Page 19 of Forever Country (Forever Bluegrass #24)

H olt saw Annaleigh’s face fall. The color drained from it as she swayed on her feet and stared at her phone.

“Well, this just complicated today,” Morgan said, stopping Holt from going to Annaleigh’s side by turning her phone toward him so he could see video of himself and Annaleigh making out in the tunnel.

Holt cursed and hurried to Annaleigh’s side. He slipped his arm around her and pulled her into his chest as if he could protect her from the world. “It’ll be okay. We’ll handle it.”

Annaleigh leaned back so quickly that the top of her head almost clipped his chin.

She looked up at him with worry in her eyes.

“You know it’s not you or our relationship I’m upset people see, right?

It’s only how much I was enjoying our time here with no worries and now they’re all going to find me. ”

At that moment her phone began to vibrate. Annaleigh sighed. Her whole body drooped as if she were utterly defeated. “Like I was saying.” Annaleigh answered the phone. “Hi Dad.”

Holt wanted to rip the phone away from her and take all the calls himself. He wanted to bring the bubble back they’d been wrapped in, but there was no putting this genie back in the bottle now.

“No, I am not signing him, Dad! Stop asking. No, I won’t do that.”

Morgan tapped Holt’s arm and held her phone so he could see it. “Looks like he’s already doing it. Annaleigh has already been identified and I bet you anything it was her parents who outed her.”

“They’d really do that?”

Morgan gave him a look that answered his question. “You don’t think it’s a coincidence that immediately after she was identified there were reports saying Astore Entertainment’s Newest Client Kissing Astore Daughter.” Morgan showed him another gossip site that said just that.

Holt noticed Morgan’s jaw was tight. Tight enough that Miles took note and walked across the room to check on his wife.

He wasn’t the only person to notice. Sienna was showing Ryan and Landon her phone.

Mila and Ariana were similarly looking at a phone while Sloane and his mother were walking toward Annaleigh with sympathetic looks on their faces.

“No! I won’t do it.” Annaleigh said, her voice rising. Holt was about to reach for the phone when Sloane grabbed it from Annaleigh surprising both Annaleigh and Holt.

“This is Princess Sloane you as—”

Only Morgan then took it from Sloane before she could finish cussing Drew Astore out.

“Hi, little D,” Morgan said sugary sweet.

“This is Morgan Davies, or you can call me, Big D.” Holt fumed as Morgan spun so he couldn’t take the phone away from her.

“I played nice before, but seeing how you upset your daughter, who is both a wonderful agent and a kind human being, I have changed my mind. I’m done playing nice. ”

Morgan ended the call as Holt’s mom wrapped Annaleigh into a motherly embrace and was running her hand soothingly over her back as Sloane held Annaleigh’s hand.

“I’m so sorry,” Annaleigh said as the tears began to fall. “I’m so embarrassed.”

Sloane was at her side instantly, taking Taylor’s place as she hugged Annaleigh. “I know all about crappy parents. It’s not your fault.”

Morgan turned to face Annaleigh as Holt finally managed to get a hand on Annaleigh’s shoulder. Right now, his mother and Sloane were not about to let anyone get close to her. “I know they are your parents, but—”

Annaleigh was already nodding her head. “But you can’t let them play dirty and do nothing.”

“The question is, do you want me to mention you as well or just Holt when I address this?”

Annaleigh was quiet for a moment and then let out a ragged breath. “You can include me as long as I can see the statements before you release them to give approval.”

“I promise,” Morgan told her as Miles rubbed his hands together with anticipation.

“It’s been a while since we destroyed a business. What can I do?” Miles asked as he and Morgan stepped to a standing table and got to work.

“I know what Annaleigh needs to do.”

Holt almost jumped out of his skin as he spun around to find Cassidy and Warrick standing behind him. “Where did you come from?”

Cassidy and War just shrugged. “Knox gave us tickets.”

“What do you think I need to do?” Annaleigh asked.

“I might have seen the emails to your friend Maddie about starting your own agency. I would notify your clients immediately that you’re breaking from your parents’ agency because once Morgan has that look on her face—the one that would make a teenager go hide under their bed,” Cassidy nodded toward Morgan.

“And once Miles has the look of a kid in a candy shop on his face, your parents aren’t going to stand a chance. ”

“Only if you’re okay with this,” Holt said, knowing it couldn’t be easy for Annaleigh to essentially be the one pulling the trigger on her parents’ reputation.

“You read my emails?” Annaleigh asked. Okay, that wasn’t the part he thought she would focus on.

“I did. I was trying to find any trace of your stalker. It’s so much harder to find someone when they don’t use the internet, which means yours is smarter than most since he or she is a ghost.”

“She?” Holt asked, surprised.

“You don’t think women can stalk? Did you see how fast I got my information? Do you see Morgan over there, stalking Annaleigh’s parents?”

“I guess you’re right,” Holt said, thinking about the fact that his father, brother, and to a lesser extent, himself had all had women stalkers or at least overzealous fans.

“I’m glad you’re here. I thought I could give you an update, especially since I expect this viral makeout will piss off your stalker,” Cassidy told Annaleigh.

Sloane and his mother still kept Annaleigh embraced as Holt stood behind her offering his silent support.

He felt her body stiffen as Sienna and Ryan joined them.

“They know her schedule. They use only cash. No emails. No online purchases of flowers. Then the delivery was done by couriers who aren’t scheduled online.

Instead, everything was paid via cash, and it appears to have been paid by a private ‘executive assistant,’ who was hired over the phone and paid via cash in the mail.

I talked to her and every month she’s sent a list of flowers to order from which florists and the cash for them and the cash for the delivery services. ”

“This took a lot of thought,” Ryan said, frowning. “This wasn’t a spur of the moment stalker who saw her on the street and became obsessed.”

“I don’t think so either,” Sienna answered.

Cassidy now had the attention of the large group. “I think you business types need to get together and help Annaleigh out.”

“I’ll call Sebastian,” Sloane said, finally stepping away from Annaleigh so Holt could slide his arm around her and pull her to his side.

“They’re calling me a whore and a prostitute,” Annaleigh said softly. That’s when Holt noticed she was holding her phone and scrolling through the comments.

Holt kissed the top of her head and slowly reached for her phone. “Why don’t we put this away for a while? Morgan is on top of it. And by the way Miles is smiling, he must have just destroyed someone.”

“Probably my father. I can’t believe how fast he leaked things to his favorite reporters. How could he do this to me? And to you? He even said he had been helping you with your new album. I’m so sorry, Holt. And Taylor, I swear, that’s not why I’m with your son.”

“Oh, sweetie, we know that. I never once thought it,” his mom answered. “Anyone with eyes can see you’re together because you love each other.”

“Look,” Holt said, making her look up from where she was staring off into space, “we never intended to keep our relationship a secret. Now we don’t have to.

Plus, it’s better for you to be here with my friends and family all around us if the stalker retaliates.

We have more support here. Now we can be free to be us. ”

“I agree with Holt,” Ryan said. “The images are out there now. It’s out of your hands. You’re safe in this suite. Just let yourselves enjoy being a couple in love.”

Love. There it was again. First Holt’s mom and now his friend. He didn’t have to think about why that comment didn’t make him nervous. Instead, he felt darn proud of it. He loved her, plain and simple.

Holt pulled Annaleigh away from the group. He was thankful for their support, but he wanted to know how she felt and didn’t want any additional pressure on her. “We can leave if you want,” Holt whispered to her.

Annaleigh let out a long breath as if she were forcefully making her body relax. “No. Ryan is right. We are safe here. I want to be here with you, your friends, and your family. I want to cheer your brother and father on.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Morgan told them. “Is it okay to release this statement?”

Holt and Annaleigh read the comment, cheek to cheek as they looked at Morgan’s phone.

Holt Everett is currently under the management of Morgan Davies.

He has no wish to sign with Astore Entertainment now or in the future due to their vastly different opinions on the industry and ethics regarding management.

The Astore agency is more concerned with poaching clients than the fact that their daughter is being stalked.

An investigation is currently being handled by the Nashville Police, with no cooperation from Drew and Mary Katheryn Astore.

Mr. Everett has no desire to belong to an agency that shows no regard for their agents’ safety and well-being, especially when it is their own daughter.

Annaleigh Astore, who is invested in the betterment of her clients and the music industry, and recently worked with Mr. Everett’s charity supporting children in music, has never once asked Mr. Everett to consider signing with her or Astore Entertainment.

Please respect Mr. Everett’s and Ms. Astore’s privacy as they support each other in both their personal and professional lives.

“Yes. Release it,” Annaleigh said with determination.

“Are you sure?” Holt knew this would be a hard line to come back from in terms of a relationship with her parents.

“Also, you, Miles, and Sebastian Abel will meet tomorrow morning to discuss the business of opening your own agency,” Morgan told Annaleigh.

“I believe you said your friend was also going to co-own this new agency. I reserved a room for her at the bed and breakfast if she would like to join the meeting.”

“You did all of that in less than ten minutes?” Annaleigh asked, clearly surprised.

“No, I did all of that in five minutes, but I wanted to give you and Holt a moment to process everything before I showed it to you.”

“Can I be you when I grow up?” Annaleigh asked so sincerely that it made Holt smile.

“I will gladly be a mentor for you if you really want.” Morgan seemed surprised, but Holt wasn’t. Morgan was a rockstar.

“I’ll call Maddie then we need to cheer on Knox and the team. Front and center. You’re right. No reason to hide anymore. Your family has supported me more than my own, and I want to be there to support you all too.”

Holt knew that Annaleigh meant that in a good way, but he felt bad that she’d ever have to feel as if she weren’t supported. He kissed her and gave her a hug. “I’ll give you some privacy to call Maddie.”

Halftime was wrapping up when Annaleigh slid into the seat next to Holt.

They weren’t in the first row of the suite, that was for the owners.

Kenna, Will, Mo, and Dani were in those seats along with Miles and Morgan.

Normally, his mother would also be sitting with them, but right now she was in the seat next to Annaleigh.

Sloane was next to his mother and Gabe rounded out that end of the row.

Landon sat next to Holt and had been trying to keep Holt distracted while they waited for Annaleigh to join them.

Behind them, Zain and Mila sat with Ryan and Sienna and Cassidy and Warrick.

If anyone wanted privacy, they stood up and went into the suite dining space.

“Is Maddie coming?” Holt asked as he put his arm around the back of her seat.

His hand rested on her shoulder as his thumb rubbed slowly back and forth.

He needed to feel her right now. Her body told him the things she might not say in person.

He was relieved that she seemed more relaxed as she leaned slightly into him.

“She is. I didn’t tell her who would be here. She studied Sebastian Abel in school and I heard all about the huge research project she did on him. Am I evil for springing her business idol on her as a surprise?” Annaleigh asked with a big grin.

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Miles asked, which made Annaleigh and everyone else laugh. Of course, that was when the stadium camera panned to their suite.