The Songwriter (13 page)

“
Hey,” she said to Angie.

“
I haven’t seen Trey this happy in years,” Angie said without expression.

Gwen raised her brows.
“I’m surprised you approve.”

“
I don’t approve or disapprove. I just like having a happy client.”

“
Spoken like a good manager,” Gwen mocked.

“
The best.” Angie turned towards her. “I’m sure you know already. You’re not an eighteen year old anymore, but I just have to put it out there. If Trey decides to end it, I still expect you to finish the tour. I know that makes me sound like a bitch but-”

Gwen shook her head.
“I know, Angie. I’ve seen Trey with a lot of women. I’m not weaving a happy ever after around this.”

Angie held her hands up.
“I’m not saying it
can’t
happen. I’m just saying, you know?”

“
I know. Thanks.”

Time passed by in a blur of shows,
hot sex, driving endless hours, crazy fan encounters and interviews. Trey didn’t try to hide their relationship, but Gwen drew the line at broadcasting it. They answered those questions with, “We’re really great friends,” which irritated Trey but Gwen was adamant about it.

Their relationship helped Gwen’s performance. She trusted him completely and when he improvised during the show she didn’t freak out- she knew he had her back. That ball of anxiety before each show never went away
, but Angie didn’t have to insult her as much. The moment their eyes met onstage grounded her and from that moment on it was the pulse of music, the crowd and Trey.

She was sitting on Trey’s bed after a show, waiting for him when she listened to a voicemail. “Isn’t he great in bed after a show? That’s the best sex I ever had.”

Gwen deleted the message but she couldn’t wipe Natasha’s words from her mind. She looked down at the sexy dress she was wearing and tasted bile in her throat. She packed up her overnight bag and went back to her bus and paced. With shaking hands, she blocked Natasha’s number. She wasn’t sure how Natasha found out about her and Trey, but it wasn’t the first snide, nasty message from her. Gwen couldn’t take it anymore.

Gwen knew she couldn’t get mad at Trey for being with Natasha in the past
, but it literally made her sick. What had he ever seen in that woman? Agitated hands knocked over a pile of magazines Barbie and Cassie dropped off and Gwen saw Natasha on the front of
Vanity
in a barely there nude gown. Natasha had blonde hair, ethereal blue eyes and a perfect body. She also had a voice to die for. Oh yeah, she knew what Trey saw in Natasha and it was none of the things Gwen possessed.

She knew she should shrug it off and feel smug and triumphant that Natasha even bothered to taunt her
, but she wasn’t used to dealing with this type of situation. Thousands, if not millions of women wanted Trey and if she was with him, there would always be someone trying to dethrone her. She didn’t like those kinds of games and never had. There had never been a man she wanted enough to play but now… Head pounding, she got into bed and tossed and turned for half an hour before she fell asleep.

The next morning she woke up wrapped in Trey’
s arms. She eased away from him, went into the living room and made a pot of coffee. She stared out the window at the passing scenery and sipped her coffee.

“What’s wrong?”

She looked up as Trey sat across from her, took her cup and drank the whole thing. She didn’t answer as she got up to make him a cup and refilled her own. When she tried to take her seat, he grabbed her arm and dragged her onto his lap. He tipped her face up.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

She smiled. “No.”

“Did you do something wrong?”

From the guarded look on his face she knew he was thinking about the games Natasha played and she shook her head.

“No. This has just been a lot, you know?”

“Touring or you and I?”

“Both.”

He nuzzled her face. “Am I crowding you?”

She looked into his eyes and was still stunned to see desire in his eyes when he looked at her. It astonished
her that he wanted to be around her all the time. If they weren’t rehearsing or performing, they explored whatever town they were in or loafed in bed and watched movies. Deep down, Trey was a simple guy and he liked having her around. Gwen stroked his face and knew their time was coming to an end.

She leaned up and kissed him. “No. You’re not crowding me at all. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

He tossed her over his shoulder and carried her to the bedroom. “Don’t mind if I do.”

One night
, they gathered around a campfire to celebrate one of the stage crew’s birthday. There was liquor, games, food and talking. She made a plate full of junk food and made her way over to Trey, who pulled her onto his lap where he sprawled in a fold out chair. None of the crew looked twice at them. Within their touring crew, they were just a couple having fun. When they finished the food, she watched everyone with a smile on her face and felt her heart squeeze.

“I can’t believe this is going to end,” she whispered.

“We become family,” he acknowledged. “My crew is the only real family I have. They come to my house during the holidays.”

“I can see why. I know your brother passed
, but what about your parents?”

“
My mom pushed me to be a singer. When I made it big she stole all of my money and started getting into drugs. When I was legal I cut myself off from her and I haven’t seen her since.”

His voice had no inflection. “What about your dad?”

“Never met him.”

She cupped his jaw and he looked down at her. “You’re a great guy. I hope you know that.”

He grinned. “You didn’t say that when we were rehearsing.”

She scowled. “You can be a slave driver
, but you take care of the crew and me and you’re great.”

He kissed her solemnly and didn’t reply. She tiled her head back and looked
up at the blanket of stars above that she would never see in the city.

“I’m planning a world tour next year.”

She jerked as if she’d been shot and her heart stopped in her chest. She was afraid he would ask her to sing and then afraid that he wouldn’t. He would be gone eighteen months or more. Everything was unraveling before her eyes. She waited for Trey to continue but he didn’t. He stared into the fire with a frown on his face and she was left feeling uncertain, anxious and a little peeved that he talked about a world tour but didn’t elaborate.

At the end of the show in
Cheyenne, Wyoming, Gwen was backstage when she heard someone shouting her name. She looked around and it was a shock to see her brother making his way towards her. She screamed and rushed to him, jumping into his arms so he could swing her around. She pressed kisses all over his face and tears rolled down her cheeks. She was babbling incoherently as Wade laughed and put her on her feet.

“
You were amazing!” he said.

“
What are you doing here? Are you here alone? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“
We’re all here.”

Gwen screamed and jumped up and down like a little girl.
“Where? Mom and dad are here?”

“
Gwen?”

A firm hand closed over her arm and drew her away from Wade. She knew without looking that Trey had joined them. She saw Wade’s eyes slide down to the hand on her arm and then up to Trey’s face. She brushed Trey’s hand away and grabbed her brother’s hand with both of hers.

“Trey, this is my brother Wade. Wade, this is Trey.”

Trey held out a hand and Gwen noticed Wade pause before he shook it. She was too excited to address the tension between the two men. Angie appeared with her family and Gwen
squealed and ran to them. She ran to her dad who swung her around like Wade had, kissed her mom and sisters, Lisa and Jo. Her brothers in law were also there with her four nieces and nephew Ben. She smothered everyone with hugs and kisses and couldn’t believe they were all here.

“
Why didn’t you tell me you were gonna be here?” Gwen demanded.

“
We wanted to surprise you.” Her mom bounced on her tiptoes as Trey walked up and beamed at him. “I think you’re fabulous!”

Trey smiled and introduced himself. Realizing how rude she was being, Gwen stepped in and introduced her family one by one. She saw
their eyes slide between her and Trey and she shifted uncomfortably. She never planned for this moment. It was a cold dose of reality having her family here. Having an affair with a country superstar was all well and good when your family wasn’t around but now…They, like everyone else assumed that their chemistry was part of the show, but Trey’s behavior now hinted at their real relationship. She knew Trey was looking at her and she had no idea what to say. Her four nieces crowded around her, touched her dress and asked her how she did her makeup.

“
We can give you a backstage tour,” Trey said, taking charge.

“
Cool!” the kids said and the men agreed.

Gwen gratefully let him take the men and kids on a tour, leaving Gwen with her mom and sisters. Her mom was short, plump and sweet and at the moment she was eyeing her youngest daughter with a look
that made Gwen feel fifteen again. Her older sisters were both built like linebackers, which came in handy in the hardware store. They looked scandalized and envious.

“
You’re seriously sleeping with Trey Phoenix?” Lisa hissed.

Gwen stammered,
“Why do you ask?”

“
Because he just stood there waiting for you to introduce him to us. Awkward,” Jo said.

Gwen shook her head.
“My relationship with Trey doesn’t matter.”

“
Gwen.”

Her mom drew out her name on a long sigh and it made Gwen feel so damn guilty. She put an arm around her mom and kissed her cheek.
“I know. Please don’t do this now. I’m so glad to see you all. Let me show you my bus.”

Her sisters dro
oled over her bus and wardrobe and she hastily changed out of her dress because she was sweating. She showed them the recording bus and anything else she could think of to distract them from her relationship with Trey. When they reconnected with Trey, she saw that he and her dad were deep in conversation. Her nephew Ben ran to her and she put him on her hip.

“
You were pretty on the stage,” Ben said shyly.

“
Thank you. How do you like living with your daddy full time?”

“
I like it.”

“
That’s good.”

“
When you come back, are we going camping again?”

Remembering the
last camping fiasco she winced. “We’ll see, okay?”

“
Which reminds me,” her mom said. “You’ll be home when we renew our vows, right?”

Gwen nodded.
“We have one show in South Dakota and one in North Dakota, then I’ll be there. I can only stay one day before we head to Washington.”

“
As long as you’re there.”

“
I will be. I promise.”

By the time her family left
, she was exhausted, elated and depressed. She and Trey walked out to the parking lot and were swarmed by lingering fans, which made her family stare because most of them wanted pictures with Gwen. She and Trey waved as her dad honked his mini bus and drove out of the parking lot. She wrapped her arms around herself and started back towards the buses.

“
You were uncomfortable,” Trey said.

She blew out a breath and glanced at him.
“I wasn’t prepared. Sorry.”

“
You didn’t want to introduce me.”

“
I’m sorry.” She wrapped her arm around him and was relieved when he pulled her close. “I didn’t want them to think I was a groupie or something. They wouldn’t understand.”

“
You’ve introduced other boyfriends to them before, right?”

Boyfriend. Trey was so much more than that which made introducing him so damn hard.
“You’re different. You’re a damn celebrity.”

“
Whatever. I didn’t know you had such a big family.”

She nodded.
“They rarely leave White Mist which was why I was so shocked to see them. My grandparents opened a hardware store and my parents are the second generation to run it. My brothers and sisters work there too.”

“
I can’t imagine you working at a hardware store,” he mused.

She groaned.
“I did when I was in high school. Why do you think I left at eighteen?”