Crazy Dreams (16 page)

I finally hung up with Emily and made my way back to Stone. He looked up at me, all the love he had for me evident in his cloudy gray eyes and I almost broke. If the recording company didn’t want him, I had no idea what they would do to separate us. My breath caught, thinking about them trying to break us up. I knew we were strong, but our relationship was still pretty new. We needed to ban together.

Stone held his hand out to me as I approached. “Hey, babe.”

“Hi,” I said, trying to sound chipper. I doubted it came off that way, but I was suddenly in the mood to be alone. I didn’t want to impress fans; I simply wanted to be with him, to tell him everything Emily told me and have him tell me everything would be alright. I needed comfort.

Instead, I put on a smile and signed the various items the girls presented me with. They were all excited and by the time Stone dragged me away from them, I was exhausted. Even though I slept on the plane, I felt drained. I blamed Emily. Because even though I knew I’d never do it, I was thinking about going solo. I felt like crap thinking about it, even knowing I’d never agree. I felt like I deserved to be punished for my thoughts.

“You okay?” Stone asked once we were alone in the elevator.

“Yeah, I’m just tired. And we should probably talk about Emily’s phone call,” I suggested.

The elevator doors opened then and Mallory and Gabby stood there, smiling. “Hey! We were just about to come up to your room,” Mallory explained.

“Great,” I muttered, even though I wasn’t even remotely excited anymore. I needed to talk to Stone, needed him to know exactly what was going on.

Instead, our conversation would have to wait. We all exited the elevator on the top floor and Stone inserted his key card into our room. It was another two bedroom suite, and since the girls didn’t know yet that I was sleeping with Stone, I let him go in the first bedroom and then I put my bag down in the second. It was just as grande as our hotel last night, if not even nicer. The girls followed me.

“So, how’s performing? Do you love it?
Is
it everything you thought it would be?” Gabby gushed, asking me as many questions as she possibly could in the span of ten seconds.

I laughed. “It’s a lot, I’ll admit. I really like it so far,” I started.

Stone knocked on the open door. “Hey, I just wanted to let you know I’m going down to the bar. You girls want me to bring you back anything?”

“No, we’re good,” Mallory answered, dismissing him.

I gave him a little smile, hoping he’d understand. “I’m actually starving. But I’ll just order some room service. How long will you be gone?”
Gah, I sounded needy!

“I’m not sure. I’m meeting a friend, so it might be a while so we can catch up,” he offered. It was his way of giving us some space.

He left and even though I didn’t say the words, I wanted to tell him how much I loved him. I told myself he knew. The girls drew my attention by grabbing the room service menu and shoving it in my face.

“Have you put on weight?’ Gabby asked.

I glared at her. “Way to make a girl feel good about herself. But yes, I’ve put on weight.” I wasn’t thrilled about it, but Stone was always saying I was too skinny, so I knew he liked me a little heavier. Not that it was
that
much weight. I was up nine pounds since the beginning of the summer. My boobs were bigger, which was a definite plus.

“Shut up, you know what I mean. You look good. Healthy,” Gabby explained.

“You do look really good, actually. I think maybe you’ve found what you’re supposed to do with your life. What does your mom say?” Mallory asked.

“Ugh. Don’t get me started,” I protested.

My mother was the one person who hated my choice to sing. She warned me that she wouldn’t pay for college, that I was going to fail,
and that
my life was going to turn into one big orgy with drugs and sexual diseases at my concerts. I listened to her entire tirade, let her go on and on about how my life was going down the tubes, how I’d never amount to anything, and how the guy I was with would end up screwing me over for another woman, as soon as someone better came along. Then I politely told her to go to hell.

It was a moment I’d remember for the rest of my life. In nineteen years, I’d never seen my mother rendered speechless, but I’d done it. She simply said a curt goodbye and hung up. We hadn’t spoken since. That was three weeks ago.

I was all signed up for online classes, which made traveling so much easier, not to mention, I planned to do ninety percent of my workload during travel, when we were flying and whatnot. Our lives were simply falling together and nothing was falling apart.

We ordered dinner, a huge spread of almost everything the kitchen had to offer. As we stuffed ourselves, the conversation moved back to my career.

“Have you thought about going solo?” Mallory asked, chomping on a piece of pizza. “Your voice is great and you could totally do it.”

Why is everyone trying to get me to go solo?
I wanted to sing with Stone, not by myself. “No,” I said then lowered my voice. “But I did actually get an offer to do that. I’m not going to take it.”

“What?” Gabby asked. “If it’s being offered to you, then they realize your potential. They know how good you are. You don’t need Stone to make your career.”

I took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. Stone is the one who got me into this business. Yes, they’re offering me more money, a better deal overall, and pretty much anything I want.”

“More money? Why aren’t you all over this?” Mallory interjected.

Gabby nodded. “Seems like you could easily move on to bigger and better things without him.”

“You guys don’t understand,” I started. “I owe him. He brought me with him on this journey, which means I should stand by him.” It wasn’t the truth of how I felt, but I wasn’t quite sure I was ready to declare my love for him so publicly, even to the girls I trusted more than anyone.

“You don’t owe him anything, Ember. There’s nothing wrong with using his help to further your own career,” Mallory said.

“No, that’s not what I’ve been doing. I wouldn’t even
have
a career if it weren’t for him. He’s not someone I want to screw over.”

“Is there something going on between you two?” Gabby questioned.

I sighed. Looked like I’d have no choice but to tell them the truth. “I’m in love with him.”

They both looked at me like I was crazy. Then she glanced at one another. Mallory spoke first.

“You aren’t in love with him,” she challenged. “You’ve spent a lot of time with him the last few weeks, getting to know him. It’s only natural you think you’re in love, but it’s more like Stockholm Syndrome.”

“Umm, no. He didn’t kidnap me and hold me against my will. What the hell? I am absolutely, one hundred percent in love with Stone. Every fiber of my being screams for him when we’re apart, hungers for his touch when he’s near, and I am not victim to some stupid syndrome. I can’t believe you guys don’t think I’m capable of choosing someone to fall in love with.” I was pissed. My love for Stone was as real as theirs for their own husbands.

Gabby had the decency to look shamed. “We’re sorry, Ember. We didn’t realize things had happened so fast with the two of you.”

“It’s not a matter of how fast things moved. Whether it’s been a week or a year, when I say I love him, I mean it. I’m not some stupid little high school girl, falling in love with the first guy to pay attention to me. In case you didn’t notice, I’ve been a model for years, which means I’m actually very accustomed to having men want me. With Stone, it was different. He tried so hard to stay away from me, to keep our feelings for one another at bay. He wanted more than just a tumble in the hay, and so did I. We were in a serious, committed relationship.

I was so sure these women would relate, since they both fell in love when they were even younger than me.

“Ember, it’s not that we don’t understand,” Mallory said. “In fact, I think Gab and I understand better than anyone. But we’ve been where you are, thinking you’re in love with someone. He seems perfect, but chances are, he’s not. And one day, he’s going to hurt you. You just need to prepare yourself.”

What is she saying?
“So I should guard my heart because there’s a
chance
Stone might break it. You aren’t listening,” I whined. “I don’t have a choice but to love him. I can’t help that I’ve fallen so deeply in love with him. And if he does break my heart, as you’re suggesting, I guess I’ll get over it.”

I doubted Stone would ever break my heart, though. He was too much of a good man.

Twenty-Seven

Stone

“You guys don’t understand. I owe him.”

I walked away from the door, out of the suite and didn’t stop until the doorman hailed me a cab. I’d definitely heard enough. She got offered a solo contract and didn’t even tell me. That must have been what Emily’s call was about. I wondered how long she’d been trying to get out on her own while we recorded music together.

It didn’t matter. At least, that’s what I told myself. Obviously, I was the one riding her coat-tails, going along with her on the tour, when the studio really only wanted her. It was infuriating.
How could I have been so blind?
I needed to get the hell out of town, away from the people on tour and definitely away from Ember. She was using me, it seemed. I wanted nothing more than to tell her off, accuse her of pretending to love me. Instead, I swallowed my damaged pride and left town.

I purchased my plane ticket at Logan Airport and then waited for the plane. I picked up my phone and called Emily.

“Stone! It’s so good to hear from you. How’s Boston?” she asked, as if my whole career wasn’t one big lie.

“Cut the crap, Emily. I know about Ember’s solo contract.”

Silence.

“I just want to know if I can break my contract now
… I don’t want fines out the ass, either. You guys want her, she’s all yours.”

“Umm, yes, I believe we can break your contract quite easily, since Ember will be staying on with us. You’ve already received your advance, you just won’t see another paycheck from us,” she explained. I could hear her shuffling papers.

“That’s fine. Whatever paperwork you’ve got, just send it to my home address. I’m headed back to Nashville now.”

“Of course. It’s been great working with you,” she started.

“Whatever.” It was childish, but I hung up on her. I didn’t want to deal with her or anyone in the business ever again.

One taste at being a country singer and it ruined everything I thought I knew and loved about the music industry. I’d never go back to that lifestyle, no matter what. It didn’t matter that I loved what I did, that the love of my life used me so easily, or that I was heartbroken by her betrayal. What did matter was that I was over it. I didn’t need Ember in my life to make me happy. I’d been just fine before she came along, and I would be fine without her again.

Last night, she told me she loved me for the first time. Today, she betrayed me so thoroughly I could hardly see straight, I was so angry.

Earlier, I went down to the bar and met up with my friend Kade, who happened to be in Boston on business. He was a down to earth guy and it was nice to catch up with him. He got called away to some important meeting, so I wandered back upstairs, careful to be quiet so I didn’t disturb the girl talk going on in Ember’s room. I knew she hadn’t told them about us, so even though I was jealous she chose the other bedroom, I didn’t mind so much. When she was ready, she’d tell them. I’d been about to announce my presence when I heard her say she got offered a solo contract. I stood there, listening to the conversation for a minute, never letting them know I was there.

And the Mallory and Gabby encouraged her to fuck me over. They actually told her she should take the solo deal and look out for herself. As angry as I was, even I had to admit they might have been right. I spent six months in Nashville and never got so much as a bar manager to tell me I did a great job until Ember came along. She made my career.

Maybe I owed it to her to let her do it. She was the one with the better voice, the hotter body, and the natural charisma. And then she said she
owed
me. It was like an explosion went off in my head, taking everything I thought I knew and twisting it upside down. Suddenly, instead of us being in it together, it was as if I was just tagging along for the ride, like a little brother who refused to take no for an answer.

The recording company obviously wanted her alone, so why did I even bother to go? I knew the reason. I was in love with her. I was so blinded by how much I cared about her, I couldn’t see that everyone was using me to get to her. They probably wanted her from the start, but they knew she wouldn’t accept, not when I was the one who brought her into it. Now, of course, they had their edge.

She could accept the new contract and go on her merry way without me, now that I was out of the picture. As much as I hated to admit it, it was probably for the best. Maybe being a country star had been my dream once, but now, it felt like the very last thing I wanted. In fact, at the moment, I didn’t want anything: not a music career, not my own concert, not even Ember.