Smokin Gun

Flashback: Marry Me

Brantley's POV

October 2010

I took a deep breath leaning against the wall of the back room of the club in Atlanta we were playing tonight. I tipped the beer in my hand up taking a long pull to settle my nerves. I pulled my phone out of my pocket checking the time and to see if I had a message from Stephanie. When I had called her about the show the other day telling her I would leave her a ticket she had promised she would be here.

Said she needed to talk to me. She had spent some of the summer on the road with us and I missed her. Her and David had been on a break, but he had come crawling back like the slimy son of bitch he was. Ben had hidden her phone somewhere when we were in Texas because he was tired of the asshole calling.

David had actually showed up at the bar in Nashville we had been playing but PJ wouldn't let him backstage to find her. Was more than likely a good thing. I would have rearranged his preppy face for him. Why she took him back I'll never know. I had told her a million times that she could do so much better. Just wish that something better could be me. But I couldn't give her the life she deserved.

Something deep down told me I was going to need something other than beer to get through tonight. I leaned my head back on the wall closing my eyes trying to get in the zone. I briefly wondered what Stephanie needed to talk to me about. Maybe she had finally gotten rid of that ass hat for good. I cracked my eyes open as I heard the door open. I glanced over, and a wide grin spread across my face.

Stephanie poked her head in giving me a soft smile. She stepped in the small room shutting the door behind her before leaning against it. She was a sight for sore eyes since I hadn't seen her in a few months because of school starting back. The off the shoulder deep blue shirt she was wearing made her baby blues shine even brighter. I tried to not notice the tight jeans she was wearing with knee high leather boots. I did my best to forget what it felt like to have those long legs wrapped around me. She wasn't mine.

"Hey sweetheart," I said pushing off the wall walking over to her. I held my arms open as I got closer to her. She automatically stepped into them slipping her arms under my leather jacket hugging me. I took a deep breath inhaling the same smell of Stephanie that was always like coming home. I placed a kiss on top of her head before she pulled back to look up at me. "Missed you."

"Missed you too rockstar," she murmured stepping out of my arms. I immediately missed having her there. I mentally chastised myself and took a sip of my beer pasting a smile on my face.

"Sooooo," I said wiggling my eyebrows at her making her roll her eyes. "What did you want to talk to me about? Decide to give up the life of a school teacher to hit the road with us. We could use a personal assistant. John needs some to screen his dates, Jesse can't cook worth a damn and Ben, well no one does his hair as good as you remember. And me, well I am always lost without you."

"Yea," she drawled shaking her head laughing. "As glamorous as that sounds B, I think I will have to pass. No, umm....shit, B. I don't know how to say this."

"Everything ok sweetheart?" I asked grabbing her left hand squeezing gently and rubbing my thumb over her hand. She was worrying me. Stephanie always told me everything. I paused when I bumped a ring that wasnt usually there on her hand. My eyes widened as I lifted her hand up to see the sparkling diamond ring sitting on her ring finger. My heart stopped as I looked up into Steph's blue eyes praying I was just dreaming.

"David proposed," she said softly. "And I said yes."

"Well," I grumbled dropping her hand. "That's pretty fucking obvious sweetheart. Kind of hard to not notice the massive rock on your finger."