Under a Georgia Moon: Georgia Moon Romance Book 1 (27 page)

Intent on pushing Hayden and her predicament far from his mind, he gave Addie a teasing smile and then slowly lowered his head to kiss her. The second his mouth touched hers, something inside him shifted. His fingers pressed into her waist, pulling her closer. “I missed you,” he said, temporarily leaving her lips to trail kisses across her jaw.

“I missed you more.”

He smiled, and found her lips again.

A throat cleared and he reluctantly ended the kiss.

Drew held his now happy daughter, an amused grin on his face. “Hey.” He held out his free hand to Addie. “I’m Drew.”

“Oh.” She took his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Addie.”

“Well, Addie, Lauren and I appreciate you and Chase bringing the diapers.”

“You’re welcome.” She reached out and touched Lauren’s button nose. “She’s beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

Lauren suddenly lunged forward, holding her arms out for Addie. “Well, hello there,” she said, cuddling the little girl close.

The sight of Addie holding a baby did something to Chase. It was like his senses were sharpened and everything came into focus. This was the woman he was going to marry.

Drew gave Chase an I’m-impressed look. “Wow,” he said to Addie. “She’s usually really shy. She must like you.”

The little girl played with Addie’s bracelets. “Or she just saw something shiny to play with,” Addie said with a laugh. “Do you want me to watch her while you guys practice?”

Lauren squirmed, wanting Drew to hold her again. “That’d be great.” He took back his daughter. “Syd has the other girls in the studio. I didn’t mean for y’all to be babysitters, but my wife’s blood pressure has been elevated and the doctor doesn’t want her up and around too much. Her mama couldn’t watch the girls until later on tonight.”

“It’s no problem at all. I’m glad we can help,” Addie said as they walked into the studio.

Chase captured her hand and held her back. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You’re good with kids. And yes…I’ll change diapers.”

She turned her head and stared at him with an intense gaze. Grinning, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “Just wanted you to know.” He winked and jogged away, laughing at the stunned look on her face.

Chapter Twenty One

Addie
climbed out of Sydney’s sleek car and slipped the strap of her purse over one shoulder. Gracie’s Haven stood before her, the rustic-pine lodge looking nothing like the skanky bar in Daisy Springs.

She glanced back at the car to see Sydney still seated in the driver’s seat, talking with her mother. Addie wished Chase would come out to escort her in, but knew he was busy setting up their equipment.

She was anxious to see him. Anxious to hear them play. Watching Drew’s girls had proved to be a little challenging. While the band warmed up, Sydney decided to take the active girls to McDonald’s. Addie didn’t have a choice but to help her. By the time they returned, the guys were loading up their equipment.

Glancing around her, she noted a large marquee out front. Lit up like a beacon, it read:
Live Tonight
—
Chasing Dreams
. The place seemed popular as more vehicles pulled into the already jam-packed parking lot. The Saturday night crowd, dressed in tight wranglers and cowboy hats, were winding up for a night of entertainment.

At last, Sydney climbed out of her car. “Sorry. My mother doesn’t understand why almost every weekend I need to hear my husband play. According to her, if I’ve heard him once that is more than enough.” She rounded the car and beamed at Addie. “But you know what? I never get tired of hearing them play.” She locked her car and gave her a grin. “Ready?”

A rush of adrenaline coursed through Addie. “Oh, yeah.”

They stepped inside the crowded entrance and waited in line behind a boisterous group. Addie surreptitiously studied her surroundings, feeling a little out of place. She’d never been a party girl, or hung out with those kind of kids. Obviously, she’d led a sheltered life. The vibes she got from this place weren’t like any restaurant she’d been to back home. It felt a little like the frat party some guy had taken her to her freshman year in college. Needless to say, she left early and never went out with the guy again.

Sydney confirmed their table reservations with a beautiful blonde who wore a tight black T-shirt with the words
Gracie’s Haven
stretched across her chest in silver letters. She pointed them in the right direction and Addie followed Sydney through double doors. The lighting dimmed as cigarette smoke swirled around in a heavy fog. Crinkling her nose, she surmised not all restaurants had embraced the new smoke-free-environment like most places.

Addie’s heels clicked against the wood floor as she trailed behind Sydney through the crowded bar. The place was buzzing with loud laughter and the low hum of voices, sounding as if someone had tried tuning into a radio station but couldn’t quite find the right channel.

She felt a little uncomfortable as a couple of guys let out a low whistle as they passed by. Without thinking, Addie turned to see where the sound had come from and met the stare of more than one man watching them intently.

Before turning away, one good-looking cowboy raised his glass and winked at her. Her face burned hot and she quickly averted her eyes. The place was crawling with men. Where were all the girls?

She soon found the women…scantily clad and drooling over Chase and his fellow band members.

Seemingly oblivious to his audience, Chase sat on a stool strumming his guitar. Drew stood nearby stroking his instrument while Beau knelt in front of the amplifier, fine-tuning the sound. Jackson was at his keyboard, playing a few notes and then making some last minute adjustments.

Sydney stopped at a small round table near the front. “Here we are,” she said, sliding into one of the chairs.

Addie pulled out a chair and slid in beside Sydney. Three women occupying the table next to them were laughing and making catcalls at the guys on the stage. She was pretty sure they were already drunk. Addie narrowed her eyes at the brazen women who—judging from the way they were dressed—could give a hooker some stiff competition.

Chase raised his face and his eyes skimmed over the crowd, then landed on Addie. His mouth lifted at the corners, warming her right down to her shimmering toenails.

One of the women turned, following his line of vision. She glowered at Addie and scanned her up and down. A feral grin tipped her painted lips, like she just realized Addie wouldn’t be any competition.

A waiter stepped in front of Addie, blocking her line of sight. Good thing. She was just about to stick out her tongue. “What can I get you ladies to drink?” he asked, winking at her.

She sure hoped they served something other than alcohol, but seriously doubted it. The place was one rip-roaring party and the night was young. Sydney leaned over and whispered, “I always get a strawberry-lemonade. And the food here is really good.”

“Sounds great,” Addie said and Sydney ordered for the two of them, requesting a menu as well.

The waiter left to fill their orders just as Jackson played a few chords of music. Chase grabbed a hold of the microphone and spoke over the noisy crowd. “Hey, y’all, we’re gonna start the night off with a song for all those guys out there who…” He paused and he looked directly at Addie and winked. “Wanna kiss a girl.”

The familiar Keith Urban tune started and the crowd went wild, especially the three loose women sitting close by. Their seductive dance moves made Addie uncomfortable. She glanced over at Sydney to see what she thought. With a look of pure adoration written on her face, Sydney watched her husband, her fingers tapping against the table in rhythm to the music. She didn’t even seem to notice what was going on around them.

Addie shifted in her seat and focused on Chase, trying to ignore the crowd of people. This was their song. Sort of. And he was amazing.

A feeling of pride and ownership gripped her. Smugly she got to her feet and started clapping to the beat of the music. At the end of the night she would be riding home with Chase and—unlike everyone else—getting a sensational kiss good-night.

The song came to an end and Chase spoke into the microphone over the applause. “How y’all doing tonight?” he questioned in his soft southern voice. He seemed completely at ease in front of the rowdy crowd.

The patrons responded with a few enthusiastic comebacks that said they were all feeling pretty good. Addie ground her teeth together when the brunette who had given her the evil eye, yelled out, “Much better if I get to go home with you, sugar.” She added on another invitation that wasn’t so innocent.

Addie came very close to throwing something at the back of the woman’s head. Too bad she didn’t have any fruit handy.

Chase didn’t pay any attention to the brazen invitation and announced the next song they were going to sing. “A few years ago, Jackson, our keyboard player and I wrote this song. It’s entitled
Dreams
.” He looked up and gave the audience a boyishly charming smile. “I hope y’all enjoy it.”

The minute Chase started to sing, the audience actually quieted. Addie sat spell-bound, unable to take her eyes off of him. He was incredible. His voice smooth with a slight, raspy-rocker sound to it. Both Jackson and Drew harmonized perfectly to the ballad, telling a story about what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Chase seemed to lose himself in his music, he and his guitar becoming one. Addie watched his fingers move effortlessly over the strings, his muscles rippled with the movement. It was easy to tune out the rest of the audience and focus on him, his instrument and his amazing voice.

When the song ended, Addie stood up and clapped with enthusiasm. Then she put her fingers between her lips and gave a loud whistle. Chase looked her way and smiled. She mouthed, “You were great.” His smile widened and he gave her a wink before pulling his eyes away.

Sydney touched her on the arm. “What’d you think?”

“The song was amazing,” Addie said, her eyes sliding back to the stage as she sat down.

Chase was amazing. Not only could he do fantastic covers, he also wrote great original music. She could easily see him having a successful music career, and hoped the talent scout showed up for tonight’s performance.

That thought made her pause, and, for a second, panic seized her heart. If Chase was discovered, what were the chances he’d be moving to Daisy Springs to set up a new graphic arts business?

Zero. Addie already knew the answer.

When they’d talked last night, she’d been kidding about him moving to Idaho. Deep down, though, she really wanted to know if that was a possibility. If he could make a career out of entertaining, his graphic arts days were over.

She swallowed, and tried not to let her anxiety show as the band started the cover of another popular country song. The upbeat music kept rhythm with her heartbeat, and soon Addie’s concerns about the future dissipated. Either that or she was using her old tactics of stuffing away her worries so she didn’t have to think about them.

Honestly, she had so much in common with the heroine from Gone With the Wind—well, at least the I’ll-think-about-it-tomorrow motto part.

The waiter brought them their drinks and a menu, stating he’d give them a few minutes to decide what they wanted to order. In the meantime, the band started playing another original song. The contemporary tune had most of the female patrons up dancing. Judging from their provocative moves, nearly all of their inhibitions had to be long gone. It was a little embarrassing, so Addie tried to ignore them and focus on the band.

After ordering fried shrimp and fries, and downing most of her strawberry lemonade, Addie needed to use the restroom. Syd gave her directions as the band started another song. The path to the bathroom took her directly past a horseshoe shaped bar. Feeling a little nervous, Addie smiled and said hello to several people as she made her way to the ladies room. Most of them were men and she felt completely out of place, wishing Sydney would’ve come with her.

Her nose wrinkled with distaste as she pushed open the door to the bathroom. Apparently it also doubled as a smoking lounge. Didn’t these people read the reports about tobacco and secondhand smoke? Addie didn’t waste any time and finished up in the bathroom.

On the way back, she passed the same bar. It was a mistake. Her face burned with embarrassment at the whistles and invitations she got to have a drink with some of the men. Although nobody actually groped her, it felt like she was being mauled by the not-so-subtle comments. She rushed back to Sydney and vowed not to leave her seat for the rest of the night.

The guys were in the middle of an upbeat song she’d never heard before. It must be another one of their originals. They were good and looked like they were having a great time. She scooted the chair back and sat down just as the waiter delivered their food. Despite the smoky environment, it smelled incredible. “Mmm. This looks good.” She picked up a jumbo fried shrimp.

“I told you,” Sydney said, taking a piece of shrimp for herself.

The flavor popped in Addie’s mouth and she stopped herself from moaning out loud. How come everything tasted so much better fried?

Just as she took another bite, a new waiter came by with a tray of drinks. “For you, little lady,” he said, placing a tumbler full of amber liquid in front of Addie.

She almost choked on her food. “Uh, I didn’t order that.” She felt slightly alarmed at having an alcoholic drink placed in front of her.

The man winked at her and grinned. “I know. It’s from that man over there.”

Addie looked over in the direction the waiter pointed. An extremely handsome man, wearing a brown cowboy hat and white-button down shirt, smiled at her and touched the brim of his hat. She swallowed and turned around, gripping the edge of her chair. She was pretty sure he was one of the guys she’d smiled at on her way to the bathroom.

The waiter disappeared with his tray, leaving the drink in front of her. Panicked, she turned to Sydney. “What should I do?”