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CHAPTER TWO

“YOU HAVE GOT to be kidding me,” Sawyer said, setting his guitar down. “You are unbelievable!”

His friend and bandmate Hunter pushed the last grape between his lips. His cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk’s. He had somehow managed to get an entire bowl of grapes in his mouth. Hunter’s enormous cheek capacity was about to cost Sawyer ten dollars, and he was not a fan of parting with his hard-earned money.

“Impressive, but I can do better. If I can eat one of those sandwiches over there in one bite, you have to give me ten bucks,” Sawyer said, making his way to the counter full of snacks.

Hunter shook his head, unable to speak. He held up two fingers before slashing the air with both hands.

“Double or nothing?” Sawyer clarified. Hunter nodded. “You think you can eat this whole sandwich right after swallowing all those grapes?”

Hunter nodded again and picked up a water bottle. After a quick swig, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “If I do, you have to give me twenty bucks.”

The turkey sandwich wasn’t quite six inches long, but it was stuffed with all the trimmings and wouldn’t go down easy. Better Hunter fail than him. “Go for it.”

Hunter picked up the sub and took a breath before attempting to shove it all in his mouth. Sawyer couldn’t help but bust out laughing.

“We have some snacks and beverages for you,” a voice said from the doorway.

Sawyer turned, and there she was. Piper was always a sight for sore eyes. Her sunglasses rested on top of her head and her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Even though she wore the same pale pink blouse and skinny white jeans he’d seen her in at rehearsal, the woman managed to take his breath away.

“Are you okay? Can you breathe?” The radio assistant came running at him.

How could she tell? It had only been a second. “I’m fine,” he protested. He had known Piper was coming—he just hadn’t expected her to affect him the way she always seemed to.

The woman pushed past him and wrapped her arms around Hunter’s chest. Two seconds later, a chewed-up wad of Italian bread shot across the room.

Hunter coughed and gratefully took the water offered to him by his rescuer. “Thank you,” he choked out.

Sawyer shook off his embarrassment at misreading the situation and glanced at Piper. Her bright blue eyes were wide with shock, but her lips soon curled in amusement. Her father, however, stood behind her with his usual scowl.

“Perhaps Piper could have her own space to relax before the interview. These two—” Heath paused and glowered at Sawyer “—gentlemen seem to need some supervision we’d rather not be responsible for providing.”

“It was a bet,” Sawyer explained. “He lost. We’re done now. No supervision required. Hey, Piper. How’s the ankle? I’m so sorry about bumping into you.”

He went in for the awkward hug and kiss on the cheek. She felt stiff in his arms but returned the innocent kiss.

“It’s still a little sore. But I should be fine by showtime.” Her voice sounded different, colder if that was possible.

It had been awkward seeing her earlier today. Almost two months ago, he had followed his heart instead of listening to what his head had been telling him, which was that Piper would always put her career first.

He’d overreacted initially, but tried to cover up the humiliation he’d felt by pretending to be unaffected. They’d parted as friends, so why did Piper appear as if she’d rather be anywhere but in his company at the moment?

“Guess we get to perform our song two more times before we put it out to pasture,” she said. Her neck was as flushed as her cheeks. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was feeling all right.

Sawyer grabbed her a water bottle. “You saying we aren’t going to tour together the rest of our lives so we can sing it five nights a week?”

“Oh, we haven’t decided on an opening act yet.” Piper seemed to panic. “We were thinking about going in a different direction, though. You weren’t on our list. Our brands aren’t the same.”

Ouch. There was definitely no love there. Everything was always about her career, her brand. “Well, we wouldn’t want anything to tarnish your image, now would we?”

Clearly, Piper’s feelings for him had soured, but it was for the best. Her daddy already hated him for no good reason. If he ever found about that night on the farm, heads would roll—Sawyer’s and most likely Dean’s, since he was the reason the two of them had met in the first place.

“How about we move things along? Piper has places to be,” Heath said, placing himself between his darling daughter and the scoundrel he believed Sawyer to be.

“Great idea, Heath.” Sawyer’s use of his first name obviously irked the old man. That was as good a reason as any to make sure he used it all the time.

The radio assistant and Heimlich maneuver expert went to find out if the DJ was ready for them. Sawyer’s whole body was tingling with excitement. This was the first time Dean had invited him to do something like this. K104 was the most popular country station in Nashville, and this kind of exposure meant the world to a new singer’s career.

“Would it be okay if Sawyer and Piper signed some of our promo and took a couple pictures with Kelly first?” the woman asked when she returned.

“That’s perfect, Nancy.” Leave it to Piper to know her name. She probably knew if the radio station assistant was married or had children, where she’d gone to high school and college, and how she was spending the holidays this year. Piper was that kind of person—more interested in hearing about others than she was in talking about herself.

Sawyer followed them into another room and autographed everything they placed in front of him. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the fact that someone would want his signature. This was just the beginning, too. Kelly Bonner, the afternoon DJ on K104, came out of the studio and introduced herself. Sawyer knew who she was. She had jet-black hair and crystal-blue eyes that grabbed everyone’s attention when they drove by the billboard along I-65. He had also listened to K104 for years, never imagining one day they’d play his songs across the airwaves.

“Thanks so much for coming in, you two,” Kelly said. “I’m a huge fan.”

Sawyer had fans. His chest puffed out. He wanted to soak this all in.

“Piper’s on a tight schedule,” her father reminded everyone.

Clearly, Heath and Piper were not among those fans. In fact, Piper’s mission in life suddenly seemed to be to keep her distance from Sawyer. When they took a picture, she insisted Kelly stand between them. She nonchalantly moved her stool a few inches away from his when they got settled in the studio, and her eyes never left Kelly, even when Sawyer spoke.

“I heard that you two have spent quite a bit of time together the last few months. So, Sawyer, what was it like working with Piper not only on the duet for your album but on Piper’s new album, as well?” Kelly asked.

“I am so grateful to Piper for giving me the opportunity to work on some songs with her. I think we both learned a lot. I mean, for me, writing songs is a very personal experience. You leave a part of yourself on the page and then add some more later when you sing.”

Kelly raised a brow. “So, what did you learn about Piper?”

Piper finally glanced in his direction. Her face blanched.

Sawyer leaned in to the microphone. “I learned that Piper is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. And I grew up on a horse farm, so that’s saying something.”

He’d chosen something true and completely unobjectionable. There was no way Heath or Piper could take offense.

“What about you, Piper? What did you learn about Sawyer?”

Piper swallowed hard and bit down on her bottom lip. “That’s a really good question,” she replied.

The way she fidgeted in her seat, one would have thought this was the most difficult question anyone had ever asked her. Sawyer began to fear what she might say.

“Why do I get the feeling she’s trying to come up with something really embarrassing?” he asked, hoping she wouldn’t share some of her less than positive thoughts about him.

* * *

PIPER’S MIND WAS WHIRLING. What did she really know about the man sitting next to her? He was going to be the father of her child, and she barely knew anything about who he was. He had a sister and a dog. His father had passed away a few years ago. She didn’t know anything about his mother. He had to have a mother.

“Come on, there must be something you can tell us about Sawyer. He’s worried you’re going to embarrass him. Does he have any annoying habits?” Kelly asked.

Radio interviews were so nerve-racking. Piper always feared she’d say the wrong thing. One comment could be spun a thousand different ways on Twitter. Sitting next to father of her unborn child wasn’t easing her anxiety.

Sawyer flashed her one of his magical grins, his dimples in full effect. “Go ahead, tell Nashville what irks you about me.”

“He smiles,” Piper answered. “All the time. I know that seems harmless, but sometimes when you’re having a terrible day and Sawyer’s smiling like he doesn’t have a care in the world, it can be annoying.”

Like right now. Piper was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and he was thoroughly enjoying his first radio appearance. He had no cares...yet. He would feel differently once he knew what Piper knew.

“Can you blame me for smiling every time I’m around her?” Sawyer asked Kelly.

Kelly sighed. “You guys are so adorable. It’s killing me.” She let the listeners know Piper and Sawyer would sing after the commercial break.

Sawyer leaned over when the On Air sign was turned off. He brushed her knee with his hand. “Are we good?”

She froze. Not good at all. “We’re fine,” Piper lied.

Hunter brought Sawyer his guitar and they did a quick sound check. They got a thumbs-up from the producer on the other side of the glass.

Piper closed her eyes and tried to shut off her brain. Don’t look at him. Sing, she told herself. She did just that. Kelly whistled and clapped for them when they finished.

“I love that song. I really do,” she said. “I’ve got one more request before you two head out today.”

“Request away,” Sawyer said.

“You’re performing tonight at the Country Artist Awards. Like I said, I love ‘You Don’t Need Me,’ but I think I speak for everyone listening when I say we also love the chemistry between you two. I have watched that music video a hundred times. There is something so crazy good about the two of you together. Please tell me there’s a hidden romance going on that you want to make official right now, here on K104.”

Piper’s heart stopped. She was speechless. Had she even been asked a question? Kelly smiled, as if waiting for a reply. Piper’s entire face burned. She looked at Sawyer, who also seemed stunned by the insinuation.

There was nothing worse than dead air on the radio. Kelly was quick to end it. “I’m not going to let them answer so I can continue believing it’s true, but if all you shippers could see the way both of them are blushing right now, there would be no doubts.”

The panic cut off all the air to her lungs. Piper wanted to scream that there was no chance she and Sawyer would ever be together. Not the way she had once imagined.

“Thank you so much for stopping by,” Kelly continued. “Please drop in the next time you’re in town.”

Never again.

“Absolutely,” Piper said, finally finding her voice. All she wanted and needed was for this interview to end.

Sawyer simply nodded.

“All right. I’ve got a treat for y’all today,” Kelly continued. “We’ve got the first single from Piper’s new album that comes out at the end of the month. Sit back, enjoy the song and be sure to catch these two possible lovebirds tonight on the Country Artist Awards.”

As the song started, Piper took off her headphones. She noticed Sawyer’s furrowed brow. “I think Sawyer might be mad at you for spreading rumors that he’s anything other than single,” she told Kelly.

“I’m not mad,” he said. “I was caught off guard. You’re probably mad.”

“I’m not mad,” Piper argued. She wasn’t the only one who hadn’t wanted to pursue a relationship. “I just thought you were going to set the record straight, so I didn’t say anything.”

“I didn’t mean to put you two on the spot.” Kelly slid her headphones off her head and let them hang around her neck. “There’s something so heartbreaking about that song. The way you sing it makes me want to believe love will win in the end, even though you’re saying goodbye. Does that even make sense?”