Page 31 of All I Want for Christmas
Max looked around the small room, the sense of nostalgia moving through him so strongly he almost felt like he had to sit down beside Patsy lest his legs give out from under him. The last time he’d been here, his mom had still been alive. It had been the Christmas before she got sick, and if he’d had any idea how little time he had left with her...
A sharp pain clawed at his chest, and this time he sat down. Patsy rested her head in his lap.
“Home sweet home,” he saidquietly.
This Christmas...
HotStarGossip.com
Max Brody and Sadie Hunter...
Long-Distance Love, or a Nashville Sham?
With Sadie Hunter on the European leg of the Tasha Munroe tour she’s opening for, and Max Brody working on a solo album somewhere in the Canadian wilderness, we are suffering serious #Saxie withdrawal... It has been 263 days since we’ve seen the lovebirds together—but hey, who’s counting? (HotStarGossip is counting! And we didn’t count those blurry Majorca beach photos!)
So, WHEN will these American sweethearts get back into each other’s arms (and back into the studio to record that highly anticipated Cruz McNeil produced album)? HotStarGossip reached out to the power couple’s people, but the only comment was, “We don’t comment on our clients’ private lives.” We did find someone willing to talk—a source who prefers to stay anonymous, but who we can confirm is legit—who gave a statement sure to distress #Saxie fans. “They were never a ‘couple’ in the romantic sense,” the source said. “They fooled everyone, including theStarmakerjudges and especially their loyal fans.”
While we can’t confirm or deny this, we do have to wonder... Is #Saxie magic, or make-believe? And... do we care when they are so dang entertaining?
Either way, the countdown is on to when we can get our #Saxie fix! Word is our Christmas wishes will come true soon enough. The dreamy duo is slated to sing an original holiday love song at the Grand Ole Opry at the holiday extravaganza, one year after winningStarmakerand millions of hearts in the process. Rein up, cowgirls and cowboys, because charade or not, this performance is sure to melt away that December chill!
12
Sadie
Nashville, Tennessee
December 13
Okay, shoulders back, stand up straight. If you don’t want to pop out of this thing during that final dance number, we’re going to need to lace you intight.Deep breath, Sadie.”
Sadie obeyed, but it still felt like the wind had been knocked out of her when Hugo—now the head of her wardrobe team on the road and a welcome familiar face every day—started yanking the laces on the black-and-gold corset she was wearing. “I can’t believe this is the last night of Tasha’s Rhinestone Cowgirl Tour,” she managed.
Hugo’s exertions punctuated his words: “On the bright side”—yank—“you”—pull—“won’t”—tug—“have to dothis”—yank yank—“for a while.”
When Sadie could breathe again she said, “I know, but I’mgoing to miss you. And everyone else.Ouch.How can it be over already?”
Hugo smiled, a little sadly. “I’m going to miss you, too. But I bet you’re excited to finally get to spend some time with Max.” His eyes lit up the way everyone’s did when they talked about #Saxie. Somehow, even though Sadie had ended up going on tour with Tasha Munroe—something she had enthusiastically agreed to when Tasha called her up and pitched the idea—and Max had gone off the grid, hiding away to write music at his family’s cabin in the Canadian Rockies, they had managed to convince the world they were still a couple—a couple who supported each other’s separate career dreams, but would be back together soon. “I cannot wait to hear the song you wrote for the holiday extravaganza. You’re being so secretive about it! Did you work on it when you managed to sneak away to see him last month during our break?”
Sadie forced a knowing smile and nodded. But the truth was, she hadn’t spoken to Max in the past year—not since the night of theirStarmakerwin, which had started out as the best night of her life and turned into her worst nightmare, because she had lost her beloved gran, and it had been too late for her to say goodbye. She had tried to contact Max, after the dust had settled in her personal life—settled into a sludge of heartache she could hardly see her way through and tried to dull by constantly working—but he hadn’t returned her calls or answered her texts. And she certainly hadn’t sneaked off to visit him in his Canadian hideaway. They only communicated through Bobbi, who mostly passed along her regrets that no, Max wasn’t ready to come back to Nashville and work on their album or ontheir Christmas song forStarmakeryet, and yes, she would keep trying to convince him. Meanwhile, Bobbi and Amalia fed the media a steady stream of “leaked” fake stories—photoshopped images of “Saxie” spotted on a private beach in Majorca, rumors about the supposed secret trip Sadie had taken to visit him at his cabin.
“Well, I’m just so excited for you, Sadie,” Hugo said, making some final adjustments on the corset. “Next year is going to be huge. Two albums! Your own, and one with Max.”
After Sadie had signed on to join Tasha’s tour, she had also accepted Cruz McNeil’s offer to lay down some tracks for her own solo album in his studio. At the time, she had been sure Max would be arriving back in Nashville soon, and that they’d get their album out of the way. She had never imagined he’d stay away so long—but in darker moments, when she relived the last time she saw him, she realized it just made sense. She couldn’t count on Max and was going to need to forge her own path—even if their contractual obligations toStarmakerhung over her head like an axe waiting to drop.
“This tour has made you a star,” Hugo continued. “Anything you record is going to be a smash hit.”
It had all gone by so quickly. If Sadie closed her eyes she could see the highlights reel: a jumble of stadium stages, private jets, meet-and-greets, an endless parade of complicated outfits just like this one. Some incredible moments, like the nights when the crowds were receptive to her and shouted her name. And hard nights, too, like when someone in the crowd would shout, “Get off the stage! We want Tasha!” and Sadie would have to struggle not to cry, not to whip off herheadset and shout, “I’m an actual human being up here!And I can read lips!”
Then there was what came after the shows. Sadie alone in one hotel room after another, trying her best not to fall apart. Running away from her grief by hopping on plane after plane, stage after stage—when nothing could change the fact that Gran was gone.
Sadie had to use every ounce of strength she had not to fall apart.
There had been good moments, too. Those were what she had to focus on. Like the first time Tasha asked her to come onstage with her for the show’s finale, and Sadie sang with her while a full stadium cheered. In these moments, she felt like she was right where she belonged,finally.Tasha always reminded her that she had chosen her for a reason—it wasn’t a fluke. She thought Sadie was talented and her good taste in opening acts was legendary. Tasha had gone from being an idol to a generous, wise mentor. In addition to giving Sadie the break of a lifetime—and saving her when she needed it most—she had given her a master class in a fickle and complex industry.
Sadie hummed a bar of “Don’t Call.” This was Tasha’s most recent number one hit.Baby, I know you’ve got my number, but don’t you come callin’...She felt her now-corset-constricted heart drop in anticipation of the final show. She didn’t want the tour to be over—in part because it meant she was going to have to face the realities she had been avoiding. Her family life being one of them. Max Brody’s absence in her life being another.
There was a knock on the door. “Hell-oooo?”
