The Rockstar's bodyguard { A Bethanny Mcnarie novel }

Chapter 17 : Playing House { Aaron's POV }

I got released from the hospital after two days, but was still a bit out of it. I still felt like a wimp for having such a reaction to a cut. But getting released felt good, and since the tour was postponed for a few days, we were holed up in a small town outside of Denver.

"So," I said, walking out with Beth and Joel. "What hotel are we at?"

"Oh, I rented a house for the week." Joel said nonchalantly.

"What?"

"I thought you needed a house," Joel said. "So I drove around until I saw a cute house, and I knocked on the front door."

"The forty year old housewife who answered is a huge Triumphant Thunder fan," Beth laughed. "She was hugging dad and crying."

"So I told her our story," Joel said. "We're on the road but a close friend got injured. We needed a place to stay."

"Dad offered to send them on vacation to anywhere in the world if we could rent their house."

"Wow..." I said.  "You didn't have to do that."

"Well I'm sick of hotels," Joel said. "And this lady said her son has a gaming system in the basement, so we can play around while you rest up."

"Thanks," I said. "The doc says I'll be better in a few days. I mean my arm still hurts, but I can work. "

We got into the limo and I sighed. I'd never get used to this lifestyle.

"With Britney gone your job is a bit less hectic," Joel said. "You'll mostly just help get Beth and me through crowds. Blake had some more bad press so paparazzi might follow us and ask questions. "

"What happened to Blake?" I asked.

"There's some pregnancy rumor," Joel sighed. "It's fake. But I guess she's dating that Brady kid again so we better get used to rumors."

"The guy who sold the photos, " I asked. "Is she  just stupid?"

"Mom thinks the guy is innocent, " Beth said. "Dad still doesn't like him."

"Well, yeah," Joel said. "Photos or no photos, that is still the guy who wants to sleep with my daughter.  My girls are precious.  They need guys who can earn their affections and be worthy of them."

"So how does someone earn Joel's stamp of approval?" I asked as casually as possible.

"Well," Joel said. "First, my daughter's need to be at least thirty."

I nodded and shot Bethanny a grin. She was rolling her eyes. This was entertaining,  at least.

"Second he needs to be a stand up guy.  He needs integrity and courage.  He needs to be good you know, not some punk ass loser who wants to be on a reality show. But a hard working, good man."

"That's fair," I said. I also noted I met that criteria, in my opinion.

"I also want a man who can provide for my girls. I mean,  he doesn't need to be rich. But I want someone who works hard and isn't using them for their inheritance. "

"Dad..." Beth said. "You sound all reasonable now. But if I ever brought a guy home, you find a reason to hate him. "

"No," Joel said.  "I'm a good judge of character. I mean, look at Aaron here."

"Huh?" I replied.

"I had good instincts with him. I knew I could trust him. And he saved your life." Joel grinned.

"Well, I tried not to let you down," I said.

"See, Aaron is a good man," Joel said. "Someone like him would get my approval.  Above all else, he is honest."