Elli could be the start of that.

Looking across the table, Lacey asked, “Is it hard being Shea’s wife?”

Elli smiled. “In what context do you mean? Because I love Shea, and I love being his wife and the mother of his children.”

Lacey nodded. “No, I know that, but I mean when he is gone. Do the women flock to him?”

“Oh yeah,” she said with a nod. “But with Shea, I know where I stand. I know that I hung the moon and stars in his eyes. No woman can touch what I can do for him, and I remember that always.”

“Yeah, that’s how I feel with Karson.”

“Then y’all will be just fine. Not trusting someone and the doubt that they’ll be true is what kills marriages. ‘Give in to love, or live in fear.’”

“Rent,” Lacey said with a grin.

“Yup, I’m your go-to Broadway girl.”

They shared a grin but then Lacey looked down, letting out a breath. Elli’s words were riveting and hit Lacey right in the soul. She didn’t want to live in fear; she wanted to love Karson. “He hates my family,” she said more to herself than Elli. “And he thinks they are setting him up.”

Elli leaned on her palm as she held Lacey’s hand. “Karson is a pretty stand-up guy, ya know? But I can see where that would cause a problem.”

“Yeah, I just feel like we can’t win. Something is always coming after us.”

“They usually do with the good ones. Don’t worry, y’all are the picture of love. No one can touch true love, believe me, I know. But nonetheless, I’ll keep you in my prayers,” Elli said with a nod and Lacey smiled.

“Thanks, Elli,” she said, feeling a little better.

“Anytime,” she promised. She then asked, “What kind of movies do you like?”

“Anything really,” she answered with a shy smile. “I’m not picky.”

“Have you read Pride and Prejudice or seen the movie?”

Lacey nodded. “Yes, I love the book, read it in school. I haven’t seen the movie though.”

Elli grinned. “Well, good. I am having everyone over tomorrow for movie night and we are watching that. You should come. I won’t accept anything but a yes.”

Lacey laughed at the look Elli gave her. She wasn’t playing around, but Lacey was sure she could get out of it if she wanted to. The thing was, while it made her nervous, she knew she had to go. This was her home now. Elli was a friend, and she needed to make more if she planned to be completely happy in Nashville. No more playing around. It was time to put down roots.

“I would love to.”

Staring at his computer, he ran his fingers through his hair.

This was not good. Not good at fucking all.

Picking up his phone, he dialed JT’s number and waited for him to answer. JT had flown to Colorado after his last surgery and would stay there until he was done with his physical therapy. That was if they could keep a therapist to work with him. He had already driven off two in only two weeks. He hated the therapy though, and wasn’t shy about telling everyone. It was easy to say that Jordie Thomas was hard to deal with.

That being said though, Karson needed his best friend.

“What?” he answered and Karson rolled his eyes.

“Well, hello to you too, asshole.”

“You would be mad too if some dude was bending your leg in all sorts of ways and getting pissy with you because you won’t cooperate. I fired his candy-ass, fucking douche.”

Make that three he had driven off.

“Did you ever consider that maybe you should do what they want? They are professionals.”

“I don’t give two shits. It hurts. I don’t want to do it.”

“Then you won’t get better,” Karson reminded him. “And then you’ll never play.”

JT paused for a second and then said, “Fine, I’ll be nice to the next one.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Karson muttered. Remembering why he called, he said, “So I have an issue.”

“Okay?”

He explained what had happened in Chicago. As he retold everything, he still couldn’t fathom that Lacey didn’t believe him. Why the hell would he lie? There was no reason to and furthered the point that her father was the motherfucker who was trying to ruin them! But she didn’t see it that way. She had fucking daddy issues and was allowing them power to believe something that wasn’t true.

“Wow. That blows, dude. If I’d been there, I would have kicked his ass,” JT promised but Karson couldn’t even appreciate that at that moment.

“Yeah, I know, but that’s not the kicker.”

“No?”

“No, the dude somehow got pictures of her kissing me and put them online or paid her to do it or something. They are suggestive as hell though, and Lacey may not be mad now, but after she sees these, she will be.”

“Seriously?” JT asked. “Dude, send me the link.”

“Hold on,” he said as he sent the link in an email to JT. “Done.”

As he waited for JT to get the pictures, he looked at them with pure disgust. She was all over him, her long hair falling along her shoulders, her lips so close to his and from the angle the shot was taken, it looked like she was kissing him on the lips. He knew that Lacey trusted him, but she was not going to be happy that these pictures were on the Internet or that they had tagged Lacey’s business in the post.