As I munched on a piece of extra crispy bacon, I threw a wary glance at Gabe. He’d been pacing around the kitchen for the last half hour. Occasionally, he would peer hopefully over at the television screen. Each time it didn’t show a live feed from Nashville, he would grunt and go back to pacing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone appear so disgusted by an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.

Emersyn slid into the seat next to me. “What’s up with Gabe?” she whispered, as she stirred blueberries into her yogurt. It had been two weeks since we’d experienced a few awkward days after my hookup with the redhead. After our initial fight—or I guess I should say disagreement—she had spent the next few days being distant and moody, which was so out of character for her.

But then I’d told her how I was seriously considering one of the dating services for famous men, and just like that, everything was fine. I didn’t stop to question it. I hated things being weird between the two of us.

“He’s got his panties in a twist because today is when the CMA nominations go out.”

Gabe shot me a bird and kept right on pacing while Emersyn’s spoon clattered against her bowl. After clasping her hand to her chest, she cried, “Oh, my God! That’s today?”

“Yep. It is. The one day out of the year that’s guaranteed to give Gabe premature grey hair.”

Emersyn hopped out of her seat and went over to Gabe. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she said, “Listen, there’s no way in hell you could possibly not get nominated for Songwriter of the Year, least of all Song of the Year.”

Gabe frowned. “I don’t know, Sonny. The competition is pretty stiff this year.”

She shook her head. “After years of working with Jack, I know superior songwriting when I hear it. You’ve got this.”

Although he still appeared doubtful, Gabe managed to give Emersyn an appreciative smile. “Thanks, Emersyn.”

“You’re welcome.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “For luck.”

“I’m going to need it.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” I argued.

“Excuse me?”

I rose out of my seat to join him and Emersyn. “Come on, Gabe, you’ve been nominated the last three years. It isn’t possible for you not to get a nomination this year.”

“You don’t know that.” Gabe grimaced. “Can you imagine how fucking mortifying it will be if I don’t get nominated for the album that’s because of Rae?”

I’d just opened my mouth to argue with him again when Emersyn shrieked, “It’s on!”

The three of us scrambled from the kitchen and hurried over to the living room. We didn’t even bother sitting down on the couch. Instead, we stood stock-still in front of the television.

Boulder-sized butterflies pounded around in my stomach, causing me to regret that last piece of bacon. Usually, I wasn’t one to get all wrapped up in awards season. Since our success five years ago, we’d been a staple at the CMA’s. We had presented awards and performed as well as racking up the statues. But I’d never been one to get swept up in an emotional frenzy like Gabe.

When it came time to announce the nominations for Songwriter of the Year, I held my breath. Okay, I not only held my breath, but I said a little prayer. When I heard Gabe’s name called, all the air I’d been holding came whooshing out of my lungs. It took me a minute to breathe again, but the moment I did, I let out a joyous whoop.

“I told you so!” Emersyn shrieked as she jumped up and down in front of Gabe.

I slapped Gabe’s back. “Congratulations, motherfucker!”

An elated grin stretched across his face. “Thanks, man.”

His phone started ringing, and I knew it had to be Rae. “Hey, baby. Yeah, I know. I was watching, too. Can you believe it? Yeah, let me call you back as soon as the rest of the nominations are read. Love you.”

Just like Emersyn had predicted, Gabe was also nominated for Song of the Year. As a group, Jacob’s Ladder hadn’t come out too shabby with a nomination for Vocal Group of the Year.

As Gabe hurried to the bedroom to call Rae, I turned to Sonny, “I say this calls for a celebration.”

She giggled. “We’re in the backwoods of West Virginia. I don’t think we’re going to find a lot of happening night life around here.”

I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. I still say we go out and raise a toast at the all you can eat buffet.”

“I’m in,” Gabe called from the back.

“Sonny?” I questioned.

“Yep. I’m in.”

“All right then. It’s a date.”

Later that afternoon, while we waited for the bus to pull over for our celebration, my phone rang. I imagined it was my parents wanting to congratulate Gabe and me on our nominations, but instead, I saw it was our manager, Daniel. “Danny Boy, are you calling to tell us what a privilege it is to work with such a talented group of individuals?”

Daniel laughed. “While I’m always immensely proud to see you guys get recognized, I was actually calling to talk to Emersyn.”

“Oh, okay. One sec.” I held out the phone to Emersyn. “Danny needs to talk to you.”

Sonny’s forehead creased with worry as she reached to take the phone. “Um, hi, Daniel.”

After a few seconds of listening to Daniel rattle away, she eased down onto the couch. My heart leapt into my throat when sadness overtook her face. “Of course. I think that would be lovely. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do.” She nodded before saying, “Okay, goodbye.”

After hanging up, she sat motionless, staring at the phone. I sat down beside her and then placed my hand over hers. “Sonny, what’s wrong?”

“The academy is planning on doing a tribute to Jack at the ceremony. Just a video montage of all the songs he’d been involved with along with some clips of us.”

Oh, fuck. I didn’t even want to imagine what was going through Sonny’s head after getting that news. My mind flashed back to Jack’s funeral when she’d hated the thoughts of having everyone’s eyes on her as she grieved. I could only guess how heart-wrenching it would be to sit through a montage of Jack’s accomplishments in an audience of thousands, not to mention the ones watching at home.

I searched for the right words to say. “That’s really nice they’re going to honor his contributions.”

“Yeah, it is,” she murmured.

Speaking softly to where only she could hear, I said, “I’m sure it’ll be really emotional for you to have to get through.”

Emersyn’s chin trembled. Instead of responding, she merely nodded. I rubbed her arm. “You know I’ll be right there beside you in that auditorium. You can lean on me.”

“I know. And I appreciate it. More than you could ever know.”

Leaning over, I bestowed a kiss on the top of her head. After pulling her against me, we rode along in silence.

“We’re pulling over in a mile,” our bus driver, Harry, called a few minutes later.

I clapped my hands together. “Okay, let’s go rage on the Golden Corral!”

Gabe groaned. “Could you not have found us somewhere halfway decent to eat?”

“Don’t dis the buffet.”

“Fine. Couldn’t you have found a restaurant without sneeze guards?”

With a grin, I replied, “Only for you, brother dearest, did I seek out somewhere that served both alcohol, a delicious steak, and was sneeze guard free.”

“You did?”

“Yep. Harry has all the info.”

Smiling, Gabe said, “Thanks, bro.”

We rose out of our seats. When Gabe and I reached the stairs, I realized Sonny wasn’t with us. I whirled around to see her sitting on the couch, staring at her phone. If I were a gambling man, I would have bet she was looking through pictures of Jack.

“Hey, Sonny, aren’t you coming?” I called.

“Actually, on second thought, I think I’m going to stay on the bus.” She gave me a rueful smile. “Maybe watch a chick flick that you two aren’t fond of and then get in bed early. I promise I’ll be celebrating with you guys in spirit.”

Gabe and I exchanged a glance as the bus lurched to a stop. There was no way in hell I was going to let Emersyn stay on the bus alone. When the door opened, I jerked my chin at Gabe. “You go on ahead with the guys.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. We’ll meet up later on.”

Smirking, Gabe asked, “Where exactly would that be? One of the many nightclubs in town?”

I grinned. “From my research, it’s looking more like beer at the bowling alley.”

He laughed. “Sounds good to me and much more Rae approved than a club. The last thing I need is pictures surfacing of some unwarranted chick grabbing my ass.”

“See you later then.”

Gabe nodded, and then I started back to Emersyn. When I plopped down on the couch beside her, she frowned. “What are you doing?”

“The question isn’t what am I doing. It is what are we doing.”

“You aren’t going with Gabe and the guys?”

“Nope.” I held out my hand to her. “You and I are going to paint the town.”

The corners of Sonny’s lips quirked up. “Paint the town? You sound like one of the blue-haired ladies at my dad’s church.”

With a shake of my head, I replied, “Don’t think you’re going to be able to stall by mocking my vernacular.”

After staring wide-eyed at me for a moment, Sonny threw her head back with an infectious laugh. Damn, was it good to hear. I probably could’ve counted on one hand the times I’d heard her laugh like that since she’d come on tour. The prideful side of me did a fist bump of victory.

But as soon as the laughter came, it was gone. The amusement twinkling in her eyes was replaced with apprehension. “Look, Eli, all joking aside, I really got broadsided by Daniel’s call. While it is really sweet of you to offer, I really don’t feel like seeing anybody right now.”

My shoulders drooped a little in defeat at once again dancing the Grief Two-Step—one step ahead and two steps back. I couldn’t begin to wrap my head around the agony Emersyn was in. Hope had been growing within me because I saw her becoming more like the Sonny she used to be, but then moments like these occurred, and I lost her again. Feeling desperate, I went with what I knew best: humor. “Here’s the thing. I could give in and let you stay on the bus and drown your sorrows in really bad Lifetime movies, or I could make sure that for a just a little while, you’re having some really silly and carefree fun.”

A curious expression came over Emersyn’s face. “What exactly does this ‘silly and carefree fun’ entail?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Eli,” she protested, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Sorry. But I’m not budging.”

The wheels appeared to be spinning in Emersyn’s head about ways to get me to spill the beans. She then appeared to have a lightbulb moment. “If you don’t tell me what we’re doing, how will I know if I’m dressed correctly?”

I grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re covered.”

“You really are impossible. You know that, right?”

I chuckled. “Come on. Live a little and let go.”

“Okay, fine. I’m in.”

“Awesome. Give me ten minutes to get all the details worked out, and then we’ll go.”

When I rose off the couch to go talk to Harry, Emersyn grabbed my arm. “Wait, you mean you don’t have this all planned out?”

“The big picture, yes, but it’s the smaller details that need a little fine tuning.”

While she shook her head at me, I winked before heading off to get Harry onboard with my plan. Regardless of whether Emersyn doubted my abilities, I knew I could pull it off. The rest would come together somehow, and in the end, I would give her a night she wouldn’t forget.