Page 28 of Rock My Girl

For a few minutes I wondered where Bethan was, and how the sun would affect her plants. If I recalled correctly from our last video call, she only had a few houseplants on her desk. Then I shook myself back to reality.

She was completely right that I hadn't been open enough with Ford. He didn't know how hard it was for me to speak up. How could he? He wasn't a mind reader.

Plus, he might have dealt with people in the past who could easily get over stage fright, but I couldn't fight my nature. I would never be what he needed. It would be unfair for him to have to change his life for me.

It was almost ten thirty when Ford called. "Hey, gorgeous. Are you busy, or can I come by your place?"

I did appreciate that he knew I might be working. "Sure. I'll put the coffee on."

"Great. I'll bring some snacks."

My stomach was twisting and turning itself into knots. I was going to have to disappoint him. Not just as a project partner, but as the boyfriend I'd been dreaming of for years.

Knowing that my heart was going to break within the hour was one of the most unsettling feelings I'd ever experienced.

Ford arrived ten minutes later, which told me he had probably already driven to my neighborhood before calling. I handed him a coffee, and he put the box of muffins on the table as we sat down.

He had a worn leather shoulder bag with him, and pulled out a laptop. Then he pulled out some small external speakers, plugging them in before calling up a track. "Close your eyes and listen."

I settled back to pay attention. He played the intro and first two verses of the song we were working on yesterday. Then it stopped, starting again from the second verse.

It sounded absolutely incredible, but there was something odd that took me a minute to figure out.

My eyes snapped open. "Wait. That's not me singing."

Ford grinned from ear to ear. "No. Kelly and I spent a few hours yesterday going through every female vocalist that the label has contact with, and we found three who were kind of similar to your sound. This one is Amanda Foster. I think she imitates your tone pretty well. She is completely on board with capturing your magic as well as she can for the rest of the album."

I listened in disbelief until the song ended.

Ford turned and held my hands. "You know that I would much rather sing with you, baby. But if you don't want to be on the album, and you don't want to go on tour, that'd be fine. I would never want you to be uncomfortable."

My breath was too unsteady to speak. He had heard me. He wasn't upset. I couldn't believe it.

"Or," he continued, "you could sing on the album, and it would just be you and Clark and I in the studio. We'll set it up to be as comfortable as possible for you. Then Amanda can tour. Or – well, we can arrange it however you like, really. It’s up to you."

An irrational, illogical pang of jealousy hit me at the thought of another woman singing with him.

"If you're gone," I whispered, "that means…you're gone."

"No," he said, squeezing my hands. "I will never be gone. I will temporarily be in a different location than you are. But I will not be gone."

I loved that he made me laugh even though I was on the verge of tears.

"Even though Amanda is very nice, and will be wonderful on the tour, don't think for a second that she, or any other woman, could possibly replace you in the slightest."

Ford's finger lifted my chin. "I love you, Cassie. I think I loved you from the moment I first saw you. And I definitely loved you from the second you began ordering me around during that photo shoot."

A tear spilled down my cheek, and he wiped it away. "I really will do anything to make you happy and comfortable," he insisted softly. "Anything."

Swallowing hard, I met those beautiful, rich brown eyes. "I love you too."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I honestly didn't know what I would do if you kicked me out."

We cuddled for a while, as his fingers drifted along my shoulder and I caressed his chest. A deep sense of comfort washed over me, and I realized something important. Now that it wasn't expected, I wondered if I really could sing in public. Just to test the waters.

"I think I'd like to meet with that vocal coach and stage fright person," I said softly, watching as Ford's eyes widened with delight. "No promises. But either way, it would be educational, right?"

"Absolutely. Learning new things is always good. However you decide to proceed with our album, that's fine with me."

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