What We've Become (My Kind Of Country Book 2) Read Free

headphones from his ears, basking in the energized glances from his colleagues, he knew two things for sure. The first was that this new single was the one. It would surpass the success he’d had with Take Me Home and put his name out there for the world to remember. The knowing excitement that was radiating from Barry and his producer on the other side of the glass confirmed it. The song was country— real country—and it fit his voice, his demeanor, and his idea of what country music should be. And it should, seeing as he had written it with Andy’s help. No matter what releasing it would do for his career, he knew he would always be proud to call this song his own.
    The second thing he knew was that the pain he felt from losing Katie the way he did was just as raw and fresh as it had been three months ago. Without that kind of immeasurable pain to eat away at his emotions and burn a ragged hole through his heart, he never would have been able to sing the song he had just recorded with as much truthfulness and emotional upheaval as he had. Hell, he probably never would have dreamed of recording such a song before he’d left Nashville. There were some songs that were so deeply rooted in a singer’s own personal demons, that no one else would be able to possibly convey the agony and self-destruction that led to such words being paired with a melody.
    “What the hell happened to you in Canada?” Barry had remarked on the day Chad had sat down and performed an acoustic version of the song for him to hear. Chad could tell he was half joking, the raised corner of his mouth giving him away. Chad arched an eyebrow at him anyway, and Barry responded by raising his hands in mock surrender. “I’m not complaining, trust me,” he added, a full-fledged smile taking over his features. “The music you’re cranking out is amazing, Chad. It’s deeper, for lack of a better word. But, you—I don’t know how to say it. You’re still you, but you’re not...you.” Chad scoffed quietly at that, reaching out to lean his acoustic guitar back into the stand. He couldn’t bring himself to answer the question, but he had a feeling his manager didn’t expect him to.
    If only Barry knew just how right he was. Chad wasn’t himself anymore—at least not the same man he’d been prior to walking away from the life he’d once known in Nashville.
    Maybe he never would be again.
     

CHAPTER THREE
    KATIE
     
     
    Katie heard Jay come home from work before she actually saw him. She hadn’t yet grown accustomed to leaving the door unlocked while he was away during the day, still uncomfortable with the city life. Even at the farm, she had been sure to lock the door at night, and before she left for any extended length of time. She could hear the shuffling as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, cursing as he tried one key and then another. Katie bit back a smirk as she crossed the room and turned the deadbolt, pulling the door open to come face to face with Jay’s flustered expression as he balanced multiple bags and boxes in his arms, and his fingers tangled in a jumble of keys. However, the crease in his forehead quickly disappeared at the sight of her, his face breaking out in a wide smile.
    “Thanks, I was just about to give up and sit down here in the hallway until you got worried and came looking for me,” he chuckled.
    “I figured I’d better do something quick, before your colorful language started to concern the neighbors.” Katie stepped back to let him and his baggage pass, offering him a joking grin in return. She closed the door once he was in, fighting the urge to relock it. Instead, she followed Jay through the open living area into the kitchen, returning to the bar stool she had been perched on before his arrival, the hot mug of coffee she’d made still on the kitchen island billowing steam into the air. She eyed the bags he’d brought home as she took a sip from the mug, curling her nose up as the