Trenton Maddox--May
3 years ago
I threw my truck in park and headed toward the bar Jules txt me the address to. Ugh. I was fucking wrecked. The last thing I wanted was to be out, but somehow the fucker had convinced me that after 6 months deployment, I should use the money to buy a new truck. Then he convinced me even further, that we should 'race' across the motherfucking country.
See who could get from Cali back to Virginia first.
My dumbass agreed to a fucking 37 hour drive.
Pulling out my phone, while stretching all my limbs, I pulled up my thread with my baby sister.
TMadd: after 6 fuckin months in a damn pool sandbox combo and what fucknot with the douchenozzle...
TMadd: why did i think agreein to a 37 fuckin hr drive with Jules was a brilliant plan?
cookiemonster (Aspen): JULES!! I love him!!
cookiemonster: because your brain's fuckin waterlogged
cookiemonster: so glad youre back on US soil Bub!
TMadd: back...just to be arrested
I showed my ID to the wannabe bounder and got waived thru with a 'thanks for your service' and cover charge on the house.
I didn't know how Jules had heard about this place. The music was loud. I wasn't sure if it was live or a DJ. Either way, the country hole-in the-wall bar was packed.
Being from Alabama, I knew my fair share of line dances. Jules, being from Pennsylvania, always picked country places when it was his turn. This bar was no different. I could only hope that he didn't have a stupid fucking haystraw hanging out of his mouth like last time.
cookiemonster: dont get arrested!! Arch & I get out for the summer in 2wks!!
I smiled down at my phone while making my way thru the floor to the bar. I needed a beer. Jolene, Bristol and the twins (babies of the family) were all graduating high school. I could NOT be in prison for that. Ma would hang me by my nuts and fucking skin me.
Being gone for 6 months granted my team a full month's leave. I didn't technically have to report back to Virginia yet, but Beau Brighton and my big brother Hunter had a new renovation house they needed some electrical work done on.
Enter --> me.
I was going back to unwind before going home for graduation and the start of summer.
"I've fucking been here for hours dude!! How slow are you driving?!" Jules had found me first. Cowboy hat and boots. No haystraw. Next time it would be coveralls.
He punched me in my bicep, almost making me drop my phone, then danced backwards out of my reach. This fucking joker.
"Fuckin clown." I lunged at him. "You left the same hotel an hour ago. Don't act like you didn't fuckin pound on my door on your way past, Prick." I had him in a headlock, but the fool couldn't stop laughing. You'd think after 6 months straight, we'd want to be on opposite sides of the fucking planet. But Jules was my brother. "You make me break my phone, Aspen will hunt us down and kill us herself. Terrorists be damned."
"Little Carls loves me!! She could never kill me." She could. Dad had trained her himself, and I knew her and Beau went to the range almost weekly. I didn't have to see Jules' face to know he had a huge shit eating smile taking up space. "We'd make some gorgeous fuckin babies, me and Baby Ellington."
That got him a punch to his ribs, earning me a grunt. "Don't dare let Brighton hear you fuckin talk about his girl that way." I tightened my hold on his neck. "That's my baby sister, fucknut. She doesn't even turn 18 until next January, fuckin creep."
"I said what I said."
Aspen Carlee was beloved by all. Pure fucking goodness, that kid. The world could use a mini her in 20 years. NOT with Jules.
I let him go and leaned against the bar. I had a straight shot to see that there was a live band. And their singer? fuck-ing hell.
Six minutes inside and one look at the brunette on stage and my dick was ready to play.
"But let me show you how a country girl gets it done. Keep up!"
She was beyond good. Her voice was like nothing I'd heard before. Then again, being in Tennessee currently, there was bound to be the next big country star and this girl...fuck, she could be it.
On top of the voice... I couldn't look away. Long chocolate brown hair. Flair jeans that were painted on around her ass. Boots. Some type of lacy shirt that was tighter than the jeans. Girl knew how to capture an audience and I had the sudden urge to commit multiple kills with every male currently eye fucking her.
"Fucking stunnin, ain't she?" Jules nudge me in the gut and I wanted to murder him first.
Before I could fire back my response, the guitarist spoke up. "Give it up for Stasi C!!! Y'all are catchin her on a one night gig!!" The crowd gave a round of whistles and hollers. "She's goin on to bigger things!" I watched as Stasi elbowed the guitarist and laughed. The girl had me captivated. "Show her some love!! Drop tips in the buckets or on Venmo! She's promised one more song before she takes off!"
She stepped up to the mic and had the most genuine smile I'd ever seen. "Not sure bout bigger things... Give it up for these hooligans who didn't take 'no' as answer when they found out I was passin thru. Tomorrow night's set will be ALL theirs. Promise. It'll be kickass too!! And big thanks to y'all for bein a kickass crowd tonight!"
Fuck me. I was a goner.
With that, the guys behind her started her next, and last, song. I watched as she grabbed the mic and pushed the stand out of her way. Then she completely transformed. I could see being on stage was where she was meant to be. Like me and the SEALs. This was her calling.
"oooo its been a while since I felt this good. see myself in the mirror, wanna take another look...."
