♬ rythemusicguy.mp3

"Just tryin’ to hold it all together, we all wish our best was better. Just hopin’ that forever’s really real." thirty three // songwriter // aspiring dad bod illnios ✈️ nashville

[rylandjennings]

「 mr. ryland jennings 」

Full Name: Ryland Thatcher Jennings

Nickname/s: Ry, RJ, Ry the Music Guy

Faceclaim: Nathan Dean Parsons

Gender // Pronouns: cis male // he/him

Age // Date of Birth: 33 // February 7, 1990

Hometown: Pontiac, Illinois

Occupation: Songwriter

Neighborhood: Downtown

Time in Nashville: 17 years

「 quick links 」

nashvillehq | full bio | connections | tags

[ tw: parental death, car accident, mentions of drug use and bullying (sibling) - all triggers are tagged by bullet point throughout the intro below! ]

「 the introduction 」

[tw: parental death, car accident] Ryland’s parents were killed in a car accident when he was three and he was raised (along with his older brother, Cade) by his grandparents on their small farm in Illinois.

Ryland always had a thing for music. Started guitar lessons at age 8, got his first guitar at age 10, and visited Nashville for the first time at 16.

[tw: mentions of drug use/addiction] Ryland's older brother is a real dick to him and their grandparents, and he's a hardcore addict. Ryland hasn't seen him sober since Cade was 16 and Ryland was 14.

Ryland moved to Nashville just three days after graduating high school. He worked as a bar back at The Tin Roof, eventually working as a bartender and playing on the stage sometimes.

After being in town for 4 years, he finally got noticed by a record label employee, but not for his singing. The guy broke the news that Ry was a pretty face with a decent voice in a sea of decent voices and pretty faces, but his songwriting really stood out, so he offered him a job as a songwriter.

Ryland signed with his first label (label tbd) in 2011 and decided to go freelance in 2014 when his contract ended. Now he writes with artists across all labels, but he is exclusively country in genre.

Ryland has gone on tour with some folks across the industry from time to time, and he's pretty good at guitar and keys. He's the kind of guy who has no trouble filling in for someone on short notice, but touring is hard on his mental state when he is gone for too long.

「 deeper dive 」

Ry is a hopeless romantic at heart, and he’s notorious for thinking each new girlfriend he finds is “the one.” Ryland is a sucker for love. It doesn’t help that most country songs are written about something so incredibly consuming, so absolutely fascinating to the boy. Maybe it’s the fact that his parents were so open with their love in photos and videos, who knows?

Despite the chaotic relationship shared with his older brother, Cade, and the many issues Cade struggles with, Ryland tends to see the potential for good in everyone he meets. He's one to ignore the red flags or lackluster signs, which is obviously always a great idea, right?

Ryland has over 150 songs that he’s written or co-written that have been recorded and released. There’s a dozen more in production now, or songs that haven’t been handed off to be recorded just yet. The boy has written for and with the likes of Kelsea Ballerini, Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and more names that dominate the country music scene, but he’s never one to brag. In fact, he almost never brings up the people he's written for, and despite being friends with many of them, almost never admits that he wrote a song until he's asked point-blank.

Writing is his shit and he’s literally been known to forget to eat for 24+ hours when he gets in the zone. He does everything from tweaking tunes and lyrics to starting from scratch and writing entire songs, and you'll always find him with a notebook nearby, if not in his hand.

Because he spent the last 14 years in Nashville, Ryland’s Illinois accent isn’t as profound as people would expect. He also has a habit of picking up accents from people so he can make sure words actually rhyme when they sing it themselves, so people sometimes have a hard time pinning his accent to a certain region.

Totally important fact: Ryland has a massive crush on Sara Bareilles and probably has since “Love Song” blew up back during his senior year of high school. Please don’t get him started on it, it’s so embarrassing for the both of us.

「 at-a-glance timeline 」

1990: Born in Pontiac, Illinois

May 2008: Graduated high school & moved to Nashville, Tennessee

June 2011-March 2012: Dated Maggie Devereaux

2011-2014: Under contract as a songwriter (label tbd)

2014-Present: Worked as freelance songwriter

Nov. 2020 - April 2021: Dated Emilia Madden

[lottieramirez]

"Ain't that the truth?" She laughed with him, nodding in agreement. It was always good to see Ryland and catch up. Certain people held a special place in her heart when they ran off to do bigger and better things, or moved on. She thought about them often and liked to check in whenever she could. If there was anything they needed that she could help with, she was there in a heartbeat. Ry was one of those people, at the end of the day he was family just like her own blood. "Hmm, think it's probably a little of both?" Lottie snickered and motioned for another couple drinks. "How are things going with you? Stayin' out of trouble, I hope."

[rylandjennings]

"They'll get ya real good," Ry replied with a laugh of his own. He'd missed Lottie, truthfully, but he was glad he'd caught her now. "Definitely a little bit of both." Ryland nodded a couple times, a gentle smile taking over his face. He didn't get drunk very often, but a nice buzz now and then was always appreciated. "You know me and trouble, Lottie," he joked, shaking his head. Truthfully, the only trouble Ryland seemed to ever find himself in was the kind involving a girl breaking his heart, but that just turned itself into better lyrics in a month or two. "Can't seem to keep myself out of it, follows me everywhere I go. How are you doin'?"

[hayespcrter]

"Y'mind saying that a little louder? I think my boss is around here somewhere," Hayes joked, though the warmth creeping up his cheeks got hotter. Hayes knew he was good at what he did, and he'd be the first to tell you, but there was something about that sort of compliment that made him stop. People calling his work special when producers didn't always get recognition for their hard work made him feel a certain way. But the blonde cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at the songwriter beside him. "Fight in you? See I think you'd hit it big. Y'got the looks and the lyrics. Sounds like the perfect combo."

[rylandjennings]

"Shoot, I'd yell it from the rooftops if I thought they'd pay me any mind," Ryland replied quickly, laughing a little. Ry had always been a big advocate for celebrating the behind the scenes players, the songwriters and producers and musicians who helped a song really come to life. It wasn't just a singer's voice that did it, wasn't just one person but an entire team that made up the music industry. "Oh, trust me, I got the lyrics but I'm well on my way out the door when it comes to looks. I'm getting too old to play with all these babies out here hitting the scene. You know, I got asked to do a songwriting session the other day with a kid who is half my age. Half, Hayes. I'm starting to feel older every single day. Might just go ahead and put a down payment on my spot in the graveyard at this rate."

[ellie-jcnes]

It was hard to say if Ryland knew how charming he was. He had an ease about him that made Ellie feel comfortable from the minute he'd walked into the diner for the first time. He was handsome and sweet and that was nice but more than that, he looked at her and talked to her like she was more than the girl pouring his coffee and bringing him a stack of pancakes. She put in his order with the cook in the back and then leaned both her hands on his table with a grin as he explained what had led him to sit in his usual booth tonight. "Well we better fix that then huh? Can't have ya wanderin' in here to waste your money on mediocre coffee and pancakes just to talk to me." Ellie pulled her pen out of her apron pocket and held her had out for his. "Gimmie your hand." She too his large hand in hers and slowly wrote her phone number on Ryland's palm.

[rylandjennings]

The thing Ryland didn't know how to admit was that he had a crush on Ellie. It felt ridiculous, really, because he knew she was friendly and sweet to all her tables, and that he was just some guy who kept showing up. But that didn't make it any different, he was falling hard and fast for the gorgeous woman that waited on him at the diner. "I'd waste all my money just to talk to you, El," he said, genuine and honest as ever. Ryland would never forget the way his pulse jumped up as soon as Ellie took his hand, or the way he watched her write her number on it like he was witnessing a major historical event.

It wasn't until she'd let go of his hand that Ryland realized he just might have something of a chance. After all, she didn't have to give him her number, and she certainly didn't have to do it right then. There were plenty of ways a woman could get around that if she wanted to. Looking down at the numbers on his palm, Ryland's tongue darted across his lips. "Anybody ever tell you that you've got the prettiest smile in the whole world?" He looked up at her as he spoke, cheeks slightly red. "Nice handwriting, too."

[carsonwest]

"Okay, no, it's not the end all, be all, but I'm just saying, it's nice sometimes, ya know?" Carson honestly didn't have too much time for his dating life. He'd been so focused on his training and work over the last few years that any attempt at a relationship had been short-lived and unsuccessful. "Try finding someone who's cool with you working twenty-four hour shifts multiple times a week." He sipped his beer, shaking his head with a little laugh. "Hey, the Street Festival is coming up this weekend. You got any plans?"

[rylandjennings]

"Hey, if you like it, then don't let me make you think any less of it." Ryland patted Carson's shoulder once, giving it a squeeze. "We can find you a bed buddy, just tell me your type and I'll start looking. I'm a decent enough wing man." Ryland hadn't thought much about Carson's work schedule, but the reminder of the job did make sense. "Yeah, I get where that could be hard. But hey, if you find the one, you make it work no matter what, right? Maybe you'll find someone at the Street Festival. I met a guy who said he and his wife met there ten years ago. It was love at first sight."

[rylandjennings]

↦ closed starter  / @ellie-jcnes ↦ location: music city street fair

Ryland couldn't believe that he'd actually asked Ellie out on a date. Truthfully, they'd spent so much time texting and talking on the phone for a few days that he just knew he had to see her soon, so here he was: five minutes early standing in front of the designated stage they agreed to meet at. He was nervous, but only because seeing Ellie in general made the man nervous. More than anything, Ry was just really glad he would get to spend a little uninterrupted time getting to know her better. The diner was a nice place to hang out, but Ellie was always working, which meant he couldn't steal her time asking all the questions he wanted to get answers for.

The second he spotted her, Ryland's entire face broke into a smile. He gave her a small wave before making his way toward her, unsure whether hugging her would be too much too soon. "For the record, I normally would've offered to pick you up because that's just how I am, but I had a songwriting session down here and I didn't want you having to wait on me to drive all the way over to your place. So next time, I'm definitely doin' things the right way." Ryland realized that his words implied a second date, and they'd only just started their first, so he cleared his throat. "If you decide you're up for a second date, no pressure."

[hayespcrter]

One of Hayes’ favorite parts of his job was the collaboration. He liked being able to meet other artists and people on the technical side and learning about their processes. As someone who couldn’t focus long enough to write a line, one of the most interesting people to work with were songwriters. Which is why he made sure to share the finished product with songwriters he knew that may have sold their songs off. Ryland was one of those people. When Hayes heard who he was working with that afternoon, he gave Ryland a call to invite him to see what his song was turning into. He wanted to share his own process. 

The singer was out on a smoke break as Hayes was locking in some finishing touches on the computer, his glasses sliding off his nose. “Huh?” Ryland’s voice was dragging him back to reality, blue eyes glancing at the songwriter beside him. Laughing a little bit, the engineer shook his Redbull can, sighing as he realized it was empty. Probably for the better, he didn’t need any more caffeine. “I appreciate that, man,” The blonde said, saving the current version of the song before leaning back into his seat. “Except I’m pretty sure the doctors just call that ADHD.” Twisting his rings around his fingers, Hayes glanced at the man beside him again. “Y’know these are good…y’ever think about keeping one or two and getting back in the booth?”

[rylandjennings]

Hayes was one of those people in the industry that truly got Ryland's independence. He wasn't tied down to any label either, so he knew just how special it was to be able to work with anyone, anytime, without having to check with people. And that was probably why Ryland liked him, but truthfully, it had a lot more to do with the fact that Hayes was really cool. "That might be the case, but I think yours is extra special. You're like the unicorn of production." Glancing up as Hayes asked about his own career, Ryland shook his head and cleared his throat. "Nah, man, I gave up on that dream more than a decade ago. I don't think I have the fight in me for what all of that would take."

[gemma-devereux]

Gemma was hardly surprised when she got a call from Ryland randomly - the conversation with him never really ended, as it was. She'd just wrapped the North American leg of her tour and she was thrilled to be home in Nashville, even if home meant an empty penthouse and a bottle of chilled bourbon. Part of her had been determined to stay in sweats all day long and order an obscene amount of Postmates, but Ryland wanted to meet, so she stripped out of her sweats and actually got dressed, complete with huge sunglasses because she did not feel like being recognized that day.

She couldn't even begin to count how many hours the two of them had burned getting drunk at Tootsies, and she kind of loved that it remained their spot and they'd yet to trade up for something swankier. Gemma kept her sunglasses on until she'd slid up on the stool at the hightop table across from him, pulling them off and setting them on her head instead. She made eye contact with the bartender and smiled, who nodded back instantly. A whiskey neat would be appearing on the table shortly.

Gemma opened her mouth to greet him, but he beat her to it, and, in the same moment, she realized he looked almost scared. And in the next breath, she realized exactly why. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She hissed, glancing around to make sure no one was that close by. Out of all the Devereuxs, Gemma was the most mild, the peacekeeper of the family (at least, when it was possible to even try to keep the peace), but this was a huge fucking problem. She was going to be killed. She didn't even want to think of the meeting she'd get called into if Ryland's name ended up on one of her songs, even though every album actually consisted of many hours of Gemma and Ryland holed up in her apartment writing together.

They had a strict agreement - ghost writing. Gemma did it all the time and she demanded he do the same when it came to her, there was simply no other option. Her mother would never allow them to collaborate, the same way she never let Gemma and Maggie collaborate. "Wait - why didn't my lawyer call me?" She asked for a second, until she realized that their lawyers had absolutely collaborated and absolutely deemed Ryland to be the deliver of the news. "Unbelievable," She muttered, picking up the glass the moment it was set in front of her and downing it, politely requesting another from the server.

[rylandjennings]

Part of him hadn't known exactly what to expect from Gemma, what sort of reaction she'd have. After all, she was something of a firecracker when she wanted to be, but she could also keep her cool if necessary. Granted, he hadn't thrown bad news at her like a grenade, so he decided to just go in headfirst. Taking a slow breath in at her words, Ryland's gaze fell to the table, worried that he'd upset her further somehow.

"I called my lawyer when I found out, and I think he called yours right after he got off the phone with me. I think we all secretly hoped it would get resolved already, and then it would soften the blow." That was wishful thinking, which was a Ryland Jennings specialty. "Listen, I've got a friend in the copyright office who flagged it. Soon as it's fixed, she's supposed to call me and let me know. We just have to make sure your mom doesn't start looking for your copyrights for the next album anytime soon. And maybe buy ourselves a week after it goes through so the paper trails are covered up."

Looking up at the girl, finally, Ryland's voice shifted from a confident and firm reassurance to more of a genuine and sincere apology. "Gem, I'm really fucking sorry. I don't know this happened, but I promise you, it won't happen again."

[alexeixpetrov]

He laughed "I mean that is not really that long... and it wont be long before I see a nice tree bark mark on that pretty face of yours" he teased. "But more like we need flashing light like watch out Ryland is coming!" he smirked "Or the guys that help lead a plane in and out in front of you?" he teased shaking his head. "That's good! how's it going? how is the song about a handsome single man why flys around the world going?" he joked with a smile. "but good I got in from flying someone from one gig to another so it wasn't to bad."

[rylandjennings]

"Nah, thankfully this mug o' mine wasn't too pretty to start off with, so a little scraping up never did me too much damage," Ryland shrugged, laughing a little. "Y'know, man, I just can't quite get it pinned down just yet, but I have a feeling once I do, it'll be the biggest hit there is. Hey, do you get to see any of the places you fly these fancy pants celebrities to? You know, have real adventures in cool places, that kind of thing."

[carsonwest]

Carson had some great stories from his first responder experiences, but dating stories, not so much. For the last few years, he'd usually been too busy with school, training, and getting into a firehouse in his hometown to focus too much on relationships. "Hey, at least you were getting some. I think Roscoe's been in my bed more than any human at this point," Carson laughed.

"Sometimes relationships are weird though. You know why? 'Cause people are weird. All unique, complicated folks. Get 'em together and of course there's gonna be bumps. But maybe next time, don't date someone who might be more at home on a hippie commune," Carson teased. The server brought over some more drinks for them, and Carson thanked her politely. "You got anything going on with your music right now? I bet my dad would love to pair you up with some artists."

[rylandjennings]

"You say that like 'getting some' is the end all, be all. It ain't, it's just part of the fun. Really, I think it can be overrated sometimes. Plenty of guys just run around trying to get laid and that's never been my style." He cleared his throat, raising a brow. "Roscoe's pretty nice to have around, huh? I'm thinkin' about getting a dog." Carson did make a good point, and Ry wasn't gonna argue with him. "Got it, no more hippies," he said with a laugh before reaching for the drink and taking a sip. "Oh, y'know, just the usual. Writing sessions, working on the logistics of getting them to the right artists, playin' the Music City game."

[ellie-jcnes]

Her hands were already moving to pour him a cup before he even responded to her question because she knew the answer. Every time he stepped foot in this diner, Ryland was drinking a coffee and eating a big breakfast no matter what time of day. "You want the usual or is it just coffee tonight? I hear pancakes and bacon soak up whiskey pretty well." Ellie smiled and set the steaming mug of coffee down in front of Ryland. She leaned both hands on the table and met his eyes as she took him in for more than half a second and shook her head. "Where you been tonight? Looks like you had a good time." She spoke with an easy smile, wishing she'd been out with him instead of serving milkshakes and burgers to half drunk teenagers.

[rylandjennings]

It wasn't that Ryland was drunk and hitting on Ellie, because truthfully, all he'd done by having a few drinks was lower his own wall of hesitations. He didn't think about the consequences of his words as much now as he normally would, didn't worry that she'd think he was foolish or a bother. Instead, he found himself leaning more toward her, his hand sliding over so that his finger could tap the back of one of her hands that was resting on the table. "You're a saint, Ellie Jones," he said softly with a second tap. "I'll take the usual, darlin'," he added. Ryland would get lost in that smile if she'd let him, and he was so happy to finally be seeing it for himself. Clearing his throat, he pulled his hand back and rubbed both of his together. "Well, I was out drinkin' with some buddies of mine," he said, "and the whole time I kept thinkin' 'I want to text Ellie.' Pulled out my phone to do just that and realized I don't have your number. I figured this was the next best thing, maybe even better."

[maggiedereux]

"Oh fuck you Ry." Maggie said jokingly before laughing.

"And I'm not old, I'm in the prime of my fucking life until I hit 90 or 100 and die." She mentioned before cutting up her eggs.

She listened to him, nodding her head.

"Yeah, don't worry you'll be the first one I call. We could do it together if she scraps the demos while my hubby keeps her distracted in her office and argues with her. I'd totally call up papa and he'd give her an earful too, you know how they really don't get along. He liked you more than she did. He still sits at his desk in his office at times and asks about you. He's been wanting to make a comeback album of his own I think, maybe I could give him your number?" She said.

She dipped her bacon into her runny eggs and took a bite before sipping more coffee.

"Papa is... he's a fucking saint. I don't understand how he's been married to my mother as long as he has. It's ridiculous really." She mused before sipping some of the soup that had been brought.

"Oh Petunia would love to meet you. And... only tell her the good stories, she doesn't need to know about my... antics." Maggie said with a smirk.

"You were always a perfectionist, that was always so fucking admirable with you. What are the songs about? Or is it a secret?" She asked with a smile before taking a bite of her eggs.

[rylandjennings]

"You and I both know you already have, and it ain't that special," he joked right back, offering a wink too. "Right, right, prime of your life. I'd believe that, you don't seem to age one bit, Mags. You just get cooler every year instead of older."

Ryland laughed at the idea of them retaliating against her mom. Somehow, that woman seemed to make less friends than anyone Ry knew, and it was a good thing she was married to a man with so much power. Otherwise, her own kids would probably disown her. "Sure, pass it along. I don't know that I'm really anybody of use to him, but I can never turn a Devereux down."

Ryland sipped from his coffee, considering the relationship between Maggie's parents. "I don't know, maybe there's something they still love about each other," he said, a little apprehension in his voice. It was hard to imagine, but truthfully, Ryland was a romantic and hated the idea of marriage without any love.

"We'll see, I don't know that you can really tell Maggie Devereux stories without including some of the antics. After all, you're a unique mix like that, wouldn't be fair to keep half her momma's history from her." Ryland lowered his mug, nodding a thanks as the waitress reappeared and filled it again.

"Perfectionist, huh? I guess that's better than insecure, which might just be more of the truth." He looked at her, almost as though he was trying to see if she was kidding in that moment. "Love, Maggie, they're always about love. Always."

[marcosxcosta]

He looked at him then gasped. "Are you saying I am to skinny?" he teased. He had fun working out and enjoyed it, and having a good idet. "Oh shh you are no teddy bear... and even if so some people like bears" he winked only teasing. "I mean if you wanna go with me, I can so get some" he smiled. He nodded "Yes! and now look at the gyms and sysems it's wild" he shook his head. "like why are the games so small now...but the boxes so big and have no books with them?" he didn't understand that.

[rylandjennings]

"Sure," Ryland said, laughing softly. It wasn't like the guy was having trouble fitting through any doors, and it wasn't Ryland's place to judge if he was. "Some people do," he confessed, shrugging his shoulders, "just not nearly enough of the girls I've met, I guess." Ryland ran a hand through his hair. "I'll never understand any of it, it's like phones. They started trying to make them smaller, then they went back to making 'em bigger again. Now they have some that fold in half and everything."

[roswellnmsource]

MAX EVANS in 2.11 “Linger”

[rylandjennings]

↦ closed starter  / @gemma-devereux ↦ location: tootsie's orchid lounge

Ryland hated difficult conversations, and it seemed like some of the worst ones came to a head with a certain Gemma Devereaux. He liked Gemma, she was one of the good ones in the Devereaux family as far as he was concerned, but that didn't mean they always saw eye to eye. As soon as he'd gotten off the phone with his lawyer, he'd called her up and asked her to meet him at Tootsie's. Ryland showed up and grabbed a seat, anxiously waiting for the blonde to arrive. As soon as she did, he raked his hand through his hair and cleared his throat, clearly not excited about what he had to say.

"So there was a mistake on the paperwork," he started, gaze falling to the table briefly before he forced himself to look at her in the eyes. "My lawyer's fixing it, but the song got filed with my real name on it and not RJ Thatcher. He's working on getting it fixed, but you'll want to keep your mom off the radar for a week or two, just to make sure it gets sorted out before she starts stalking your next big hit."

They had a mutual agreement. Any song he wrote on for her got filed with his ghost writer name, and he never told a soul he wrote it, mostly so neither of them had to face the fallout that was Mrs. Devereaux. However, he was really tired of the whole thing, he had been from the start. As much as he wished it could be clear cut, Ryland wasn't one to put anyone in a bind, so he could only hold so much of a grudge about it all. "I'm sorry, Gemma, I really am. I promise you, as soon as I heard, I was on the phone with my lawyer. It'll get resolved, I swear. I just figured you could use a drink with this news instead of hearing it over text."

[maggiedereux]

"Chicks? You mean middle aged chicks right? I thought that's all that shopped there in the women's department." Maggie teased.

Maggie took a drag from her cigarette, blowing out some smoke before shaking her head, a sad smile coming across her face.

"No. Things have never been good with her. Once she figured out that I'm not the type to just roll over and submit to her demands... it only made her try to control me more... only made her worse, that and she hates my marriage. Oh, she can't stand it when I talk back to her... it's the most satisfying thing ever. And that woman could haunt the Devil's nightmares and keep him awake at night." Maggie mused as she shook her head before pursing her lips, a smile coming across her face briefly before it faded.

"Hell no. And if she ends up fucking with the demos well... I know where she keeps her precious gold records and awards from the good old 80s... gimme 30 minutes and a sledgehammer and it'll be bye bye awards. It's been fucking difficult to even get her to budge on the rock thing let alone the duo. She hates all of it, but even she knows that the money talks. I'm one of her biggest stars and if I make enough noise, she'll have to let the demos go through... untouched by her grubby claws." Maggie said with a serious gaze before eating some more bacon.

"I ain't a little girl anymore Ry, if she wants a fight I'll give it to her."

Maggie had always had a temper and it had only gotten worse with age.

Upon talking about Petunia, Maggie's demeanor changed. She grinned happily before chuckling.

"Yeah, she's such a good little girl. She looks like her papa but she acts just like me. She's real precious, Ry. I want you to meet her someday soon. She'd love you."

Maggie smiled at Ryland, her gaze never leaving him.

"Being busy sure ain't a bad thing. Got any new songs you've been working on?" She asked curiously.

[rylandjennings]

"Maggie, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think we're pushin' middle aged these days," he replied, his voice lowering to a whisper as he gestured between the two of them. "And don't even try to call me old, 'cause we both know you're nine months older than me." He punctuated the remark with a wink, playful and light.

Ryland Jennings didn't harbor much hatred for anyone, but Maggie's mom was as close as he thought he'd ever get to hating someone. In the beginning, he'd tried so hard to get her family to like him, and the woman never made an effort to hide her disdain for the country kid from Illinois. As Maggie's career took off, she was even less subtle about just how much he wasn't good enough for her, often reminding him that he was a distraction, holding her back from success, and altogether just plain not good enough for her. It had been hard to hear as a 22 year old kid, but harder to think back on now when he saw everything Maggie had that he was missing out on.

Hearing that her mom hadn't changed only made Ryland's anger even worse, and he had to mentally remind himself to unclench his jaw as the woman before him spoke more. "She touches those demos and you call me up. I've got a sledgehammer somewhere I can show up with if I need to." The anger was quickly replaced by a sparkle in his eyes at the determination of one Maggie Devereaux. "There's the Maggie I know," he added with a nod of his head.

Meeting Maggie's daughter was one thing Ryland genuinely wanted to do. It was hard to explain, but it felt like seeing her would help him really stop wondering what could've been, maybe help shut that door for good. "I'd love to meet her, she sounds like my kinda gal. I bet we'd get along great. Plus, I got plenty of stories about her momma to share."

Ry took a long draw from his coffee mug and hummed softly as he considered the projects he had in the pipeline. "I've got a few sessions coming up next week that look promising. I'm working on a couple songs on my own that I like, but I haven't finished them and you know me, I can't pitch 'em until they're done. So we'll see what happens with those."

[rylandjennings]

↦ closed starter  / @hayespcrter ↦ location: digital domain

There was nothing like the feeling of getting to see one of his songs go from start to finish. Hayes was one of the producers he knew personally, and it meant the world to him each time the guy invited him into the studio to watch him work. It was even better because Hayes knew which songs were Ry's, and that meant he got to watch them come to life well beyond a songwriting studio or demo phase.

They'd just been wrapping up a recording session for a song he'd written with a lesser-known artist from out of state, and Ryland had watched Hayes work his magic to really bring the song to a new level. "I'm not exaggerating one bit, Hayes," Ryland said as the song playing in the headset he was wearing came to an end. Pulling the headphones off, he continued. "You're seriously a magician. It's insane, I am pretty sure your brain is made of unicorn dust or something. Whatever turns normal brains into magic ones, that's what you've got up there."