Everleigh's POV

Being away from the hustle and bustle of Nashville is peaceful. 

Being alone was never a thought I had growing up. I used to love being around people, loved the hustle and bustle of industry, and the things that it brought into my life. However, after spending so much time alone with my thoughts, I wanted nothing more than to stay hidden from the world for the rest of my life.

Unfortunately for me, that isn't an option.

Chase had called earlier to check in, to let me know that time is crunching for me, and that I needed a plan on how I was going to come home in the next few months. 

At this time, going back to Nashville seems like a foreign concept to me.

After the divorce, I moved all of my possessions into my dream house on the outskirts of Nashville. Everything except the essentials I needed daily is still packed up in boxes scattered around the house, even my dog is in Nashville with my parents. The thought of having to go back to a town that ruined my name, a home that I haven't even really lived in, makes me feel uneasy.

Nashville isn't home anymore.

After our impromptu meeting a few weeks ago, Brantley has been checking in on me almost daily.

He's given me someone outside of my circle to talk to, someone that wasn't there to witness my downfall. Brantley has listened, been beyond patient with me as well. Even if all I wanted to do that day was sit in silence, he would sit right next to me making sure that I wasn't alone.

Making sure that I had someone nearby. 

It wasn't until he had brought up that he was working on some new music that I thought about the potential of putting music out there again.

Chase was beyond shocked when I told him I needed my guitar, but still showed up with it the next day with a smile on his face and a shit ton of questions.

All of his questions were answered when Brantley walked through the door, a notebook in one hand, and a guitar in the other. His face went from semi shocked to smug in a matter of seconds. 

A few days after Chase came down, I had my first song finished.

As soon as he heard it, he demanded that I record it as soon as I finished it. However, that put me in a standstill.

Recording the song would be good, but that would require me to go back to Nashville, something I told Chase I wasn't ready for. It wasn't until a few days later that he had come up with a secondary plan.

Which puts me where I am now, riding passenger seat in Brantley's truck heading towards his house.

Chase had originally called Brantley to ask him to help convince me to come back to town to record. It wasn't until Brantley had mentioned that he had a studio in his basement, and his producer on speed dial that he gave in, stating that he was going to be there when I recorded it too, for moral support of course. 

Not just to be a nosy shit. 

"So, my producer Dan that is coming down with Chase has no idea that you are who he is working on a mix for. He's already under an NDA, but we are extremely close, so you don't have to worry about him saying anything to anyone. My head of security, PJ, will also be at the house, but that is only for precautions, not that I expect anything crazy to happen" Brantley explains, as the two of us inch closer to his house.

"Thank you again for doing this for me. I know it might sound ridiculous, but I'm not ready to leave this bubble of being hidden just to record a song" I respond.

Brantley gives me a nod, pressing a button on his visor to open up the gate in front of his house.

"Believe me, I understand it. That's part of the reason why Georgia is home and not Tennessee" he tells me. 

Brantley helps me out of the truck, before watching as Chase walks towards us with a smile on his face.

"I'm going to go inside and make sure everything is ready for you, and semi prepare Dan. You guys take your time" Brantley tells me.

He squeezes my hand gently, before walking towards the house leaving me standing in the driveway with butterflies for the first time in almost two years. 

Brantley's POV

"What was the big emergency you needed me to come down for?" Dan asks as soon as I step foot in the basement.

Sitting down in the chair next to him, I start getting everything set up for Everleigh.

"I have a friend here wanting to record a song. I do need to warn you ahead of time, who it is might be a shocker to you, but don't say anything. Let her do what she wants, she's in control of this studio as soon as she walks down the stairs" I respond.

Dan looks at me, a smirk on his face.

"Ah, a new girlfriend wanting to get into music, huh?" he questions.

I roll my eyes at him, refusing to respond.

It's about that time that the door to the basement opens, and footsteps start walking down. 

As soon as Dan spots Everleigh walking behind Chase, he looks at me in shock.

A few years ago, Dan had mentioned in passing the fact that he wanted to work with her, even if it was just a feature.

I doubt he expected that I would call him down to Georgia in secret to work with her out of the blue. 

"Dan, this is Everleigh. Everleigh, meet Dan. One of the best producers in Nashville" I introduce. 

Everleigh gives him a smile, before looking up at Chase.

"Do you have the notes that I had sent you?" Everleigh asks him.

He gives her a nod, before walking over to his bag, pulling out his laptop and handing it over to Dan. 

Dan sits down, Everleigh sitting down in the seat next to him, while Chase and I take the couch nearby.

"So, this was just something small that I worked on, kind of getting the feel for the song. I think it would work better on piano than guitar, but I did what I could with what I had available. You are welcome to change anything in there, I just didn't want to come in here empty handed" Everleigh explains, getting the file pulled up. 

Dan plugs his headphones into the laptop, before listening to the sample of the song recorded. He pulls them off a few minutes later, a huge smile on his face.

"I love it, I do agree with you though, piano would be better than guitar, but that won't be hard to achieve. This is a great song, heart wrenching and healing all in one" Dan responds. 

"What do you think, want to get in the booth?" I ask Everleigh.

She looks back at me, a smile on her face as she nods her head.

As soon as the door closes, Chase nudges my shoulder, a smile on his face as he watches his best friend getting ready. 

"Thank you for doing this for her. I don't think you realize how much you've helped her out of this funk in the short amount of time the two of you have spent together" he tells me.

I look at Everleigh in the booth, watching as she adjusts the headphones and microphone. Sensing eyes on her, she looks over at me, a smile coming to her face as the two of us make eye contact. 

"She just needed someone without an inside view, someone who wasn't close to her or the situation" I respond. 

"I think the two of you needed each other, you're both healing each other without even realizing it. That smile on her face right now is one I haven't seen in close to two years, she's happy, and I have the gut feeling that you are too" Chase tells me. 

He's not wrong.

For the first time since the door shut behind my ex-fiancé, I find myself excited to spend time with a woman outside of my family. Someone who, even though she's 7 years younger than me, lights a fire under my ass.