The Price of Love (Rockin' Country Book 2) (6 page)

“What about clothes?”

Hannah was getting good and fed up with Shell trying to talk her out of anything that had to do with Garrett. “I packed a bag this morning, and I’d like for you to stop this.”

“Stop what?”

The airport was less than twenty minutes from the studio, and Hannah was already halfway to the airport with her lead foot. “Being the way you’re being.”

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

“You do,” she insisted. “The thing with you is that you’re fine as long as I check my schedule and get the okay from you on everything. I don’t have to do that in my personal life. I’m going to see Garrett. The sound guys told me I have at least a week before they’re done.”

“There’s a lot you could be doing around here. Photography and press.”

“I can just as easily do that in California. Stop being a bitch.” Hannah’s voice was getting louder, and she pulled out a word she hardly ever used.

“What?”

“You are. I get that you’re used to our relationship being the most important one in our lives, but it’s not anymore. It’s still important to me, but if you keep pushing me, I’m going to shut down, and then where will we be? Stop being so damn jealous.”

Shell swallowed roughly. Like always, Hannah had called it right. She was jealous. Jealous of the fact that Hannah knew exactly what she wanted and that she had a man who knew what he wanted. They weren’t scared to jump in blind and with both feet. She envied it and wanted it for herself.

“I’m sorry.”

“While I’m gone, you need to figure out what it is you want. Do you still want to be my friend or just my assistant and partial manager? I can’t keep doing this and I refuse to. I’ll see ya in a few days.” Hannah hung up as she pulled into Nashville International Airport.

She was done letting other people run her life. She’d told people that same thing a million times. At some point, they were going to believe her.

*     *     *

I’m here! Be aware, even at almost midnight, there’s a bunch of paparazzi still here.

Hannah looked down at the text as she de-boarded the plane and made her way in the throng of people to the baggage claim. She’d texted Stacey once they were in the air to let her know that she was on her way, and to ask for a ride. While she recorded during the day, Black Friday recorded day and night. She knew that this was one night they were booked until the wee hours of the morning.

“Ugh, at least I had a little bit of sleep on the plane,” she whispered to herself as she broached the concourse, seeing Stacey, but also seeing the paparazzi she had been talking about.

“Hey!” Stacey yelled, waving.

“Hey, yourself. I don’t have any luggage, just this.” She indicated the shoulder bag that she’d carried on.

“Then let’s get the fuck outta here, these guys make me claustrophobic.”

“Is there a huge star coming in today?” Hannah asked, the two of them keeping their head down and moving swiftly.

“Yeah, girl, you.”

As Stacey said that, the paparazzi noticed her and Hannah moving quickly away from the throng, and she heard someone yell “Harmony” loudly. “Crap,” she laughed, wondering if they should run.

They looked at each other, “I can’t run as fast as Garrett,” Stacey laughed.

“Me neither.”

They locked hands as about twenty photographers crowded around them. Neither wanted to get separated from the other. Questions and comments were shouted from everywhere as the bright flash of cameras shined in their faces.

Harmony!! How is Reaper? Are you here to visit him? Trouble in paradise? Here to check on your hubby?

She kept her head down, moving forward, inch by inch. “Here to visit,” she called out.

Is he pissed about the pictures of you and Bryson Grant taken outside the studio the other day? He couldn’t have been happy! Was Bryson taking your wedding ring off?

That was a new one on her; she didn’t know anything had been printed. Garrett hadn’t mentioned it, so possibly he hadn’t seen them. That would be a relief to her, especially since she hadn’t seen them either.

“Can you guys give us a little bit of room, please?” she asked, finally lifting her head up.

The flashbulbs went off even faster.

C’mon, Harmony, smile for us! You and Stacey pose together. Give us something.

She did her best to smile, but when there were this many people around her and she couldn’t see an escape, it made her feel uneasy. They were trying desperately to make their way to the end of the terminal so they could get out of the doors, but it was taking forever. Just as she was about to lose it, she felt a strong arm come around her shoulders and give her some breathing room. Looking up, she smiled at her father-in-law.

“Stacey brought me, just in case you two needed me. I figured when you didn’t make it back to the car by a certain time, you needed me.”

Garrett got his height and muscular build from his dad, and obviously a bit of his temper too as Kevin started yelling for the crush of photographers to give them some room. This time, they listened.

Finally they made it to the end of the terminal and out of the glass doors. Once they were there, she inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. “Thanks for coming to save us,” she said as she hooked hands with Kevin. The three of them made a united front, finally running for the car.

They could hear the photographers giving chase behind them, but Stacey and Kevin had been smart and parked in a regulated area, so that the paparazzi couldn’t follow.

“That’s insane,” Kevin shook his head.

“It is,” Hannah agreed. “And honestly scary, when I don’t have Garrett with me. He’s big enough that he can give me some breathing room, but when it’s only me or me and another friend like Stacey, they swarm everywhere. Nobody wants to get on Garrett’s bad side, so when he’s with me, it’s not so bad. Thank you again.”

“Not a problem,” he told her as he backed the car out of the lot and then pulled into the main lane to get out of the airport.

She laughed, but it was humorless as they saw another group of photographers, racing to get pictures of her in the front seat of the car. They were too slow though as Kevin pulled the car onto the freeway.

“You want me to take you to the house or studio?”

Stacey, from where she sat in the back, spoke. “They still have a few hours at the studio.”

“Then that’s where I want to go. I still feel weird going into the house by myself. I know that’s stupid, but I hate going in there without Garrett with me.”

“I’ll drop you off,” Kevin told her as he continued driving. “This time of night, it shouldn’t take us long to get to Huntington Beach.”

She knew it was about an hour drive from the airport to the studio, but she’d never been to the studio before and she’d never seen Garrett in the studio. This would be a new experience and it was one that she couldn’t wait to have.

*  *  *

“T
hey’re in the second room on the right,” Stacey told Hannah as they pulled to a stop in front of the recording studio that Black Friday used.

“You aren’t coming in?”

Stacey grinned. “Already been there tonight and got kicked out by big brother.”

Hannah laughed loudly. That meant Stacey and Brad had been a little too close for Garrett’s comfort. He was doing better with the two of them being together, as long as it wasn’t thrown in his face. Every once in a while, he had to put a stop to it.

“Nobody should be at the front desk, but if they are, show them this,” Stacey shoved a laminated card in her hand that at first looked like a backstage pass.

Hannah turned it over in her hand, examining it. It had her picture on it, her name, and at the bottom “Garrett’s wife”.

“Everybody who comes to the studio out here has one. They have to keep it on lockdown, because fans like to sneak in and their favorite line is that they’re family. The band had these made last time they were in the studio. I snuck and had you one made today,” she explained.

There was something about seeing her name. The card said Hannah Thompson—not Harmony Stewart, not Hannah Stewart. It said Hannah Thompson. She knew she was wearing a stupid grin on her face, but the fact of the matter was, she hadn’t had time to change her last name and, in all honesty, hadn’t really thought about it. Seeing it in print like that solidified what her plans were. She had to find a happy medium between Harmony, the singer, and Hannah, the wife. If that meant being less Harmony, then so be it. “Thank you so much, for everything, you two!”

“Not a problem.” Kevin yawned from behind the wheel. “Garrett’s been a big grouch lately, and I know it’s because of the way the two of you have been seeing each other. Go enjoy your week with him. Maybe he can take a day or two off himself.”

She hugged both of them as best she could before grabbing her purse and carry-on bag. When she got to the front door, she noticed there was a scanner and no other way to get in. Taking the badge that Stacey had given her, she swiped it, almost squealing when it let her in. She was so close to seeing Garrett she could taste it. Entering the building was eerie at this time of night—she glanced at her watch—or early morning, as the case may be. She walked down the hall to the room that Stacey had told her they would be in and noticed that it said Black Friday on the outside of the door. The dilemma was if she should knock or not, but that was settled for her when the door opened and she came face to face with Jared.

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.” He grinned at her, scooping her up in a hug.

Over the past few months, the two of them had developed a friendship that bordered on brother and sister. She was equally excited to see him, squealing when he swung her around her in a circle.

“Who are you molesting? Is that Shell?”

Hannah bit back the laugh. If Garrett only knew. But she and Jared were hidden by the partially open door.

“Should we mess with him a bit?” he asked, an evil twinkle in his eye.

“No, I can’t wait to see him!” She moved back to allow Jared to come out of the room. He had obviously been on a mission to go somewhere when she had appeared.

“I think you should come see,” Jared called over his shoulder before walking across the hall to the restroom.

“Who the fuck…” Garrett’s words were cut off when he saw who stood in front of him.

They stared at each other for what seemed like a year, until the side of his mouth kicked up, giving her that half-grin that made every part of her body stand at attention. He didn’t take his green eyes off her as he turned his head slightly. “I’ll be right back.”

He quickly slammed the door and then grabbed her hand, leading her down another hallway, this one darker than the one they had stood in before. No words were spoken between them as he stopped and pushed her up against the wall. One hand boxed her in, along with his body, while the other cupped the back of her neck.

Hannah’s heart pounded in her chest, and she could hear the breath coming from her mouth. It sounded like she had just run a marathon. He adjusted his stance so that he was more on eye level with her. It unnerved her because he still hadn’t said anything. Her hands went to his sides, gripping his shirt, unsure of what to do.

“I missed you,” he whispered, a moment before his lips captured hers.

This was one of the things that she loved about him. Sometimes with them it was a slow burn, a casual build up. Other times it was a 100 mph rush to the finish line. This was one of those times. His lips owned her, manipulating her mouth into doing exactly what he wanted her to. The hand at the back of her neck applied gentle pressure, shifting her whichever way he wanted her to go, and she followed him, never hesitating. When her tongue snaked out, touching his, he let his body fall against hers, pressing her even harder against the wall, his breath coming as fast as hers. She could feel the pounding of his heart against her chest.

“Fuck, Han, I missed you,” he growled out again as he ripped his lips from hers.

She could do nothing more than nod as she wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting her chin up to make room when he moved his mouth along the column of her throat. Her knees were getting weak from the feelings coursing through her body, and she wasn’t sure that she could remain standing for much longer.