AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turned and found him smiling at me.
“Just thinking about our tour next year. I’m glad we’ll be in the US in the summer. I’d like to come here for a break if possible. When the water is swimmable.”
“I think we can make that happen.”
Van held out his hand, and I interlocked our fingers.
We walked along the sandy path and up over the dune's crest to a set of wooden stairs that led down to the beach. All beaches in the state were public, but this one was small and remote, so it remained mainly unknown and used by locals.
We were the only ones here on this crisp November day. The massive waves and whitecaps were impressive. No matter the weather, the peace of this place called to me.
“God, I love the air here. You can breathe deep. Reminds me of childhood trips to Maine. My parents would rent a cottage for two weeks every summer.”
“You never mentioned that before.”
Van bit his lip. “It’s still difficult for me to talk about them. Every time a memory hits, I get choked up. But I like sharing the memories with you.”
I heard him sniff, and he shook his head. I squeezed his hand tight, offering what comfort I could.
We stepped down onto the sand, and the salt spray hit my cheeks.
“We’d stay in a town called Kennebunkport, it’s about a six-hour drive from Montreal. My dad and I would swim too much and get sunburnt. We’d stuff our faces with seafood every night and enjoy the town’s quiet charm. This place has the same feeling. It’s timeless.”
“I know what you mean. When we come back here twenty years from now, it’ll still be the same.”
“Twenty years, huh?” Van smiled and pulled me into his arms.
“At least.”
CHAPTER33
VAN
After a late supper of corn chowder and baked fish, Brodie and I fell asleep on the couch in front of the fireplace.
I woke up early the next morning with a stiff neck and an even stiffer dick.
But my rock star was still sound asleep, and I knew how rare that was. Not wanting to disturb him, I quietly got up and went for a walk on the beach to clear my head.
But not before I left Brodie a note and told him to meet me in the studio when he woke.
Despite the need to unplug from work, I’d received several notifications, so of course, I had to check. Nothing urgent, thank God.
Then, I checked out the daily media clippings from our PR team. One was flagged.
Brodie James, lead singer of Wayward Lane, is rumored to be in a romantic relationship with his manager, Ivan Cross. Cross joined James on stage for an intimate performance at Halloween in New Orleans. The singer and his manager were seen at the Nashville Airport a day ago, leaving for parts unknown. James was also recently pictured with model Colm McDade. We reached out to Wayward Lane’s PR rep, but they had no comment.
The celebrity gossip mill was churning out full force.
Then I thought back to yesterday morning. That reporter had been lying in wait in Brodie’s neighborhood at the exact time we were leaving for the airport, and I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. Someone had fed them information. And it had to be someone in our inner circle.
I glanced at my social media. I didn’t post much personal stuff, but Bandit did require every team member to have accounts to promote the artists.
There were a ton of comments, mostly from supportive fans who wanted confirmation of my relationship status with Brodie.
Jesus, can we have some time to ourselves to figure it out first?
There was also plenty of hateful bullshit from trolls. The vitriol in some of the comments were something I’d never been subjected to before. How did Brodie deal with this daily? And what would happen when we did finally come out as a couple? How bad was it going to get?
