Page 85 of The Publicity Stunt

He refuses to release Bri because the moment he does, she'll collapse on the ground. He knows intimately what this feels like. To feel the Earth move as the straps slowly lower the box holding someone you love so dearly into the ground with slight jerking motions. It's the slowest and most painful form of torture.

Victor reappears with everyone, and he reaches out to rub her back as she sobs silently now. "Let it out, sweetheart. Let it out."

"He's really gone," Bri says, her voice hiccupping. "I don't like this. I don't like this feeling. I can't do this... this is too hard."

The casket reaches the bottom, and Kace turns her to face him, his hands cupping her sunken cheeks. "You can do this. It sucks, and it's going to suck, but you aren't alone. Everyone here is here for you. And I am so sorry. I wish there was a way I could take this pain away from you, but I can't. It kills me that I can't, baby."

Her arms wrap around him, clinging tightly, and she cries. Her pain will never be easier for him to deal with, and he wishes he knew what to do. What exactly she needs. If he could shoulder it all for her, he would, but he can't. All he can do is hold her until she's ready to move on her own two feet again.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Bri

Shortly after the funeral, Tessa moved out of Bri's New York apartment in what felt like a rush. Almost like something happened, but she assured Bri she just needed to get out on her own again. She'd found a job, and she stopped being as available as Bri had become accustomed to. In a matter of months, Bri's life turned upside down, and she now has the sudden need to find a place to call home rather than a stopping point between tours and appearances and recording. Home.

She scoured the internet, and she finally found a small farmhouse on six hundred and fifty acres of land previously used for ranching. On a whim, she decided to fly out and look at the place herself. It's been so long since Bri drove herself anywhere, and while Bobby and the team were near, she wanted to do this alone. To feel like a fully grown-up adult.

An elderly woman with fluffy white hair and an aged face from too much time in the sun steps outside to greet her as she puts the car into park. Wearing a long dressing gown and a robe, she reminds Bri of her grandmother, and she remembers that Texas was always home. Texas and something about this land just feels right.

"Can I help you?" the woman says, her hands holding onto the shaking railing tightly as she steps down the cement stairs.

"I'm so sorry to just show up unannounced. I saw the listing for your place online, and I was wondering if I could talk to you about the property," Bri says. "If now isn't a good time, I completely understand."

"Are you a developer?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "No, ma'am."

"Would you like coffee or tea?"

"Tea would be great," Bri says and hurries to help the woman up the stairs.

Inside, she takes in the wallpaper torn at the corners as well as the unmistakable smell of mold. Regardless of the worn nature of the house, Bri can feel the love in the small home. The type of love that gets passed down from generation to generation with so many memories of holidays and children and grandchildren running through the house.

"I apologize for the mess," the woman says. "I'm Mildred, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, Mildred. I'm Bri Waters."

The older woman stops abruptly and turns. "Bri Waters?"

"Yes, ma’am."

"The singer?"

She smiles again and nods. "Yes, ma'am."

"And you want an old house like this one?"

Moving to help her in the small galley kitchen that no doubt has seen more turkeys than years Bri's been alive, she grabs the kettle, fills it with water, and places it on the stove.

"I love the land. To be honest, I'd probably build on it. If you don't feel comfortable selling knowing that's my intention, I completely understand."

"This house has been in my husband's family for two centuries."

"I can feel the history here. How many children do you have?"

The kettle whistles, and Mildred points to a cabinet to the right of the stove. Bri opens it and pulls out two mugs. Her host places a tea bag in each cup, and Bri pours the water over them before following Mildred into the dining area with both mugs.

"I had seven, but I lost one at the age of two."

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