In the Lyrics Read online

  She smirks, “You’re so mature for twenty-one. How’d I get so lucky?”

  “Dad had good sperm,” I gag while laughing.

  Her amusement makes me exultant. It’s been a whirlwind of a week, but knowing that she’s slowly finding peace with my dad’s death makes me happy.

  Tugging my fingers through my hair, I blow dry it and then braid it to the side. Throwing on a baseball cap, I text Robert and Will and tell them that I’m on the way to the airport and that I’ll be turning my phone off. Of course Robert sends me a three-page message about a shoot that needs to be done for some new posters as soon as I land. I ignore it.

  Mom hands me a packed lunch and then grabs my bag and heads towards the door. The ride to the airport is filled with happiness. This is exactly what I needed today. I don’t feel horrible about leaving her or Colby behind because this time around, I know I’ll be back. No tour, label, or concert is going to keep me from the things I love ever again.

  HENSLEY’S GONE WHEN I wake up and I feel like puking from the thought that she left without saying goodbye. I thought that we turned a new leaf last night. I had hoped that we had anyhow. Stretching, the scent from her perfume still lingers on my sheets. It’s a sweet smell, one that I wish would last all day.

  Making my way to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee, I notice Brittani’s note on the counter.

  Dammit, I hope Hensley didn’t see it.

  The letter H at the bottom of the paper catches my eyes. My hand darts to the paper and grabs it. Skimming the note, I see it’s a letter from Hensley, not Brittani. She’s saying goodbye. She’s leaving.

  No, not again. She can’t leave without knowing how you feel.

  Without hesitation, I run to my bedroom, slide on a pair of jeans, and throw on a hoodie and my hat. Sliding my wallet in my back pocket, I grab my keys from the dresser and run out the front door.

  I’ve got to get to the airport. Jumping in my truck, I slam the gearstick in drive and stomp on the gas. My tires squeal as I haul ass out of the parking lot. Turning onto the main road, I follow it, speeding while praying that she hasn’t boarded her plane yet.

  The airport is twenty minutes away, but I get there in fourteen. Parking, I run through the airport as security looks at me like I’m a crazed lunatic. Hoping that they don’t tackle me and haul my ass to jail, I try and act like I’m late for my flight. Everyone looks at me. Nearing the security line, an officer stops me and says that I’ll have to have a ticket to go any further.

  Fuck.

  I didn’t consider the plan this far. Backtracking, I purchase a one-way ticket to California. I guess if her plane already took off I can always find her in Cali. I know where her apartment is from when I visited, so that gives me an advantage at locating her.

  This time security lets me through and I run like I’m being chased by a wild bull through the terminal. Rounding the corner towards a row of gates labeled by a letter and a number, I see someone who resembles Hensley from behind. Her hair is long and in a braid. This may be my only chance so I yell, “Hensley!”

  She stops in her tracks, and then turns around. Her face lights up when she sees me. Throwing my head back, I breathe in a deep breath of relief. She’s still here.

  “Colby? What are you doing here? How did you get back here?”

  I just rushed here and she’s worried about how they let me back here? “Umm, I bought a ticket.”

  Rubbing her face, she asks, “You bought a ticket for what?”

  “Do I need to spell it out, Sunshine? I bought a ticket to California. If I couldn’t catch you, I figured I’d just fly there and find you. I should have the first time. Actually I shouldn’t have let you leave without me. I’m sorry. Hensley, I love you. I’m so deeply in love with you, I can’t even think straight.”

  “Slow down,” she interrupts. “I’m sorry I pushed you away. I’m sorry I asked you to leave. I was just so confused and angry. But I wasn’t mad at you. I was mad at Michael for blindsiding me, and I was mad at myself for just accepting their offer. I didn’t even talk to you about it first, and all along you gave up your dream for me.”

  “I wanted to marry you. I want to marry you. Nothing has changed for me. I know we can’t erase the past, and frankly I don’t want to. It helped me realize how empty I am without you.”

  “You wanted to marry me?” she squeaks.

  “Not past tense, Sunshine. I would marry you right now if you’d agree to it.”

  A small crowd and the flashing of cameras catch my attention. I had forgotten that outside of our small town, Hensley is a well-known country artist. Grabbing her hand, I lead her towards the men’s bathroom. No one is in the big stall, so I open the door and push her in.

  “Please don’t go back. Stay here and figure this out with me. I love you. I never stopped. We’ve got a ton of shit to work through, and I can’t say it’ll be easy, but it will be worth it.” Brushing a piece of hair off her cheek, I lean forward and place a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. “I want to make music with you every day for the rest of my life.”

  “What about Brittani?”

  “God, you’ve got a lot of pointless questions today. Nothing happened. I wouldn’t screw her if she was the last woman on the face of this earth. I won’t lie to you, she kissed me once, but we didn’t have sex. It’s all royally messed up, but the beauty of life is we have time to sort through it all.”

  It’s as if I just killed her favorite horse, tears fall from her eyes.

  “We don’t have time. My dad didn’t. He’s gone and I wish I could turn back time, and come home more often or be here when he passed, but I can’t because we’re losing time every second.”

  “You’re right. I’m sure things may have been different if you came home, you could have spent more time with him and you might have even been here when he got really sick, but you weren’t. The difference is you’re here now. So what are you going to do? Are you going to board that plane or are you going to let me take you home, strip you out of those clothes, and make sweet love to you? The rest we can figure out later.”

  “MOM, YOU BETTER run home and get your pies. The Grants are going to be here any minute.” I shoo her away from me as I stand in the kitchen cutting an onion.

  “Okay, give me ten minutes.” As she turns the corner, Colby walks through the front door of the house with three sets of flowers in his hand. One for me, my mom, and his mom, Anna.

  This month has been one that I’ll never forget. Colby made me an offer I couldn’t refuse so I canceled my flight, and rescheduled it to be on the same plane as him. We both flew to California and walked hand in hand into Robert’s office. The funny part was Robert didn’t look shocked when I told him I was breaking our contract and wanted to drop the label. He actually stood up and apologized for being such a jerk back in the day to Colby and said he was truly happy that we found our way back to one another. The conversation was strange, but I’m glad it happened.

  Robert asked Colby and I to take a seat and then he said, “Listen, Son. I know you probably think I’m a walking piece of shit, and sometimes I can be. But I never meant to break you and Hensley apart. That was all Michael. He’s vindictive and when you turned us down, he was flat out pissed. I knew as soon as we left what he was planning on doing, and I should have stopped him, but at the time he held all the power. He was a king at Smashtown, which is why he sank when it went under. I can’t go back and erase the damage we caused between you and Hensley, but I hope moving forward you can forgive me.”

  I’d never seen Robert apologize or show any kind of emotion before.

  Colby gripped my hand tighter and then said, “No worries, brother. I came out here to get my girl and go home. I have no hard feelings, so you can rest easier at night.”

  “It’s not like that.” Robert sounded upset, his voice deepened. “I don’t want either of you to go anywhere. Hensley has a contract with us. It’s not as easy to break as she thinks it is. I know that’s wh
y you both came here, but in doing so it’s opened me up to…I don’t know if this is a good thing or not…hell, life’s about taking chances…”

  Confused, I shook my head. “Robert, spit it out. You’re not making any sense.”

  “What if we signed you, Colby? I’m sure you’re only better than when I heard you last. I loved your sound before, and we don’t want to lose Hensley. If you’re a package deal, then we want you too.”

  Colby froze and my heart skipped a beat. Robert wants to sign Colby?

  “I really appreciate it, but I’m not interested. I came here to help Hensley move back home. Why on earth would I willingly move out here and live like she does? She’s not happy, and can you blame her? You’ve…your company has turned her into a walking showgirl. She’s a musician. She wants to be known for her voice not her appearance. There’s no way I’d sign up for something that changes who I am.” Colby stood and held his hand out to me.

  “Wait,” I begged him. “Robert, what if you allow us to just be us, without all the glam? If you really don’t want to lose me, you’ve got to make some leeway. I love you and this label. I love singing beside Will, but I love Colby more than any of that. I was young and stupid before, but this past week has taught me a lot about myself, love, and life. I’m not giving him up, not for a second time.”

  “Mr. Grant,” he addressed Colby, “I think our lady here is right. You’ve got talent, and you got her. I can’t give you both up. So what can I do to keep you both?”

  Robert’s question opened up a door of possibilities.

  EVERYTHING ELSE WAS simple…well, as simple as it could be. Picking up your life and moving isn’t something I’m fond of, but this time, it was worth it. The label made an announcement to the media and to my fans announcing my solo album’s title. We figured working on my own CD would give us some time to figure all the fine details out about our new venture.

  Colby signed with Robert, and so did Dusty…

  We spent an extra week in LA, relaxing, talking, making love. It wasn’t until our final days that we really opened up to one another. I told him how I felt about everything and I apologized more during that conversation than I had in my entire life. He seemed to understand, and he said he was sorry for inviting Brittani to be his roommate. He told me about their kiss, and I told him the real reason why I despised her and then he held me in his arms. We made love on the beach that night, under the stars.

  In the morning when I awoke he was on the phone with Dusty. After their conversation, Colby said he’d agree to sign under a few conditions. We’d live at home in Nashville, and we’d sing together, all three of us, him, myself and Dusty. Just like it was supposed to be, before I went and ruined everything.

  Colby said that Dusty wasn’t really happy in New York. He felt like his good looks were what people wanted, they didn’t care about him personally. So he jumped at the idea to come home. I know it seems picture-perfect – isn’t it supposed to be harder than this? Aren’t I supposed to be groveling at the feet of the people I’ve hurt, begging them to accept me back into their lives? I don’t know what I did to deserve any of this love, forgiveness and happiness.

  Robert seemed pissed that Colby held all the control. He was calling the shots, and demanding things. We had the power now. Reluctantly he agreed and arranged for Dusty to fly out that evening.

  Colby helped me pack the condo and I hired a moving company to help get my belongings back to Tennessee. When we finally made it back, I decided it was best if we didn’t stay at the apartment. While it had a lot of great memories, it also had a lot of bad ones too. Instead we found a house we liked and I bought it. Since it was already vacant and I was paying cash we were able to move right in. It’s a mess and things are everywhere, but we want to celebrate this special time in our lives with the people we love the most. After all, as life has taught us, time is of the essence.

  I finally introduced Colby to my mom. She loves him, just like I knew she would. I just wish it didn’t take all of this unnecessary drama for her to realize it. It wasn’t until Colby called his mom to tell her about his recent change of address that she asked him about his Christmas plans. We decided then it would be a good idea to invite Anna and Larry to our new house. What better way to celebrate new beginnings than with everyone meeting and sharing this special time together?

  Dusty has been living in our basement, and things between us are great. I’ve been so blessed to have everyone forgive me, and while they’ve easily opened their hearts back up to me, I’ll always live with the burden of what I did to them. I don’t know if the pain of hurting the only two men I have left in the world will ever go away, but I hope it fades in time.

  Robert wanted us to make a short announcement to the media. Will was really understanding, and although he was hurt that he wouldn’t be a part of our new group, he was happy for us. Broken Roads was itching to start playing again, so lucky for Robert he was now the manager of two amazing groups –Broken Roads and Chasing Strings.

  Our video was short and sweet. We addressed ourselves as Chasing Strings and I briefly told my fans how appreciative I was of their support. I reassured them that I wouldn’t stop making music. I would just do it from the comfort of my home with my boys by my side. We had a few thousand hits within the first few hours. It was an amazing feeling for all three of us.

  The best part about it have been the emails and tweets we’ve gotten from people that this announcement solidified that love is real, that happy endings do exist, that I’m not some phony country singer, and that the man I’ve been singing about missing, he’s real too.

  LIFE CHANGED WHEN Colby waltzed into it unannounced. He shook me up and made me believe that love was real. Life was also real and hit us dead in the face with some curveballs, but we survived. In the end that’s what matters.

  Colby walks towards me and places his hands on my shoulders. Tilting my neck to the side, he kisses me, and it’s as if the world shifts on its axis and it’s no longer Colby Grant and Hensley Bradley – it’s us, together as one. He is my home. I can make music anywhere, but I can’t live if it isn’t with him. He said it best when he said it in the lyrics – I’d do anything to make the last year disappear. The words are deep, but the meaning is simple. Everything else will sort itself out.

  “Sunshine, you look so good in the kitchen cooking.” Colby’s deep Southern voice calls out as he stands behind me.

  The little hairs on my neck stand upright as his warm breath blows on my skin. I’m tempted to push everything off the counter and have him right here and right now, but I know we won’t have time and his body is too good not to savor.

  “You better stop it. Your parents are on their way and I want to make a good second impression,” I laugh as I spin around, so we are facing one another.

  Staring into the eyes of the most handsome man on the planet, I’m reminded of the first time our eyes locked. It was then I knew I was a goner, even if I didn’t want to admit it at the time. This silly banter, his sexier-than-all-get-out twang, it all reminds me where we started, on a street corner with my guitar.

  “All right, all right, but later on, you’re all mine.” He smirks while opening the refrigerator door and grabbing a bottle of water.

  “While you’re in there, can you grab the butter?”

  He hands me the butter, and then turns and walks through the living room, and hits the porch light switch to on.

  “What are you doing? That wastes electricity,” I holler from my spot in the kitchen. “And it’s daylight out, goof.”

  “I’m turning it on, because now that you’re home, I don’t ever want you to lose your way again.”

  My heart flutters as a giant smile spreads across my face.

  “You were always cheesy, you know that, right?

  “Yeah,” he nods. “But I got the girl.”

  THINGS HAVE BEEN great since Christmas and within the past few months since we found our way back to each other; we’ve healed, gr
own and forgiven. We’ve also been practicing a lot, and Hensley even installed a recording studio in the basement. It’s as if nothing has changed. We’ve all fallen back into our normal routines, and even Dusty has adjusted well. I let them have a few solo friend-dates without me. I knew that they had some stuff to work on.

  Tonight we’re playing at Mitch’s. Since we were signed, I haven’t been bartending much, but it’s important to all three of us to stay true to who we are and where we came from. So I haven’t ditched the gig completely. Mitch loves it because we pack a pretty big crowd and I’m the most experienced bartender he’s ever had, well, besides old red.

  Standing on stage remembering the last time we all played up here together makes my palms sweat. Not because I’m nervous to perform, but because I’m nervous as to what she’s going to say.

  As Mitch introduces Chasing Strings, I grip my microphone tightly and interrupt him. “Hey y’all! We’re so pumped to play on our hometown stage tonight, but before we begin, I was hoping I could get your help with something.”

  Hensley glances up at me, confused.

  As if on cue the lights dim, and then Dusty hollers, “Now!” And the entire crowd holds their lighters up in their hands.

  Hensley steps down off of her stool, and sets her guitar down. “What are you two doing?” She looks royally perplexed as she looks from me to Dusty to the crowd.

  Stepping towards her, I bend on one knee.

  Dusty plays the keyboard, and a soft melody fills the air.

  Grabbing her hand, she chokes. “Hensley Elaine Bradley, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. You lit up my life like a ray of sunshine when I was in a dark place. You helped me cope, heal, and open my heart again. I know my brother is proud of me, and it’s all because of you. You helped make my dreams a reality. You are my dream. Will you please do me the honor of calling yourself Mrs. Grant? If you say yes, Sunshine, I promise you to be the best man, husband, and hopefully one day father that I could ever be.”