Unattainable

by Schlosser, Jamie

  I wasn’t even close to being done making it up to her, which was the reason for my delay arriving back in the States.

  I sent a text to Theo, detailing all the favors I needed from him to carry out my mission, and I heard his approaching footsteps a couple minutes later.

  With a tired grunt, he sat next to me.

  “Taking a break from yelling at the crew?” I joked.

  He frowned. “I’m not that bad. I just want everything to go right for once.”

  “I know.” I was glad he cared so deeply about this production, and it was one of the main reasons for my next suggestion. “So, I’ve been thinking… After my one-year contract is up with Rodeo Records, I’m not going to sign with them again.”

  “Because they couldn’t get Corrie rehired? You know that’s not their fault.”

  Our persuasive argument to get Corrie back on board failed. Dennis and Darrell couldn’t do anything about the shitty situation. Corrie’s employment had been with NTT, and after the way they’d treated her, I wasn’t all that keen on her staying on with them anyway.

  I shook my head. “No. Something you said yesterday stuck in my mind—how I could do anything I want.”

  “And?”

  “And I want to start my own label,” I told him, glancing his way. “With you.”

  “With me?” His eyes widened comically. “I don’t know the first thing about music, and I don’t have a ton of cash to invest.”

  “You’re a great producer and a kickass assistant.”

  “Ah, that’s what it is. Didn’t want to lose having me at your beck and call.” Grinning, he tapped his suit pocket where he kept his phone. “I got your slew of orders.”

  “Requests,” I corrected. “Got a lot to take care of in the next forty-eight hours before I leave here, and I could use the help.”

  “You know I got your back.”

  “I do. And that’s what would make you a great business partner. In all honesty, I don’t want you working for me. I want you working with me. Say yes,” I pleaded. “I don’t want to do it without you.”

  “I’ll have to talk to Hadley about it,” he responded tactfully. “But I think she’d love Tennessee. If she’s in, I’m in.”

  A huge grin broke out on my face, because I could picture it—the two of us being an unstoppable force in the music industry. Living near each other, with our significant others becoming best friends. Having kids and raising our families together.

  Close. Inseparable. Just how it should be.

  “Well, before we talk anymore business, I have to ask you something.” Theo scrolled through his phone and turned the screen my way, showing me one of my ‘requests.’ The main part of my plan. “Are you sure about this? You’re making a lot of major decisions in a small amount of time. Buying a property you haven’t even seen in person yet is a really big deal.”

  “Yep.” I nodded, unable to keep the excitement out of my response. “I’ve never been surer about anything in my life.”

  “HOLY CRAP.” I GAWKED AT the tall iron gates, my car idling as I waited for them to open all the way.

  I drove the rented BMW—courtesy of The Champion Sisters—down a winding path paved with asphalt. The crisp spring air floated through the open windows. Magnolia trees on either side of the lane were in full bloom, and the pink petals sprinkled down with whimsical beauty in the sunshine, dropping onto the black lacquer of the hood of the car.

  Aiden wasn’t wasting any time putting down roots in Tennessee. He’d invited me to come see the house he was scoping out—a country estate just fifteen minutes outside of Nashville.

  To be honest, I was more excited about seeing him than the house.

  However, that changed once the brick monstrosity came into view.

  “Holy crap,” I repeated, steering around the large four-tiered fountain in the circle drive.

  I spotted a three-car garage around the back, but I decided to park right outside the front door.

  The Tudor-style mansion was two stories tall. Green ivy climbed up the stone in some places. With towers on each side, it kind of resembled a castle.

  It was beyond gorgeous.

  As I stepped out of the car, I craned my neck to look up at the windows, trying to work out in my mind how many rooms it had.

  I was so entranced by the awe of it that I didn’t even hear Aiden come up behind me. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, and I squealed with surprise as I was lifted into the air.

  As soon as Aiden spun me to face him, rapid-fire kisses landed on my cheeks, my forehead, my nose.

  I laughed.

  Jumping up and hooking my ankles behind Aiden’s back, I returned the enthusiastic show of affection, grand house forgotten. I caught his lips with mine, and the kisses became slower. Deeper. More sensual.

  When his big hands cupped my ass cheeks, giving them a squeeze, I moaned into his mouth. “I’ve been dreaming about your dexterous fingers.”

  He rumbled out a sound of agreement as his tongue stroked mine, and he braced my back against the driver’s side door of the car.

  We made out like horny teenagers for at least ten minutes, but eventually, we had to separate.

  “Wanna see the place?” Aiden panted.

  Right. We were in someone else’s driveway.

  Nodding, I untangled myself from his body, hoping a realtor didn’t just get an eyeful.

  He linked our fingers and led me inside. The entryway was spacious with unbelievably tall ceilings and a warm tan color on the walls. A wide staircase went up to the second floor, and a balcony along the hallway overlooked the foyer. With the stone tiles under my feet and the bronze-finish chandelier over my head, the décor had a rustic feel to it.

  “What do you think?” Aiden gave me a hopeful look.

  “This is… beautiful.” Feeling a bit speechless, I followed him into the formal living room to our right.

  There was no furniture, but I could envision wingback chairs in front of the woodburning fireplace at the other end of the room. The seashell picture frame I’d made for us could go on the mantel.

  “A nice oriental rug would look great on this dark hardwood flooring,” I mused, spreading my arms wide over the area where I stood in the middle of the room. “Maybe a leather couch and a coffee table here. And at Christmas, the bay window would be a great place to put the tree.”

  I hoped I wasn’t overstepping by playing interior decorator. It was just too fun to voice the possibilities.

  I looked outside at the fountain and the lawn, wondering what it would be like to curl up with a good book and a bad cup of tea when I came over to hang out.

  When I turned to see if Aiden had any input, my gaze locked onto a pineapple nightlight plugged into the wall behind him. It was identical to the ones we had at the resort.

  I blinked at it, confused.

  Aiden didn’t give me a chance to comment, because his hand pressed to the small of my back as he guided me away. “Wait until you see the kitchen. I realize you don’t like to cook, but we can hire a chef to come here a few times a week to make healthy, non-choking hazard meals.”

  My mouth hung open like a gaping fish as we walked through the dining room. A rustic light fixture hung over the space where the table would go. French doors led out to a large patio and I caught sight of an inground pool in the backyard.

  Whipping my head left and right, I searched for the electrical sockets and saw it—another pineapple nightlight.

  Then we made it to the kitchen, and Aiden was right. This was a room anyone would dream of. A huge island with barstool seating. Creamy marble countertops. Dark wooden cabinets. Oversized stainless-steel appliances.

  And next to the farmhouse sink, another nightlight cast a dim glow against the ceramic backsplash.

  “We can put a small table over here.” Aiden paced to the breakfast nook. “Maybe a round one that seats four.” Motioning to the window overlooking the pool, he gestured for me to come forward. “We can swim anyti
me we want during the summer. And see that? There’s a rock wall with a waterfall. Kinda reminds me of our cove. We can carve our names in it. But the best part? Get this—there’s a full recording studio in the basement. We can make music whenever we want.”

  He was talking like it was a done deal.

  We hadn’t spoken much in the past couple days. Between my job interview and Aiden traveling, our conversations had been forced to stay short. But it was obvious he’d been busy with a lot more than hanging out on a plane and attending meetings.

  Suspicion drove me to the fridge and when I opened it, I saw protein shakes, strawberry jelly, and applesauce.

  “You already bought it,” I concluded. Glancing back at Aiden, I tilted my head to study his sheepish expression. “And you keep saying ‘we.’”

  “It was too perfect to pass up,” he rushed out. “The location, the pool, the fact that a music producer used to live here and everything you would need is downstairs. There were multiple offers on the table, so I put in the highest bid, because I want the best for you—”

  “Aiden,” I softly interrupted. “Are you… asking me to move in with you?”

  It made sense now—the pineapple nightlights. It was a personal touch meant just for me, and I wondered if there was one in every single room of the house.

  Nodding, Aiden said, “Yeah, I am. Before you say no, just see the rest of the house. There’s seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and—”

  I held up a hand to stop him because he didn’t need to dangle luxury in front of my face to get a yes. “I would live anywhere with you, don’t you know that?”

  The way his tense body sagged with relief told me that he didn’t realize how badly I needed him. Yes, the place was amazing, but I would’ve been content in a one-bedroom apartment, as long as we were together.

  Now that I knew what it was like to be with him—really be with him—these past few days without Aiden were harder than the two and a half years we spent apart.

  Before I knew it, I was swept up in Aiden’s arms, being swung around the kitchen.

  I laughed as he set me on the island, and I had a sudden vision of us hanging out here. Making out here. Doing other things here.

  Full-blown excitement set in for Aiden, now that the big question was out of the way. He was practically hopping up and down as he said, “Theo and Hadley are looking into a place a few miles from here.”

  “They’re moving here?” His childlike enthusiasm made me grin.

  “Yep. Theo and I are going to start our own record label. The Legend Brothers has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? We want to focus on an old-school country style. We’ve already talked to The Champion Sisters—we want to be affiliated with them. We’ll send the edgier artists their way, and they’ll refer the more traditional ones to us. We’re already working on recruiting Stan.”

  “Because he won?”

  Yeah, much to everyone’s surprise, Stan was the big winner of Stranded with a Legend. According to Aiden, Dennis and Darrell’s decision was tough, but what pushed them toward Stan was the duet performance from a couple weeks ago.

  The fact that Aiden and Stan meshed well couldn’t be denied. The pairing was a no-brainer for the collaboration on Aiden’s debut album.

  “Nah.” Shaking his head, Aiden said, “I’d still want Stan on board even if he’d been kicked off in the beginning. The dude is just that awesome.”

  “Wow, this is crazy.” I shook my head, having trouble keeping up with all the news. “You and Theo will make a great team.”

  His sheepish expression returned. “Well, I know you just got a really good job, but in about a year we’re going to need a music producer. I was hoping to lure you over to our team when that time comes.”

  Shocked and flattered, I gaped at him.

  I was so grateful for the audio engineer position I’d just snagged, and I was going to learn so much. But it was just a step on the ladder to where I really wanted to go. The chance of being promoted there within the next five years was slim. Right now I was basically an assistant to an assistant on the totem pole of success.

  Aiden was offering me a guaranteed job at the top if they got this business off the ground. And they would, no doubt about it.

  “When did you decide all this?” I asked, squeezing Aiden’s hips with my knees.

  “Just a few days ago.” He moved in close and rubbed his nose over mine.

  “You’ve been very busy.”

  “Baby, you have no idea.” He sent me a panty-melting grin, complete with the dimple. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want in life, and the only requirement is you. The rest is just a bonus.”

  As I was contemplating how fast I could get my jeans off—because yeah, the guy was totally getting laid after that line—Aiden dragged me off the counter and tugged me by the hand to show me the rest of the house.

  It was a quick tour.

  The other half of the downstairs included a family room, a library, and a four-seasons porch with a hot tub. The upstairs had all the bedrooms, an office, and a crap ton of bathrooms. Seriously, how many people would need to take a piss at the same time in this house?

  And there were nightlights in every room. Every single one, even the walk-in closets. Apparently, Aiden bought out the entire stock from the resort.

  I felt numb from shock as we made it back down to the foyer. I thought Aiden would take us to the basement next, but instead, he led me outside through the front door.

  To the right, there was a wide trail through the trees that I hadn’t noticed before, and that was the direction we headed.

  Aiden smiled. “I have one last surprise.”

  I stared at the empty horse stalls of the huge steel outbuilding. There were twelve stalls in total, but the two right in front of me had the exact same nameplates from Maria’s ranch—one for Fergus and one for Dolly.

  “You—where—I—wha—” Speechless. This entire day had stolen all my words. Fortunately, Aiden knew what I was trying to ask.

  “They won’t get here until next week,” he answered, coming up behind me. He hooked his arms around my middle and rested his chin on my head. “But yes, I bought them. They’re ours.”

  He’d thought of everything. Every detail to make this house my home.

  “I never took you for a gambling man,” I teased, leaning my head back to look at him. “What would you have done if I’d said no to all of this.” I waved my hand around the stables and toward the house. “Like, if you bought all this stuff for me and then I left you?”

  Aiden’s face screwed up as he scratched his jaw.

  “Well, darlin’, I reckon I would’ve had to write the saddest country song anyone’s ever heard.” The way he drawled it with an accent was the cutest.

  “That actually sounds like it could be a really good song.” The smile stretching over my face was so big it actually hurt my cheeks.

  “Speaking of music, let’s go check out the studio.” He draped his arm over my shoulders as we walked out into the sun. “And I think we should pay a special visit to the isolation booth.”

  My heartrate picked up and so did my pace, eager to get Aiden naked. “Does it have a pineapple nightlight?”

  “You know it.”

  We took off on a run, laughing like kids as we raced on the trail.

  Just then, a bushy animal scurried across the road only five feet from us, and I halted with a squeal. It was just a regular squirrel—not even a flying one—but it startled me anyway.

  Aiden didn’t laugh at me or roll his eyes like some people might have. He just put his back toward me and extended his arms. “Hop on.”

  Once I was situated for my piggyback ride, he resumed our trek to the house.

  A happy sigh left me, and I squeezed him tight.

  The man I thought I’d never have was mine, forever and always.

  I nuzzled his neck and whispered, “I know we don’t need the truth dare anymore, but can I tell you one more anyway?”<
br />
  “Of course.”

  “I think I’m gonna keep you, Aiden the unattainable.”

  Six Years Later

  AFTER STRANDED WITH A LEGEND aired, my fame blew up for a while. Rodeo Records was quick to get an album out and I had two singles shoot to the number one spot on the charts, one of which was my song with Stan.

  Then the touring started. Carson got to join my band the following summer while he was out of school, and Corrie came with me whenever she could. However, the schedule was rigorous, and I didn’t get to be home often. I lost count of how many nights I sang Corrie to sleep over the phone.

  I missed her, I longed for stability, and I lost my drive to keep performing.

  I ended up calling it quits after eight months.

  During that time, Theo had been back in Nashville getting our company going.

  Stan was the first to sign with us.

  Twila and Jordan weren’t far behind. Not long after the show, they’d gotten married and formed their own band. Now, their duo was one of our top sellers.

  And I’d never loved a job more. Our label allowed me to be at home producing music, spending time with the love of my life, and making other people’s dreams come true.

  That was my real passion—helping others achieve what I thought I wanted.

  I didn’t care if the tabloids called me a two-hit wonder. That was two more hits than most anyone else would ever have. And I was happy—that was what mattered most.

  Theo dropped into the folding chair next to me, his phone glued to his ear. “I’m so glad to hear that.” He was using his professional voice. “Yep. Let’s set it up. You got it.”

  When he hung up, I shot him the side-eye. “Didn’t I tell you to take a day off? It’s Bella’s birthday. No work calls.”

  “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew who I just signed.”

  “Who?”

  “Byron Phillips.”

  I sat up straighter. “No.”

  “Yes.” He grinned.

  I fist-pumped the air. We’d been trying to get the young star for a while now. He actually started out with another new record label a couple years ago. He’d found success quickly, but the producers were dragging their feet on cranking out more material. I didn’t know for sure, but I suspected they took on too much too fast. They had too many artists to manage.