Page 97 of Time Out

Not unless…

“I’m not sure I like it. You can say she’s good all you want, but you and Dad like everyone. There’s something going on, and now she’s going viral? You know she had to plan that, right? How else could she get her foot in the door with music, as hard up as you say she is. And who gets busted and discovered at some karaoke bar.”

She scoffed, and I was certain that use of discovered was in air quotes when she said it. My pulse raced with the desire to run. Everything she was saying was everything I would have to defend from now until eternity.

I stayed still, inhaled slowly, and counted to ten. Davis promised me we’d get through this together.

He cared about me.

More—I could trust him. Already had more than anyone in my life, even Belle.

Yesterday, Annie’s comments would have sent me into a spiral. Heck, two hours ago, those words would have crushed me to the floor. Amazing how quickly things could change.

“You’re wrong,” Davis said, and he was so vehement about it I didn’t stay hidden. I could fight this battle. I’d have to do it repeatedly.

I headed into the living room with purpose and Davis’s jaw dropped, gaze yanked from the screen and on me the second he saw me moving toward him. Straight to the couch where he was sitting on a video call with his sister.

“I’m saying you need to think about this—”

I plopped onto the couch with purpose, Davis cringing, and the look on his sister’s beautiful and natural face with the same blue eyes as Davis’s turned to regret.

“I’m sure you’re really nice, Maggie, is it? But you have to understand our concern.”

“The only one concerned is you,” Davis pointed out.

He dropped his arm from the back of the couch, hand settling to my lower back. “Maggie. It’s okay, she’s—”

“Completely within her right to be worried about you. About this.” I pressed my palm to his cheek and turned him so he was facing me and no longer glaring at his sister. The glare wiped away immediately as he smiled down at me. “It’s okay. I get it and understand. You had to know we’d get this.”

“Yeah. But not from my family.”

His eyes narrowed and flicked toward Annie. She was so pretty. Her skin was flawless, and I doubted she was wearing makeup. It was only the frown and slightly embarrassed expression she wore, even if she’d spoken first. Even with that, she was so similar to Davis I had to fight against smiling.

I dropped my hand from Davis’s cheek and held his in his lap.

“Annabelle Connelly is my best, and really, only friend I’ve made since moving to Nashville after my family refused to allow me to come home and pulled me from college. If you don’t know who she is, she’s the future heir and great-granddaughter to WWMP’s empire. WWMP, as in Worldwide Media Productions. They’re the largest music producer, primarily with country music in the world. I’m happy to give you Belle’s number so you can call and talk to her, but all she’ll do is confirm that for the last three years, I’ve refused any of her assistance in getting started in the music industry. I’ve wanted to do this on my own. I’ve needed to, for me. I haven’t even seen the videos, although your dad pulled one up earlier, but that’s all I know about what’s going on. Belle’s dad, Christian Connelly, learned at some point today that I could sing. Someone sent it to him.” I turned to Davis. “By the way, if you’re not busy Thursday night, we’re invited to their house for dinner.”

“Belle’s?”

“No. Christian and Scarlett’s.”

“Scarlett?” Annie asked and then sputtered, “Are you… are you talking about going to Scarlett Drummond’s house?”

Ahhh, so she listened to country. Or old school country. While I knew Scarlett as a Connelly and Belle’s mom, most of the world knew her as a nineties country sensation, breaking records women had never held and having more CMA awards than any female country performer in history and still held to this day. She was an icon in the country music world.

And the sweetest woman I’d ever met.

“Yes. That’s Belle’s mom.”

“Shit,” Davis muttered. “I’d forgotten about that. That they were related.”

I turned back and faced Annie. “I know this can look bad, and I’m still terrified the rest of the world will think exactly how you have, that I’m not some gold digger, jersey jumper, or whatever. We met by chance—”

“Fate,” Davis cut in.

I pressed my hand to his face to silence him. He frowned behind my hand on the screen, but I was focused on Annie. She smirked at him, and that move over any I could have done might have actually had her liking me.

“We had a great night that ended with a baby, and now we’re trying to work things out with a lot of issues popping up along the way. I really care about him, Annie. I do, and I know he loves you so much because every time he mentions you and Avery, he gets stupidly happy.”

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