She giggled. aSo mean!a aI know, right?a Garrett put his hand over his heart. aItas a good thing youare here. Iall need you to stroke my ego the way these guys like to shoot it down.a aOr something else,a another person called out causing more laughs.
This was a group of total guys, and she could already tell that they were raunchy and perverted. She had been around roadies for a long time; no matter how she goodie two-shoes she acted, hardly anything fazed her. aThatall be a little later,a she grinned. Turning, she had a seat next to Jared and clapped him on the thigh. aIam just gonna have a seat next to your BFF here and enjoy the show.a The twinkle in her eye made him wonder exactly she had in mind.
Chapter Eight.
Hannah checked the time on her cell phone and had to smirk. This was different. It was almost one in the afternoon and she and Garrett were cooking breakfast. She hadnat even been aware that he knew his way around the kitchen. With anyone else, this would have felt weird. He wore no shirt and a pair of boxers; she wore only a shirt that barely covered her behind. With him, though, she felt comfortable. It had been a very long time coming.
aIn all the times weave been together, youave never cooked!a she accused him, looking behind her as she cut up strawberries and apples.
He shrugged as he flipped the omelet over in the skillet. aI have to be in the mood, and I was f.u.c.king starving when I woke up.a She couldnat hide the smile on her face, and he smiled widely back at her. Both of them thinking about the early morning theyad had together. Her stomach picked that moment to growl, and he laughed.
aSounds like youare f.u.c.king starving too.a aPossibly.a Her answer was coy as she turned back around.
Out of the blue, his hand connected with the bare skin that her underwear didnat cover.
aOuch! Garrett!a His face turned serious for a moment. aThatas for not telling me about those pictures of you and Bryson.a She was subdued for a moment. aIt was nothing,a she told him as she turned around, putting the plate of fruit on the table and having a seat.
aIf I didnat trust and know you, they wouldnat look like nothing,a he told her carefully as he took a large bite of the food that sat in front of him.
Hannah also took a bite, chewing slowly. She wasnat sure how to approach this because she still hadnat seen the pictures that everyone was talking about. aI havenat seen them.a Green eyes cut over to her and Garrettas face was stormy as he pulled his iPad over to where he sat and tapped a few b.u.t.tons. She was not going to feel guilty about this. She had done nothing wrong, and just because people had gotten pictures and they looked bad, it didnat mean anything. When he pushed the iPad over, she grabbed it with both hands and had a look.
aThis totally isnat what it looks like,a she whispered. He had been right, they did look awful. In one, Bryson had hold of her hand and was inspecting her engagement ring, and she was glancing up at him. From the angle the pictures were taken at, it almost appeared to be an adoring look.
aI know.a He cleared his throat as the sound came out rough. aI know,a he said again, this time more sure. aBut it doesnat feel good to know youave been arguing with your wife and the subject of that argument is taking pictures like that with her. To know that heas there and youare not. Thereas a part of it that not only hurts, but makes you angry too. I had to go through the stages, but Iam good now.a aHe was talking about how different my engagement ring is. If they would have waited a few seconds, they would have seen me jerk my hand away from his.a She stabbed a strawberry and crammed it into her mouth. aSee, this is why I want my break. This is what makes me question the career path Iave chosen.a Garrett sighed. aI donat want you giving something up for me. Both of us know that itas just a knee-jerk reaction right now.a She wasnat so sure. In every thought she had in her head, it came back to her wanting to be a wife and eventually a mother. The ache to be with him all the time gnawed at her belly. aIam going to fulfill what I told them I would, but after this small tour, I am taking some time off. The only way Iam gonna know whether itas a knee-jerk reaction is if I give it the proper amount of time. If Iam bored in a few weeks, then I know it was knee-jerk, but if Iam having a good time, then Iall know itas what I needed. Iave got to try it out.a He nodded, taking a drink of the water he had sitting beside his plate. aI donat want you to regret this.a He held up his left hand, indicating the ring he was wearing.
aSeriously?a She almost laughed. aIam not ever gonna regret that. Thatas the best thing Iave ever done.a aI just think that youare young, ya know?a He trailed off.
aI am young, but I know what I want. I wouldnat have gone through with it if it wasnat what I wanted. Iam sorry that those pictures made you question that.a They were quiet as they ate their breakfast. This had been exactly what Hannah had wanted to avoid, why she wanted this off time to be normal. If they were any other married couple, no one would think a thing about those pictures. The last thing she wanted was for Garrett to question her. When there were questions, the relationship suffered.
aIam not mad, I trust you,a he told her.
aIam glad. If I had known that would happen, I wouldnat have run out of the studio. They made me so angry, continually asking me to do that duet with him. I just needed some breathing room, and then you and I got into an argument, and there he was asking me what was wrong. It was a horrible series of events.a He nodded, taking the last bite of the omelet on his plate. aWe have a few hours before we have to hit the studio, what do you say we go take Havock out to the beach?a The dog, having heard his name, got up, whining as he walked over to the table. Hannah grinned, leaning down to pet him. aI think thatas a great idea.a * * *
aAre you wearing that because the last time we were here, that picture started all kinds of ruckus with us?a Garrett asked as they strolled along the beach, hand in hand. Havock ran in front of them, picking up a ball that Garrett had thrown and bringing it back to them.
Hannah glanced down at her outfit, cut-off jean shorts and a tank top, and laughed. aI honestly didnat even think about it, but maybe. Itas funny, and I havenat even talked to you about this, but Iave started wearing tighter clothes, just so the paparazzi can see Iam either not pregnant, or still the same weight that I was when they took that unflattering shot.a He grimaced. aYeah, that whole pregnancy thing was kind of annoying.a For the first two months of their marriage, there had been two stories runninga"that Hannah was pregnant and thatas why theyad gotten married so quickly and then that shead had a miscarriage, which was why a baby b.u.mp was never seen.
aI agree, it really hurts my feelings that they can play around with the words miscarriage and pregnant like that, but it is what it is.a aI like that you say that now. You donat get all uptight and freaked out so much anymore.a She shrugged, stopping a moment to bend down and get the ball that Havock had dropped at their feet. aItas like when you put a ring on my finger, I felt at peace. I canat explain it.a aIt happened like that for me too.a The smile on her face was bright as she reached back and threw the ball for the dog, laughing as it didnat go very far at all. Havock looked back at her and took off at a much slower run than he had when Garrett had thrown it.
aHe disapproves of your throw, babe. He looked back at you like, areally?aa She laughed. aI know, I canat help it. That hurt to throw that far.a aBring it over here, buddy.a Garrett tapped his thigh.
aHeas never going to drop it at my feet again,a she giggled as Havock chanced a second glance at her, disappointment in his eyes.
aThatas okay; you give him cuddles, all day, every day.a He grunted as he threw it extra hard.
aOh, now youare just showina off.a aI was letting him get one more nice run in because weave got to go back to the house and change. Iave got to be at the studio in an hour.a She glanced up at him, shielding her eyes in the late day sunlight, even though she wore sungla.s.ses. aIs it okay for me to come with you tonight?a aIf you want to, I am more than happy to have you out. I just donat want you to get bored. You got finished with your own s.h.i.t a few days ago.a aYeah.a She gripped his hand tighter. aBut itas different watching you. Itas almost like I look at it through different eyes.a They were quiet for a minute until she sighed.
aWhatas wrong?a he asked.
aI donat want to beat a dead horse, but Iave gotta know that youare okay with those pictures. You kinda glossed over it earlier.a aThey do p.i.s.s me off.a The honesty was blatant in his voice. aBut what kind of a man would I be if I took those pictures at face value after I preached to you about the picture of you being afata.a He made quotation marks with his fingers.
aYouare still mad about it?a aIam mad at the fact they used Sh.e.l.l to get to you. Then they play with your head. Thatas what p.i.s.ses me off.a aI asked them if they would contact your record company so that we could sing together. Weall have to see what they say.a Garrett had a pretty good idea of what his record company would say, but he realized that he could always hope for the best. aThey havenat contacted me, or management, so maybe they havenat made a decision on what theyare going to do yet.a aI hope they say yes. I would love to sing with you.a She put her arms around his waist and hugged him tight, burying her head in his chest.
aI would love to sing with you too. Maybe we should see if we can get an Instagram campaign going. You know something like hashtag Harmony and Reaper Duet?a aThatas an awesome idea.a She laughed against his shirt.
aOkay, we really gotta go.a aFine,a she sighed. aLetas go see you be all s.e.xy while you work.a His face burned bright. aYes, letas do that.a They walked towards the house, Havock following closely behind. Hannah looked behind her, hoping to get one more look at the ocean before they had to be cooped up in the studio for the rest of the night. Sweeping along the coast was a dark cloud; she could see rain coming down. Shaking her head, she hoped it wasnat an omen of what was to come.
Chapter Nine.
As Hannah listened to the amount of opinions being thrown out, she had to shake her head. This experience was making her very glad that she was a solo artist. The guys were knee-deep in a discussion about whether the song they had just spent over four hours recording was going to work or not, and there were four very different opinions.
aWhat do you think, Hannah?a the sound engineer asked, obviously sick of hearing the guys go back and forth. He wore an exasperated look on his face.
aOhhh, no, no, no.a She shook her head, looking up from her phone, where she had been texting with Sh.e.l.l. They were working on getting their friendship back on track. aIam not getting in the middle of this.a aYouare a fan, arenat you? You were one before you met and married Garrett, what do you think?a She gave him the evil eye for throwing her under the bus like this, because now, she had four sets of eyes staring intently at her. aI think that Iam a fan, but Iam too close to the situation to be objective.a They all began talking, this time at her.
aCamon, babe. Whatever you have to say, whether it is a popular opinion or not, might make us decide what we need to do,a Garrett told her.
She knew that she shouldnat do this, but she was sick of hearing them fight, and they had been doing it for too long. She wanted to get out of here and spend some more time with her husband. Carefully, she bit her lip, considering how she needed to say this. aIf youare wanting to move away from your old sound, then youare not doing it with this song.a aSo youare saying itas too much like our old stuff?a Brad pumped his fist in the air. Head been arguing that.
She nodded, cutting her dark eyes over to where Garrett sat. She was going against his opinion, and she hoped he could respect that. He gazed openly at her, but nodded as their eyes met.
aIam beating a dead horse?a he questioned.
aYou are. You wanted this one to be different, and while it is, itas not different enough. Not in my opinion. It sounds like a watered-down version of the music that all the fans love.a He smirked at her. ad.a.m.n, baby, just tell me what you really think.a The room laughed because she had.
aBut you guys do what you want,a she quickly added. aI mean, itas your record, itas not mine, and itas not the fans. Itas yours.a Her alarm on her phone went off, and she sighed. She had hoped they would be done by now. aI hate do this to you guys, but Iave got to go meet with the photographer and take some shots for my new promo pictures and stuff.a aYou going by yourself?a Garrett asked. It was going on seven at night, and while it wasnat unusual for shoots to be done at night, he didnat want her going by herself. Especially given that this photographer was a man.
aNope,a she smiled. aStaceyas coming with, but Iave got to get out of here if Iam gonna have time to pick her up.a She said her goodbyes, kissing her husband on the cheek before she left. As she always did before she drove in California traffic, she sat in the car for a few minutes, giving herself a pep talk. This would all be okay.
aYou want me to wear what?a Hannah glanced at the outfit the stylist held up, trying to keep her eyes from popping out of her head.
aYouall look hot in it, and youare the wife of a rocker now. You can pull it off. Besides, I listened to some of the new stuff. It definitely has a more rocking sound to it, a harder edge. Youare a gorgeous woman, embrace it.a This stylist was insane, Hannah was sure of that. Shaking her head, she took the outfit into the dressing room and began putting it on. This type of look had never been her thing, but maybe she needed to expand. Maybe now that she was married, she wouldnat mind looking s.e.xy.
aCamon, Han, itas just an outfit,a she told herself, disrobing.
Fishnet stockings were something shead never once in her life worn before this moment, but she dutifully pulled them over her bare legs. Same with the leather miniskirt. She turned around; checking herself out in the mirror, making sure everything was covered. One wrong move and she would be showing parts of herself that she only wanted Garrett to see, but it looked good, if she did say so herself. Grabbing the clothing pack that the stylist had given her, she pulled out a hot pink bra and had to blink at the brightness of it.
aWow,a she laughed.
Once that was on, she grinned slightly as a thought popped into her head. She grabbed her cell phone and took a picture in the mirror, sending it to Garrett. She felt a little evil and wondered what he would have to say about this. Next, she grabbed what appeared to be a black tank top, along with a cropped motorcycle jacket. The tank top came down low, showing the top of the hot pink lace, and the motorcycle jacket covered up the gaping holes in the side.
Looking at herself, she had to admit that she did like it. The stylist had done her hair in corkscrew curls, and her makeup was dark to match the outfit. Her cell made a noise, and she bent down to pick it up from where she had dropped it.
Please tell me youare wearing a f.u.c.king shirt, and can you, for the love of all thatas holy, wear that home? Especially after you sided with everyone else during our conversation about the new song.
She threw her head back, laughing loudly. Leave it to her husband to get to the heart of all he really wanted to know. She quickly texted back that she wasnat sure if they would give her the clothing from this shoot. Normally they did, but she didnat want to make it that easy on him.
aYou ready, Harmony?a the stylist asked from outside the door.
aGive me just a sec,a she yelled back as she put on the stiletto heels theyad also given her. A deep breath fortified her courage, and she stepped out. aHow does it look?a she turned around in a circle.
aHot. Iam glad you let me do what I wanted to do with you. You have such great muscle tone; it shows you arenat afraid to eat, and thatas s.e.xy. Thank you,a the other woman grinned.
Hannah didnat know if she was being hit on or not, so she smiled back and walked towards the photography set. The guys in attendance, along with Stacey, whistled loudly. She blushed but turned in a circle and did a curtsy anyway. aThank you! Youare great for a girlas self-esteem.a aWe ready to get to work?a She nodded. aWe are, Damien.a He was one of the top music photographers at the moment, and she was more than excited to work with him. It wasnat easy to get an appointment, but he was a huge Black Friday fan and saw it as an honor to shoot Reaperas wife. She would take it however she could get it, and if that meant using her wedding ring, she would. Garrett had laughed when she told him that.
aOkay, Harmony, give me heat,a he told her as he directed her on how to sit. This time it was with her legs crossed, her arms propped up behind her. Damien stood on a ladder, shooting her from over top.
She turned her head to the side, a slow smile spreading over her face as she saw Garrett standing next to Stacey. His tattooed arms were held in front of his chest, and she could see that his muscles bulged slightly against the tightness of the T-shirt.
aThatas it Harmony, thatas what I want to see,a Damien encouraged her.
Garrettas eyes met hers, and she was pretty sure that the temperature in the room went up about thirty degrees. Her arms were getting tired, so she casually let herself drop to her elbows, turning her head so that she now looked at the camera. She threw her head back, exposing her throat. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine that Garrett was right there with her, and it made it easier to turn on the heat that Damien wanted so badly.
aYouare gorgeous,a he told her, as he snapped away. aCan you arch your back, just a little, not overly so. Weare not going for p.o.r.nographic here.a She giggled, opening her eyes as she did her best to arch her back in the way that he was describing.
aThere, thatas great, I love that little look of mischief you have. Keep going, youare a natural.a It was easy to pose for his pictures, because he knew exactly what to say to her, and it didnat make her self-conscious. She wished shead had him on every photo shoot from the last four years.
aOkay, just need a few more shots,a he told her. Glancing to the side, he spotted Reaper. aYou think we can get your husband in on these?a They had never really done pictures together that were posed, except for their wedding pictures, and those had been done quickly. She would love to do this with him. Crooking her finger at him, she beckoned him over. aYou wanna pose for a few with me?
aIn that outfit? f.u.c.k yes,a he answered, grinning brightly.
They called a makeup person over who gave him a quick touchup, and then he had a seat on the prop that Hannah had been leaning against.
aOkay, Harmony, I want you to stand in front of him with your back to his chest. I want some romance, you two are newlyweds.a Garrett clasped one of her hands at her stomach and then carefully placed one hand at her thigh, slightly pushing the skirt up. It wasnat indecent, but it still caused Hannahas breath to catch. She could feel the heat coming from his body, and she couldnat help but look partially behind her shoulder at him, closing her eyes.
aThatas it, you two, pretend like Iam not even here,a Damien told them as he continued snapping away.
Hannahas eyes lowered as she saw him moving in closer to her. She felt the slight brush of his lips against the back of her neck and smiled slowly, using her other hand to clasp it around his thigh.
They were lost in their own little world as they continued to touch each other, sometimes softly, sometimes with more force. Garrett whispered words into her ear, causing her to blush and giggle, and at some point, she turned so that she sat on his lap. It was the most fun shead had with him in front of someone who wasnat a part of their inner circle.
All too soon, Damien stopped snapping and laughed at the two of them. aYouare gonna explode my camera lens. You can definitely tell the two of you have chemistry. Thank you for sharing it with me.a aHey, man, can you send me some of those?a Garrett asked, his voice quieter than normal.
aSure thing. You have a gorgeous wife, and together the two of you are smoking. I would love to photograph you for an art magazine if either of you are ever interested. Just keep it in mind.a They both nodded as they made their way off set.
aI kinda feel like heas asking us to do a p.o.r.no,a Garrett whispered.
She laughed so hard she snorted before going into the dressing room and changing back into her street clothes.
aDonat forget to bring that outfit home with ya. We might make it our own,a he reminded her.
In answer, she threw the bra over the door at him, smirking when he whistled. Coming out here and spending time with him was one of the best decisions she had ever made.
Chapter Ten.
aI canat believe Iam leaving tomorrow.a Hearing those words come from Hannahas mouth cut Garrett to the core. He couldnat believe their time was already at an end. It felt like this revolving door was never going to stop, and he had to keep himself from going to a place he knew he wouldnat be able to pull back from. Being p.i.s.sed on her last night in California would not do either of them any good. He wanted to have good memories to get him through the long eight weeks that would follow.
aMe neither.a It was hard to fathom that she wouldnat be lying here in this exact spot with him tomorrow night. They were on the balcony, spread out on the lounger there. He could hear the ocean and knew if he bothered to open his eyes, he would be able to see the moon reflecting off of the water.
aYou sure youare not going to get in trouble for not recording tonight?a she asked as she snuggled closer, sighing when his arms tightened around her.
aReally donat give a f.u.c.k if theyare mad. I told them youare leaving tomorrow. I figure they should know what the h.e.l.l that means.a They were quiet for a few minutes before she cleared her throat. aAs soon as I get back to Nashville, Iam going to be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I start tour rehearsals the day after tomorrow. I heard from Sh.e.l.l today, they approved the CD and the photography that Damien took. Theyare moving forward with releasing at the end of the month, and then the first full week of October, I go on tour.a He worried about her, that she was pushing herself and it was for him. aI donat want you to kill yourself with this schedule.a She sighed. aI keep thinking that once itas over, I get a full year and a half with you. Itas worth it. You know being tired and rundown is a part of this business and itas something that we canat help most of the time. Iall be tired everyday if it means I can spend more time with you.a When she spoke those words, it gutted him. It felt like he wasnat going the extra mile like she did. aI hate that if feel like you put more into this marriage than I do. It makes me feel like a s.h.i.tty husband and less of a man,a he admitted.
aItas easier for me. I donat have to clear my schedule with three other people. I can make my own decisions without getting it cleared, for the most part, and then when Iam ready to go, I only have to get one or two plane tickets. I donat mind making the sacrifice. Besides,a she kissed his jawline, ayou surprise me all the time. This isnat going to be permanent.a Everything she said, he knew as true, but it didnat make the situation any easier in his eyes. af.u.c.kina hate this.a aDonat be a Negative Nathan on our last night together for a while. We both knew what we were getting into when we decided to do this. We either work at it or we let it fall apart.a aTalk about a role reversal.a He grinned at her. aUsually Iam the one telling you to let it go.a She shrugged, smirking. aIam workina on it.a She turned serious. aWhatas going on with you? Youare never like this.a aI donat know.a He ran his hand through his hair. It was getting longer now that they were recording. It was kind of a superst.i.tious thing that he didnat cut it while they were in the studio. aI have a bad feeling and I donat know why, I donat know what about. I just donat want you to get on that plane and go away from me tomorrow.a aI have to, Garrett.a She kissed his neck sweetly. aI donat have a choice.a aI wish I was rich enough to buy you out of your contract.a Hannah laughed. aThat would be awesome, if we even had that much money together. Iam sure if we sold our houses, cars, and got all of our stock options together that we could. I donat want to quit forever though, just for a few years to experience life. Who knows, maybe I wonat want to go back to it and weall have to see what can be done. We donat know the future.a She was right, they didnat know the future, but he knew that he didnat want to let her go. He didnat want to spend the next eight weeks trying to find five minutes here and there to call her. Knowing that they didnat have a choice didnat make it better.
aItas because Iave been here,a she whispered. aItas always harder when you leave me. I cry for hours, especially after I take you the airport.a aYou seem fine, every d.a.m.n time,a he accused.
aWhat good is it to let you know how bad it tears me up, when you have no choice? All it would do would be to make you feel like c.r.a.p. I donat want that for you, so I hold it together until you get on the plane and I get out to my car. Itas hard and it gets harder every time. It is what it is. We canat change it right now, no matter how much we both might want to.a aThis sucks,a he laughed. aWeare both at the top of our games in our own musical genres, and our a.s.ses have to go and fall in love.a aWe canat help when we fall in love.a He allowed her to clasp their hands together and entwine their fingers. In truth, he loved when she held his hand like that; it made him feel more connected to her. aIam sorry that Iam having such a girl moment. This isnat like me at all.a aI know that too, but at the same time, weave had a heck of a lot happen to us since we met. Weave not known each other for a year yet and weare already married. You have to admit, weave done things at a crazy pace.a Slinging his arm around her neck, he pulled her to him, burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply. aEight weeks, right?a aEight weeks,a she confirmed. aEight more weeks and then Iam with you for over a year. Itas been approved, Iave executed my clause, and nothing can stop it, not even legal action. This is mine to do with what I want. What I want is to follow you around and be your own personal groupie,a she giggled.
aMy own personal groupie, huh?a he raised his eyebrows.
aIave never been a groupie before, but I would love to be yours.a She giggled again.
He couldnat tell if she was being serious or not, so he decided to see what she would do. Instead of bemoaning the fact that she wouldnat be here, he wanted to bury himself inside of her and forget about what they had to face. Garrett licked his lips and lowered his voice. aIf you were my groupie, Iad have you bent over that table over there.a He pointed to the coffee table that sat where he sometimes used his laptop.
She c.o.c.ked her head to the side, not sure if she understood what he was saying to her. aYou would, huh?a aI would.a He nodded, but didnat say anything else. He wanted her to make the decision on her own, if she wanted to do this or not. He had to admit, head often wondered what it would be like to have her the way head had other women, but he was scared to tell her that. He didnat want her to think less of him.