Brian’s POV

After texting Jimmy and Tempest, I pull out my pack of cigarettes and place one of those beautiful Marlboro Gold’s between my lips. The first puff fills me with a rush of nicotine that I so desperately crave but it still doesn’t complete relax me. How can I relax when I know that the woman that I love is in Upstate New York and wont return my calls? I hate that she wont talk to me and I will do anything to make it up to her. Hell, I will fly out there right now if she asks me too! Fuck the tour! Well, I cant actually do that since this is the rescheduled show, but I would if I could.

I glance down at my phone as I exhale a long dark cloud out the window. I know that you’re not allowed to smoke in a rental car, but right now I don’t give a fuck. My world has gone up in flames around me and I’m pretty sure I am about to lose everything. I mean, how could one night ruin my entire life? I still cant believe it—I love Kaylyn and I willed her to call me from looking at the screen. Come on, Kay; please don’t let this be over.

Suddenly Tempest is knocking on the driver’s door window, waving frantically at something in her hand. I roll down the window with a raised brow, trying to figure out what she is playing at just as Jimmy climbs in next to me.

“Take the damn phone, Gates, it’s Kay!” Jimmy screams in my ear and I practically dive out the window to take the phone.

“Hello?! Kay?!” I breathe desperately into the phone. My heart is racing a mile a minute as I wait those agonizing milliseconds for her to reply.

I hear a short shaky breath before the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. “Brian?” she says softly, sending my heart rate toward the roof. “Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, loud and clear, beautiful,” I cant help but smile, those blue eyes popping into my mind. “Listen, I’m sorry for whatever Aubrey sent you but you have to believe me that it’s not true,” I sigh, looking up at the ceiling as Jimmy and Tempest watch me with wide eyes. “The fucking bitch drugged me and staged the whole thing. I never laid a hand on her, and I have the medical tests to prove it. I’m so sorry I dragged you into this whole big bed of nonsense with her. It’s killing me not being with you and Maddy.”

I hear a light sob on the other line and my heart sinks. “Kay?” My voice shakes slightly and I fear the worst. She is never going to forgive me. “I love you and our little girl and I don’t know what I would do without you. I’ve even put of a restraining order against her plus the doctor said we have probably cause to press charges…” The other end of the line is still silent. Come on, Kay, talk to me! I’m dying here!

Jimmy catches my eye with a slight frown on his face. Does he know something that I don’t? “Kay…please…I’m begging you and I never beg. You know it’s not in my nature…”

“Bri-Brian…I-I’m sorry!” Kay sobs. “I-I should have believed you. I’m so stupid to think that-that you would do something like that to me…to us.” Each one of her tears is slowly breaking my heart and I cant stand it any longer. I need to make the pain she feels go away—I need to hold her in my arms and protect her, god damn it!

“Shh…it’s okay,” I try to sooth but I know my attempts are futile over the phone. “Where are you, sweetheart? I’ll come as quickly as I can,” I look over to see Jimmy and Tempest shaking their heads furiously. Not that they really have a choice, I am dragging their asses with me no matter what. That is unless they want to their own way back to Detroit. Though in all honesty, I would rather have their support. I can’t believe that I want Jimmy of all people to come with me on a romantic endeavor. I must be fucking crazy.

“No, I can’t make you come all the way out here. Don’t you have a show that you need to do?” Why is she making this so difficult? I just want to be with her. End. Of. Story. “You can’t cancel a show for me, okay?” Is she angry now? I am so confused about what is going on with here. Please just let this be the pregnancy hormones, though I would much rather deal with the weird cravings. “I cant be the reason you lose fans and even your career.”

“Kay, please calm down,” I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Tempest and Jimmy exchanging nervous glances. Yeah, I’m just as confused as you are, believe me. “I don’t care about the show, please just tell me where you are so I can make sure you and our little girl are okay.”

Over the phone I can hear Kaylyn take in a raspy breath. “I-I can’t let you do that,” she insists. “Brian…I-I…” Oh, please don’t do this Kay. Please…

“Just tell me where you are!” I scream, banging my palm against the steering wheel. “I don’t care how far I have to drive and I’m not going to miss the damned show. And if you’re so concerned about it, meet me in Detroit.” My blood is starting to boil now because I can’t believe she is doing this. “Please…” My voice is desperate now.

“I need to think about this okay, just give me some time to process all of this. I love you…but-but…I just need time,” she sighs and I slowly feel like my heart as been run over by the tax that flies past the car. I gap as I stare out the window, my whole world crumbling around me again. “I-I’m sorry…” her voice is once again filled with tears and I feel like the biggest asshole on the planet. “I-I know you didn’t do anything but it still hurt—a lot. I just need to process. Can you give me some space?”

“Kay, you’ve had space! You’ve been gone for more than a week!” I hiss into the phone, ignoring the looks on Jimmy and Tempest’s faces. I don’t need them eavesdropping on my life right now. I quickly climb out of the car and walk back into the apartment building. “Please…just let me come to you and talk to you. I need to see you and Madelyn or else I’m going to go fucking crazy.”

“I-I can’t…not right yet,” oh, she is ripping out my heart right now. I clench my jaw and punch the concrete wall, the pain in my hand feeling better than my emotional distress. She can’t do this to me! To us. “But I promise I will at least text you and let me know I’m okay. Just give me a few days to deal with this and-and my mom…” she was basically sobbing now. I didn’t think I could feel any smaller than I did at this moment. I feel like a dick for being insensitive to her needs, but what about my needs?

“No, I-I cant let you do this…please let me help you!” I shake my head, still not believing what I’m hearing. “Kay, come on, just tell me where you are.”

“Brian why cant you just give me a few days and I’ll meet you in Denver in a few days,” she sighs, her voice still shaking from tears. “I promise I’m not saying goodbye, just a couple more days to process. Can you at least let me and Madelyn have me?”

I gap at the wall. How can she pull our daughter on this one? She knows that I can’t say no to that. “Okay,” I finally sigh in defeat. “Please don’t fall off the face of the earth…keep me updated. Can Ashley stay with you?”

I hear the two women talk for a minute before Kay comes back on the line. “Yeah, she can for a few days. Look, we will be fine, don’t worry so much. Just give me some time…”

I sigh again, “Yeah, I understand,” I lie, kicking the wall with a locked jaw. “I love you…” I say before the call drops. This fucking sucks!

My fist makes contact with the wall before I walk back out to the car, my blood fuming. I couldn’t believe that this is happening. I am so mad that I didn’t even hear Jimmy and Tempest asking me a million questions as I pulled out into the street with out looking. The loud honk that erupted to my left woke me up from my anger as I pulled forward, just dodging an accident.

“What the hell Brian!” Jimmy screams, clutching the seat and the door.

“Just shut up, Jimmy,” I rage, hitting the steering wheel in frustration as traffic stops in front of me. Great a fucking traffic jam.

“Um, Brian, what happened to your hand?” I looked down to see blood running down my knuckles and the skin pulled back. The funny thing is that I don’t feel a thing, just the pain inside from Kaylyn not telling me where she is.

Notes

Is Brain going to be okay? Is Kaylyn right and asking for a little bit of space?