“Wanna watch something?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she said, the promise of sleep coating her voice.
He pressed play on10 Things I Hate About You, which she had said was her favorite movie. Thankfully, it wasn’t too bright or too loud for her over-sensitized body. When he ran his fingers through her braids, massaging her scalp the wayshe liked, she released a low, rumbling moan that enveloped him like a prayer.
After she fell asleep, her head resting on his chest, Jamie pulled out his phone. He opened Brinton’s email. As he read each meticulously crafted word, a tapestry comprisinghisstory, he radiated with awe. It was breathtaking. Exactly like her.
CHAPTER FORTY
On Sunday, the next morning, Jamie was gratified to find Brinton’s thigh hooked over his hip, her head buried on his bare chest. She smelled like her herbal-sweet hair oil mixed with lavender from the bath. He could have stayed enmeshed with her forever. But tomorrow, she was going back home. He intended to make use of every blissful second.
First, he had to eat the frog. Or rather, tame the beast that lived in the castle next door. He kissed a still-sleeping Brinton on the forehead and carefully slipped out of bed. After commandeering a spare toothbrush from the bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face and looked in the mirror. For the first time in his adult life, he was no longer willing to let the most important people in his life ignore that this washislife to live.
It was eight o’clock when he rapped on the double doors at his father’s office. Jamie knew he’d be awake, likely drinking black coffee at his desk after his morning workout. Or plotting the course of the rest of Jamie’s life, just for fun.
“Come in, son.”
Cautiously, Jamie crossed the threshold. “You were expecting me?”
His father set his open newspaper on the desk. “Saw you sneak in late last night. How is she?”
“Better now,” Jamie said, straightening his shoulders.
“I think you and I both know that’s not true,” his father said casually, sipping his coffee. “That girl needs some help. More than you can give her. I watched your mama break down like that for years. I couldn’t be a hero to her, so don’t think you can be one to Ms. Shaw either. Women like your mama—and Ms. Shaw—aren’t built for this chaotic life. If I hadn’t been so selfish to think I could protect her, that all the love I had could buffer all the ugly in this world, she’d still be on God’s green Earth today.”
“Daddy, respectfully?—”
His father paused. “You sleeping with Ms. Shaw?”
Jamie’s molars clenched along with his fist. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
“You’re my namesake, boy. Everything you do is my business. That’s why I set you up for another golden run with this record.”
“What about what I want? For years, I went along with your plan because I was too scared to fail, but I’m tired of living this bullshit lie. She believes in me, and I believe in her.”
“So you’re throwing everything away—everything I’ve done for you—for a woman you barely even know?”
“I want her in my life.” He matched his father’s acerbic tone. “That’s what I know.”
Jamie Sr. slapped that morning’s copy ofThe Tennesseanon the desk, and slid it forward. “Well, I suppose you oughta see how that article comes out first. In the meantime, here’s your latest glowing review.”
On the front page, the first headline read:Jamie Crawford Jr. Abandons Sold-Out Show for ‘Family Emergency.’
Jamie’s heart was a free-falling elevator. The good press was fleeting, but the bad press never got easier to take.
Jamie Sr. half smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, it’s all over the internet too. A lot of colorful rumors out there. Everything from you were drunk off your ass to you’re on the verge of a meltdown. Don’t worry though. Sammi’s already on damage control. You’re lucky if the label don’t get cold feet and cancel the tour.”
He rose from his seat, met his son where he stood. Even as an older man, he still had an inch on Jamie’s six-foot-two frame. “And don’t think I don’t know about the production fine. I told Tex to cut it from every band member’s check.”
“Now wait a minute, that’s not even remotely fair?—”
“Somebody’s gotta learn the consequences of your actions since, clearly, you haven’t.”
Jamie stepped forward, now nose-to-nose with his father. “Fine. I accept full responsibility for my actions last night and will pay everyone back myself. But I gotta tell you, Daddy, I don’t regret it. I’d do it again. You, Tex, and Sammi…Y’all treat me like this ain’t my life to live. And that’s gotta change.”
“You’re choosing a journalist—an outsider—over your family? But then again, the way you’ve been acting, it’s no real surprise.”
“If that’s how you see it, so be it. But for me, I’m finally choosing for myself.”
