New chapter, yay! I apologize for how short this chapter is but I hope the content makes up for it :) This was more of a filler chapter for me, but an important one. I hope you all like it. I also appreciate all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites for this story, it means a lot and I'm glad that you all are enjoying it.
*I DO NOT OWN NASHVILLE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!*
"So how have things been with your mom?"
"Great…really great actually."
"Well that's good," said Drew as he and Cadence stood in line for the Grilled Cheeserie food truck. Since Juliette had to catch up on tour promotion, Cadence made plans with Drew for the day. At the moment they were at Centennial Park.
"Yeah, it's been good spending time with her. I've missed her," said Cadence. While Drew had become a friend to Cadence, she still didn't want to tell him the truth.
"So what's good here?" she asked as they started to get closer to the front of the line.
"The Pimento Mac and Cheese is my favorite. It's so cheesy and gooey, there's bacon in it too," said Drew. "And you have to get the tomato soup with it."
Cadence chuckled at how enthusiastic Drew sounded, "I didn't know someone could get so excited over grilled cheese."
"That's because it's the best, really anything you get from here will be good."
"I think I'll take your word on the one you like, the Pimito?"
"The Pimento Mac and Cheese."
"Got it," she laughed again at how he was quick to correct her. They eventually made it to the front of the line and Drew started to order.
"Two Pimento Mac and Cheese's and two tomato soups please," he said, then looking at Cadence. "What do you want to drink?"
"Wait what? I can pay for my own," said Cadence.
"I got it, my treat. I've got to show my southern hospitality somehow," he insisted.
Cadence smiled at him, "Thanks, and I'll just have a water."
"Two waters please," Drew added to the order. He paid the lady and were told to wait off the side for their food.
"You really didn't have to do that. I was going to pay for myself."
"Cadence it's okay, I wanted to."
"I just hate having to owe or rely on people."
"You don't have to pay me back or anything," said Drew.
"I just feel like I have to do something for you now."
He playfully put his hands on the side of Cadence's shoulders, "Trust me it's fine. Just eat all of it, that's how you can owe me."
"Okay, okay," she laughed softly.
"Two Pimento Mac and Cheese's and two tomato soups," said the lady. They went back to get their sandwiches and thanked the lady. Drew and Cadence made small talk as they walked to find a spot to sit and eat.
"Here looks good," said Drew as they sat on a bench near the Parthenon.
"Are you going to miss it here when you go back to Ohio?" Drew asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.
"I am, everyone has been so nice and welcoming to me here," she said as she took a bite of her sandwich as well. "And the food is amazing, oh my god…that's the best grilled cheese I ever had!"
Drew through his hands up, "What did I tell you?"
"I think I'm going to pass out it's that good," Cadence said with her eyes wide, still not over how good the sandwich was.
"Now you really can't leave," Drew laughed.
Cadence laughed too, "No I really can't now."
"Have you told your dad you want to stay here with you mom?"
At first Cadence was a little hesitant to respond. It was something she thought about recently but she knew it wouldn't happen. She didn't feel ready for a full move yet, plus she couldn't just leave her dad. It would be wrong.
"I think I would win the worst daughter award if I did that to my dad," she joked.
"Why not? Things are going great with your mom now, you've been with your dad for so long. It makes sense."
"No you don't get it, it's so far from it making sense."
"What do you mean?" Drew asked.
"My dad raised me Drew, he has done everything for me for the past sixteen years. To just say, 'I don't want to live with you anymore' and move to Nashville is wrong. I can't do that to him. I love Nashville but I love my dad more."
"I'm sorry for asking," he said.
"It's fine," Cadence responded.
"I wish I could speak so highly of my dad like that. He's not a deadbeat or anything, we're just not close."
"What happened?"
"Different interests, plus he never had the time to bond with me."
"I'm sorry, that's the worst."
"Yeah tell me about it," he said as he took another bite of his grilled cheese. Cadence could have really told him about it if she wanted to, but decided to hold back.
"What time is it?" Cadence asked.
"Almost one, why?"
"Juliette's radio interview is on, I told her I would listen to it if I could. Do you care?"
"No not at all," he said.
Cadence looked up the radio station on her phone and found the streaming link. It pulled the station right up and was live.
"We're here now with Juliette Barnes to talk about her twentieth number one single Cold Hearted and to also talk about her new tour that kicks off in just three days! Welcome back to our studio Juliette."
"Thank you, it's great to be here again."
"You are always welcome here, especially when you have reached such an impressive milestone of twenty number one singles. Cold Hearted is such a great hit, how do you feel with your career at this point in country music?"
"It feels amazing, I've had the best team and the best fans. Country music has been so good to me over the years, even with my own issues I have caused, I love it and it's home to me. And Cold Hearted was the perfect song to choose as a single and I'm glad it's getting the response and love just as I thought it would."
"That's great to hear, now with the tour. What can your fans expect this time around?"
"I always like to change up my shows each time I go out on the road. I want to give the fans who have been with me since the beginning a new show but nothing too new that they wouldn't recognize who I am as an artist. I like to think I have grown with my fans and they have grown with me."
"And with your new fans?"
"They're in for one hell of a show I can tell you that. And hopefully they'll stick with me with more tours and albums to come."
Cadence's smile disappeared a little. She knew Juliette's career was important and she didn't want to take that away from her. But the tone in Juliette's answer didn't make her feel confident in the fact that she was going to try and make more time for Cadence in the future.
"Well as a fan myself, I can assure the audience that they need to see you on tour. Worth every penny."
"Thank you."
"Now to something a little more off topic. I have to ask because we have been bombarded with questions from listeners who knew you were coming on here. But in the past few days, there are some pictures that have come to surface of you with a young blonde and everyone keeps saying that it's your daughter Cadence. Is this true? Has she been with you in Nashville for the past week?"
There was a significant pause on Juliette's end but then she answered.
"No that is not my daughter, just a friend's daughter. A close friend and I have known her daughter for a long time."
"So you still haven't seen your daughter in the past fifteen…sixteen or so years?"
"I have not, she is with my ex husband."
"Alright well there you have it everyone, the answer from Juliette Bar-"
Cadence closed out of the station and put her phone in her bag angrily.
"Are you okay?" Drew asked, not sure of what else to say to the clearly upset blonde.
"Um can you just take me back to my place please?"
"Yeah of course."
"I'm sorry to end this early but…yeah I just want to go."
"It's no problem Cadence," said Drew as they got up from the bench to leave.
After the radio interview was over, Juliette met up with Glenn and Emily outside of the studio. "What the HELL was that? I thought all of the pictures were gone Glenn! You told me they were GONE!"
"I thought they were Juliette but those I haven't seen. They look like pictures fans have taken that just came out."
"I want every. single. picture. gone. And I want both of you to make sure that no other interviewer today asks me about Cadence."
Emily and Glenn nodded as they followed Juliette out of the building. They got into the car and left for the next interview as Juliette pulled out her phone. She smiled after she turned it on and looked at her lock screen. It was a cute selfie of the two of them Cadence had taken at one point yesterday. Juliette went into her phone and started to text Cadence.
About halfway done with interviews. How's everything going with Drew?
She closed her phone and waited for a response from her daughter, but never got one.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Juliette entered her home after a long day of last minute interviews and tour prep. She walked in further and placed her things on the kitchen island and letting out a sigh. Still not hearing from Cadence all day, she started to head upstairs to see if she was in her room.
"Cadence I'm back," she announced. Slightly mad at her for not texting her at all to let her know she was okay, she didn't want to start an argument. Juliette felt like it still wasn't her place.
"Hey," she knocked before opening the door to the guest bedroom. "Why didn't you text me today?"
Juliette saw Cadence lying down on the bed, her back facing her. "Cadence?" she asked aloud, seeing if she was asleep. The older blonde stepped closer but stopped when her daughter sat up and quickly turned around. The sixteen year old's cheeks were pink and tear stained and her eyes were puffy.
"Why do you care that I haven't texted you all day?" she asked angrily.
"Wait what?" Juliette asked in a confused tone.
"Don't pretend like you care about me at all okay. I got the message loud and clear on your radio interview today," she said as she got off the bed.
Juliette thought back to earlier and remembered the interview, "Yeah and? Why are you so upset about it?"
"Are you kidding? Do you really not remember what you said about me today?" she asked her mom again, tears welling up in her eyes once more.
Juliette remembered what she said but was still confused, "What's wrong with what I said? I thought you didn't want me saying anything while you were here."
Cadence shook her head, "You don't get it! You still won't acknowledge me for who I am! Are you still that embarrassed for what happened? That people will find out that Juliette Barnes' life isn't as perfect as it seems?"
"You have no idea what you're talking about Cadence."
"Yes I do, I now see you for who you really are. You're a coward."
"What the hell do you want me to do Cadence? Ever since you got here I have done everything I could to build a relationship with you!" Juliette yelled. Fighting with Cadence only made her think of when she would fight with Avery.
"I want you to be honest to everyone about me, you, and dad and what happened sixteen years ago. That's what I want. I realized that our relationship can't be built on this…this lie! It's unfair to me," Cadence said loudly as she cried. "It's unfair that I have to lie to everyone I know about who you are for so many years and why I haven't seen you. It's unfair that I have to lie to Dad about where I am. It's unfair that I had to live without you in my life knowing that you chose to not be in it!"
Juliette started to feel tears in her eyes as well, as she listened to her daughter. She knew that Cadence was hurt from what happened in the past, it was different actually hearing it coming from her. The sixteen year old started to leave the room, having to walk past her mother. Juliette attempted to grab her arm to stop her, "Cadence I…"
"Don't touch me!" she demanded as she pulled away out of Juliette's reach. "I'm not going to your stupid release party either. I got a new plane ticket and I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
Cadence started to leave but paused again and turning back to her, "I wanted to prove Dad wrong about you, I wanted us to work out but it didn't. I was the one who was wrong. You're not my mother, and you never will be. You're just a woman who happens to be related to me. "
Juliette stood there defeated and watched as Cadence left the room, slamming the door behind her. She cried as she went over to the bed and sat down, she lost all that she had with Cadence.
The younger blonde quickly went down the stairs and down the hallway, trying to find the downstairs bathroom. Distraught and not paying attention, she opened a door to a room that wasn't the bathroom. She stopped at the sight of lavender colored walls and a white crib in the middle of the room. Instead of leaving to find the bathroom, her curiosity led her to step in. The carpet was white and soft and a tall giraffe stood in the corner of the room. Cadence touched the edge of the crib as she walked around the room, knowing it was once hers.
She then reached one of the dressers and noticed a snow globe sitting on the top. She picked it up and looked at the picture in the middle, one she hadn't seen before. It was of the three of them and it all looked so perfect. Cadence looked at the words Our Family as she traced her fingers over the engraving. Letting out a shuddered breath she sat down in the green chair, having no knowledge it was Avery's. Tears formed in her bright blue eyes realizing the picture in the globe was now a fantasy compared to the reality she was living. Cadence sobbed in the nursery that was once hers, now knowing that there was no chance that the three of them could be a family again.
Rough ending right? It's only going to go downhill from here I'm sad to say. The next chapter is everything you have all been waiting for...so you can assume who is going to be back ;)
I'm not going to do a preview of the next chapter because I want to keep it somewhat of a surprise. But I can assure everyone that it is drama filled! I will update as soon as I can.
