Rev met up with Clint Friday morning. They had a couple details to work out but both felt really solid about their plans.
"This recording is going to be exactly what we need for upper level support", Clint said. "Excellent work, man".
As Clint was packing everything into his truck, he asked, "How's the Paige situation?"
"The asshole kicked her out for talking to me so she's currently all mine. I don't know if that's permanent or not, though. She said she preferred to be with me, but I don't see how this can be her life right now, so I'm just enjoying the time we have".
"That's great, man", Clint said, slamming the trunk closed.
"He left bruises on her. For the second time", Rev growled.
Clint shook his head. "Moron. You kick his ass?"
"Yep".
"Good".
"Hey, can you do something for me?", Rev asked, acting on sudden instinct. "Can you take her number and make sure she's taken care of if anything happens?"
"Nothing's gonna happen, man", Clint said, "but yeah. Of course". He pulled his phone out and entered her number as Rev rattled it off. "I'll take care of it", he promised.
...........................................................................
Steve and Bre decided that Steve would call Paige to determine what was going on, and that they wouldn't say anything about the baby until they knew more. Steve was initially shocked and defensive about the possibility of Paige cheating, but when Bre gently reminded him how she had cheated on him with Brad, his stomach sank and he realized it could be true.
Friday morning Steve made the call sitting at the island with Bre over his shoulder.
"Steve!", she answered enthusiastically. "How was Colorado?"
"It was beautiful and relaxin'. How have ya been, hun?"
"Pretty good", she said but there was a catch in her voice.
"Oh yeah, whatcha been up to?", he asked, meeting his wife's eyes.
"Well, Bre's Uncle Mike is trying to find me a songwriter so I can sing their songs".
"No kiddin'! That's amazin', Paigie! Where will you need to go for that?"
"No idea but it will definitely involve travel".
"You'll be fantastic!", he said. "What did Brad say?"
There was a long pause at the other end.
"Hun?"
When she spoke again, her voice was tense. "Steve, I don't want to talk to you about all this. I don't want you getting mad at Brad, or thinking badly of me".
"I can't promise either thing, hun, but I care aboutcha and I wanna know if somethin' is wrong".
There was another long pause.
"Hun, I'll love ya no matter what", he said, feeling nervous. "Tell me what's wrong".
"I was with Rev when I talked to Mike, so I ran everything past him right away because he was sitting right there. He gave me advice and encouraged me to do what I preferred, which is performing. He said he could eventually travel with me and be my bodyguard. When Brad got home, he didn't want to hear about any of it. He kept brushing me off. I finally made him listen and then he lost his temper because I had already discussed everything with Rev".
"He hurt you?", Steve guessed, feeling his blood pressure rise.
Bre's brown was furrowed and she looked concerned.
"He pulled me up out of my chair by my arm and threw me out the garage door. I have bruises on my arm from his hand and on my other arm where I landed against the Durango. Rev already beat him up so don't even think about it", she cautioned.
"Brad?!", he raged. "Brad threw you?"
"He lost his temper, Steve. You understand", she said gently, and Steve felt his current anger toward Brad dissipate as he remembered the jealousy-filled rage Paige had brought up in himself.
"Sorry, hun", he said quietly. "So now what?"
"I'm staying with Rev in a hotel and I don't know what I'm doing with Brad".
"Paige...do ya have your own room?"
There was silence, then she said, "I'm not sure you should ask me questions like that".
Bre's hand clapped over her mouth and her eyes went wide.
Oh no.
"Hun, I'm really concerned. I think you're makin' a bad decision right now and I'm afraid you're goin' to get hurt. Call Brad. I'm sure he feels bad. I can talk to him with ya if you want. We can go over there tonight?"
Bre nodded, meeting his eyes.
"I don't know, Steve".
"Paigie, men make mistakes. We're basically idiots just doin' the best we can, and we're even stupider when we're in love. That man loves you. He made a mistake. I've done the same thing. You forgave me. Please, forgive him. Go home".
She sounded choked up. "It's not only the one incident, Steve. He did it right before your wedding, too".
"He did what?"
"Got in my face and left bruises on my arm, and I left with Rev for a few days because Rev was scared he was going to hurt me".
"You did?" Steve noticed Bre was looking at the counter, avoiding his gaze.
Bre knew.
"Brad's been weird. Overprotective, borderline controlling, angry. He's reminding me of the early stages of Jay. I don't know, and I need to wait until I do know".
"Hun, gettin' tangled up in someone else ain't gonna make sortin' through your feelings any easier", he said gently.
"I appreciate your advice, Steve", she said, sounding like she was going to cry. "Really, I do. I'll let you know if I need help but I'm okay right now. Really".
"Okay, hun. I'll be checking in, all right?"
"All right. Thanks, Steve".
"Bye, hun".
When he hung up, he looked his wife directly in the eyes and said, "Why didn'tcha tell me?"
"Because you would have gone off the deep end and we had a wedding to focus on. They resolved the issue and I thought they were fine. I guess I was wrong".
"I guess so", Steve said, running his hand through his hair. "What do we do now?"
"Go talk to Brad", she said.
"Ya think he knows?"
"I don't know", she said. "I don't think we say anything, though. If you want Paige with Brad instead of Rev, you cannot tell Brad what we know".
Steve nodded. "Agreed".
...........................................................................
Brad was sore but getting better. He was tough and had been beaten before, so he could handle it. It was his heart that hurt more than anything. He felt so guilty he could barely function. He wanted to talk to Paige but also wanted to respect her need for space so she could sort through what she wanted to do with him. He was terrified to lose her and feared he may already have.
He made it through work all right, and kept to himself enough that only two guys even felt comfortable enough to ask about his face. When he grunted, "Cycle spill", they didn't ask any follow up questions, so his work day was relatively stress free.
He checked his phone when he left work and saw a text from Steve asking him to call, which he did as he climbed into his old truck.
"Hey, man", Steve said. "How are ya?"
"Rough", he admitted. "Paige left".
"I thought it was more like you made her leave?", Steve said.
Clearly he knew.
"Who told you?"
"Paigie".
"Is she okay?", Brad asked, feeling an ache in his chest.
"She's confused".
"That's what Andy said, too", Brad said, tearing up. "I really messed up, Steve. I think I've lost her. She drives me fucking insane. Why isn't she making life plans with me instead of Rev?"
"I hear ya, man", Steve said. "I really do. I've been there. She makes bad choices sometimes, and can't see anythin' but her own perspective, so you can't get through to her. That woulda pissed me off, too".
"What do you think I should do?"
"Call her. Talk to her about things that make you mad over the phone instead of in person".
"So I don't hurt her?", Brad guessed.
"It's easier to hang up than leave", Steve said gently.
Brad sighed.
"Try givin' her a call, and if she don't want to see ya tonight, come on over here for supper. Bre wants you to".
"Okay. Thanks, man".
"Let me know what happens".
"Will do".
...........................................................................
Friday afternoon, Rev returned from talking to Clint in an excellent mood, which led into an excellent time in bed.
I was still laying on his bare chest with him gently running his hand up and down my arm when my phone rang. He reached for it, we saw it was Brad, and he answered as I froze.
"She's busy", he said in a neutral tone.
It was quiet enough that I could hear Brad's reply through the phone.
"Can you tell her I called?", Brad asked. He sounded tired.
"Have you decided to completely change everything about yourself and stop being a wanker so you're almost good enough for her again?", Rev asked.
"I have".
"Really? Impressive. I'll let her know", Rev said, and hung up before Brad could reply.
He tossed my phone over by the lamp and said, "Brad called".
I said nothing. I still didn't know what to do.
Rev resumed stroking my arm.
...........................................................................
Friday night Mike called.
"Great news, Paige. I've got two different songwriters who want to meet with you. I can facilitate these meetings and help you with details if you decide you want to work with one of them. Can you be out here by Monday morning?"
I felt my stomach flip. "Yes! I can!"
He gave me the details of where he recommended to stay and said to let him know when I had arrived.
He wasn't sure how long I'd be there but said we should have some solid plans by Monday afternoon.
I hung up from the call squealing and throwing my arms around Rev's neck, kissing him vigorously.
"They want you?", he guessed, smiling.
"Yesssssss! I need to get there by Monday morning. This is where he told me to stay".
Rev helped me book a flight and the hotel with my credit card, and checked out the area around the hotel. "Yeah, love, I've been here. This is a pretty safe area but rather spendy. Let's run to my house tomorrow and get you some more cash".
"I'll just use my card and pay it off after I start making money", I said.
He looked at me, eyebrows raised.
I stared back.
"Love", he finally said. "I'm going to be hurt and offended if you don't let me send you with cash. I can't be there with you this time, but at least this way I feel like I'm helping".
"Fine".
He smiled at me and opened his arms. I willingly stepped into them.
...........................................................................
Brad drove directly to Steve and Bre's after getting hung up on by Rev. Maggie greeted him outside, her entire golden body wriggling with excitement.
Steve opened the door, took one look at his face and said, "Good Lord!", staring at him horrified as Brad stepped inside.
Bre came out of the kitchen as Steve shut the door behind him. Her eyes were wide and her face was sad.
"Oh, honey", she said, wrapping her arms around him. She was only a couple inches shorter than him so he lowered his forehead to her shoulder and just stood there, letting her rub his back. "I am so sorry", she said quietly. "We will help however we can".
He didn't dare speak for fear of crying. Bre was strong, consistent, and wholesome. He let himself be comforted by her aura of positivity and kindness.
Finally, he lifted his head and looked into her dark brown eyes. "Thank you", he said quietly. She nodded and carefully touched his face. He winced but didn't move.
"If I asked you to put some more ice on this, would you?", she asked.
"Sure". Brad would probably do anything she asked him to right then, he was so grateful for her kindness.
Steve put a solid hand on his shoulder. "Want a beer?", he asked.
"Got anything stronger?"
"I do have regular whiskey", Steve said.
"Perfect".
Brad let himself be fed, liquored up, iced, comforted, and given advice, then he fell asleep on their couch.
In the morning, he woke to sounds in the kitchen. He slowly drug himself to the bathroom then to the kitchen. Bre was cooking in a tank top and yoga pants, the slightest bit of a curve to her normally flat stomach visible. He felt a surge of affection for her and a wave of nostalgia as he remembered Paige's baby belly in it's beginning stages.
"How are you feeling?", he asked in a low voice.
She jumped a little, turning, and nearly dropping the bowl she held. He moved quickly, putting his hands over hers to steady it.
"I didn't know you were up", she said. "I'm feeling pretty good. Just tired around mid day and then in the evenings".
"Paige was so sick. The whole time", he recalled.
"I know", she said.
He still had his hands on top of hers.
"You've been so kind to us", he said. "I appreciate everything you've done for Steve, Paige, and me. You're generous, consistent, dependable. Steve never has to worry what trouble you're getting yourself into".
He released his hands and sighed. "I wish Paige were more like you".
Bre set the bowl down. "If she was, you wouldn't love her like you do", she reasoned.
"I'm not so sure about that", Brad said, looking into her eyes again. Consistently calm and reliable was having a hell of a lot of appeal right now compared to the drama of life with Paige.
She blinked and looked away.
"Coffee?", she asked.
"Please", he said, sitting at the island and watching her move around the kitchen.
...........................................................................
At Rev's, we did laundry, he re-packed for his next week, and he changed out guns and weapons, testing each, cleaning each, putting them away with care.
He had me open the first metal briefcase and took out a banded bundle of bills, handing it to me.
I looked at it in astonishment. "Rev, this is too much!" I had never had that much cash on myself at one time before.
"Split it up and put it in different areas of your body and purse", he said. "You're not going to be able to bring a gun with you, but we'll put this knife in your checked bag so you have something. Carry it in your purse at all times when you arrive".
I practiced opening and shutting the knife.
"I was only going to bring a carry on", I said.
"I want you to have this, love. It will make me feel better".
"Fine".
He smirked. "You say that a lot".
"That's because I'm annoyed by whatever it is but I trust your judgment so I decide to do it anyway", I grumbled.
He cupped my chin in his hand and looked into my eyes. His face was soft and vulnerable. "Thank you", he said. Then he kissed me gently on the mouth. "We should get back. You need to get ready for that wedding".
...........................................................................
I got ready fairly quickly for the wedding. I made sure my makeup was perfect and my hair was perfectly curled. I did eat a small supper, but was afraid to eat much because of how intense performing was. I had Rev get me a bag of pretzels which I stuck in my purse, and I left the wad of money with him until tomorrow because my purse would likely be unattended. He insisted on bringing me and crashing the reception later when everyone had been drinking, so he could watch me a bit and bring me back to the hotel at the end.
I had a blast! We had a lot of requests that we hadn't practiced but I knew every song and I think we did fantastic. We took a few breaks and we got free drinks, but I only had one, otherwise sticking to water. Each time we stopped playing, I had some man approach me with compliments and offers to get me a drink.
"I get them for free but thanks anyway", I told them.
One man, about my age, was a little more pushy. "You have a boyfriend?", he asked.
"Yep".
"Is he here?"
"He will be", I assured him.
"Less than twenty minutes?", he asked. "We got time".
I glared at him. "First of all, you do realize twenty minutes is not impressive, right? You just told me what a sad little man you are. Second, my boyfriend pounds the shit out of people on a weekly basis. When he gets here, and you see him, you are going to run. If you don't, I'll tell him what you said to me".
Clay was standing to the other side of me, observing the interaction, and he started laughing.
"What's so funny?", the offended man asked.
"Yeah, you're dead, that's all", Clay said, winking at me as we left the bar.
"You really gonna tell him?", he asked as we got back on stage.
"That depends on what the moron decides to do", I said, laughing.
I had called Rev my boyfriend. What was that about? Had we transitioned to relationship status? Was I broken up with Brad? I had no idea what was going on anymore. I didn't think, I felt. I felt Rev and that's all I cared about when I was with him.
When Rev arrived, I gave him a little wave, and then I saw the smart ass from the bar pointing at Rev and whispering to another guy. It wasn't long before they both took off.
At the end of the show, Tommy split up the money, gave me a hundred dollars, and congratulated me on an excellent performance. Rev and I helped the guys pack up and haul out their equipment.
"Good luck on Monday!", Tommy said. "Let me know what happens!"
"Our little girl is going to be famous!", Jake gushed, rubbing his hands together.
"Let's not get too far ahead, Jake", I cautioned.
"I could see it", Tommy grinned.
"I'll keep you guys updated", I said.
They thanked Rev for his help then Rev opened the truck door for me and helped me up. I slid over to the middle. He got in on his side and put his seatbelt on, then slid his hand up my bare thigh.
"You need something more to eat?", he asked.
"Uh-uh", I said, shaking my head no and grabbing his face, kissing him intently. He slid his hand all the way up the inside of my leg while kissing me, gently slipping his hand inside my underwear and starting to caress me.
I leaned into him and kissed him aggressively and he slid a couple fingers inside of me making me gasp. I tugged on his bottom lip gently with my teeth.
He reluctantly pulled his face away. "You're killing me, love", he said, breathing heavily. "We can't do this here". He put the truck in drive and drove us back to the hotel.
He locked the room door behind us then flipped on the lights which I had left off. He kissed me again then slowly turned me around and gently lifted the mass of my hair with one hand so he could unzip my dress with the other. As it hit the floor, I turned back to him. He picked me up and carried me over to the bed as he was staring into my eyes.
An excruciatingly long time later, he was still only kissing me but I had finally gotten his clothes off. He was moving slowly tonight, and I wasn't sure why, and the lights were still on.
He moved down to kissing my neck, then took my bra off and took one breast in his mouth while slipping his hand inside my underwear, caressing me, and then taking those off, too. He moved his face back up to mine and hovered an inch above my nose, staring into my eyes. I saw so much raw emotion there, it was almost overwhelming.
"I want you to look at me", he said gruffly.
This again?
It wasn't that I didn't like it. In fact, it had intensified everything, but it was so intense that I almost couldn't stand it.
I nodded. He climbed on top of me and stared directly into my eyes as he entered me. I gasped a little and gripped his arms but I didn't break eye contact. We had never started in this position before. I tended to avoid it because it was one of the two ways Jay had held me down, and because I had never in the history of my sex life achieved orgasm in that position.
Rev started kissing me again as he began moving. It's not that it didn't feel good, I simply had very little expectations for this position.
He pulled his face back and looked at me, then slid one massive forearm under the natural curve of my back so my pelvis tipped downward a bit.
Oh, that felt so much better.
Rev kept staring into my eyes and periodically kissing me. He was intense. He kept that hand under my back and started using it to move me against him. My hands were along his back and my nails dug into him. His other forearm was supporting all of his weight and he stayed on that elbow as he reached up and gently grabbed my upper arm, tugging on it. I let go of his back, thinking maybe he didn't like me scratching him, and he whispered, "Trust me".
"I do", I whispered back, wondering what that was about. He slid his hand up my arm and linked his fingers with mine, pressing it down against the bed and holding it as he continued.
That's what it was about. His eyes were soft, questioning. He wanted to make sure he didn't trigger any bad memories with the position we were in. I felt tears spring to mine, and grabbed the back of his neck with my free hand, pulling his mouth down to mine, kissing him passionately.
He was so thoughtful. He always seemed to know.
Suddenly, I was close. Extremely close, and then I finished with my hand in his and my head thrown back with his mouth on my neck. He was seconds after me.
He lifted his head from my shoulder and looked into my eyes again.
"I love you", I whispered, in a shaky voice, near tears.
"I love you", he said, kissing me gently.
"I've never...in that position...that was incredible", I gasped. "How did you know how to...?"
He smiled a smug smile. "I pay attention, love. I read your body, your responses. I know you".
He kissed me again and squeezed my hand. "I can't begin to tell you how happy that makes me that I've done something for you no other man could".
...........................................................................
* Rev or Brad? Could you decide? But an easy choice is voting! Please keep doing it! *