Love Songs (25 page)

Warner thought he still might die there with the man, but at least he’d die happy.

“So, I don’t think she’ll be messing with you too much longer, especially since she’s going to be broke.”

“How is that?”

“Her fortune was me paying her off. For years I’ve been feeding her to just let me be. She’d done all the damage she could do to me, but she shifted that to you.” He tapped his meaty fingers on the table. “That show of hers is going to replace her with my ex-wife, which I think is as funny as hell.”

Warner did let out a laugh there.

“I now own that company she bought into, but, son, a piece of business advice. If you only buy into something at twenty percent, you’re not doing any favors to yourself. Some S.O.B. moves in and buys you out.” That time Harley laughed.

“Anyway, this is going to air on your show. The world is going to know that you’re my new talent now.”

“You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Sure I do. I once had a recording contract myself, remember.”

Warner chuckled. “Right.”

“Oh, and I’m signing your wife too.”

Warner had a giddy flutter in his stomach.

“Few more things. Those pictures were taken by Tom Wheeler. Your wife is on the up and up.”

“I know she is.”

“Well, since you’re our talent, and so is she, we plan to sue him for the libel. And Trent is in on that. His wife was so stressed it caused her early labor.”

“Is she okay?” Warner inched over the table.

“Yeah. They got her stopped. He got to be with her.”

That was the last thing Warner needed over his head. He was already upset that the world thought his wife had done anything with the man.

“When the tour resumes, Clara needs to finish out her contract.”

Warner nodded. That made sense.

“But now that Savannah is signed with our house we get to step in and make a few adjustments to the tour.”

Warner nodded again. He figured they’d pull Clara from it. No one needed that distraction anymore.

“You’ll be performing with her, so clear your schedule. We’re also extending her run as opener.”

“Really?”

“Unless you don’t want to work with your wife.”

“Oh, no. I can’t think of anything better.”

The OX winked at him and took another cigar out of this shirt pocket. “I thought so.”

“I guess we’ll let them in now.” He stood and rested his hand on Warner’s shoulder. “She’s not going to bother you anymore, son. You’re in my hands and the only thing people are going to read about you is your name on the top of those charts.”

Warner’s chest was going to explode his heart was still racing so fast. “Thank you, sir.”

The OX nodded and walked to the door to open it.

***

By the eleventh night of the Savannah concert the seats were filled when Clara took the stage. Wardrobe had redesigned her outfit to be a bit more casual, but she thought she was stunning.

“Hello, Denver!” she shouted and the crowd at the Pepsi Center reciprocated with a loud roar.

“Let’s get this party going.” She hit the first chords of the first song and her voice rang through the speakers. As she started the second verse another guitar added to hers and from the side of the stage Warner walked out, dressed head to toe in a black fitted T-Shirt, black tight jeans, and a matching black set of boots. His guitar strap matched hers, lined in rhinestones. Hers said Mrs. and his said Mr.

When their voices paired the crowd was on their feet.

And as Warner’s songs were filling the voices of those gathered to hear them, Clara took a step back so he was spotlighted.

Their set was wrapping up when the monstrous drum beat began behind them. When the curtain rose
The Broke Tourists
were there and the song grew in intensity.

Their vocalists moved forward and in between Clara and Warner. They were all singing his song and the crowd was eating it up.

Trent took his solo next to Clara and she smiled as his notes rang through the arena.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Broke Tourists!
” She introduced them.

“And we are the
Wrights
! Thanks for having us!” Warner said.

As the band played on, Warner and Clara left the stage.

The moment they hit the side, Warner gathered Clara up in his arms and swung her in the air.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” She kissed him hard on the mouth.

“I knew you’d be my ticket. You and that voice.”

“Yeah, and your way with words.”

I hope you enjoyed Clara Keller’s story in Love Songs. Here is a sample of Christian Keller’s story.

HOME RUN

Releases Feburary 27, 2014

There was a pure energy in the car as they drove away from the arena. Christian Keller had it all, just when he thought he’d lost it.

His career ending injuries were just the start to finding out he could keep going and that’s what he was doing.

He’d just watched his sister perform with her husband, on stage at the Bridgestone Arena right there in Nashville. Hometown kids making it big time.

As his best friend Dave pulled out of the parking lot the number one country song came on the radio, and wouldn’t you know it, it was Clara and Warner Wright, his sister and her husband.

Christian’s fiancée Victoria hugged his arm and slid across the back seat as close as she could to him. “That was the best concert ever. You sister and Warner were phenomenal.
The Broke Tourists
are one of my favorite bands. And that Savannah and her hair!”

Ashley, Victoria’s sister, turned in her seat and looked at her. “I know, right? Do you think we could buy hair like that?”

They both laughed, but Christian just took in the ambiance.

His career as a baseball player was over. He had come to grips with that. It had caused him a lot of emotional pain, and physical pain, over the past year, but now he had new things to look forward too.

They were already talking about him coming into the organization as management. The woman of his dreams had accepted his marriage proposal and wore his ring. And tonight he’d take her home to the home he had built—for them. It was a surprise and he had something very special planned.

“You know,” Victoria continued. “Ali would love a Savannah wig. We should think about marketing them.”

“My kids and their tastes,” Ashley added.

Laughter filled the car and then a scream pierced the air.

A blinding white light forced him to cover his eyes.

Christian sat up in bed. His heart was racing. His face and hair were wet. And he was alone.

He threw his head back against his pillow.

Of course he was alone. He’d been alone for almost a year and the replay of that night wouldn’t give him any peace.

Christian rolled to his side and he looked at his phone on the night stand. It was five-thirty in the morning. He let out a grunt and rolled out of bed.

It took a minute for his knee to be stable under him. His shoulder ached, as it had since the surgery on it after the accident.

He flipped on the light in the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. The jagged scar on his forehead was beginning to fade, but it would always remind him that on that night he’d lost everything. His career. His best friend. And even if her life wasn’t taken—he’d lost his fiancée.

Well that was life now. She had a lot to deal with too.

Christian splashed his face with cold water.

Victoria’s life had changed drastically when that drunk driver crossed the median. She’d lost her sister in that moment. Her leg was shattered. And she was the next of kin to her niece and nephew, whom she was now raising.

A single woman trying to advance her career and plan a wedding was now guardian to a two year old and a four year old—and he was no help.

Christian turned on the shower and let it warm.

He’d been so overwhelmed with losing his best friend he’d nearly lost his mind. And it wasn’t losing him it was watching him die and not being able to get free from the accident to help him.

Just the thought of it made his heart kick start again.

He slipped off his boxers and climbed into the shower. But no matter how hot the water was it would never wash away the pain that day still caused.

By six thirty he was dressed and sitting in his quiet kitchen having a cup of coffee. The dress shirt and tie made him uncomfortable, but it was the way he had to dress for work now. He supposed he owed it to his brother and uncle for stepping in and giving him a job, though he didn’t care much about construction.

His entire family had stepped in when he needed them. There was no way to repay them. His sister Clara and cousin Avery were at his house daily to make sure he ate. His mother stopped and cleaned the house. His future sister-in-law Darcy made him freezer dinners and stocked them for him.

It had been like this for a year.

When would it all ease so he could get on with his life?

Before lunch the door to his office creaked open and Darcy stuck her head in.

“I’m going to lunch with my bridesmaids. Ed is free for Chinese food. He said to send you his way when you’re done.”

Christian nodded. “I’ll be done in a few.”

Darcy shut the door and Christian was alone, again. It was funny, he thought, for being so alone all the time there were always people around him. That was what came with a big family.

A new Chinese restaurant had opened just down the street and Ed had been dying to try it. Christian figured it would be good for leftovers and that would warm up for dinner. It was just one less thing to think about.

“So did you look over that proposal I sent you?” Ed asked as he adjusted the place setting in front of him.

“Yeah. I don’t know if I understand any of it. Could you work in some baseball terms?”

Ed laughed. “It’s a baseball stadium. I thought you’d want to be part of that.”

Christian put down his menu. “You’d think huh?”

He lazily looked around the restaurant and that was when a set of dark eyes caught his.

Victoria waved and was already walking toward them.

It had been nearly eight months since he’d seen her—since he’d told her that he wasn’t someone who could just take on someone else’s children and start from there. That was the day she walked out of his life. God, he was an idiot.

She looked different. Her hair was shorter and there were dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept in eight months. He probably looked like that too. He never got a good night’s sleep.

“Hello, Chris.” She smiled down at him and then turned her smile to Ed. “Hi, Ed.”

“Tori!” Ed crawled out of the booth and gave her a hug. “How are you?”

“I’m good.” Christian wondered if she noticed her voice quivered.

“How are the kids?”

Christian watched as her jaw tightened and she kept her eyes on Ed. “Sam just turned three last weekend. He’s into everything. Ali just started kindergarten.”

“Wow.” Ed looked at Christian. “Kids get big fast, eh, Chris?”

Christian narrowed his stare on his brother.

“You’ll be at the wedding right?” Ed was touching her arm. “I thought Darcy said you’d RSVP’d.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Ali can’t stop talking about it.”

“I look forward to it.” Ed smiled and then both of them looked at Christian still seated in the booth.

“Guess we’ll see you then,” he croaked out.

Victoria nodded and forced a smile. As she walked past him, limping just as he did now too, she put her hand on his shoulder. “It was good to see you, Chris.”

Then she was gone.

Ed sat back down and shook his head. “You’re pathetic.”

“Me? Why?”

“She’s still in love with you.”

“She is not. She dumped me.”

“Because she had to.”

“Had to?” He picked up his hot tea and burned the pads of his fingers and then his throat. But it was worth it.

Ed opened the package of chop sticks by his plate and tore the two wooden pieces apart. “She lost a lot that night. Her sister died. Her brother-in-law died. She got two kids to raise and has no parents to help her. She’s all alone and all you could tell her was you weren’t ready for a fully formed family. I didn’t realize you were an asshole until that day.”

If Christian was the man he used to be, he’d be up from that table and have pulled his brother out of that side of the booth by his shirt collar. But as if to remind him that he wasn’t an athlete any more, his knee throbbed and the pain shot up through his body.

“She didn’t need me around when she was trying to get things taken care of.”

“You’re right. Six surgeries on your leg and two toddlers at home is a piece of cake. Why have the man you love getting in the way?”

Christian swallowed hard. He didn’t need his brother poking at him. It had been a year and he felt bad enough.

Luckily the food arrived just in time for his brother to shove some in his mouth and shut up. Christian, on the other hand had lost his appetite.

He had become a pathetic loser and he’d lost the only thing that he’d ever cared about—Victoria.

He took another long, scalding sip of his tea. Maybe Ed’s wedding would be the perfect place to apologize for being an ass.

It wasn’t in him to be a father right now, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t be a friend. She looked as though she certainly could use one. And they’d been friends too—hadn’t they?

Christian tore open his chop sticks and broke them apart. As he picked up a pot sticker he thought about his parents.

They’d been divorced when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and her husband had walked out on her to marry another woman and have a baby. She was alone with three kids.

He tugged at his collar because it was getting hot.

His own father, who was at the time engaged to Kathy, still stepped up and took care of his mother. Damn, he’d even shaved his head for her.

That was love. That was commitment.