Meant to Marry Me

"All right, let's run through that last song again," Jordan was saying at practice the next day after Bree's romantic carriage ride through the streets of historic downtown Nashville. She had been wearing a big smile on her face all day and didn't even care that Jordan wasn't happy with the way they were playing "Only Till Sunday."

Trent was back at her place now, overseeing the people packing up her stuff. They'd decided that morning she may as well go ahead and move in with him. She'd seen pictures of the new place, but she hadn't been there yet. She'd go look at it after rehearsal, but she wasn't worried about it. If Trent liked it, she knew she would, too.

They played through the song again, and this time, the bass solo that hadn't been on point the last time was much better, and Cat was all over the piano part as well, whereas she'd messed it up a little earlier. Jordan told them it was a nice job, and then he gave them a ten minute break.

In desperate need of coffee, Bree headed out the door toward the coffeemaker. Expecting everyone to be headed that way, she hurried a bit more than normal. She was happy, but she was also tired and needed some more caffeine. After refilling her cup, she stepped aside, closed her eyes, and took a gulp of the warm liquid, letting it seep down her throat and coat her soul in delicious caffeinated heaven. She let out a little moan of satisfaction.

A chuckle interrupted her relishing, and she turned to see Zach also filling his cup but laughing at her while he did it. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I just don't think I've ever seen someone enjoy a drink of coffee quite that much."

Bree shrugged. "It's like liquid ecstasy, man."

His laughing increased as he took a step over to her. She took another drink, relishing it. Bree was surprised no one else had come for coffee. Recently, being around Zach had become more comfortable for her, especially since she'd been so focused on Trent the last few days. But now that the two of them were alone in the hallway, and he was standing so close to her, she suddenly remembered just how attractive he was. A whiff of his aftershave caught her off guard, and she had to hold her coffee to her nose to focus on the rich aroma, rather than the woodsy scent of the sexy man next to her.

"Are you ready to go out on the road?" he asked nonchalantly, which made her think she definitely wasn't having the same distracting effect on him. That was a good thing. The last thing she needed was a guy as hot as Zach flirting with her when she was already in a relationship with a man she adored.

"I am. I've been dreaming about it my whole life. It'll be challenging, I'm sure, but I'm looking forward to it."

He nodded and smiled. "It is challenging, but it can also be a lot of fun."

"You went on tour with your last band?"

"Yeah, I did. That was a totally different vibe, though. We had some real jerks in that group, and there was a lot of spouting off between guys who wanted to prove they were cooler than one another."

"That doesn't sound like fun at all," Bree noted.

"No, it really wasn't. But it was nice to be on a different stage every night, to see all those different fans from all over the country. That part was really fun."

She nodded. She was looking forward to that. Bree took another sip of her coffee, thinking they should head back to the studio soon.

"What does your boyfriend think about you going out on the road?" he asked.

"He's very supportive," she said quickly. "He's going to go with me as much as he can."

"Really? That's interesting. What does he do?"

"He's an accountant. He owns his own firm in Kentucky, and he's opening another one here."

Zach nodded. "Impressive. Country shows don't sound like his scene, but it's cool he wants to be with you. Have you been dating long?"

"No. We've been friends since high school, but we just started dating a few weeks ago."

"Sounds like he's very dedicated to you." Zach smiled at her, and Bree returned the gesture, but there was something about the way that he said it that made Bree wonder if he meant it or if he was secretly saying he thought they were moving too fast or their relationship wouldn't last.

"The band's sounding great," Bree said, changing the subject to something she was more comfortable talking to him about. "We should probably head back."

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Zach fell into step beside her, and Bree instantly regretted not topping off her coffee before she left, but she'd live. "I agree. The band is sounding stellar. By the time we hit our first live show, we're going to be smoking." She smiled at the words he chose, and he raised an eyebrow. "I agree."

"Are you making fun of me, Bree?"

"No! Not at all. I just sort of envisioned literal smoke coming off of your guitar or something"

"That could happen," he insisted.

"I hope not! That sounds dangerous." Bree couldn't help but laugh at his expression, he looked so serious.

They reached the studio and Cat looked up at them, an eyebrow arched. "What are you two all giggly about?"

Suddenly, Bree felt bad, like she'd been having too much fun with a hot guy who wasn't her boyfriend. "Oh, nothing. Just talking about whether or not Zach can catch his guitar on fire."

"Not fire--just smoking, as in smoking hot."

Something about the way he was looking at her when he said that had all hints of humor leaving Bree's countenance. She gave him a small smile but was relieved when Jordan called for them to get back together so she could have something else to focus on. Because Zach was becoming more dangerous by the moment.