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Jarvis stomps down the steps, and I wince at the thump of a body colliding with the door. Did Jarvis shove him?!
I know the answer when Val trudges up the stairs a second later.
His expression… gosh.
My chest aches as he pushes the button to close the door with trembling fingers. His other arm clutches the laptop he went to retrieve.
“Hey,” I say softly, rising. “You okay?”
He returns a weak smile. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine. Nothing about that was fine. Did he push you?”
“It’s not a big deal,” he mumbles, moving toward the couch.
I intercept him before he can sit and pull the computer from his hand. After placing it on the cushion, I slide my arms around his waist and settle against him. He releases a heavy sigh and hugs me back.
“It’s not true,” I murmur.
He doesn’t respond and somehow I know what he’s thinking. We always seem to read each other’s mind.
It is true. Not the relationship part, but the rest?
My music is amazing. Plenty of critics and fans agree. Industry powerhouse The Tattletale Review even called me “a pioneer.” (Then devoted a thousand words to reflecting on how apocalyptic it was that they could say that about an “insipid” artist like me.) I grinned through the entire article and printed out an excerpt for the wall of my studio.
“Calling Larinda Scott a pioneer is as bewildering as calling a milkshake a culinary marvel, but here we are. The best decision mega-label Lakebend Records made in years was bringing in fresh blood in the form of unknown producer Val Andrews. Dare we say we’re actually excited to see what comes next from the formerly insipid and painfully predictable pop-country star.”
So maybe I had to look up the word “insipid,” but whatever.
Working with Val has given me confidence and drive, while opening up creative wormholes I never could have imagined. I don’t regret a single thing we’ve done, I just wish I’d done a better job preparing him for the fallout. People don’t like change. They say they do, but they don’t really. They want the same thing with a thin façade of different. They want comfortable and safe, formulas and predictability. I knew going into this partnership what could happen, probably would happen when we challenged the mold, but I didn’t know it would hurt so much to see Val get hurt. He’s spent most of his life being pummeled for who he is and what he loves, and now it’s happening on my behalf.
He’s kept his head up through most of the unfair criticism, but I see how it wears on him. Even worse, I suspect the self-doubt runs deeper than he lets on. How could it not when his own parents taught him he’s worthless? I’ve never hated anyone until I met them.
I lean back to study his face. As usual deep green eyes take my breath away. His beautiful soul is right there, on full display, and I have no clue how to resist it. I know we said we wouldn’t—I said we wouldn’t—but I can’t stop myself from leaning in for a soft kiss. He looks startled when I pull away with a shy smile.
“Screw it. No one has to know,” I say.
“Know what?”
“That we’re together.”
“We are?”
My heart beats rapidly as I try to read his expression. “Do you want to be?”
Because I’ve wanted this for so long. Please say yes…
He frowns as he searches my eyes. “Are you sure? If the label finds out, we’re done. You lose everything.”
“They won’t. We’ll keep it a secret.”
His silence is brutal as he turns my proposal over in his mind. I know it’s not himself he’s worried about, and he’s right to be concerned. But I’ve spent my life playing a part to help my career. Maybe it’s time to use those skills to help my heart.
When his lips tip up in a smile, my world goes bright again.
“Then I guess we’re together,” he says.
Squealing, I throw my arms around him, and he laughs as he pulls me tight.
