Music of the Heart

  “Um, well, as good as it can be considering my brothers think I’ve lost my mind for consenting to a bet to stay on a bus with a group of absolute strangers, not to mention they’re pretty hard-core rockers.” I forced a smile to my lips. “But besides that, I’m peachy.”

  Brayden nodded. “I can understand how they feel. I have two younger sisters as well as an eight-month-old daughter.”

  “Aw, can I see a picture of her?”

  Happily, he dug his phone out of his pocket and handed it over to me. His screen saver was of a beautiful dark haired, dark eyed grinning baby girl as well as sandy haired little boy with blue eyes. “That’s Melody Lane. And that’s Jude Paul—he’s four.”

  “Let me guess. Any chance you’re an intense Beatles fan?” I questioned with a grin.

  Jake groaned beside us. “More like Bray is Beatles obsessed. He likes to think he’s Paul McCartney.”

  Brayden only shook his head good-naturedly at Jake’s dig. “I do a lot of song writing just like Paul, and I’m a helluva guitar player.”

  I smiled at him. “Well, I adore the Beatles too. They’re my parents’ favorite, so I was raised on them.”

  “Favorite song?” Brayden asked.

  “Without a doubt, Let it Be.”

  He clapped his hands together gleefully. “Mine too! And so written by the fabulous Paul McCartney.”

  I laughed. “Exactly.” I stared down at the picture again. “Your children are absolutely adorable, Brayden. Jude’s got future heartbreaker written all over him.”

  “Yeah, he takes after my wife, and Melody, well, she’s the spitting image of me.”

  “She’s already gorgeous at eight months. You’re going to be in a lot of trouble in about twelve or thirteen years.”

  He grimaced. “Tell me about it. I’ll be even more over-protective with her than my sisters.”

  I nodded. “I can only imagine because my dad is even crazier than my brothers. Being the baby girl isn’t easy, especially with the age difference. The twins, Gabe and Eli, are twenty-six, and Micah’s twenty-eight.”

  “You must be really spoiled,” Jake noted with a self-satisfied smirk.

  I shook my head at him. “Yes, but not like you’re thinking.”

  “We’ll see,” he murmured before winking at me.

  I eased down across from the guys in one of the Captain’s chairs. “So what’s your deal, Angel?” AJ asked.

  My brows creased in confusion. “My deal?”

  “Why were you at Rock Nation? Were you just checking out the scene to hang out with your brothers or what?”

  I opened my mouth to answer when Jake sarcastically replied, “She’s obviously in the biz. She came with a guitar, dumbass.”

  “Well, yes and no on being in the business and hanging out with my brothers. I’m supposed to be headlining with them in the fall. Well, at least with Gabe and Eli. Micah’s planning on quitting after he gets married in August.”

  “Wow, headlining is a pretty big deal,” Brayden declared.

  I nodded. “Tell me about it. Touring with them the last half of the summer is kinda like a pretest to see if I really want to do it. If not, the boys will just recruit someone else or go on as a duo.”

  Jake snorted contemptuously at me. “You’re getting the opportunity of a lifetime tossed in your lap, and you’re not sure you want to do it?”

  “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. It’s just I’ve spent the past three years studying to be a nurse. I was just about to go through clinicals.” At his continued exasperated expression, I added, “In the long run, I think saving lives and helping people might be a little more important than entertaining.”

  He quirked his pierced brow at me. “Don’t you think music saves people?”

  “Well, I—”

  “A certain song can mean the difference between life and death for someone who is depressed and suicidal. Music can inspire and give hope. It can show adulation and worship and praise love and people.” He gave me a pointed look. “Including God.”

  I blinked several times in surprise at the passion which he delivered his words. “You’re right. Music is life-altering and changing.”

  Jake motioned toward my guitar case. “So play us something.”

  “Seriously?” I asked, glancing from Jake to other guys.

  AJ grinned. “Si, mi amor.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Enough with the Spanish.”

  “But I told you how much it turns me on to hear it coming from your lips.”

  With a wry smile, I replied, “But I’m not interested in turning you on.”

  A chorus of “Ooohs” rang through the cabin from Jake and Rhys to which AJ only shook his head. “Burn man,” Rhys teased with a grin.

  “Okay, I think now is as good a time as ever to set up a few ground rules for our bet,” I said.

  “You’re not pussying out, are you?” Jake asked.

  I wrinkled my nose. “Ew, I hate that word.” When he started to repeat it, I jabbed a finger in his direction. “I will stay on this bus a week and win the bet, but there are going to be a few rules, or I guess I should say some courtesies that I expect you guys to follow.”

  “I agree with Abby,” Brayden said.

  “You would,” Jake grumbled.

  “First, you need to respect me and my boundaries. At the moment, I’m not on here to be any of your playthings or hook-ups, so I would appreciate it if you stopped hitting on me.”

  AJ’s jovial expression faded. “You mean you don’t think I’m hot?”

  Since he appeared almost wounded, I had to rethink my strategy. “AJ, you’re a very good-looking guy. I can already tell you have a big heart and a wonderful sense of humor. Any girl would be blind not to want you.” When he beamed and puffed out his chest at the other guys, I held up my hand. “But I think we both know at the end of the day, you’re not looking for a relationship with me, right? You’re just looking to get into my panties.”

  A strangled noise came from the back of his throat at the mention of my underwear. “Yeah, I am,” he finally admitted with a sheepish grin.

  I returned his smile as my gaze swept over Jake and Rhys. “So as I was saying, I would appreciate if you would show me some respect by not hitting on me as well as at least trying to tone down some of the language and sexual innuendos. Somewhere deep inside you have the potential to be gentlemen, and you’re just waiting to treat women as more than just desirable play things, right?”

  With a smirk, Jake countered, “I don’t know about that.”

  “Oh, if your mother was on this bus, you would act the same way you are now?”

  He scowled. “No, I wouldn’t.”

  “Good. Then we all agree that you’ll try to treat me like a gentleman. Anything you’d like to request from me?”

  Jake stepped forward to where he was looming over me, and I had to fight the urge not to cower away from him. “If we’re going to act like gentlemen, then you also need to make sure your wardrobe isn’t…tempting.”

  I peered down at my sundress. Since it came below my knees and I often wore it to church, I found his request shocking. “There’s something wrong with this?”

  When I glanced up at him, Jake’s hungry gaze had honed in on my cleavage. I cleared my throat to which he replied, “You’re showing way too much skin with the thin straps and the legs, so I’d suggest jeans and t-shirts from now on—the baggier the better.”

  “Fine. I’ll be happy to oblige,” I replied.

  “And that goes for the sleepwear too. No camis with those booty short things.”

  I chewed my lip when I thought of what pajamas I had in my suitcase. “Um, okay. I can try. But I might have to make a stop at Wal-Mart or Target before tonight to get some pajamas and shirts.

  Jake’s face spread into a grin. “I’m glad to hear you’re willing to work with us. After all, what good can come out of getting a bunch of horny males all riled up?”

  He licked his lips lasciv
iously, and I gritted my teeth before replying, “Absolutely nothing.”

  “Good.” Jake then turned and brought my guitar case to me. “Now please regale us all with your vocal stylings.”

  “I’d be happy to.” I leaned over and popped open the locks on my case. When I pulled out my guitar, Jake stared at it in surprise. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “Nothing. It’s just I expected—”

  “I’ll have you know this is a Gibson Hummingbird that cost three grand! I worked my ass off to pay for it!”

  He grinned. “Angel, it’s a helluva guitar. And what I was about to say before you interrupted me was I just expected it to be all glittery like Taylor Swift’s.”

  Plucking out my pick, I waved it at him and winked. He eyed the shimmering purple before throwing his head back and laughing heartily. “Oh Angel, I’m so glad to see that. You don’t disappoint.”

  Once I adjusted the guitar on my lap, I cocked my head at the guys. “Hmm, so what do you want me to play?”

  “Give us what you did for the record execs. You obviously wowed them if they were going to let an unknown headline a tour,” Rhys suggested.

  I nodded. “Okay, I played a guitar, rather than piano, version of Adele’s Someone Like You.

  Jake’s brows shot up in surprise. “Adele?”

  From his tone, I could tell he thought there was no way in hell I had a voice that would come anywhere near hers. I pursed my lips. “Yeah, Adele,” I countered.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and continued giving me a skeptical look. “All right then. Wow us, Angel.”

  I rolled my eyes before clearing my throat and strumming a few warm-up chords. Then I started the opening melody of the song. “I heard that you're settled down…” I wanted to impress the guys, but I really wanted to knock it out of the park to put Jake’s smirking ass in his place. So I did the only thing I knew how to do when it came to performing—I tuned them out. It was about me, the guitar, the music, and the melody. As my voice echoed through the close quarters of the cabin, I closed my eyes, living and breathing the lyrics. I poured my soul into reaching the high and low notes while my fingers picked the familiar chords.

  When I finished the chorus, my eyes popped open, and I stopped singing. I continue strumming the chords as I gazed around at the guys. I couldn’t help but laugh at their expressions. “So?” I prompted.

  AJ grinned. “Tu cantas como un angel.”

  I snorted. “I sing like an angel, huh? I guess that’s a good description since you guys keep calling me that.”

  When I glanced at Rhys, he was shaking his head. “Damn, girl, no wonder you blew the execs away. You’re like a mini-Adele.”

  Warmth flooded my cheeks. “Really?”

  “Hell yeah! Tinier and prettier though.” Rhys thumped my back heartily like he would one of the guys. A little too hard because it caused me to yelp. His eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you’re so dainty.”

  I laughed. “I’m not that fragile, but I’m not one of you guys either.”

  Next I looked to Brayden who wore an expression of genuine admiration. “That was absolutely amazing. Not only do you have a powerhouse voice, but the emotion you put into it…” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Just inspiring.”

  Unable to keep a beaming smile off my face, I gushed, “Aw, thank you.”

  Finally, I dared myself to look at Jake. He was leaned back against the kitchen counter, arms crossed over his chest. “So?” I finally asked.

  His signature smirk curved on his lips. “After those glowing reviews, you really give a shit about what I have to say?”

  “Of course I do. After all, you’re the lead singer of Runaway Train.”

  “Uh, Bray and I sing too,” AJ countered.

  I laughed. “Whatever.”

  Jake rubbed his hand along his chin. “Ever had voice lessons?”

  My brows furrowed. “When my brothers made it on to the scene, my parents let me have some training. Before then, we really couldn’t afford it. Occasionally, some people from the ministry would work with us.”

  He bobbed his head. “Just as I expected.”

  “What?”

  “True God-given talent,” he replied, with a wink.

  His response stunned me, and I just sat there, guitar still on my lap, staring at him. He pushed himself away from the counter and came over to me. “There are people who can spend thousands of dollars on voice lessons and never, ever exude one tiny ounce of the talent you just did on a stinky bus rolling down the interstate.”

  “Thank you,” I squeaked.

  “I think you could give Adele a run for her money any day.”

  A nervous laugh escaped my lips. “Uh, well, I don’t know about that.”

  Jake squatted down in front of me, and I tried ignoring how my body hummed in response to his closeness. I had never, ever experienced anything like it before in my life. It was like every molecule in my body came alive, and the closer he was to me the more I tingled. Whoa. How could I possibly be having a reaction to him? He was an egomaniac jerk!

  His gaze went to my guitar. “So you play some ballads. Can you do anything else?”

  Pursing my lips at his challenge, I started strumming the opening to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell. Jake instantly busted out laughing. “Damn, Angel, just when I start to underestimate you, you go and prove me wrong.”

  Still playing, I teased, “And here I underestimated that you could ever admit when you were wrong about something.”

  “I normally don’t. But I have a feeling I’m going to make an exception for you in a lot of areas.” At his wicked grin, I knew exactly what he was meant.

  “Dream on,” I muttered.

  “Fantasizing is healthy, you know. Maybe you should try it more.”

  Closing my eyes, I kept playing Highway to Hell. I licked my lips. “Hmm, yeah, you’re right. Fantasizing is nice.”

  “Whatcha thinkin’ about, Angel?” Jake asked, his breath hovering close to my cheek. “Or should I say who ya thinkin’ about?”

  “You,” I whispered. My eyes popped open to take in his surprised expression.

  “Seriously?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” I replied a little breathlessly for emphasis. He cocked his eyebrows expectantly. “I’m fantasizing about what it would be like to nail you in the balls again for being such an egotistical jerkwad!”

  Laughter echoed around me from the other guys while Jake only shook his head. With a smirk, he replied, “Admit it though. You were still thinking about my balls.”

  “You’re impossible.”

  Before Jake could give me another witty comeback, my stomach rumbled so loud that it practically echoed throughout the room. Jake’s expression became concerned as his gaze honed in on my abdomen. “Why didn’t you tell us you were so hungry?”

  An embarrassed giggle escaped my lips. “There’s kinda been too much going on to pay much attention to my stomach.”

  “You like omelets?” he asked as he rose to his feet.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Then one omelet coming up.”

  “Um, thank you.” My jaw gaped open as I watched Jake head to the kitchen and take out the necessary supplies to make me a late breakfast. I gently put my guitar back in its case.

  “You guys want one?” he asked over his shoulder as he began whisking the eggs.

  “Nah, I think I’ll eat that leftover pizza,” AJ replied, sidestepping him to the fridge.

  Rhys wrinkled his nose. “You’re disgusting.” He nodded at Jake. “I’ll take one.”

  “Bray?” Jake asked.

  “Nah, I’ll fix a sandwich when I come back out. It’s almost time for my Skype chat with Lily.”

  When he started for the bedroom, Jake snorted. “Don’t be doing anything raunchy with Lily now that Angel is on the bus.”

  Brayden whirled around to shoot Jake a death glare. “You know good and well that Jude and Melody are always there for my calls, you jackass!?
??

  With a chuckle, Jake went back to working on his culinary masterpieces while Brayden slammed the bedroom door shut. AJ came over to the table with a Dominos box and began shoveling in several cold slices of pepperoni pizza.

  “Are you even chewing that?” I asked.

  He winked at me and replied, “I got a big appetite, Angel.”

  I wagged my finger at him. “Manners, remember?”

  Not taking his eyes from mine, he picked a napkin from the table and daintily wiped the corners of his mouth.

  I grinned. “It’s not the dirty outside I’m concerned about, perv.”

  AJ threw his head back and roared. “Damn, Abby, I sure am stoked about having you on the bus with us. You’re going to be fun as hell.”

  “I hope so. I wouldn’t want to be a nag.” At the mischievous tinkle in his dark eyes, I shook my head. “Don’t even go there.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t say some cheesy thing like ‘Ooh baby, you can nag me all night long—two or three times!’”

  AJ’s dark eyes widened as his slice of pizza dropped onto the table. “Okay, it’s really creepy how you can read my mind, but then again…fuck! It’s so hot that you can think like a dude!”

  I laughed. “Older brothers, remember?”

  A wide grin spread on his face. “Remind me to thank them someday for raising you right, Angel.”

  Rhys raked his hand through his unkempt hair. “Speaking of your brothers, I caught part of their show. They’re not bad.”

  “Not bad?” I huffed indignantly.

  Pink tinged his cheeks. “Well, you know what I meant…for light rockers.”

  AJ bobbed his head. “Yeah, when they were introduced, I kinda expected some Jonas Brothers shit. But they’re actually hardcore for Christian rockers.”

  Leaning my elbows on the table, I eyed AJ and Rhys. “My brothers are fantastic musicians! I mean, can you two play multiple instruments?”

  “Well, no—” Rhys began.

  I smirked at them before crossing my arms over my chest. “Although he’s probably the least musically inclined, Gabe is one hell of a drummer, and he can write a song like nobody’s business. Micah can play the guitar, bass, banjo, dulcimer, and piano, not to mention he has an amazing voice for harmonizing. And Eli—he plays the bass and the fiddle and sings too. Along with Gabe, they’ve been writing their own songs and composing their own music since they were ten.”