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  “Pregnant,” she finished for him with a tentative smile. “We’re having a baby.” She paused as he stared at her in stunned silence. Was he upset? She couldn’t tell. “I know it’s sooner than we planned, but—”

  He cut her off by hauling her into his arms, lifting her off her feet and hugging her against his body as he whirled her around in a circle.

  “Drew!” she exclaimed, and clutched at his shoulders. “Babe, put me down right now. Unless you want me to puke all over you.”

  Immediately, he set her down and cupped her cheeks with his hands. “Are you okay?” He looked to his left where a table with dozens of small sized water bottles had been set out for the presenters and the performers. “Hang on,” he said, and raced to the table and back with a bottle in his hand. He twisted off the cap and gave it to her.

  “Thank you,” she said, after taking a long slow drink of the cool liquid. “I think the nausea’s passed.” She took another mouthful, then tossed the bottle into a recycle bin a couple of feet away and put a hand to her still flat stomach. “Yes. I do believe I’m not going to vomit.” She heard a disembodied voice begin the countdown from the commercial, and then a lone cameraman moved in front of them to capture their reaction in case they won their category.

  Drew glanced at the cameraman, then leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  “Because I wanted it to be special,” she whispered. “I had it all planned for when we got back to Nashville. A romantic dinner, maybe some making out in front of the fire, and then I was going to tell you that you’re going to be a father.” She reached up to touch his cheek, still in awe of the new life she carried inside of her. “We made a baby,” she murmured as she drowned in the deep blue sea of his eyes.

  As Garrett was introduced, Jessie lowered her hand and thought about the new house they’d bought together on the outskirts of Nashville. Finally, she had the home she’d always dreamed of—the home where she and Drew would raise their family. And considering that they’d talked about having at least three kids, maybe it was a good thing they were starting now.

  “We can celebrate after the show…” she trailed off as he continued to stare at her. “You are happy about it, aren’t you?”

  “Are you kidding?” A wide smile split his face. “I couldn’t be happier. So what if happened sooner than we planned? That’s what makes life interesting.”

  Relief washed over her as Drew slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side, while Garrett announced the list of nominees. Leaning her head against his shoulder, Jessie held her breath and crossed her fingers as Garrett opened the envelope. Although she was thrilled to be nominated for the other awards, this one meant so much more. If they won, she’d be sharing it with Drew—her partner in life, and the man whom she loved more than she thought it was possible to love anyone.

  “And the winners for musical event of the year are—”

  Jessie’s heart pounded as Garrett pulled the card from the envelope and glanced at it. The seconds dragged by with agonizing slowness as Garrett looked up and out into the audience with a huge grin on his face.

  “Jessie Grant and Drew Carmichael for “You and I”.

  As the crowd erupted with enthusiastic applause, Jessie thought she might faint. Drew pulled her into a hug and held her tightly against him. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear.

  Before she knew it, he let her go and held her hand snugly in his as they walked side by side onto the stage. As Garrett attempted to hand her the award, Jessie smiled and motioned for him to give it to Drew. Drew accepted it with a smile and moved aside so Garrett could kiss Jessie’s cheek and give her a quick hug.

  With her knees trembling, she stood next to Drew in front of the slim microphone as Garrett moved to stand off the side a few feet. When the applause died down, Drew shot her a glance, and since she was absolutely certain she couldn’t string together a coherent sentence to save her life, she nodded for him to speak first.

  “Thank you.” His soft twang filled the room. “Thank you all so much. It’s fitting that the show is being held here this year.” He paused and let his gaze wander around the Grand Garden Arena. “Because this is where Jessie and I first sang “You and I”. I was honored to be her singing partner then, and I am honored to be her husband now.” He held up the award and continued in a voice filled with emotion. “To every struggling musician out there, I’d like to say to you, please don’t give up on your dreams because they really can come true.” He glanced at her and smiled. “And don’t be too proud to accept a little help when it’s offered.”

  The crowd in the venue cheered and whistled as Drew turned to her and gave her a reassuring nod. It was her turn. She took a calming breath, then looked back to the audience. The bright lights used for television shined brightly into her eyes making it nearly impossible to see them all, but she felt their warm, welcoming presence with every fiber of her being.

  “Thank y’all so much.” Her voice shook a little as she spoke. “This award means more than I can say.” She took a calming breath, exhaled and willed her professional experience to kick in. “First, we’d like to thank everyone at Trident and Full Moon for making this duet happen. I’d also like to thank Wally Lindell. Wally, I know you’re out there, and I want to thank you for sticking with me through the good times and the bad. You’re the best manager in the business, and the best surrogate father a girl could have. I adore you.”

  Jessie took in another breath and turned to look at Drew, whose tender gaze was filled with love for her; the girl with a past she was so ashamed of she didn’t think she was worthy of being loved. But she was worthy—she finally believed that now, and damn if it wasn’t the best feeling in the world.

  “Drew, every blessing I have in my life right now is because of you. Thank you for being my friend and showing me what the word trust means. And thank you for giving me the greatest gift of all; your love.” She paused as the audience let out a collective sigh. “You told me once that all the success in the world isn’t worth a damn if you don’t have someone to share it with, and you were right. Thank you for sharing your life with me, and for being the first person I want to see when I wake up each morning.” A lone tear slipped down her cheek as she gazed at her husband. “I love you with all my heart.”

  And then, in an impulsive move, Jessie leaned forward and kissed him. She didn’t know who was more surprised, Drew, or the audience, whose cheers and whistles filled the arena as her lips lingered on his. When she pulled back, he looked a little dazed. Not that she blamed him; he’d just won his very first CMA award. Well, he’d better get used to it. There would be a lot more awards in his future. She was absolutely sure of it.

  Acknowledgements

  A huge thank you to all the wonderful people who helped make this book possible: Chrissie Humphrey, Jodi Henley, Helen Williams, Amber Drappier of Fiction Diction, Jesse Gordon, Tera Lynn Childs, Crystal Perkins, and Angie Shiroff. I couldn’t have done it without your help and support!

  About the Author

  Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Alison now lives in Southern Nevada where she’s still getting used to the blistering summers and the slot machines in every grocery store.

  When not working at the day job that pays the bills, keeps a roof over her head, and supports her book and chocolate habits, Alison spends most of her free time writing. But when she takes a break, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with her family and friends.

  For more information on Alison’s upcoming releases, you can sign up for her newsletter at alisonpackard.com; follow her on Twitter @alleyfics, and Facebook. on.fb.me/1xLdP8f

  If you enjoyed Hearts on Fire and would like to give it a review, please do. All reviews are welcome!

 

 

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