Page 18 of Forever Country (Forever Bluegrass #24)

A nnaleigh had been mesmerizing to watch. She talked for four hours about the business side of music. She answered every question without hesitation and by using clear examples. She didn’t dumb it down, but at the same time she made it relatable to teens.

Holt could have listened to her for four more hours. He learned things even he didn’t know and made sure to tell the kids that. Annaleigh was smart, business savvy, and really cared for artists. She wanted young artists to thrive for the betterment of the industry.

Holt and Annaleigh spent the next half hour saying goodbye to the kids before Holt escorted her to his truck.

“I learned so much. Thank you for doing that on the fly. That was some really great advice for the kids. Artists love art, but can sometimes forget about the business side. You helped show them how they can be artists and businessmen and women.”

Annaleigh was practically vibrating with excitement in her seat. “I absolutely love working with kids and new artists. You’re doing great work with them too. We make quite the team.”

“Yes, we do. Now, how about meeting a different kind of team?” Holt asked as he headed toward the stadium.

“We’re going to meet the team?”

“Some of them,” Holt told her. “I have to meet the press and some of them will be there. My brother, my father, and usually a couple of other players.” Holt could tell Annaleigh had some nerves about the press.

He reached out and placed his hand comfortingly over hers.

“You can stay in the hall. The press won’t see you. Or you can go to the suite.”

“I like the idea of being in the wings. I’m a good support person and the suite seems to be more in the spotlight, especially before people are in it for me to blend in with.”

Holt pulled into the stadium’s private lot and nodded to security. He had been coming to the stadium regularly since it was built. He knew almost everyone who worked here and they knew him.

The players were already there and warming up on the field. They would come back into the bowels of the stadium, meet the press, have meetings with their various coaches, get into full pads and uniforms, and his father would talk to them all together before they ran onto the field.

Holt parked and together they walked into the building hand in hand.

Holt hated that he had to drop her hand and take a step away from her as they approached the media room, but people were all around from stadium staff to media.

It would be better if she appeared to be the assistant everyone assumed he had.

And he did have one, but he was a virtual assistant.

Cameras were being tweaked, cables were being run, and sound checks were happening inside the media room.

Holt stopped before he reached the door to the pressroom and turned to Annaleigh.

“There’s a family room down there.” Holt pointed to the door where some women were walking inside.

Some had kids with them and some were clearly parents of the players.

“There are televisions in there with a live feed of the press room. Do you want to wait for me there?”

“That sounds like a plan. Good luck!” Annaleigh stepped forward almost as if to give him a kiss and Holt saw her catch herself before turning and walking to the family room without looking back.

Holt squared his shoulders and entered the press room. This wouldn’t take long. He wasn’t the main focus here, which suited him just fine. The shorter the time here, the faster he could get back to Annaleigh.

Annaleigh met Deon Wofford’s wife along with Jaylen Cox’s girlfriend, who was apparently the flavor the week.

The other girlfriends and wives rolled their eyes at the overenthusiastic newbie.

Somehow, by the time Holt finished his interview and joined her in the family room, Annaleigh knew all about star running back Jaylen’s revolving door of dates and that Zack Sanders, an offensive lineman, was the most loved player—at least according to the WAGS who were perpetually trying to fix the single big man up with a good woman.

She’d also gotten all the gossip on the new players who had joined the team this year.

She found out everyone loved Taylor Everett since she always sent the WAGS gifts for the start of the season.

This year’s gift had been matching beaded purses with their husband/boyfriend’s numbers on them.

Holt stepped into the room a moment before the WAGS and families all filed out on their way to their seats for one last kiss on the field before the game started. “You look relaxed. Knox told me that sometimes the WAGs could be a little territorial.”

“They were so nice and your interview was so much fun,” Annaleigh told him. “You didn’t tell me you’re having a guest guitarist.”

“He’s a fifteen-year-old from Bowling Green, Kentucky, who’s a very talented player. I invited him to perform with me after seeing him do a cover of one of my songs,” Holt told her as they began to walk toward the field for the anthem. “Do you want to go onto the sidelines?”

The turn to the tunnel leading to the field was ahead of them and Annaleigh stopped walking. “Want to? Yes. But I don’t think I should. Can I watch you from the tunnel?” Right now, she was enjoying being out of the spotlight and certainly of her stalker’s crosshairs.

Holt wrapped his arms around her waist as they headed down the tunnel, but he stopped halfway to the field. Annaleigh rose up and gave him a quick kiss then leaned into him for a tight hug. “Good luck out there.”

“I don’t need luck. I have you.” Holt used his finger to raise her chin and kissed her again. This time with a little more heat that left her leaning into him for an entirely different reason.

“Mr. Everett. You’re up,” a woman with a headset yelled from the end of the tunnel.

“I’ll meet you back here when I’m done.” Holt dropped a quick kiss on her lips and strode from the tunnel.

Annaleigh heard the entire stadium roar with applause. So much so it felt and sounded as if the stadium was rocking above her. She heard Holt’s introduction from the stadium’s official announcer and then heard Holt introduce the boy playing guitar for him.

Annaleigh wanted desperately to watch so she walked toward the end of the tunnel, but made sure she stayed standing in the shadow of the tunnel.

She could see Holt at center field with a boy with moppy brown hair playing a guitar.

Around her, at the edge of the tunnel, were security and stadium staffers.

Above them she could see some of the fans in the stands.

They were decked out in their Thoroughbred gear, all standing with their hands over their hearts watching Holt sing.

Holt and the teenager put a country meets bluesy bluegrass spin on the anthem that made both her heart race with pride and gave her goosebumps at the emotion they conveyed via their music.

Planes from the Kentucky Air National Guard flew over as Holt held the last note.

Applause and cheering erupted from the stadium as Holt gestured for the boy to take a bow.

Holt waved to the audience then he and the boy headed to the sidelines.

Holt hugged his dad and brother and fist bumped the players as he made his way to the tunnel.

The boy was quickly hugged by his tearful mother and proud father on the sidelines before security escorted them to their seats for the game.

Annaleigh could see how Holt’s adrenaline was pumping.

Heck, hers was too. It had been one of the best performances of the national anthem she’d ever heard.

Soon it would be viral. Holt’s voice, his creativity, how he made the performance about the teenage guitarist instead of himself, all of it showed her what a great man Holt was on top of how incredibly sexy he’d been standing in the middle of the stadium, commanding the attention of every person there.

Holt hit the entrance of the tunnel and Annaleigh couldn’t stand waiting another second.

She rushed forward and he lengthened his strides to get to her.

Annaleigh’s heart was beating and her own adrenaline was surging as if she’d been the one to perform for the sixty-five thousand people in the stadium.

“You were so incredible, Holt!” she yelled out over the sound of the crowd. “Everyone is going to be talking about that rendition. My mind is completely blown!”

“Well,” Holt said, wrapping her up in his arms and walking her back until her back hit the tunnel wall. “My mind was on you.”

His body practically pulsed with energy as he placed one hand slightly above her head on the wall.

His other hand slid up her neck, his fingers curling into her hair at the base of her skull until he angled her head up toward his.

His lips crushed her as their kiss turned electric.

All the adrenaline and energy from the roaring crowd was put into that kiss.

Annaleigh was sure the wall holding them up would melt from the heat of their kiss.

Somehow Holt kissed her confidently and seductively, yet lovingly.

He poured his feelings into it and there was no question his feelings were for love.

Annaleigh felt the same. She also tried to tell Holt that with her kiss as she clung to him and kissed him back.

The crowd roared so loudly that it brought them back to where they were. Holt slid his hand from her hair, down her neck, over her shoulder, and down her arm so he could hold her hand. “I’m pretty sure that was the best kiss of my life.”

Annaleigh couldn’t help grinning so broadly that she was sure it would make her face hurt.

“I know it was for me.” It was the kind of kiss that changed everything.

She felt raw as if she’d told Holt her deepest dreams and desires.

She felt energized as if she had found out Holt shared those exact same dreams and desires.

Yet, there had been no words between them.

The suite was huge. Annaleigh was still in a searing kiss-induced fog, but managed to say hello to the people she knew. She met Ryan, the head of the FBI in Lexington and Sienna’s husband. Taylor hugged her and she also met Landon, Kate’s husband.

The royal family stood with Will and Kenna Ashton, who Annaleigh learned were also owners of the team with Mo and his family.

They were chatting with everyone and soon both she and Holt were laughing, talking, and cheering with the whole suite.

The Thoroughbreds were kicking butt on the field and Annaleigh felt her phone in the back pocket of her jeans start to vibrate nonstop.

Morgan had her phone out since Holt’s name was triggering her alerts.

Just as Annaleigh thought, his performance was going viral.

Morgan was showing Holt the metrics on social media when Annaleigh pulled out her phone.

She wanted to see what the comments were saying as she waited for the bartender to make her drink.

Instead, her whole screen was filled with text messages from Maddie.

Girl, look at Country Tea!

You’re all over it.

That is seriously hot.

I think I might be jelly.

So much for keeping your whereabouts secret.

You’ve gone viral. You’re on TMZ.

Annaleigh’s hands trembled as she pressed the link Maddie had sent. There on the page of the celebrity site was a video of her and Holt making out. Holt Everett and his Mystery Woman Celebrate his Viral Rendition of the Anthem.