“Darla!”

“Stevie!”

Nate left Stevie in Darla’s capable hands and stalked towards the bar. He thought he had made his peace with not starting something with Stevie but when he had walked into the party and saw her standing there with Giles, the jealousy had burned in his gut. As he’d gotten closer and overheard his mother’s match-making, his gut had squeezed so hard that it felt like he was going to throw up.

He slid onto a stool and got the bartender’s attention.

“Soda and lime,” he said.

“Not drinking tonight?”

Nate turned his head to see Tom, Darla’s husband and now his lawyer. He let the corner of his mouth tick up in a rueful smile.

“Figured I’d give the booze a rest while I’m trying to salvage my career.”

Tom ordered a beer and then looked at him. “Good,” he said.

“Thanks for that last minute contract advice,” Nate said.

Tom shook his head. “That was some crappy contract you signed. Who looked it over for you the first time around?”

“No one,” Nate said sheepishly. “I just wanted what they were offering and didn’t stop to think through what it would cost me in the long run.”

Tom shook his head. “I was worried there for a moment that I wasn’t going to be able to get you out of it. Thank God for that loophole.”

Nate blew out a breath. “Yeah. That would have put a spanner in the works that’s for sure.”

“How’d they take it?”

“Gina was furious and it felt fucking amazing to shove that clause under her nose.”

“The new contract with Derek is much better and you retain all your rights, which is fucking awesome.”

They sat companionably sipping their drinks. It felt good to Nate to have someone who was happy just to sit and talk with him and not want something from him. It felt like he was surrounded by people who saw him as no more than a pay check. His skyrocket to stardom had meant he’d had to leave his friends behind and he had been surrounded by people who didn’t know him or even want to know the real Nate. For a while it had been a blast but now it just felt empty.

“So what’s going on between you and Stevie?” Tom asked. “I had to practically tie Darla down when she found out you’d bailed on that last gig. She wanted to castrate you.”

Nate heaved a gusty sigh. “I know. It was a dick move but I was so confused. I saw something that I misinterpreted and then there was all that stuff with the contract. I figured she’d be better off without me.” He looked up and his gaze automatically snapped to where Stevie was standing. “Now I’m just trying to get my life in some sort of order so I have something to offer her.”

“Don’t wait too long,” Tom said seriously. “She won’t like waiting, and won’t understand it. I know your heart is in the right place, but you’re never going to be perfect. None of us are. We are all just good intentions and lessons learned stitched together in some sort of patchwork. Even Stevie. Don’t break her heart a second time or she may never forgive you for it.”

Nate grunted in response. He knew what Tom was saying was true, but he just didn’t feel ready for Stevie. Things were changing in both their worlds and they both needed to get a handle on the new normal before they could really start a relationship. They had always seemed to be on different footing - when they were younger, Stevie had the upper hand and then he’d gotten the recording contract and become a ‘star’ which had reversed their positions. To him it just felt like they needed to be on the same level for a relationship to work between them. At the moment it still felt like the power balance was uneven - Stevie was in a position of strength and he wasn’t, not yet anyway. He was working his way back and until he could look Stevie in the eye and know that there was some sort of equality between them, he knew there couldn’t be anything more. Despite how much his body wanted hers again.

“And maybe watch out for Carson. I know Stevie broke off their engagement but it looks like he wants the chance to win her over.”

“She told me she wasn’t interested,” Nate said, his gut cramping again.

Tom shrugged and looked over to where Darla and Stevie were talking. “They were together for a long time and they looked good together. If Stevie hadn’t gotten the opportunity to tour with Lily Ames, she probably would have gone through with the wedding.”

“What are you saying?” Nate asked, scared. Scared that he’d made a big mistake this afternoon.

Tom looked at him, searching Nate’s eyes. “All I’m saying is, a girl like Stevie? Don’t wait too long to make your intentions clear. She won’t be alone for long. If it’s not Carson then it will be someone else. I don’t know why you didn’t hook up with her years ago, when you were still playing together.”

“That wasn’t the relationship we had. I didn’t see her like that.”

Tom snorted. “You couldn’t see that she practically worshiped the ground you walked on? Stevie had a crush on you for years. Why do you think she spent so much time teaching you to play? Why do you think she begged you to perform with her?”

“I thought she was my friend, that we had something more than just teenage hormones.”

“Maybe,” Tom said thoughtfully. “Maybe you did but Stevie definitely had the hots for you and you could never see it. Too busy getting into every other girl’s panties in the county to see that Stevie was looking at you with hearts in her eyes. I think nearly every song she wrote was about you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nate scoffed.

Tom just raised his eyebrows and sipped his drink.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

Tom put his glass down and swiveled so that he could look Nate in the eye. “Because Stevie is Darla’s best friend and by extension she is my friend too. I love her like a sister and I don’t want her to be hurt again. I like you Nate. We’ve got history and now you’re my client, but Stevie is family. You need to know what you’re getting into before you jump in with your big feet and muddy the waters. Stevie nearly didn’t recover when you broke her heart last time. She didn’t sing for a year. A year. That girl was born singing and you stole that from her. If you want to be in Stevie’s life then you need to know that if you break her heart again, it won’t go well for you.”

Nate sat stunned for a few moments while he took it all in. Tom hadn’t pulled his punches and the words had hurt but only reinforced his decision.

“I know,” he finally said. “I know and that’s why I’m taking my time. I need to prove myself - to her and to everyone else. I need to show Stevie that I can be the man that she needs and I know I’m not there yet.”

Tom slapped him on the back. “Good man,” he said.

“So are you and Nate on again or off again?”

Stevie pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath before answering. “I don’t know.”

“So did he explain what happened? Why he didn’t show up at the gig?”

“Yeah, he did, but not until this afternoon.”

“I know about the whole contract thing,” she said and Stevie stared at her. “What? Tom’s my husband, of course he told me.”

“And you didn’t think it was something that you could tell me?”

“Client-Lawyer confidentiality.”

“But you’re not Nate’s lawyer.”

“Yeah but I’m the wife of his lawyer so it still applies.”

“What about being my friend? Doesn’t that trump your quasi-confidentiality?”

“Not in this case, no. So moving on. What else did he tell you? Because I am damn sure there was more to his doing the runner than just his contract negotiations.”

Stevie sighed and shook her head. Darla wouldn’t quit until she knew the whole story. Stevie pitied Tom having to try and keep any secrets from her, even if he was contractually obligated to.

“He saw Carson and me together at lunch and thought I’d gone back to him.”

Darla’s eyes grew wide. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack,” she replied.

“So, instead of going to you and trying to win you back he just…what? Gave up?”

“No,” Stevie said, sipping her drink. “No. He just… well, he thought he had to prove something to me. He thought it would be better for my career if he kept his distance until he—”

“Regained his honor and self-respect,” Darla finished for her. “That’s kind of…”

“Chicken shit,” Stevie said.

“No, I was going to say romantic. It’s like a grand gesture or something. He wanted you to have the success he denied you and he didn’t want it to seem like he was riding on your coattails. I get it and I think it’s admirable.”

“Since when are you on Team Nate? I thought you’d be Team Carson all the way.”

They both looked over to where Carson was standing and holding court with a bunch of suited men who looked at him like he was the second coming of Christ.

“I like Carson,” Darla said slowly, “but I can’t see you as a senator’s wife.”

“But you can see me as a rock star’s wife?” Stevie said incredulously.

“Come on, Nate’s not really a rock star, not anymore at least. He’s gone back to his roots. He’s a country boy now and we all like our country boys.”

“Nate is the farthest thing from a boy,” she mumbled.

Darla choked out a laugh. “Too much information!”

Stevie laughed. “Bullshit. You’re all about the details.”

“Well, yeah,” she said with an unabashed smirk. “I always knew Nate would be packing. I mean, the girls couldn’t get enough of him in school so he had to have some decent equipment and known how to use it.”

“Oh God,” Stevie said, covering her face and her blush. “We are not going to have this conversation here, not with his mother less than five feet away.”

“You don’t think Mayor Nash knows what her son has in his pants?”

“No, I don’t think she really knows very much about her son at all,” Stevie replied turning serious.

“Well not her youngest son,” Darla agreed, “but I bet she knows all the stats about her other sons.”

“Yeah, well, she’s never been one to hide her affections…or lack thereof as the case may be.”

Darla shook her head. “If I ever do that to my kids slap me upside the head, okay? I can’t imagine loving one more than the other.”

“Even if they decide to go against what you have planned for their lives?”

“Even then,” Darla said with conviction.

“She tried to set me up with Carson,’ Stevie said.

“Who? Mayor Joanna?”

Stevie nodded. “Just before, when we were talking. Just before Nate came in.”

“You think he overheard?”

“I know he did.”

“Do you think it will make him run away or fight harder for you?”

Stevie looked over to where Nate was talking to Tom. “I don’t know,” she said and bit her lip.

“Is there something going on between you and Carson that I don’t know about?”

“What?” she swung back to look at Darla. “No, of course not.”

“He is a good-looking guy and he’s rich and he’s a senator. He’s got a lot going for him.”

“And I love him,” Stevie said, “but I’m not in love with him.”

“But it could maybe turn into Love with a capital L if you let it. There was always the idea of Nate between the two of you. If Nate is off the table, do you think there could be something more between you and Carson?”

Stevie looked at Darla and didn’t know how to answer. Things with Carson were easy and uncomplicated. They fit together without too much friction and although her managing a career while being a senator’s wife might get complicated, she knew that Carson would make it easy. But was that what she wanted? Something easy and comfortable? It sounded nice on the outside, but would it get boring after a while. Sure the sex was good, but with Nate there was an explosive passion that had never been there between her and Carson. Would easy and comfortable be enough?

“I don’t know…maybe?”

The dinner dragged, or maybe it was just that Nate felt the weight of expectation on him. Everywhere he looked, people were watching him. He didn't know what they were expecting him to do so he just tried to act normal but that somehow felt like he was disappointing his audience. What he wanted to do was leave. He hadn't wanted to come and nothing had happened to change his mind on that front. If anything, he felt more uncomfortable as the night wore on.

The dinner was a sit down affair with a choice of fish or chicken. His mother, or rather a lackey that worked for his mother, had sat him at a table with Stevie’s band, but he wasn't lucky enough to sit near Stevie. She was placed next to Carson, which he knew was no accident. He'd heard his mother’s not so subtle attempt at match-making and although he didn't have any right to feel jealous, he did. He wanted Stevie for himself, but he also wanted to be a better man for her. He just needed her to wait for him, which was completely irrational and unfair.

Jace was seated next to him and talked about the music video and the gig. He was thankful for the distraction. Stevie sat across from him and he could see Carson attempting to charm her. It took a lot of effort on his part to keep his fists under the table. Nate’s jaw ached from clenching his teeth and he wished that he could dull the emotions he felt with a big glass of twelve year old scotch. He didn't give in to the temptation though. He needed his wits about him so that he didn't do anything stupid.

Nate knew his father and brothers were there but none of them had approached him before the dinner and he hadn't gone out of his way to look for them either. He could see them now though, seated at his mother’s table. He could feel the eyes of his eldest brother on him but Nate refused to make eye contact. He didn't need to see the disappointment in them. He didn't need to see it to know it would be there. Toby had looked at him like that since he dropped out of football and picked up a guitar. His father and other brother, Daniel, were just as disappointed in him. He was the family screw-up and no one let him forget it. Maybe he needed that drink after all.

Nate lifted his hand to a waiter and just before he could order a drink - an alcoholic one this time - he heard his mother’s voice change.

“This is a little presumptuous of me,” the mayor said, “and I didn't ask ahead of time, but I'm hoping that we can all encourage Stevie Jacks to come up here and sing for us.”

As the crowd cheered encouragement, Nate shot a look at Stevie, who had suddenly paled. His mother did this all the time. If she had asked Stevie before, she would have said yes, but his mother liked to put people on the spot. It was a specialty of hers. Stevie cast nervous looks around the table at her band and then looked at Nate, a question in her eyes. What did she want him to do? He shrugged a shoulder and she nodded slowly. Carson leaned in to whisper something in her ear and Nate very nearly lost his shit, but held it together. The crowd got louder as they ‘encouraged’ Stevie to get up and sing. Finally she stood and made her way to the stage to the cheers of the crowd.

“This is so unexpected,” she said when Mayor Joanna handed her the mic. “I don't have anything prepared—”

One of Joanna’s aides brought a guitar on to the stage and handed it to her. Stevie looked pleadingly towards him or maybe it was Jace she was looking at. She shot a glance around the room and her eyes landed on the piano on the side of the stage. She smiled and Nate couldn't help but smile back. She had a plan to thwart Joanna and he could get behind a plan like that.

“I don't think it's fair that I'm up here all by myself when my band is here. Why don't you guys come on up.”

The Court siblings stood as one and joined Stevie on stage. Jace sat at the piano and Vanessa pulled a pair of drumsticks from her back pocket - she never went anywhere without them - and Nadine took up a position next to Stevie. After a whispered conversation between the four of them, Vanessa tapped out a rhythm on the top of the upright and they launched into one of their songs - unplugged style. Nadine sang harmony to Stevie’s melody, Jace played the keys and Vanessa used the piano as a drum. It sounded amazing and Nate sat back grinning. He knew his mother had wanted it to be just Stevie, but that wasn't Stevie’s style. Nate noticed Darla filming it on her phone and knew before the night was out that it would be on YouTube.

They finished to raucous applause and Nate felt a deep satisfaction. He expected to feel jealous, after all Joanna was his mother, shouldn't she have asked him to perform? But it just wasn't there. He was proud of Stevie and the rest of the band. They sounded amazing and they showed this town what stars they were. He couldn't have asked for a better end to the night. He applauded enthusiastically with everyone else, even standing to his feet which got everyone else on their feet too. He saw Stevie blush and it did something to his insides, something warm and sweet and terrifying. He pushed the fear away. He knew what he was afraid of. He was afraid of losing her when he felt so much for her. But that wasn't fair to her. She deserved this and he wouldn't stand in her way, no matter how much it hurt him.