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Authors: Ciana Stone

Ask Me to Stay (Honky Tonk Angels #4) (18 page)

BOOK: Ask Me to Stay (Honky Tonk Angels #4)

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With that as a mantra running through her mind, she got out of the car. The courthouse was just down the street so she had plenty of time. There was still forty-five minutes before the hearing started.

Callie took the elevator to the street level. The courthouse was just a block down. The closer she got, the more crowded the sidewalk became. By the time she reached the courthouse, she had to squeeze her way through the crowd. What was drawing so many people?

The moment she made her way to the front of the throng of people, she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Jayce?”

There he stood on the steps of the courthouse, waiting for her. He offered her a hand and she took it, looking around in bewilderment. “What’s going on?”

He smiled at her and gestured toward Jaxon Riggs, who stood beside him and two hundred bikers who lined the steps, their arms crossed. “Your new friend called and said he thought we should be here today and I couldn’t have agreed more, so I managed to get on a plane and here I am.”

“Oh my god.” Tears sprang to her eyes and she hugged him tightly. “Thank you. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome honey, and thank Riggs. If he weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have known how scared you were. You did a pretty good job of keeping that hidden.”

Callie unwound herself from Jayce’s embrace and turned to Riggs. He smiled and opened his arms and she went into them.

“I don’t know what angel sent you but thank you,” she said as she hugged him.

“Let’s just say that a mutual friend sort of set it up.”

Callie frowned in confusion. “A mutual friend?”

“Joe.”

“You know Joe?”

“I do.”

“But I don’t understand. He couldn’t have known I’d have a flat tire.”

“You’d be surprised at the things Joe knows.”

Callie didn’t know what to make of that. “Well, I – I don’t know what to say, except for thank you. And why are all these people here?”

Riggs grinned. “Let’s just say we thought Deke might want to reconsider his petition for custody, so we’re going to court with you.”

“All of you?”

“Yes ma’am. Unless he changes his mind beforehand. Now, take a look because I believe the man coming out of the crowd with the suit and the blonde might just be Ramsey.”

Callie turned to look and sure enough, it was Deke. He stopped at the foot of the steps and glared at her. His attorney leaned over and said something to Deke and Deke shoved him away.

The crowd pulled back a little, people murmuring and filming with their cell phones. Deke mounted the steps, coming to stop a step beneath where Callie stood with Jayce and Riggs.

“You think you can scare me with this pussy club, bitch? I know who they are and trust me, they might bark, but they got no fucking teeth.”

“Is that so?” Riggs asked and smiled. Callie was quite sure she’d never seen a scarier smile in her life.

Damn, just who the heck was Jaxon Riggs?

“You can take it to the fucking bank, pussy.”

“And you can take this to the bank,” Jayce said. “It’s in your best interest to walk away from this custody thing. Even if by some miracle you could find a judge foolish enough to grant you visitation, you won’t live to see that child.”

“Motherfucker I’ll—”

Callie could feel the atmosphere charge all around her as Deke shouted. A uniformed police officer interrupted by stepping up beside Deke. “Sir, I’m going to have to—“

What happened next was a disjointed mix of slow motion and time suddenly jerking into hyper speed in jolts and pauses. Deke grabbed the officer’s weapon and, as screams broke out from the crowd, stuck the weapon against the officer’s chest and fired.

Not even the protective vest could stop a bullet from that distance. Blood splattered Deke, Callie, Jayce and Riggs. Riggs grabbed Callie as Deke turned the gun toward her. He wrapped his arms around her and turned his back to the gun.

At that same moment Riggs grabbed her, she saw Jayce leaping toward Deke. She screamed, fighting at Riggs to get away, aware that the men of his club were closing in around them. People were screaming and shouting and she was clawing to get free and get to Jayce.

Finally, Riggs released her. Relief made her weak when she saw Jayce standing there, holding the gun and Deke being restrained by two burly bikers. Sounds of sirens competed with the screams and shouts of the crowd as Jayce turned to look at her.

It all slammed into her in that moment. The shock and fear crashed over her like a wave that drives you to the ocean floor. She opened her mouth to say Jayce’s name but didn’t get the word out before her eyes rolled back and for the first time in her life, she fainted.

Chapter Fifteen

Callie was nearly knocked off her feet the moment she walked into the bar. Cody grabbed her in a tight hug. “God, girl, when I heard what happened…”

“I’m okay,” Callie wheezed. “You’re choking me.”

“Oh shit. Sorry.” Cody released her. “Jayce told us what happened. God almighty.”

“I was so lucky he and the motorcycle club was there. They saved us – me and Lily. Now Deke can never hurt us. He shot a police officer. He’ll never get out of prison.”

“I hope the fucker dies there.”

“Me too.”

“And did you get a message from the music producer? He called and asked for your number. I hope you don’t mind that I gave it to him.”

“No, I don’t mind and yes, I did hear from him.”

“And?”

Callie had not told a soul about the phone call. She was still trying to digest the news. “He offered me a recording contract.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am.”

“So tell me. Tell me.”

“Well, it’s a lot of money to sign and the royalty rate is really good. But…”

“That doesn’t sound like a good but.”

“It’s not. I’d have to move back to Nashville to cut a record and the label wants me to go on tour as an opening act.”

“For who?”

When Callie told her, Cody’s mouth fell open. “Holy shit. So what did you say?”

“Nothing. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that it’s real.”

A serious expression captured Cody’s face. “So, are you thinking of saying yes?”

“I don’t know. I – I don’t know what to do, Cody. I mean, it’s a dream come true, that’s for sure, but – but there’s Jayce and…”

“And you don’t know which one you want more? Cal, if you don’t know the answer, then you already do know. If you really loved him, there wouldn’t be any indecision, you know?”

Cody’s words hit Callie like the proverbial ton of bricks. Cody was right, but before she could say as much, Hannah was there, wrapping her in a hug.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Cody said and headed back to the bar.

“Are you okay?” Hannah asked when she released Callie.

“I am.”

“It was all over the news and videos people filmed of it went viral. Oh, as did a performance here you and Riley did. Ya’ll have over two million views.”

“That’s crazy.”

“But true. So where’s Jayce?”

“Parking. The place is packed so he let me off at the door and went back to park and meet a friend who’s joining us.”

“Okay, so I’ll turn in some chairs on a table to save it for you and bring a pitcher of beer.”

“That’d be great. Thank you, Hannah.”

As Hannah hurried off, Callie looked toward the door. She waited for a moment, then hurried outside. It took her a minute to find Jayce. He was parked way in the back of the parking lot.

“Hey. Just talked to Riggs. He’s on his way with Wes.”

“Okay, that’s gives us a chance to talk.”

“About what?”

“That music producer called and offered me a contract.”

“To sing?”

“Yes, and tour.”

“Tour?” His smile faded.

“Yes, I’d have to move back to Nashville and I’d be on the road for the better part of a year.”

“Oh. So are you going to take it?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“You.”

Jayce was quiet for a moment, then took both her hands in his. “Callie, I don’t want to be the one to deprive you of your dreams. I love you and I won’t be the one who takes that dream from you.”

“What if I have another dream? One I want more?”

“And what would that be?”

“That you’d ask me to stay.”

Jayce looked into her eyes for a long time, then kissed her softly. “Are you sure about that?”

“I am.”

At that moment, Jayce’s phone rang. “It’s Riggs.” He answered. “Hey. We’re parked around back and there are a couple of free spots.”

Callie sensed that their conversation had come to an end and couldn’t help feeling disappointed. She’d really hoped Jayce would ask her to stay, but maybe he saw this opportunity as a way out.

It hurt to think that might be true. She told herself not to jump to conclusions, to wait until they had a chance to finish the conversation, but still she felt the sting of it.

Wes parked beside Jayce. He and Riggs climbed out of his truck and walked with Callie and Jayce into the bar.

As they entered, Cody yelled a greeting from the bar. Everyone looked in her direction.

Hannah yelled from a table that she had them all set up so their group made their way toward tit. Callie noticed Riggs still looking toward the bar and she looked that way as well.

Well now.
There stood Cody, her gaze locked on Riggs.

Callie nudged Jayce. “Look.”

His gaze moved to the bar, to Riggs and then to Callie. “Interesting.”

“And getting more interesting by the moment,” she replied.

Cody came from around the back of the bar, still focused on Riggs. She walked up to him and stuck out her hand. “Cody Sweet. Co-owner of the Honky Tonk Angels.”

“Jaxon Riggs.” He took her hand and gave her a sexy smile.

“Renegade Riggs?”

“Been called that a time or two.”

“The man who can’t stay in one place?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“That’s about the change, Riggs.”

“Is it now?”

Even Callie felt the power of the smile he gave Cody.

“That it is.” Cody returned a sexy smile with just as much punch before she turned her attention to Callie. “You get everything squared away?”

Callie almost skirted the issue, but on impulse looked at Jayce. “Did we?”

Jayce looked at Cody. “I’m kind of hoping she’s going to stay.”

“Oh really?” Cody looked at Callie. “And?”

Callie looked at Jayce. “Are you sure?”

“Are
you
? It’s no small thing to turn your back on an offer like the one you received. You dreamed of that since you were a child. You told me that.”

“Just like I dreamed of being happy and having a family. Besides, I have plenty of places to sing. Here, in the shower, on the porch swing, riding in my car—”

“It’s not the same.”

“The joy is in the doing, not the money or the fame. I want happiness, Jayce. A home and a family.”

“Then stay with me, Callie. Be my wife, my family.”

“Are you one hundred percent sure?”

“I am. I love you Callie. Please stay with me and be my one and only.”

Callie grinned. “Well, damn, Jayce, how can a girl say no to that?”

“I’m hoping you can’t.”

“You know I can’t. I love you.”

“So are you going to marry me, Callie?”

“Oh, yes I am. I most definitely am.”

“Then this calls for a celebration,” Cody said.

“Indeed it does,” Callie agreed and smiled at Jayce.