~ Maya Angelou
Eva
“Eva, sweetheart, we’re here.”
I blinked over at Mom, shaking myself out of it. Now was not the time to get cold feet.
“Are you okay? Do you feel sick, baby?” She frowned. “Gavin, maybe this isn’t such a—”
“I’m fine, Mom. Just tired.” The two-hour ride to Nashville had felt like ten, my mind working overtime. Alistair had wanted me to fly out to Atlanta to join the band, but my parents had set him straight at that suggestion. I was their daughter. Precious cargo. I might have been about to embark on a sold-out arena tour with the country’s hottest rock band of the moment, but they still insisted on driving me to Razorsharp Records Nashville branch to meet Alistair so he could chaperone me.
“Jesse, you promised...” Dad’s words were quiet.
“I know,” she replied, glancing back at me and offering a sad smile. “But the money is not—”
“I signed the contract, Mom. I’m doin’ this.”
For the next six months, my life belonged to Alistair Portman and Razorsharp Records. They were paying me handsomely for my time and efforts. It was money we needed. Money my parents desperately needed.
Sure, I had reservations. Plenty of them. I was, after all, just a quiet girl from Lyme, Tennessee. I didn’t flourish under the spotlight; I shrank into the shadows. Not to mention the fact that going on tour with Black Hearts Still Beat meant seeing him again.
Nope, not going there. That wasn’t important—he wasn’t important.
My family was.
Dad climbed out of the car and opened my door. “You’ve got this, sweetheart,” he said as I got out. The frigid air hit me and I rubbed my hands together trying to ease the chill.
“I’m proud of you, Eva. We both are,” Dad went on. “But remember, if it gets to be too much, if you need a break, all you have to do is call me and I’ll come get you. Wherever you are.” A wide smile cracked his face, but I saw the promise in his eyes.
Dad wanted me to do this, way more than I wanted to do it. Not because we needed the money, but because he wanted me to follow my dreams.
He wanted me to live.
“Did you pack your medication?” Mom came around the car to us.
“Yes, Mom.”
“Scripts?”
“Yes.”
“And you have the vitamins?”
I inhaled a deep breath and cast a quick look at my dad.
“Jesse... she’s good.” Dad chuckled. “Besides, Mr. Portman gave us his word that he’d—”
“Take extra special care of our sweetheart of country.”
The nickname made me flinch, but I forced a smile at my new manager.
“Jesse, Gavin, it’s good to see you again.” Alistair extended his hand to Dad.
“We’re trusting you to take good care of our girl.”
“I’ve already briefed Eva’s assistant of her medical... requirements.”
My eyes widened but Alistair only smiled. “You have nothing to worry about, Eva. Letty has signed an NDA.”
“Of course she has,” I grumbled.
“However, I still think we should inform the band of your—”
“No!” I snapped, forgetting who I was talking to. “I don’t want them to know. I don’t want anyone to know.” It was going to be hard enough being the unassuming girl on tour with Black Hearts without the media learning I was a cancer survivor too.
“Very well.” Alistair gave me a curt nod. “I’ll give you some time to say goodbye. Jesse, Gavin, I’ll see you both soon.” He pulled out his cell phone and strode off toward a sleek black SUV.
“Come here, sweetheart.” Dad enveloped me in his arms. “You can do this, Eva. You were born to do this.”
I clung to my father the way I had so many times before. He had always been my protector. My rock. He worked hard for me and Mom, and when I’d gotten sick, he’d given everything he could to make sure I’d had the best care available.
“I know why you’re doin’ this,” he whispered. “But I want you to know, all I want is for you to follow your dreams, sweetheart. Don’t ever forget that.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I eased away, swallowing down the tears burning my throat.
“Oh, Eva, baby.” Mom launched herself at me, pulling me into a bone-crunching hug. “Promise me you’ll take good care of yourself, promise.”
“I promise, Mom. You heard Alistair; I have a babysitter.”
Dad chuckled again.
“I’m not sure I can let you go.” Mom tightened her grip on me. “On tour... with a rock band... it’s...”
“All going to be fine.” Untangling myself from her arms, I brushed the curls out of my face. “I need to do this, Mom.” I needed to do it for them.
She shot Dad a worried look, but he only smiled, moving closer to take her hand. “She’s eighteen, Jesse; a young woman. She’s got this.” The conviction in his words made the lump in my throat grow.
“I’ll call as much as I can.”
“Every day,” Mom said. “You’ll call every day.”
“Mom...”
“Okay, every other day.” She conceded, an uncertain smile tugging the corner of her mouth.
“I should go,” I said, not wanting to drag it out any longer than necessary. “I’ll call when we get to Atlanta.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Be safe and have fun.” Dad winked.
“Oh, Gavin, don’t encourage her, please.” We were all smiling now. It was nice. Something we hadn’t done together in a really long time. It felt good. Hopeful. It felt like we were about to turn a corner and put all the pain, hurt, and financial worries behind us.
I was finally getting a chance to repay my parents for all the sacrifices they’d made for me. Even if it meant spending the next five months touring the country with the boy who’d made me believe in fairytales... and then reminded me of the age-old saying:
Never fall for a rock star.
The first thing I noticed when we stepped out of Alistair’s SUV almost four hours later, was the air no longer smelled like home. The second thing I noticed about the city was the noise. Tires screeching, horns honking, sirens wailing, and cars blaring music. Even the people here seemed to talk louder, barking into their cell phones as they went about their day. Atlanta was worlds away from my small hometown in Tennessee, and I suddenly felt the gravity of what I was about to do.
“Okay over there?” Alistair asked as he pulled out a packet of gum and shoved a stick into his mouth. Something he did a lot, I’d noticed, on the awkward ride here.
“How long since you quit?” His brow rose and I smiled. “You chew a lot of gum. I figure you’re an ex-smoker?”
“Perceptive and talented; you’re quite the package, aren’t you?”
There was no time to answer as two burly men strode toward us. “Mr. Portman, good to see you.”
“Travis, Grayson, meet Ms. Walker.” They both nodded.
“Hey,” I said quietly.
“Travis and Grayson are assigned to you, Eva. They’ll be—”