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I should be terrified right now. He’s correct. There will be no coming back from this. For all intents and purposes, my career as Larinda Scott Country Music Superstar is over as I know it. Even worse, I’ve played right into Jarvis’ evil narrative and gave him the ammunition he wanted to catapult his career to a level he doesn’t deserve. I should be scared and mourning and running to my manager to start damage control, but that’s not the thought blaring through my head. Something bigger just happened. Something so monumental and life-changing, it makes career sabotage seem petty.
I made a choice, and no matter the consequences, it was the right one because it was mine. I didn’t just say no to being held hostage by other people’s demands and expectations. I said hell no, and it feels amazing.
Whatever happens, I’m already lighter for shedding what I don’t want, to chase something I do. By being afraid to stand up for myself, I’ve let a toxic reality govern my existence, and now that it’s melting away, I feel liberated, not scared. If I get dropped by Lakebend, so what? It will free me to date Val without threats, fear, and repercussions. We can also do our music without having to fight the mold at every new idea and burst of creativity. And Jarvis? Fine. Maybe it’s worth being branded a cheater to eject him from my life once and for all. I know the truth and so does everyone who matters.
Strong arms wrap around me from behind, and I lean into the security of my future. A future I want. A future I flippin’ chose.
“If this is what you want, I will support you,” Val says at my ear. “I will always support you no matter what.”
Warmth floods through me as I settle against him.
“And I will always choose you no matter what.”
He’s quiet for a second, his cheek still resting against mine from behind. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Yep.”
His soft laugh is everything as it rumbles through me. “You ready to go back to the bus and blow shit up?” he asks.
“Bombs away,” I say with a grin.
“Love, man,” J-Dawg mumbles, shaking his head.
27—INTERSTATE 76 (LARINDA’S BUS)
LARINDA
Because I have the best personal assistant and security detail on the planet, Val and I make it back to my bus with very little drama. Everyone else has already departed for Hershey, but they were assured I was fine and would be following shortly once my “fashion emergency” had been resolved. (Steve also apologized for the weird lie but couldn’t think of anything better to explain why I left the venue mid-dress.) Once everyone learns the truth tomorrow, the lie won’t matter anyway.
For now, Val and I have one last night of freedom from drama and prying eyes. So what do you do with your final hours of bliss?
Rework the bridge of “Forever A Fantasy.”
“What about this?” I say, strumming through a progression on my guitar.
Val is propped against the headboard of my bed, the laptop on his thighs. He removes his hat to adjust his hair before replacing it which means…
Ugh.
“Fine. What about this?” I say.
He reaches over and covers my hand to stop me.
“The other one was okay, it’s just, that’s basically the same progression as the verse, so if we’re going to use it, we need to change up something else. Are you committed to those lyrics?”
“What’s wrong with my lyrics?”
“Nothing if you want to call this verse three instead of a bridge.”
I shoot a nasty look, and he grins as I shove his knee.
“Fine, genius. Then what are you thinking?”
I hold out the guitar, but he waves it away and pulls on the headphones instead. “One sec.”
I watch with a little intrigue and a lot of awe as his fingers dance over the trackpad. I know my way around a DAW, but how he works so quickly and effortlessly always blows me away. It’s like his brain operates in plugins and midi notes. (It’s also incredibly hot, although I’d rather eat an entire tub of carrot-flavored almonds than admit that right now.)
After a few seconds of secretly drooling over my boyfriend, I return to picking through some chords on my guitar. I’m already counting the days until we can get into my studio and play around with this stuff for real. Two more shows and we’ll have a week off to go home before jumping into the next phase of the tour.
