THE BIGGEST STAGE (A Brothers of Rock - WILLOW SON - novel)

Welcome back to the world of Brothers of Rock!

A series built on love, life, and rock n
’
 
roll romance!

The bestselling series continues with rock band,
 
Willow Son
!

Meet the band!

Colby (lead singer)

Jett (guitar)

Van (bass)

Ryker (guitar)

Brantley (drums)

_____________

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NOW
...
 
are you ready for some
…

BROTHERS OF ROCK!

THE BIGGEST STAGE (A Brothers of Rock
–
WILLOW SON
–
novel)

His first kiss
dried her tears. His second rocked her world
…

*

Dropped from the label, desperate to get signed and get back on the road, lead
singer of Willow Son
–
Colby
–
will do anything to
make things right. Looking for some good karma, he gives up his hotel room to a
woman who needs a place to crash. It
’
s
only one night, the kind of thing he
’
s
used to. Plus, she
’
s
beautiful, exactly what he needs to take his mind off his rocky rockstar
career.
When Tessa travels to the next city, as her sales job requires, she can't focus
on anything but the rockstar that is lingering on her lips. She finds it insane
to think anything with Colby was real
–
and that it could happen again.
 
That is until Colby and Tessa meet up once more
–
hundreds of miles away from their first hot kiss.
 
A third encounter with the sexy lead singer leaves Tessa wondering what
’
s happening
…
is it fate? Or something else?

*

Tessa thought kissing a rock star was crazy. She's about to find out what
happens when one falls for you.

(1)

The first time lead singer of
Willow Son - Colby - met a beautiful woman named Tessa, he was crashing at some
hotel, in some city, because that
’
s
just what rockstars did. He was hell bent on taking his anger out on the world
that seemed to have a knife deep in his back that he couldn
’
t reach. Understanding the
limits of the law all to well, Colby was left with one choice - to use music as
his way to show how pissed off he was.

The night began three miles from
the hotel at a hibachi restaurant.

The entire band who made up Willow
Son - Colby, Jett, Ryker, Van, and Brantley - sat on one part of the long table
with their manager, Harry, with a group of record executives and lawyers seated
on the other side.

No matter what the conversation was
supposed to be about, the concept remained the same. Willow Son was officially
dropped from their label. That meant no support on anything. No studio time. No
marketing. No touring. They were just a band now. Sure, they were a band that
toured the world, sold millions of albums, and lived the truest of all rockstar
lives, but they were now reduced to just a band.

Colby knew they could get twenty
thousand people to come watch them play a show, but who would put the money up
for it to happen? There was so much bullshit that went into running a concert.
It wasn
’
t just five guys
getting on stage and playing some tunes. That
’
s
what Colby wanted, but that
’
s
not how it went.

Willow Son ate, drank expensive
saki, and was feeling good as the talks went on.

“
We
are officially out of all contractual obligations,
”
Harry said, sales pitching the band to the lawyers
and executives.
“
The record
company has been split into several segments. It
’
s
just the way the business goes right now. Can
’
t
control it, right? It
’
s the
animal of entertainment.
”

Everyone kept nodding, listening.

“
Our
concern,
”
one of the men
said -
was his name Jack or something?,
“
is
that we need to see the proof. If you have all copyrights to songs and material
previously published, that
’
s
a pretty good way to sweeten the pot, so to say. Now I
’
m assuming there
’
s
some kind of royalty structure, unless you bought it all out.
”

“
We
didn
’
t pay a thing,
”
Colby said.
“
They screwed us over.
”

Harry put up a hand.
“
We haven
’
t discussed anything final. I don
’
t think the new company will
want any
…”

“
And
if they sell their assets?
”
one of the lawyers asked.

“
Who
cares?
”
Jett asked.

“
Bro,
”
Brantley said.
“
Look at the writing on the wall.
Our songs will be up for sale. Someone could fucking buy them and get paid for
them.
”

“
That
’
s not right,
”
Colby said.

“
It
’
s the business,
”
Harry said.
“
And Brantley is right.
”

That
’
s
when Colby stood up. His chair fell back and hit the floor with a thud. All
eyes were on him. He looked around the table, waiting to unleash some kind of
hell.

“
We
just want to make music,
”
Colby said.
“
We make good
damn music that people want to hear. We
’
re
built for the road. The shows with Gone by Autumn proved we still have miles to
go in this business. We
’
re
not cashing in and walking away.
”

“
And
your history?
”
one of the
executives asked.
“
Need I
say more?
”

“
You
’
ve never made a mistake in life?
”

“
I
’
m sure my mistakes compared to
yours are far different, Colby.
”

Colby made fists and started down
the table. He was going to punch the cocky executive in the face and then blame
the saki.

“
Let
’
s just stay on course,
”
Harry said, trying to save the
night.

“
Fuck
this,
”
Colby said.

He turned and walked.

Jett grabbed for his arm and Colby
dodged it. Ryker managed to get him and Colby spun, showing the guitarist his
fist.

“
Want
to do it?
”
he asked.

As Colby left the restaurant, he
stopped at the bar and ordered a bottle of beer. The bartender asked for his
autograph and Colby signed a napkin with the restaurant
’
s logo on it.

Once outside, he sipped on the
beer.

It took all of a few minutes for
the band to join him.

Van lit up a cigarette.

Colby killed the beer and threw the
bottle against the side of the building.

“
What
are we going to do?
”
Brantley asked.
“
I feel
trapped.
”

“
We
’
re not trapped,
”
Colby said.
“
We
’
re
free. Really free. Maybe it
’
s
time we just
…
we just play.
”

Before anyone could object, Colby
was on the move.

He ran to the front of the
restaurant and whistled for a cab. He reminded himself that it was just a few
months ago they were riding in black limos and cars that were paid for.

In some ways, this was better. This
was honestly freeing.

Colby threw a twenty on the front
seat of the cab and held the door open, waiting for the rest of the band. When
they started to run toward the cab, Colby smiled. It took him right back to the
time they all ditched the town they called home in a cab and headed for
something bigger. The road had been windy and sometimes potentially deadly, but
they were rockstars. It
’
s
what they craved.

It was about music. About creating
and sharing music.

Throw in some good nights and wild
women and all suddenly became right with the world.

The cab stopped at the hotel (paid
for by the record executives still sitting with Harry.
Suckers.
) and
that
’
s when Colby saw her.
He didn
’
t know her name was
Tessa right then, but when he saw the business dress suit thing clinging tight
to her body, with a small, black suitcase behind her, a phone at her ear, she
had his attention.

Then she turned around and their
eyes met.

Normally to Colby, a woman was a
woman.

This was different.

This woman - very beautiful with
her amber eyes, dark hair, cute little nose and thin lips - was crying.

Colby couldn
’
t look away.

A woman this beautiful shouldn
’
t be crying. Ever.

**

It wasn
’
t exactly the worst day of her life, but it sure
damn felt like it. Tessa was glad the meetings were over and she could grab
something to eat and then get some sleep. She had to be on the road again by
ten tomorrow morning. Next stop was another beach town in California for more
meetings. Being a pharmaceutical rep was sort of like a dream job for Tessa.
She had once envisioned a life of traveling, just not doing what she did right
now. Her dream had been to be some kind of traveling artist. Find some skill
and just live a simple, easy life. Of course, reality dictated something much
different, so she could make a living and support her family.

Tessa chased the stress away with
music as she drove her rental car to the hotel. Anything loud. Anything with
guitars and drums and something that had feeling to it. Nothing quite like a
woman in a nice business dress reaching back and letting her hair down -
literally - and jamming out to rock music in a rental car.

This was sometimes all Tessa had in
life.

At a red light, her cell rang.

“
Hey
Christie,
”
Tessa said.

“
Girlfriend.
Let
’
s get a drink.
Something fruity that makes all the decent guys look really hot.
”

Tessa snorted.
“
I don
’
t know about that.
”

“
Why
not? Just one drink.
”

“
I
know your one drink
…”

Christie had become Tessa
’
s best friend through work. They
were usually stuck together traveling and going to meetings, making sales
pitches, laughingly competing for bonuses when the end of the month or quarter
came. Christie loved her fruity drinks and loved to sleep around. She wasn
’
t a whore, she just knew what
she wanted. She also knew that her life was on the road, so why get involved?

“
You
know you want one,
”
Christie said.

Tessa wasn
’
t sure what her friend actually meant - a drink or
a guy? Maybe both. Hell, it had been long enough for Tessa. If she were going
to actually track down the last time she had some physical enjoyment, she would
need to scroll through the calendar on her phone. That in itself was sort of
sad because she loved to memorize dates.

“
Where
are you going?
”
Tessa
asked.

“
Little
corner spot called
Halley
’
s
.
Heard it
’
s good. Lots of
guys.
”

“
We
have to be on the road in the morning
…”

“
We
don
’
t have another meeting
for two days. All that stuff is just guidelines.
”

“
Let
me get to the hotel and then I
’
ll
call you.
”

“
Liar,
”
Christie said.

She hung up and Tessa smiled.

The light was green and Tessa
drove. She glanced at her cell next to her on the seat a few times. There was
nothing wrong with a drink or two. Or maybe flirting with a guy. Casual was
okay. Casual worked. Casual could be fun.

Her cell rang again.

It was her younger sister, Wendy.

Wendy was the middle child of the
three girls. Tessa was the oldest, Anna the youngest.

“
Hey
Wendy.
”

“
Tessa!
”
Wendy yelled, her voice
crackling.

“
What
’
s wrong?
”

“
I
need help.
”

“
With
what?
”

“
There
’
s a paper on my door. I have to
move out.
”

“
Wait,
what?
”

“
My
apartment. I
’
m being kicked
out.
”

“
Why?
”

“
I
…
I
’
m
a little short.
”

“
Wendy
…”

“
Please
don
’
t start yelling and
judging me right now,
”
Wendy barked.
“
Scott left
me hanging and I
’
m trying
my best.
”

“
Thought
you picked up a second job?
”
Wendy asked.

“
I
lost it.
”

“
How?
”

“
I
never showed up.
”

Tessa pulled into the parking lot
of the hotel. She stared out the windshield and swallowed hard.
“
Wendy, that
’
s not good.
”

“
I
don
’
t care anymore, okay? I
’
m just overwhelmed with life. It
’
s not fair. You wouldn
’
t understand, Tessa. You travel.
You don
’
t have a boyfriend.
”

Thanks for that reminder,
sister.

“
Okay,
Wendy,
”
Tessa said, always
trying to be the calming voice of reason. What choice did she have in this? She
had been raising her sisters since she turned nineteen.
“
You need to take a breath and find out what is
owed. Then figure out what you have and what I can do.
”

“
I
have forty-eight hours,
”
Wendy said.
“
Okay? I need a
thousand dollars. Well, two thousand because my cell is getting turned off
next.
”

“
Where
’
s your money going?
”
Tessa growled.