Moonlighting with the British Rock Star: A Georgia Moon Romance Read online

  Josie had taken the mic, still not sure she could pull it off. It had been years since she’d sang in front of an audience. It was when Colin had looked at her with sheer panic written all over his face that she knew he was giving up.

  Josie didn’t think. Channeling Lady Gaga from the movie A Star is Born, Josie had turned the mic on and stepped out on the stage as she sang the next verse a cappella.

  It was all a blur after that. She and Colin had been in their own world as they sang the beautifully written lyrics, their voices blending in harmony. It wasn’t until the audience exploded with clapping and whistles of approval that she realized the song was over.

  Josie breathed in deeply, catching the yummy scent that was all Colin as he touched his forehead to hers. The perfect moment was ruined when she heard her stepsister shrieking from the audience.

  “Josie, get off the stage!” Scarlet screamed. “I’m the one who should be up there!”

  Without acknowledging the shrill voice, Josie edged back and found Colin watching her, his lips curved into a sexy smile. “You can sing,” he said in a rough voice. “Incredibly, I might add.”

  Josie wasn’t sure that was true. Sure, she could carry a tune, but she wasn’t nearly as good as Colin. Shrugging, she gave him a soft smile. “I don’t know about—”

  Colin cut off her protest as he pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her thoroughly and scrambling her brain. Josie was vaguely aware of her surroundings as Colin continued kissing her with an intensity and passion that sent her mind and body swirling. His hands came up and cupped her face as he deepened the kiss. She melted against him as a heady feeling rushed through her, leaving her breathless and weak in the knees.

  “I love you,” Colin murmured against her lips.

  His words reverberated from the microphone she had clutched to her chest. Tearing her mouth away, Josie leaned back so she could look him in the eyes “You what?” she asked, her voice echoing around her.

  “I love you,” Colin repeated. The mic picked up the words, carrying them over the din of applause and the chaos her stepsister was causing with her continued protests that Josie had stolen her place on stage.

  “No! No, he doesn’t love her,” Scarlet shouted from behind her. “They aren’t even engaged. It’s all a big fat lie.”

  “Is that true?” a voice said, pushing another mic in their direction. Josie blinked and looked to see Kelsey Maxwell, the reporter for Nashville Informed, standing there with the cameraman right behind her. “Did y’all lie about being engaged?”

  The two microphones so close together made a screeching sound. Someone relieved Josie of her mic, making the noise go away.

  “Excuse me,” Josie said. “What did you ask?”

  “Are you and Colin Wilde really engaged?” Kelsey asked.

  “They aren’t!” Scarlet hollered. “I have proof,” she said as one of the club’s bouncers moved in and took her by the arm. “And Josie can’t sing. I’m the singer, not her!”

  Josie watched as another bouncer stepped in to help remove Scarlet from the stage while a security guard prevented Ford and Monica from approaching Josie and Colin. Her stepmother looked a little on the crazy side as she loudly backed Scarlet’s claims that Josie couldn’t sing. It was the same thing that had happened to silence Josie’s voice back when she and Scarlet had both taken voice lessons together. Their love of music and the talent to sing was something that could’ve brought them closer. Instead, Monica was like Ursula the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid, stealing Josie’s voice and eliminating the competition from her daughter.

  Josie had stopped fighting and given up singing. In the end, it had blessed her because she found her talent and love for helping people, something she might have missed out on.

  “I think Josie just proved she can sing,” Colin said to Kelsey.

  “Yes,” Kelsey said with a smile. “But what about your engagement?”

  Josie was feeling overwhelmed as the reporter waited for an answer. Thankfully, Chase Nichols intervened. “Ms. Maxwell, could we postpone this Q&A until after the families here for the benefit leave?” he asked, walking all of them off stage.

  Kelsey looked torn until Chase promised her an exclusive with a new artist he and Phillip were signing to their label that would be headlining with Phillip Jacobs on his upcoming world tour. “Any hints who that is?” Kelsey asked.

  Josie hoped Chase was talking about signing Colin. She knew that Laney Loveland and Callie Stewart-Carter, the last two artists to headline for Phillip Jacobs, were now Grammy award-winning country music stars.

  Chase shook his head and grinned. “Sorry, ma’am,” he said, not once looking at Colin. “But I promise you won’t be disappointed.” Chase motioned for Darcy to come over. “Please take Ms. Maxwell to the green room. I’ll be there shortly to answer her questions.”

  Chase waited until the reporter was gone before he turned to Colin and Josie. “Sounds like y’all have quite the story to tell,” he said with a crooked smile. “I look forward to hearing all about it, but first I need to get out there and close the show.”

  Colin looked gutted when Chase walked back out on the stage without saying anything about his performance. Was that because Josie had ruined it by singing with him? Feeling sick to her stomach, Josie didn’t know what to say to Colin, so she simply held his hand while Phillip and Chase thanked everyone for coming.

  Once the applause died down, Chase and Phillip were bombarded by their family, friends as well as a few fans.

  “Don’t give up hope,” Josie said to Colin, wishing she had more experience in the entertainment business. As much as she detested Ford, the man knew how to work deals that seemed impossible. She figured begging Chase to give Colin a chance wasn’t the best tactic. Still, that’s exactly what she wanted to do. “He said he wants to talk to you.”

  “True.” A small smile lifted the corner of Colin’s mouth. “But only about our arrangement, not my music.”

  Our arrangement? Josie’s chest ached, and her throat went dry. Colin’s words hurt like someone had poked a sharp object directly in her heart.

  Colin must have noticed the shattered look on her face. “Sorry, love. That didn’t come out right,” he said, pulling her into his arms. Josie clung to him, slipping her arms around to his back. “I just feel like I failed you,” he whispered against her hair.

  Josie shook her head and leaned back to reassure Colin he wasn’t a failure, but his grandmother was coming toward them, along with Chase Nichols and his wife, Addie.

  “Gran?” Colin asked in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” he asked, rushing over to hug her.

  “To see you, of course,” she said, kissing Colin on the cheek. “You and Josie were brilliant, by the way. The song was incredible.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Chase said, coming forward to shake Colin’s hand. “I know a hit when I hear it, and ‘Rescued’ is going to rock the charts.”

  “Thank you,” Colin said, glancing at Josie. “I couldn’t have done it without Josie.”

  Chase nodded his head, his eyes shifting to Josie and then back to Colin. “Phillip and his wife had to leave, but not before he agreed with me that we’d like y’all to headline his world tour next year.”

  The look on Colin’s face was priceless. “Really?” he asked, his voice gravelly from emotion. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  Josie was fighting back the tears of her own. Then it hit her that Chase had included her in the offer. “Wait, us?” Josie blurted out. “But we’re not together.” Colin looked at her through narrowed eyes. “I mean, we’re together…I think?” She grimaced and shook her head. “We’re not a duo. I don’t sing.”

  “You just did, love,” Violet said. “And it was beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Josie said, licking her lips. “Okay, so I sang with Colin, but only because I love him.”

  That earned her a few oohs and ahhs before Colin pulled her to him and gave her a rather steam
y kiss that was over far too quickly, leaving Josie slightly dazed.

  “Bravo,” Violet said when Colin and Josie came up for air.

  “Ahh,” Addie said, leaning into her husband. “That is just about the sweetest thing ever. Y’all are just the cutest couple.”

  “Yeah,” Chase said. “About that…I think y’all promised to tell me about how the two of you got together.”

  Josie and Colin took turns telling their story, making their growing audience laugh at how they met and, at times, choke up with emotion as they fell in love. They left out most of the stuff about Josie’s family, letting them draw their own conclusions since everyone present had witnessed Scarlet and Monica firsthand.

  “I had no idea she could sing until she came out and rescued me once again,” Colin said, gazing at Josie with a look of adoration that made her heart pound wildly.

  “I love you,” Josie said as Colin wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

  A look of awe passed over his face as he pressed his palm to the small of her back. “I love you too.” His words came out in a passionate whisper as he lowered his head. “I’m buying you a ring with my own money, but it may take me a while to save enough,” Colin said, his lips hovering so close his warm breath feathered against her mouth. “And then I’ll ask you to marry me for real.”

  Josie struggled to breathe, the anticipation of his kiss, making her head spin. Colin Wilde really loved her! He loved her and wanted this to be real. “Well then,” she whispered as her lips brushed against his mouth, “when you ask, I’ll say yes.”

  A delicious tingle spiraled through her as Colin kissed her sweet and slow, lingering against her mouth with tenderness and a promise of forever.

  Epilogue

  Josie had traveled all over the world with Mr. and Mrs. Dalton, but this was her first time flying internationally all by herself. Excitement bubbled inside her as the captain welcomed her and the other passengers to London. Josie felt like a shaken soda can ready to explode as the plane steadily made its way to the gate, and the captain gave the time, temperature and information for those with connecting flights.

  “Please check the seatback pocket for any valuables,” the flight attendant said, reminding Josie that she’d tucked her cell phone there while she ate a snack.

  After retrieving her cell, Josie tapped on the screen to take it out of airplane mode. The last text she’d received from Colin said he’d gotten tied up at the recording studio, and he was sending a driver to pick her up. Checking her messages, she was disappointed there wasn’t an updated text that he was coming to get her. It was probably better this way. Colin couldn’t go anywhere without getting mobbed by fans. As much as Josie enjoyed watching him shine in the limelight, she wanted the man all to herself.

  Sitting back against her seat, she sent Colin a text that she’d arrived safely and then scrolled through her email. She skipped over all the spam before opening an email from Shelby about the upcoming Conquer Children’s Hunger event the Daltons were co-sponsoring with Ground Zero in two weeks. Josie didn’t know if she and Colin would be back in the United States in time to attend. It all depended if Colin’s work visa was cleared by then.

  At least Charlotte was in Savannah now. Even though she was busy moving into the gatehouse the former chef for the Daltons had lived in, Charlotte promised Josie to step in and help as much as she could.

  Josie was so happy that Charlotte and Bethany were no longer living at Hillside Mania. The arrangement for the mother and daughter was even better than Josie could’ve hoped for. Phoenix and Legend were thrilled to have Bethany as a playmate. The children got along so well that as part of Charlotte’s compensation, the Daltons enrolled Bethany in the boy’s private school and also covered the tuition.

  A bell chimed as the captain turned off the seatbelt sign. Josie didn’t waste any time unbuckling the contraption, eager to get off the plane. While the first class accommodations were awesome, she hadn’t seen Colin, other than on video calls, for three weeks. Three weeks, which felt more like three years. Not being with him was like missing a limb or a vital organ. She couldn’t wait to finally be in his arms again and to kiss him thoroughly to make up for lost time together.

  “I hope you enjoy your stay,” the flight attendant said as Josie waited by the cockpit for the passengers in front of her to deplane.

  “Thank you.” Josie inched forward. “And thanks for keeping me supplied with ice water,” she said, making the flight attendant laugh. Josie was the only passenger in first class that didn’t imbibe. The flight crew thought it was pretty funny and joked about stashing Josie’s complimentary drinks to share when they finished their final leg of the flight.

  “Cheers,” the flight attendant said when it was Josie’s turn to leave. “And give a kiss to your hunky boyfriend for me,” she teased, giving Josie a wink. Once the crew had found out Josie was dating Colin Wilde, they’d treated her like royalty.

  “Sure thing,” Josie said, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be thinking about anyone else when she finally got to kiss Colin.

  Heathrow’s Terminal 5 was beautiful compared to some of the airports she’d visited over the years. It was a relatively new structure, sitting independent of the rest of the airport. Josie rechecked her messages as she stepped on the escalator and descended down several flights toward the UK border patrol.

  Pulling her phone from her pocket, Josie was disappointed that Colin still hadn’t sent her a reply. Gran, on the other hand, had messaged her several times, giving her little tips about what famous sights to look for on the drive from the airport to the hotel where Colin was staying temporarily. After signing with the Phillip-Chase label, Colin needed to be close to the recording studio to cut all the new songs he'd written over the past month. Marketing wanted to drop his debut album by the first of June. “Rescued” was already an international hit in both country and pop music.

  Josie had agreed to record the song with Colin because she loved him. Because Colin loved her, he’d promised not to pressure her to sing any other songs with him, but Josie had to admit she was enjoying the vocal coach and guitar lessons Colin had gifted her. It was fun rediscovering a passion she’d suppressed for so long. Forgotten memories about singing with her mother were coming back to her. She’d told Colin about it, and he’d written his second number one hit called “Forgotten Memories.”

  Colin was on fire, writing music faster than he’d ever done before. Turns out that falling in love was quite the muse. His success was the exact opposite of what had happened to Scarlet. After a video of her yelling at Josie to get off the stage went viral, she’d withdrawn from The New Voice of Country Music contest. Ford had dropped Scarlet faster than Josie’s father had filed for divorce from Monica. Josie thought she might finally get her dad back, but he’d moved to a small Caribbean Island with his secretary and a lot of money he’d been squirreling away.

  Having Colin and his grandmother helped it not hurt too much, but Josie was pretty sure she still needed a few therapy sessions before she could come to terms with her father’s abandonment.

  Pushing out the unpleasant thoughts, Josie followed the yellow signs to the airport transit. She hummed “Rescued” while she waited for the next train to come.

  “That sounds lovely,” a woman standing next to Josie said. “It’s by Colin Wilde, right?”

  “Yes,” Josie said, smiling at the woman who was probably only a few years older than her. “Are you a fan?”

  “You’d have to be dead not to love that beautiful man,” the girl said with a sigh.

  “So true,” Josie said, matching the woman’s sigh. “He is beautiful.” And a fantastic kisser. She kept that part to herself.

  “I heard he’s got a girlfriend,” the woman said, sounding slightly disgruntled. “All the good ones usually do,” she added as the train arrived.

  Josie loved that Colin’s reputation had changed from the wild rock star to a country music sensation. H
is homeland was so proud of him that he’d received a message from Her Majesty, congratulating him on his success.

  “Yeah, I heard he’s madly in love,” Josie said, trying not to look too pleased with herself as she stepped through the sliding doors of the train and found a spot near the back to stand. Colin was hers. Well, he was going to be hers forever if he ever got around to asking her to marry him. Maybe she would surprise him and do the asking.

  Gripping the pole tightly, she looked at the bare spot on her left ring finger. She missed wearing an engagement ring, but Colin was determined to buy her a diamond with money he’d earned. Josie didn’t need anything as flashy as the ring the Daltons had funded, although she had fallen in love with that ring. Honestly, she’d be quite happy with a gold band as long as it meant she could finally marry Colin.

  Her new friend found a spot by a cute guy and started chatting him up. Josie took the time to really think about proposing to Colin. Why not? There was no rule that said the guy had to do the asking. Josie had become good friends with Chase Nichols and his family and knew that one of his sisters had asked her husband to marry her. She just couldn’t remember which twin it was. She might have to text Addie since Taylin and Ashlee had both become new mothers.

  The train jerked as it came to a stop. While Josie waited for the doors to open, her phone pinged an incoming text. It was Gran again, wondering if Josie had made it through customs. Typing in a quick reply that she was just getting off the train, she hit send and then trailed behind the other passengers into the terminal.

  Following the signs, she got in the correct line and used the time to look up proposal ideas while she waited. She was a little disappointed to find that not everyone loved the idea of the girl proposing, stating most men preferred to do the asking, or it might bruise their male ego. Colin wouldn’t mind. At least she didn’t think he would. One link said the only day that allowed a woman to propose was on a leap year, which Josie had missed over a month ago. She was not waiting four years for February twenty-ninth to come around again. She should’ve just asked Colin on his birthday, but things were too crazy at the time. And she certainly wasn’t waiting until next Valentine’s Day to get engaged.