After Forever & Ever

Chapter 74

Tessa-Present

Hardin is coming home tonight and I couldn't be more excited. I have missed him so much and it's only been 3 days. I know he has been super busy so we haven't really talked which is fine I understand it's his first song with this label and it is important to him and he needs to focus.

Although I can't help but feel a little selfish that I want him home and with me and Emery...but we have tonight and then tomorrow I asked Trish to watch Emery all day so we can spend my birthday together.

Emery has been pretty fussy all day which has kept me pretty busy.

It's approaching the time their flight should be coming in.

An hour passes so I call him....straight to voicemail.

So I call Vance. "Hey Tess what's up I'm just leaving the airport" He asks.

"Hi Vance, can I talk to Hardin?" I ask him.

He isn't saying anything and finally.... "Uhhh Tess
...he is taking a later flight to finish their song." He tells me.

"Good to know.....and their song?..." I question increasingly getting more and more angry.

"He promised he is going to be on the next flight I know he was insanely busy and under a lot of pressure to finish but I know he will be back in time for your birthday tomorrow." He tells me.

"Yea I guess we will see..thanks for the update I'll....I'll just talk to you tomorrow. Bye Vance." I say and hang up.

Just as I hang up my phone is ringing and it's Hardin. I am hesitant to even answer because I'm so annoyed.... "hello" I simply say.

"Hey Tess...I'm sorry I didn't leave LA yet. We are so close to finishing and I really wanted to give them a song before I leave." He blurts into the phone.

"We?" I question.

"Yea the artist I'm working with...." he replies.

"Is it your song?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" He questions back.

"Is it one of your songs?...." I ask.

"Yes....why does that matter?" He asks.

"Nothing. I'm annoyed I had to find out from Vance that he's back and you aren't...." I tell him.

"I'm so sorry babe....I'm going to take the midnight flight and I'll be laying next to you when you wake up." He tries to assure me.

"Ok." I reply annoyed.

"I have to go....I love you see you soon beautiful." He says and hangs up.

I get off the phone really not knowing what to think....

It's one thing him coming in late but he is so busy he couldn't even tell me he didn't get on the plane until after he should have already been home.

I mean communication has never been great but really....

I torture myself and go to the labels Instagram page and click on their story. Tons of clicks later I finally see something from 3 hours ago... you can't hear anything but it's Hardin and some girl in the recording booth....

"We".... "their song" I say out loud....

He is recording a song with this girl....

What the fuck.

She's tagged so I go to her Instagram profile. 'Savannah Bray'

She looks like who you think Hardin would go for. Tattoos, piercings but also she's fucking hot. Really pretty face. Dark hair and dark eyes. Everything I'm not.

I click through her story and now I feel like a huge creep. She just put 'new music coming soon' so nothing there really.

I guess he didn't really lie to me but he definitely didn't tell me....

After giving Emery her bottle and laying her down I decide I am going to try and fall asleep so that hopefully when I wake up he will be back like he said he would be.

After tossing and turning for what felt like hours I finally fall asleep.

Only to be woken up by my phone dinging that I have a text. I look at the clock and see it is 12:01. So it better be Hardin telling me he is on a plane.

It's not instead it's a text from Landon 'happy birthday Tess, have a great day.'

I decide to call Hardin to make sure he got on the plane.

It rings and rings again "hello?" A girl answers.

It catches me so off guard I still don't say anything.

"Hello?" She questions again.

"Uhhh hi...I am looking for Hardin." I say back to her.

"He's recording can I tell him you called." She replies.

"Recording?....I thought he was producing..." I say to her.

"Yea uh he is...he collabed with me on my chorus." She informs me.

I just hang up I'm so annoyed. Hardin is recording a fucking song with her. Not as her producer...but with her..

Ohhhhh and he's not on his way home.

Doesn't look like he will be home for my birthday...or care.

I love Hardin.....so fucking much but when does it stop being soooo hard.

Its like even when he is trying to do right by us....there is something wrong.

Why is there always something wrong....

I lay back down and just stare up at the ceiling for a while until Emery starts crying so I fix her a bottle and bring her in bed with me and lay her next to me.

I fall asleep with her laying in my arms.

I wake up one more time during the night and end up putting her back in her crib.

I fall back asleep pretty much right away it must be that I am just that tired because let me tell you my mind is going a million miles a minute.

When I wake up in the morning I hear a door in the living room. I am assuming it's Trish. Then I see my door handle turn.

I am shocked to see Hardin walk in. "I'm so sorry I was late." He says to me.

I still say nothing because I am just shocked he is here I thought for sure he would miss my birthday.

He goes and plops down next to me on the bed and leans over and kisses me and then grabs my hand kissing it "happy birthday" he whispers.

"Thanks." I simply reply.

I don't know what to think I am so happy he's back. But I'm upset. But i have to be careful I don't want to ruin his dreams or get in the way of something that could be really good for him over jealousy or I don't know what I'm feeling or what this is.

So I say nothing and pretend I'm okay...