Hearts on Fire (19 page)

“I want to share
everything with you,” he said in a low voice. “I love you.”

She let out a stunned
breath, but before she could speak he continued, “The night we met
at the MC I knew who you were. Everyone in Nashville knows who you
are. I didn’t know why you were drinking so much that night, or why
you came on to me, but I couldn’t take advantage of you, and I
couldn’t let anyone else take advantage of you either. You seemed
so…lost.”

“I went to see my
grandmother that day. She hasn’t remembered me for years, but…but
it was my birthday the day before and she always made that day
special for me.” Jessie rested her hands on his firm biceps and
sighed. “I should have gone home like I always do after I go to see
her, but instead, I went to the MC, got drunk and tried to pick you
up. Not one of my better moments.”

“For the record, I’ve
wanted you every single day since that night, but I had it in my mind
that we could only be friends. I didn’t want anyone to think I was
using you to get a record deal. I wanted to make it on my own.
Without help from anybody.” He grimaced. “God, it sounds so
ridiculous now. It’s not wrong to accept a helping hand every now
and again. If you hadn’t accepted Wally’s help, where would you
be?”

“I have no clue. But
I’m grateful he came into my life.” She smiled at him. “And I’m
glad you did too. What we had as friends was so much better than the
few so-called relationships I had in the past. And I convinced myself
that’s all we were, right up until the night we sang together at
the MC. That’s when I knew what I was feeling was much more than
friendship.”

Drew leaned his head
back and groaned. “That night has haunted me for months.”

“Because of Hannah?”

“It wasn’t just
Hannah. When we sang together that night, our connection was so
powerful it threw me. You definitely weren’t in the friend zone
anymore, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. On top of that, it
was the anniversary of my dad’s death, and it’s a day that always
hits me pretty hard. After we were done singing, I got a call from
Hannah. She was wasted and needed a ride home. I picked up a
twelve-pack on the way to go get her and…well…you know the rest.”

“Yeah. That wasn’t
a good night.”

He opened his mouth to
say something, then closed it and looked away from her. She studied
his profile, a muscle feathered in his jaw.

Two seconds later, he
looked back at her. “You came to my apartment that night to tell me
you had feelings for me, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And tonight you told
me you loved me without knowing how I felt.” Admiration filled his
eyes. “That took guts.”

“That’s me.” She
gave him an impish grin. “I’m one gutsy gal.” She lifted her
hand and brushed a lock of hair from his temple, then lightly
caressed his cheek. “For the first time in my life, I know what
real love feels like, and even though I’m scared to death, I’m
willing to take a chance on it
and
on you. Because I love you, Drew. I love you so much.”

His eyes softened with
tenderness as he lowered his head, and their lips met in a kiss
sweeter than any she’d ever known before. After several seconds,
their soft kiss turned hot and demanding, and Jessie pressed herself
against him until it seemed as if every soft part of her body was
scorched by the hardness of his.

When they finally came
up for air, they were both breathing hard.

“I love you more than
I thought I could love anyone.” He gazed at her with such
tenderness she thought her heart might explode with joy. “My
beautiful Jessie.”

Tears of happiness
blurred her vision. Nothing could make this night more perfect.
Nothing. Well, except maybe one thing. “Will you stay with me
tonight?” she asked, as she linked her fingers around the back of
his neck.

“Why, Ms. Grant.”
He cocked his head and gave her a wicked grin. “Are you
propositioning me?”

Jessie laughed. “You
bet I am.”

Fourteen Months Later.

As Drew handed his
guitar to one of the stage hands, Jessie’s nerves were stretched as
tight as a drum. They’d just performed their duet in front of a
packed arena and now stood off stage while several production
assistants scurried about, ensuring every scripted moment of the
televised awards show went off without a hitch.

Clutching Drew’s
hand, she caught his glance and shot him a shaky smile. “We’re up
against some stiff competition.”

He nodded. “I know.
The odds are against us. But remember, it’s an honor just to be
nominated.”

She burst out laughing.
“You’re so full of shit. You want to win as badly as I do.”

“Okay. Yeah. I want
to win.” He grinned as he scrubbed a hand over his lightly-stubbled
jaw.

“Hey, y’all.”

Recognizing the voice
instantly, Jessie turned and smiled as Garrett Shaw moved toward
them, looking every inch a cowboy in his Wrangler jeans, crocodile
cowboy boots, black shirt, and matching black Stetson. Jessie looked
pointedly at the cream colored envelope in Garrett’s right hand.

“You didn’t happen
to get a peek inside that envelope, did you?”

“That’d be against
the rules,” Garrett said, with a wide-toothed grin. “But I’ve
got a helluva good feeling about this. I think you’re going to
win.”

“Are you saying that
because I’m on your label?” Drew asked, amusement curving his
lips.

Garrett shook his head.
“No. I was blown away the first time I heard you and Jessie sing
that song—which is why I fought like hell to convince Clark to loan
Jessie to Full Moon to record the duet.”

“I’m still
surprised he allowed it,” Jessie said, looking from Drew to
Garrett.

Garrett grinned.
“Clark’s got a good head for business. Putting the track on your
new album and Drew’s debut album was a win-win for everyone.”

Jessie squeezed Drew’s
hand as they exchanged a glance. It
had
been a win-win. Not only had their duet topped the country
charts for twelve weeks, it still hovered in the top ten and was
currently climbing the Billboard top 100 chart. And as an added
bonus, it had boosted the sales of Drew’s first album, and he’d
gotten some ridiculously good reviews as well as a legion of fans.

Garrett looked past
them. “I best be going, they’re signaling me to get to my mark.”

After Garrett tipped
his hat and sauntered toward the stage, Wally appeared from behind
the backdrop and hurried toward them with a huge grin on his face.
“Y’all killed it.” He clapped Drew on the back. “You can
thank me now,” he said smugly.

“For what?” Drew
asked.

“For the duet.” He
waggled his snowy white brows. “After all, it was my brilliant
idea.”

Jessie shared a quick
smile with Drew. “Thank you, Wally,” she said. Then, out of
nowhere her eyes filled with tears. She hadn’t known it at the
time, but Wally had saved her life. Without him, her life would be so
much different. And more than likely, not in a good way. “I don’t
know what I would have ever done without you. I’d probably still be
busking at the farmer’s market if you hadn’t come along and
changed my life.”

Wally’s cheeks
flushed. “Now don’t go gettin’ all mushy on me.”

“She’s been
emotional all day,” Drew said. “I figure it must be award show
jitters.”

“That’s odd.”
Wally pinned her with his shrewd eyes. “You never get nervous
before a performance.”

“Well, there’s a
first time for everything,” she said, quickly averting her eyes
before Wally guessed she was hiding something.

“I’m heading back
to my seat,” Wally said, then put his hand on Jessie’s shoulder
and squeezed gently. “I’ve never see you happier.”

Wally was right. Jessie
had never been happier. She had a wonderful career, a man who loved
her, and whom she loved equally in return. She’d been blessed with
four CMA nominations, including female vocalist of the year, and
musical event of the year for her and Drew’s collaboration of “You
and I”. And while it had been a remarkable year, the next year
looked to be even more remarkable. But not just because of her
career.

“Good luck.”
Wally’s paternal smile encompassed them both before he moved past
them toward the stairs that lead to the arena floor.

As hosts Carrie
Underwood and Brad Paisley sent the show to its commercial break,
Jessie felt the now familiar wave of queasiness threaten to overtake
her. She turned to Drew, who looked amazingly hot in his indigo
jeans, white shirt, and tobacco colored leather jacket. “I think
I’m gonna be sick.”

“Seriously? Now?”
Drew looked at her with worried eyes. “I think there’s a bathroom
somewhere around here.” A frown marred his brow. “You’ve been
sick a lot lately. You should go to the doctor.”

“I did. Yesterday
morning. Before we left for the airport.” Jessie gave him a wan
smile. “Remember that night on our honeymoon when we forgot to use
a condom?”

After several silent
seconds, Drew’s eyes widened as comprehension dawned. His gaze
lowered to her stomach before lifting again. “You…you’re…”

“Pregnant,” she
finished for him with a tentative smile. “We’re having a baby.”
She paused as he stared at her in stunned silence. Was he upset? She
couldn’t tell. “I know it’s sooner than we planned, but—”

He cut her off by
hauling her into his arms, lifting her off her feet and hugging her
against his body as he whirled her around in a circle.

“Drew!” she
exclaimed, and clutched at his shoulders. “Babe, put me down right
now. Unless you want me to puke all over you.”

Immediately, he set her
down and cupped her cheeks with his hands. “Are you okay?” He
looked to his left where a table with dozens of small sized water
bottles had been set out for the presenters and the performers. “Hang
on,” he said, and raced to the table and back with a bottle in his
hand. He twisted off the cap and gave it to her.

“Thank you,” she
said, after taking a long slow drink of the cool liquid. “I think
the nausea’s passed.” She took another mouthful, then tossed the
bottle into a recycle bin a couple of feet away and put a hand to her
still flat stomach. “Yes. I do believe I’m not going to vomit.”
She heard a disembodied voice begin the countdown from the
commercial, and then a lone cameraman moved in front of them to
capture their reaction in case they won their category.

Drew glanced at the
cameraman, then leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Why didn’t
you tell me earlier?”

“Because I wanted it
to be special,” she whispered. “I had it all planned for when we
got back to Nashville. A romantic dinner, maybe some making out in
front of the fire, and then I was going to tell you that you’re
going to be a father.” She reached up to touch his cheek, still in
awe of the new life she carried inside of her. “We made a baby,”
she murmured as she drowned in the deep blue sea of his eyes.

As Garrett was
introduced, Jessie lowered her hand and thought about the new house
they’d bought together on the outskirts of Nashville. Finally, she
had the home she’d always dreamed of—the home where she and Drew
would raise their family. And considering that they’d talked about
having at least three kids, maybe it was a good thing they were
starting now.

“We can celebrate
after the show…” she trailed off as he continued to stare at her.
“You
are
happy
about it, aren’t you?”

“Are you kidding?”
A wide smile split his face. “I couldn’t be happier. So what if
happened sooner than we planned? That’s what makes life
interesting.”

Relief washed over her
as Drew slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side,
while Garrett announced the list of nominees. Leaning her head
against his shoulder, Jessie held her breath and crossed her fingers
as Garrett opened the envelope. Although she was thrilled to be
nominated for the other awards, this one meant so much more. If they
won, she’d be sharing it with Drew—her partner in life, and the
man whom she loved more than she thought it was possible to love
anyone.

“And the winners for
musical event of the year are—”

Jessie’s heart
pounded as Garrett pulled the card from the envelope and glanced at
it. The seconds dragged by with agonizing slowness as Garrett looked
up and out into the audience with a huge grin on his face.

“Jessie Grant and
Drew Carmichael for “You and I”.

As the crowd erupted
with enthusiastic applause, Jessie thought she might faint. Drew
pulled her into a hug and held her tightly against him. “I love
you,” he whispered into her ear.

Before she knew it, he
let her go and held her hand snugly in his as they walked side by
side onto the stage. As Garrett attempted to hand her the award,
Jessie smiled and motioned for him to give it to Drew. Drew accepted
it with a smile and moved aside so Garrett could kiss Jessie’s
cheek and give her a quick hug.

With her knees
trembling, she stood next to Drew in front of the slim microphone as
Garrett moved to stand off the side a few feet. When the applause
died down, Drew shot her a glance, and since she was absolutely
certain she couldn’t string together a coherent sentence to save
her life, she nodded for him to speak first.

“Thank you.” His
soft twang filled the room. “Thank you all so much. It’s fitting
that the show is being held here this year.” He paused and let his
gaze wander around the Grand Garden Arena. “Because this is where
Jessie and I first sang “You and I”. I was honored to be her
singing partner then, and I am honored to be her husband now.” He
held up the award and continued in a voice filled with emotion. “To
every struggling musician out there, I’d like to say to you, please
don’t give up on your dreams because they really can come true.”
He glanced at her and smiled. “And don’t be too proud to accept a
little help when it’s offered.”