Last Name

Chapter Six

Charli's POV

My phone was ringing off the hook as I walked into the Starbucks just around the corner from my office. I glanced down seeing that it was Savannah. With a sigh, I sent her to voicemail. I was exhausted, and it was barely noon on Friday. I had gone into the office this morning to catch up on some paperwork. I was thinking about letting my cousin step in for a little while and run things. Brantley was right, I needed to take a little time and figure out what I wanted. I hadn't heard from him since he dropped me off late Tuesday night. It was always planned for Christina to step in anyhow once Stephen and I got married. Why not just go ahead and let her a little early? She was more than capable of handling it.

As I placed my order, my phone vibrated again. I tugged it out of the back pocket of the jeans I had slipped on. Seeing it was Savannah again. I also had a what looked like a ton of notifications, missed texts, and calls. Daddy had emailed me to let me know he had boots on foreign soil again and that Grandmother was supposed to stay off my back. Yea... that hadn't happened. I had received a scathing phone call from her yesterday trying to understand how I could ruin such a perfect match. It had been a lot of yes mam's out of me. Did me no good to argue with her. Hearing my name called for my order I walked over to get it taking a quick sip before spinning on my foot to head back out. I slipped my dark shades over my eyes before I hit the door.

Flashes and bright lights greeted me as I stepped onto the sidewalk making me gasp and talk a step backwards as a group of reporters crowded me.

"Charlotte!" one bimbo looking blonde yelled shoving her phone in my face recording. "What's your comment on your ex-fiancé's remarks this morning that he feels betrayed since it's come to light you met and married country singer Brantley Gilbert in Vegas eight years ago?"

"Have you been cheating on Stephen?" a burly guy questioned me with a hard look. "You do know the man is poised to make a run for Senator. Its been a rumor that you have been since the photos of you from Vegas surfaced. Can we have a comment?"

I froze in my tracks as my phone vibrated again and I couldn't move. They had me crowded in. My car was down the block at my office. My heart was pounding in my chest as they pushed and shoved their way closer to me demanding answers. One almost tripped me trying to get past another guy to get to me. I stumbled and would have went down if a hand hadn't grabbed my arm.

"Alright! Back the hell up!" I heard snapped loudly. I felt a tight grip on my arm as I finally blinked my eyes trying to focus. A long arm was wrapped around my waist as I focused on the guy guiding me to the jacked up white Raptor parked sideways on the curb and at the blonde scrambling over into the driver's seat.

"Jason?" I said shaking my head. I couldn't help it, my legs were shaking and the only thing keeping me upright was his arm around me. He turned his head glaring at a guy that kept shouting at me and opened the back door helping me climb in. He slammed the door behind me before jumping in the front seat tapping the dash. Brittany looked back giving me a worried look before nodding her head.

"Drive it like you stole it baby," Jason said looking out the tinted window shaking his head as she pulled out into traffic tires squealing. He turned in the seat to look at me. "You okay Charli?"

"Define okay," I sniffled. "What the hell was that? I mean I knew shit had hit the press, but nothing like this Jason. I know Brantley's label was supposed to be handling it."

"Sweetie," Brittany asked as she paused a red light. "It's gotten so much worse. I had just seen the links pop up when we passed by and I just happened to notice it was you. Thank God we did. They had mobbed you."