she didn’t want to lie to her husband. They would be getting ready at Jared and Shell’s hotel before they surprised the guys.

  “I have my bag in the car, and I told Garrett I may be a little late to the show because I was ‘getting ready for Valentine’s Day, so w
e’re clear. I have Rick texting me after they go on. I had to get your backstage passes cleared through him, but he’s been sworn to complete secrecy.”

  “How did you manage that?”

  Hannah grinned. “One thing I learned about these guys pretty quickly is that they love their energy drinks, but all energy drinks are not created equal. Someone keeps stealing the brand all the guys love, and no one will come clean. I caught Rick doing it the other night when I got up for a snack. I’m keeping his secret if he keeps mine.”

  Shell high-fived her. “I taught you well.”

  “That you did, but for the love of God, do you think you could drive us to the hotel?” She held out the keys to her friend. “Traffic wasn’t bad, but their roads here are so confusing.”

  This was just like old times, and Shell was grateful. At one point, she was worried that she would never have this kind of relationship with Hannah again; now she knew she would never take it for granted.

  * * *

  Two hours later, they all sat in front of the full-length mirrors in the hotel suite, doing their hair and makeup for the night.

  “I really wish Garrett didn’t like my hair curly, it’s such a pain in the butt,” Hannah grumbled as she took her curling wand and wrapped another piece of hair around it. “It lasts forever, but it takes at least forty-five minutes for me to do all my hair.”

  “He likes that wild, just-been-fucked look,” Shell quipped as she finished rolling hers. Her hair wouldn’t hold the kind of curl Hannah’s did, so she never bothered trying.

  Stacey snorted. “Pretty sure my brother just likes fucking his wife.”

  Meeting their eyes in the mirror, Hannah grinned. “He does, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, but I don’t know how you do that, my arms would get so tired.”

  “They do.” She sighed, setting the wand down in order to shake out her arms. “Whenever I decide to do this, I always think about cutting my hair, but then I can’t bring myself to do it.” She picked the wand back up and went about doing her final section.