He closed his eyes and sighed before opening them again. The way those blue eyes stared back at me had my heartbeat picking up. I realized he was worried about something.
“Robert called me earlier. He wants me to come back to Nashville.”
My stomach dropped, and the little bubble I had let myself live in was popped instantly.
“Okay. When?”
“He’d like for me to come back as soon as possible. The record company wants to talk about another contract, and Robert is pretty certain they want at least another three, maybe four albums.”
I smiled, and a warm sense of pride filled my chest. “That’s a good thing, right?”
He returned the smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. They looked so confused, and that bothered me. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t support him. I did, and it might be hard, but we’d figure everything out.
“Yeah, that’s a good thing.”
“When are you going to leave?” I asked.
He looked away. “He wants me there tomorrow morning. He’s sending a private plane to pick me, Lanny, and Brad up tonight.”
“What about Zeus?” I asked, knowing Anson didn’t like to travel by plane.
Anson looked back at me and winked. “I was sort of hoping he could stay with you. He’s fallen in love with you, and it’s going to be a quick trip. I’ll be back in a day or two.”
That lifted my spirits. “Of course he can stay here! He can stay with me as long as you want him to.”
He nodded then leaned down and kissed me again. “I’m sorry I have to leave on such short notice.”
With a slight chuckle, I replied, “It’s okay. I know you’re coming back.”
“Once I get there and have a better idea of when we’re meeting, I’ll call you and let you know when I plan on coming back. Lanny will stay in Nashville. Robert wants to talk about when we’re going to start the European tour. I still have a few dates I need to make up for. I don’t suppose you could take some time off and come with me?”
“To Europe?” I asked with a laugh.
“Yeah, to Europe.”
My laughter faded when I realized he was serious. “You want me to come to Europe with you?”
“I only have four shows to do. London, Paris, Barcelona, and then we end in Dublin, Ireland. You’d be gone for two weeks.”
“Um…I guess it depends on when.”
“Probably in a few months—so late summer, early fall. Let me talk to Robert about it. We had to cancel the shows when I had my little…”
“Incident with your fist hitting a reporter’s face?” I said with a smirk.
“Yeah. That.”
“I think I can manage if I have enough notice.”
A wide smile grew across his face, and my knees felt weak. “Really? You’ll come?”
“Of course I will.”
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me once more. Goodness, the man was full of mind-blowing kisses today.
“Anything to have you in my bed every night, Bri. While you’re in an agreeing mood…there’s a private function in Nashville this weekend. I wasn’t going to go, but if you could, what about flying up Friday, and we could come back to Comfort on Sunday night? You’d only miss two days of work.”
The thought of going to Nashville with Anson was exciting. “I could ask my mom and Mindy if they can cover for me. That won’t be an issue. Maybe I can ask Drake to stay at the house and watch Zeus. If he can’t, I know Mindy will. She’s fallen in love with that dog too.”
Anson’s eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. “The event is Saturday night, so I can show you around Nashville and you can see my home there.”
“I’d love that,” I said, and I meant it with all my heart. That town had been such a huge part of his life the last six years, and I wanted to see what his world was like there.
“How do you feel about flying on a private jet? They’re smaller, but safe. I swear to you. You’ll fly out of the Kerrville airport.”
“A private jet?” I asked with a disbelieving laugh. “Anson, I can fly on Southwest or something.”
He shook his head. “No. If I send the jet back for you, it’ll be a straight flight, first thing Friday morning. That means more time that you’re with me.”
I placed my hand on his chest and felt the beat of his heart. The last few weeks had been such a whirlwind, and I had really longed for things to settle down. But then maybe this was my new life now and things wouldn’t really ever settle down. At the very least, things would be interesting. Private jets. Private parties. Flights around the globe.
“Will I need a dress?”
“I’ll have Lanny take care of it.”
I frowned. “I can buy my own dress, Anson.”
He laughed. “I know you can, Baby. But it’s what I pay her to do.”
That made my stomach lurch slightly. “Pay her to buy women’s dresses for parties?”
I pushed away from him, suddenly dizzy with the awful feeling of jealousy. Where in the hell had that come from?
Anson reached for my arm and pulled me back to him. His eyes met mine.
“Stop. That’s not what I meant. Lanny has never bought clothing for any woman. Ever. I was only saying she could do it since you most likely won’t have time. It’s a formal party, and you’ll need a formal gown. Lanny is used to buying clothes for me, and I know she’ll enjoy shopping for a woman for once.”
It felt so strange, the idea of another woman purchasing a dress for me.
I nodded, not sure if I was on board with the whole idea, but he was right. There was no way I’d have time to look for a formal dress. Much less afford one that would be worthy of a Nashville music event.
“Okay, I’ll fly on your fancy private jet and let your assistant buy me a dress.”
“It’s Robert’s plane, by the way. And thank you for coming. It really means a lot to me.”
I reached up onto my toes and kissed him, all the doubts wiped clean by the handsome smile on his face. “You’re welcome.”
It was the least I could do. I truly wanted to support Anson and his career. How that would work exactly, we would soon find out.
Anson
THE CONTRACT SLID across the table toward me. I glanced around at the three men standing in the room. Robert, Bob McAllen from the record company, and Jim Mason from my publishing group.
“We want three more records with the option to do another Christmas album,” Bob stated with a wide smile.
I glanced at the other two men who wore similar smiles.
I looked back down at the contract. A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice about signing this. But a new contract meant a hell of a lot more songs to write. Then record. Then there was promoting three albums. I’d be going on back-to-back tours.
I rubbed the back of my neck as I heard Robert clear his throat.
“Anson, why are you staring at the contract?” Bob asked, a bit of snark in his voice.
I looked up at Robert, and he had a different smile on his face now as well as a completely different look in his eyes.
Bob leaned back in his chair. “You have a bit of a reputation for being the bad boy of country music. While I’ll admit, at times, it has caused me a gray hair or two, you know how to write and sing. Your fans love you, and we’re willing to take that risk on you again.”
I wanted to laugh in his face. I’d made this record company a lot of money over the last six years, and he certainly didn’t need to make that last comment.
Robert stood. “Gentlemen, would you both be so kind as to excuse us for a moment?”
Bob gave him a tight smile. Jim simply got up, slapped me on the back, and motioned for Bob to lead the way out of the room. Once the door shut, I looked at Robert.
He raised a brow and asked, “You want to tell me what’s going on? You haven’t been yourself since you showed up in Nashville yesterday.”
“I’m not so sure I want to do this anymore, Robert.”
His brow lifted even higher. “Are you saying you want to walk away from country music?”
I swallowed and lowered my head some. “I’m saying I might want to walk away from performing. I still want to write songs—I’m just not so sure this is my dream anymore.”
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Does a certain Bristol Overmann have anything to do with this?”
“She plays some part in it. But the last month I’ve been home, I’ve felt a piece of me that was missing finally come back. I felt whole. I know I can have it both ways, but at what cost? You know how much I’d be gone promoting these new albums. I’d like to marry Bristol and possibly start a family.”
“Other artists have kids and make it work.”
“Yeah, and a lot of them take their kids on the road. I don’t want that life for Bristol or our kids. I want them to have the life I had growing up.”
He nodded. “That’s fair enough. What do you need from me?”
“I need some time to think. To talk it over with Bristol. She already said if I give her enough notice, she’ll come on tour with me in Europe. But asking her to put the dream she worked for on hold while she follows me around or have me leave her behind for weeks at a time—I’m not sure I can do it. No wait, that’s not true. I can do it...I’m not sure I want to do it.”
“The record company will want you to tour.”
“I know,” I stated, glancing down at the contract once more. “Can you ask them to give me a week, maybe two to make a decision?”
He drew in a slow, deep breath and then exhaled. “They’re not going to be happy about this and will think you’re after more money.”
“I know, but you sent me back home to figure out what I wanted. I need the time, Robert. All I’m asking for is one week.”
A smile came over his face. “I already see the answer in your eyes, Anson. You’ve already made up your mind.”
I smirked. “Maybe, but I don’t want to make any firm decisions just yet.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get them to give you a week.”
Standing, I reached out and shook the hand of the man who had made all this possible, and the one person who probably knew me better than I knew myself.
When Bristol got off the plane, she dropped her bag and launched herself into my arms.
Laughing, she kissed me. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve only been gone a couple of days,” I replied, kissing her back.
She let go of me, and I reached down to pick up her bag.
“You packed light.”
With a shrug and then a wink, she replied, “I figured I wouldn’t need very many clothes for the weekend.”
I let out a growl and she laughed.
“Did Lanny text you?”
“She did, and she is very thorough. She asked me my favorite colors, shoe size, lingerie size. I nearly died when she asked me if I would prefer Jimmy Choo or Louboutin. I told her neither, something inexpensive would be fine.”
I laughed. “So that’s why Lanny sent me two pictures of black high heels and told me to pick.”
“Oh, Lord,” Bristol said with an eye roll. “Which one did you pick?”
“Honestly? They both looked the same, so I told her to go with the more expensive one.”
Bristol stopped walking and looked at me. “Why would you do that?”
I pulled her to me and kissed her. “Because I can. Bri, I can afford it. Trust me.”
“That doesn’t matter. I can’t afford it. I’m on a very strict budget, so paying six hundred dollars for a pair of heels is insane.”
“Hey,” I said as I placed my hand on the side of her face. “I haven’t gotten to spoil you ever. Please let me do it.”
She sighed and looked away with a distraught expression.
“Please?”
A small smile caused the corners of her mouth to rise slightly. “Fine, but no more expensive shoes. Geesh, how much did the dress cost?”
There was no way in hell I was telling her how much the gown cost or who had made it. Once she was in it and we were in the limo, I would tell her it was Versace. The moment Lanny sent me the picture, I knew Bristol needed to wear that dress.
“Do you still not like fried pickles?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.
She curled her lip. “Gross.”
Laughing, I replied, “Well, I’m about to make you a lover of fried pickles, Sweetheart.”
When we walked out of the private wing of the airport, I headed toward my Ford truck.
“Nice truck,” she said with a laugh. “I bet you’ve really hated driving Irwin’s old truck when you had this sitting here.”
“Actually, I’d take Granddad’s truck over this one any day.”
She slid into the passenger side and asked me why.
“Because I made love to you in the bed of that truck. It’ll always be my favorite.”
Her cheeks turned red, and she looked down at her hands.
I leaned in and kissed her cheek then shut the door and jogged around to the other side.
After hopping in, I looked at her. “Let’s go explore Nashville.”
For the most part, we were pretty much left alone. A few people approached me for an autograph or a picture, but Nashville wasn’t like other places. It wasn’t uncommon to see someone in the industry walking down Broadway. Bristol didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the interruptions, which was a relief. Not that I thought she would be.
I decided to stop at one of my favorite places to eat in Nashville, The Slider House.
“This is delicious!” Bristol said as she took the last bite of a Black and Bleu slider.
“And the fried pickles?” I asked as I popped one into my mouth.
She reached over and dipped a fried pickle into the ranch and then ate it. With a thumbs up, she giggled.
“I told you I’d change your ways.”
“That you did.”
“So what do you think of Nashville so far?”
She smiled and wiped at the corner of her mouth. “I like it. It’s got a fun vibe to it. So different from Comfort.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s for sure. If you’re done, I’ll pay and then we can head to my house.”
“Sounds good. I’m exhausted.”
“Damn, here I’ve been dragging you all over and didn’t even think about how early you got up.”
Bristol waved her hand to brush it off. Then she yawned, and we both laughed.
Twenty-five minutes later, I pulled up to my gate. As it opened, I waited for Bristol to say something. I chanced a look her way and nearly laughed when I saw her mouth hanging open.
“This is your house?” she asked.
“This is it.”
I felt her eyes on me as I drove down the drive.
“How big is this house?”
“About five-thousand square feet. But I have a recording studio out back that has a guest house. That’s another two-thousand square feet. It’s an old restored farmhouse. And one of the reasons I bought this place was because it reminded me of you.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait to see it.” She looked out the truck’s window again. “Well, wow. I mean I figured you lived in a nice place, but…”
“It’s just a house,” I said as parked in the driveway of my 1930’s Belle Meade brick home. It sat on four acres of land, which gave me a bit of privacy, yet I was close enough to the city.
“Let’s go in the front, and I can show you around really quick.”
She took my hand when I extended it. We walked up the porch, and I punched in the code and opened the door. Bristol walked in and gasped as she took in the Victorian-style décor. A massive staircase stood before us as we stopped in the foyer.
“It reminds me of Irma and Irwin’s house.”
“Yeah, it’s part of the reason I bought it. Mom and Grams helped decorate it. I mainly just spend my time in the gym, the man cave—which is just a living room tha
t looks like a bachelor lives there—and the kitchen. When I’m not in any of those places, I’m in the studio. There are five bedrooms, six bathrooms. A pool and hot tub out back as well as a fire pit.”
After a quick tour of the house, I brought Bristol upstairs to my room. I could tell her head was spinning. It was one thing to know I was successful, another to see exactly how successful. I had no idea how I was going to break the news to her that I had paid off her mortgage on the tea room and her home. I knew she’d be pissed.
She turned to face me when we walked into the bedroom, and I saw it in her eyes.
Fear.
“There’s no competing with this.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She turned in a circle. “Anson, your bedroom alone is huge. Why would you ever want to leave a home like this and live in Comfort part-time?”
I walked over to her, and I pulled her into my arms. “Do you know where home is to me?”
Her eyes met mine.
I placed my hand on her chest. “Right here. You’re my home, Bristol. You always have been, and I was stupid not to come back to you. I was a coward. When I saw you that day in Comfort, and you punched me…” I shook my head and laughed. “I’ve never felt more at peace than I did that day.”
I motioned around the room with my hand as I went on. “This doesn’t mean anything to me. I was told to buy a big house, so I bought a big house. I lived in a loft in downtown Nashville for a few years before my financial guy told me I needed to buy property. I don’t care about this, any of it. When I kiss you, Bri, I can’t help but feel like we’re walking in that field again, just you and me, and I’m overcome with a sense of peace. I want to utter the words I love you a dozen times a day so you don’t forget. Because I haven’t been able to say that in the last few years, even though I thought it daily.”
“Anson,” she whispered as she wiped a tear away.
“Bri, don’t you get it? No matter where we are, here in Nashville, in Comfort—hell, even in a run-down shack—no matter where we are, when I’m with you…when I’m with you, I’m home.”
“I love you so much.”
With a smile, I cupped her face and brushed my lips over her mouth as I whispered, “I love you more.”
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