Where Words Fail (23 page)

I turned, squaring my shoulders and put my game face on. The bane of my fucking freshman year. “Mr. Mank.” I checked his name tag quickly to make sure I had the right douche.

“Damn, you grew up. If I had known you would have grown up this good I would have kept you for myself.” His eyes honed in on the lack of fabric over my chest and the urge to punch him in the face began to surface.

“I see you haven’t grown up at all,” I snapped.

He laughed. I could smell the rum on his breath. “Feisty, WTG, just how I like ‘em...”

“Seriously, Collin... WTG? I have a name and I would appreciate you using it if you want to continue this conversation.”

“So what have you been doing with your life WTG? Still going to jail and all that fun shit you used to do?” I raised my eyebrow and glared at him. Still going to jail? Well, if shit keeps going like this I might just tonight. Good thing we’re close to home. I might need someone to bring cash to bail me out. He noticed my stance and chuckled. Leaning over he put his face about two inches from my chest to look at my nametag. “Sorry... Abby.”

My fingernails were digging into my palms to keep myself from flipping my shit on him for getting so close to me. Where the hell did Jameson run off to?

“Music. I’m in the music industry.”

“Oh, like stocking shelves at the music store?” Sarcasm dripped from his mouth.

“Not quite. I’m a singer.”

“Big dreams for such a small girl. So what you sing back up for some local band?”

“Not quite...”

“Wait... You were a freshman when I was a senior so what are you doing here?”

His change of topic was comforting. Talking about what I did for a living was not something I really liked talking about with him, but I have a feeling it will come back up.

“I’m here with...” I was cut off by Jameson’s warmth. Wrapping himself around me with his arms draped around my chest and his front pressed into my back. Most would think it was him being territorial but I knew he would notice Collin’s stare at my tits was making me uncomfortable.

“Me. She’s here with me, Mank.”

“What’s the matter WTG? You didn’t learn your lesson the first time around?”

Jameson growled, just low enough for me to hear. I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell he wasn’t smiling anymore. Our night has officially been ruined.

“What the hell did we talk about all senior year, Mank? That
nickname
you seem to think is hilarious is disgusting and I won’t hear it again.”

“Dude, chill. I was just joking around with her. Anyway.” He turned back to me. “You were saying something about what you did for a living.”

“She’s a singer. I’m pretty sure she already told you that.” Jameson snapped back at him. Tempers were rising, and I didn’t want this to become an issue.

“Yeah, she did. But she didn’t tell me what type of singing she did.”

Jameson hauled his phone from his pocket, scrolling through the pictures until he had the one he wanted and flipped the phone around to show him. I snuck a glance as it was passing in front of my face. It was taken during one of the last shows sound checks. I was belting out a song, and it had all three guys plus the stage shit in the background. I remember him handing his phone off to Paul, but wasn’t sure why. Now I know.

Collin’s mouth hung open, and I had the urge to reach over and shut it for him, so he wouldn’t catch flies. Cocky bastard figured it out real quick. Jameson chuckled and kissed my neck before speaking again. “She’s the singer of Thirty Ought Six and co-owns Ironsound Records. I play guitar for them. Next time you want to be a jackass about someone’s life... Make sure you know what you’re talking about. You’re doing what? Managing the bank daddy owns and you married Jenny Orff. Never got out of this town. Who’s trash now asshole?”

He steered me backwards towards the edge of the stage, laughing the whole way. I have to admit to myself that what Jameson just did for me was pretty badass. He has his cocky moments himself, but don’t ever piss that boy off. He always seems to be fixing my problems.

Christ. I have the urge to bitch slap myself. I’m Abby fucking Irons. I fucking rock. But put me back in this fucking high school setting, and I feel about two inches tall.

I can take on bikers. Put my foot down on some of the meanest executives out there. Stand up in front of thousands and thousands of people and sing. But low life’s like Collin Mank get me riled up so bad I can barely function.

I watch as Jameson climbs the stairs to take his place at the microphone and straps on his Fender. Somehow I feel as if this was a setup because he brought his guitar. Good thing I love that tattooed fucker.

Looking at him something from what he says clicks in my head and makes me giggle. He said that Collin married Jenny Orff. She was the bitch from my bio class I wanted to punch. Serves both of them right. Jameson peeks at me from the corner of his eye and breaks out in a full blown smile. I don’t know if he realizes what I find funny or not but if my laughing gets that smile out of him, I’ll do it all day long.

Tapping on the mic he speaks around the pick that he’s holding between his lips. “What’s up fuckers? Oops, sorry Mr. Beck.” Mr. Beck waves him on with a smile. We’re all adults now. What’s he going to do? Give him detention. My attention turns back to the God like man on stage. “So, in case you don’t remember me I’m Jameson. When I ran into Mr. Beck he asked me if my lovely date and I would perform a duet tonight. How many of you have heard the song
Fight for Me
by Thirty Ought Six?” Most of the room erupted in applause and noise. “Good, good. I told him we’d play this song as long as I got to play a song for my girl as well. So, I’d like to introduce my beautiful girl. She went to school with us but you might not remember her because she was a few years younger than us.”

He walked towards me and helped me up the stairs. His fingers clasping mine tightly. He knows how hard it is for me to stand up in front of small crowds, especially this one. Kissing me lightly on the lips he returned to talking.

“If you like the song on the radio, I can guarantee the live version is better. If you follow the band at all you know who this is.” More people yelled as they figured out who I was. I waved and slung my strap over my shoulders. “So you get half the band tonight. Hope everyone likes this.”

Jameson’s fingers slid over the frets as he plucked at his strings. I strummed along and belted my heart out. Eyes never leaving his. Everyone around us disappeared, and it was just the two of us.

How the hell did I live without him for nine years again?

Jameson

Hot damn I love this woman. She’s everything. Smart. Sexy. Funny. Loving. Giving. Everything I could ever want. All wrapped up in a package hot enough to make me drool.

I barely let her out of the house tonight. If I had it my way, we would have never left. Having to keep my mouth closed to keep from drooling over her has been tough. I’m used to seeing her skin on stage but never this much. Pretty much the only thing that thing she called a dress is covering is her ass, pussy and some of her tits. I know I’m not the only one here tonight calculating how long it would take them to get her out of it.

Can’t say I’m happy about other people seeing her like this, but I know she’s coming home with me tonight. And hopefully I can help her out of it.

She smirks at me, her eyes crinkling in the corners as the song comes to an end.

The look in her eyes is enough to make my cock throb. I’m thankful I don’t have to take this guitar off just yet because it’s covering the majority of my steel fucking hard on.

Earlier in the night when I heard Collin call her WTG again it threw me off my recent happy streak. Anger boiled so hot in my blood that I figured I could murder him with one look. She wasn’t the trash in this situation. He was. He always seemed to look down at her. Never taking the time to get to know her. Always just assuming he was better than her. Than everyone.

I had to show him he was wrong. Hell, I had to show
her
he was wrong.

They asked me to play for them, and I couldn’t say no. I had packed my Fender and mini amp in the backseat of my truck because I had been planning on playing her the new song I had been working on by the lake on the way home later. But things changed, and it came in handy. I feel weird playing someone else’s equipment. My Fender is my baby.

The second I heard him using that nickname on her, I knew what song I was going to play for her. I just hoped she didn’t hate me for it afterwards.

After kissing her thoroughly I pull her onto the stool next to me.

“Alright, so like I said, I told Mr. Beck we’d play that song if I could play one for her as well. He agreed. At first I wasn’t sure what I was going to sing but after I heard someone use an old nickname on her that, by the way, isn’t a very nice one... I knew which song.” I could see Abby’s smile disappear, in its place was a hard line of strawberry lips that I wanted to smooth out with my tongue. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows the nickname but I’m here to tell her that it doesn’t matter. She’s not but even if she was, I’d still love her. I just hope she doesn’t hate me when tonight’s over.”

I laughed and slid my fingers along the strings, tapping my foot to the beat.

White Trash Beautiful
. A song about loving a waitress who married a guy from school that never seems to be there because of his job. About how his heart belongs to her till the day he dies.

It doesn’t matter that he’s calling her white trash or a trailer park queen. The songs about wanting to be with her, loving her. Knowing that he loves her even though he knows she could do better.

I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her as I sang. Reaching up to wipe away a tear that escaped her eye, she’s everything to me. I can’t even begin to imagine my life without her anymore. Again. I think I would die because last time it damn near killed me.

Abby

Well, to be honest, if you had told me nine years ago when my life was in ruins that I would be happy again someday, I probably would have kicked your ass and ended up in jail. If you had said that Jameson would be back in my life, I would have told you that I didn’t want him. He could jump off the face of the earth, and I would have a party to celebrate it.

My career, my life, my heart. All of those things are things I wouldn’t have believed. I always doubted myself. I figured I’d be working some minimum wage job, struggling to pay bills and getting by. Begging for something to give so my life would be better. Or I’d be in a ditch somewhere because I probably would have ended up staying with someone like Matt.

Instead, I have a job that I love. I can’t even consider it a job. I do what I love on stage. And offstage when I slip into my role as CEO of Ironsound Records, I get to make other people’s dreams come true. I don’t have to worry about money like we did growing up and thanks to my amazing brother, I’m no longer in an abusive relationship. I have Jameson back, and I don’t plan on letting go again.

My brother is the only thing in my life that isn’t going well right now. The doctors have exhausted all options when it comes to him.

When Alex came home last week, he told me they gave him less than a year. The air was ripped from my lungs and evaporated from the space around me. I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move, couldn’t think. The tears streamed down my face while I held my hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up.

I can see it in his eyes that he’s too tired to keep trying. No more second opinions, no more treatments. No more Alex. He’s been done for a while. The only reason he keeps trying is for Izzy and me. If I could, I would trade places with him. Not because I don’t want to live, but I hate watching him hurt. And I know what it’s like to have no parents. Izzy has already lost her mom, it’s not fair to take Alex too.

No more Alex.

Those words have been rattling around in my head since he broke the news to me. I think that’s why he insisted I go with Jameson tonight to his reunion. He must have thought it would get my mind off him. He had Izzy go to a friends for the night. Said that he wanted a grown up night. Whatever he thinks that is. As long as it doesn’t involve Barbie’s or cartoons I think he’ll love it. So Tuesday, Jason and AJ were all staying with him to give him that. I figured that they would all be in bed by the time we got back.