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“I think I’ve always loved you.”
Moving out of his arms, I knelt and looked into those eyes that matched the color of the Texas sky above.
“Oh, Anson. I’ve loved you since the first moment you smiled at me in grade school and told me my eyes looked like the stuff your mother puts on your ice cream.”
Anson laughed, then pulled me to him. He rolled me onto the blanket and stared into my eyes.
“Caramel. Probably why I love it to this day.”
My fingers moved lightly across my lips. What came next was a kiss. A kiss I would never forget. A kiss I would compare all other kisses to. A kiss that would forever haunt me. Anytime I smelled lavender, I thought of that day. Of Anson confessing his love for me.
“Bristol?”
I snapped my head quickly to Anna. “I’m sorry, I got lost in a moment.”
She smiled softly. “Today’s gift is yesterday’s memory.”
Her words sat on my chest like a heavy weight. “Yeah, funny thing is, sometimes those memories are not always a gift.”
When her smile faded, I picked up the tray and headed into the tea room.
Anson
ROBERT PACED BACK and forth behind his desk. I could see the downtown skyline of Nashville from the oversized windows in his office.
“The record company is livid. Your temper, Anson. Your attitude. It’s out of control.”
I nodded. He was right, so there was no use arguing. When Bob McAllen had showed up at the police station and started to bitch at me, I told him to fuck off. Yep. I told the VP of Nashville Music Records to fuck off. Needless to say, he turned to Robert, told him to get me under control, and added that negotiations would be put on hold until I figured my shit out.
“He broke the law, Robert. I put a restraining order against Mack to stay away from my grandparents’ and parents’ house. He broke it, and then he dragged Bristol into this.”
Robert stopped and glared at me. “He brought Bristol into this?”
I swallowed. Hard.
He slowly brought his hand up and pointed at me. “You …you, Anson. You brought her into this by writing most of your damn songs about her.”
“I never once used her name or talked about her in public. And those songs have made you a pretty little penny, in case you’ve forgotten,” I countered.
He sighed, scrubbed his hands down his face, and then dropped into his chair.
“You need to leave Nashville for a while. Get away, like you mentioned the other day.”
“Fine by me. I’ll get Lanny to find me somewhere far away on a beach.”
His eyes lifted and met mine. “No, you’re going home, Anson.”
I laughed. “Home? You’re keeping me locked in my house, Robert?”
The smirk that spread across his face made me grip the arm rail of the chair I was sitting on.
“You’re going home to Comfort. You’re going to work out whatever shit that you have with Bristol and your daddy. You’re going to fix whatever fucking shit is going on that has your head up your ass. And then you’re going to cool down, for good.”
I stared at him. “Comfort? You think I’m going back to Comfort?”
“No, I don’t think. I know. Anson, you need to figure out where you see your career going from this point on. You’re unhappy, I see it. Lanny sees it. Hell, even your dog walker sees it.”
“Dog nanny. She likes to be called a dog nanny.”
The muscle in Robert’s cheek twitched, and I looked down at the floor.
“Go spend the next month or two in Texas and don’t come back until you fix what needs to be fixed. Then we’ll both go to the label and see what needs to be done to get you back on track with negotiations. If and only if that is something you decide you want to do.”
I sighed. It was like he could read my mind. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to keep doing this.
“You’ve had an amazing career, Anson. It shot off like a rocket and you’ve been going non-stop for six years. No one would blame you if you took a step back. And you’re famous enough that you don’t have to live in Nashville anymore. You can live anywhere you want.”
“Comfort?” I whispered as I let the idea of heading back home sink in. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been back. I had, a few times. But only Grams, Granddaddy, and my mama knew.
Robert nodded. “I’ve already told Lanny to get the plane ready to take you back home tomorrow morning. She’s going to go with you, help you get things settled, and stay a week or two. She’s already canceled the last two shows in Nashville, as well as the European tour dates, again.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked.
He gave me a frustrated look. “Yes. Tomorrow.”
