Page 119 of That First Moment

“Yes, sir.”

“I see it on your Instagram page and especially on your YouTube. I’ve contacted a man named Craig . . . he says that when you play at his bar they have the biggest crowds. So much so that there is a standing day you play.”

“Yeah, usually once . . . sometimes twice a month.” Bennett nodded.

“Tell me about this,” he picked up a remote that was on the table and aimed it towards the giant flatscreen on the wall. Once heturned the TV on and I saw a video from our night in Park City, a chuckle left my lungs. “This has been all over TikTok and YouTube, did you know you were being recorded?”

I shook my head. “No, we had no clue.”

It was when we were performingT-Shirt, when the crowd went the wildest. You could just tell by looking at us that we were in our element. Jameson was focused on his bass, Chase was smiling and bobbing to the beat, and Bennett and I were dancing and moving, completely immersed in the song.

This wasSavaged Whittakersat its finest. It brought a thrill to my body, just knowing this is what we were meant to do, and that Jamie had been there for that entire show. She was the one who inspired me to do that cover, and she cheered and danced along with everyone else—even more so. That night felt like a lifetime ago already when it was really only days ago.

I used to think the time I spent between holding my guitar and singing was wasted space. The time spent running a company I had no interest in, wishing for more. Now I was here, my entire future being laid out on the table, and I just wished that Jamie was in this building with me. I came more alive with her in the crowd, I knew that no matter what happened I would need her next to me. As I glanced back up at the screen, the cover came to an end with Bennett and I beginning our banter, then Jamie screaming“Unforgettable”which made me bust out laughing.

“A friend?” Carson asked, a smirk on his lips as he gave me a side eye.

“My girl,” I replied. “That song always reminds me of her.”

He hummed softly. “Give me an idea of your past, how many covers have you guys done? Any you want to record if we could get access?”

Bennett raised his eyebrows. “We talked last night actually, we would like to keep records to our music and only do covers for live shows.”

“We did a wedding for my best friend last summer; his wife is a huge country fan. Our set list then was mainly Thomas Rhett,Josh Turner, and Jordan Davis. We’ve kept a few of them in rotation with our live shows and they seem to do great, but I’m with Bennett, I’d love for our records to be just us,” I added.

Carson narrowed his eyes and gave us a nod. “That’s the answer I was hoping for.” He leaned up on the desk. “Those covers that you’ve done, they’re a hit. People like them a lot, maybe just as much as your original stuff, so I’m totally okay with you performing covers at live shows. Especially if they have meaning like that.” He pointed at the screen. “And with the crowd requesting their favorite covers . . . that’s what I love to see.”

“That’s what we love to give.” I locked onto his gaze.

Carson looked at Liam and nodded. “Let’s get you guys in the studio.”

Still on a high from performing, the guys and I headed out to a bar. We were in full celebratory mode, and we didn’t even have an answer from them yet. That would come later, but from what we could tell, they loved us. We were able to play the four songs we had planned, explaining to them why we wanted to show them Jamie’s song, and two covers. It just so happened that the female producers loved that one. I swear I even heard one whisper to Carson, “I call him,” to which he responded, “I think he’s already taken.”

Heading out earlier than the rest of the guys, I unlocked the hotel room and plopped on the edge of the bed. I held my phone, circling my thumb over Jamie’s contact. There was no hesitation as I clicked on her name and listened to the FaceTime jingle, waiting to see her face.

It appeared with a smile, the tip of her tongue sticking out between her teeth. “Hey, you.” Jamie smiled.

God, I loved that smile. “Hey, back,” I mumbled, twisting my back to turn on the light so she wasn’t looking at me in the dark.

“How did it go? It took everything in me not to text you all day.”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “You said you had news and you still haven’t told me.”

“That’s what you want to talk about?”

I nodded, raising an eyebrow.

She bit her bottom lip. “The Gallery . . . they signed a contract with me. They want me back for the next winter festival, and they want two paintings to sell.”

I dropped my jaw. “Jamie, that’s . . . that . . . Jamie.”

“I know. It’s crazy—it’s insane. I can’t believe it. I just . . . signed a five-thousand-dollar commission contract. It’s totally unbelievable.” She laughed, causing a chill to run up my spine.

I wish I could kiss her.

“Five thousand dollars?”

“Per painting.”

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