Riley gave another sly grin in Matt’s direction. “Why? What do you think I should be doing? Any suggestions?”
A hearty laugh was Matt’s first response. Then, shifting in his seat, he said, “I don’t know. By then it might be time to get the band back together. What do you think?”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” Riley replied as he reached over and snagged the last piece of cornbread. “But we’ll need to see where Dylan’s at by then and what Julian’s doing. For all we know he’s going to still be caught up in Dena’s career.” He snorted with disgust.
“Or we can hope that he’ll have his head out of his ass by then and be ready to come back and play real music.”
“We’ll see.” Riley shrugged. “It’s something I’d love to do. But I don’t want to do it unless it’s the four of us. What about you?”
“I agree. I think I can honestly say that you guys make me a better musician.” Matt’s voice was deep and serious, and Vivienne knew it cost him a lot to make that admission. She squeezed his hand.
“I think we do that for each other,” Riley countered. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving this new album and the music and the group of musicians who are touring with me, but…it’s not the same. Like I said earlier, it’s a different vibe. I miss our music.”
“Well, whenever you’re ready, I’ll be ready.”
“What about you?” Riley asked cautiously. “What’s next?”
Matt sighed wearily, and Vivienne wondered how he was going to answer. She remembered their conversation from the other night, about him wanting a home, but he hadn’t talked about what he wanted to do professionally. The fact that he wanted to go back to recording and touring with Shaughnessy was a great thing, but what was he going to do in the meantime?
“You know,” he began slowly, “I’m not really in any great rush to do anything. The whole Broadway thing taught me some serious lessons. For starters, I can now safely say that I no longer think I’m infallible. It’s hard to believe I can find anything positive with the experience, but it helped me to get a bit of a grip on reality. I’m a good musician, but I’m not great. I know my limitations.” He shrugged. “I thought I needed to be doing something different when my life, my professional life, was pretty damn great.”
Riley nodded. “I know what you mean. When we put an album together, you, me, and the guys? It’s easy. We work together and seem to know what’s going to work. I thought I had the talent to do it on my own and it would be easy. But it sure as hell wasn’t.”
“I guess if nothing else, we can look at this time as a good thing—a growing experience,” Matt commented. “Look at us. We’re growing!”
“I’m so proud of us,” Riley teased.
“You two are idiots,” Savannah said with a laugh. She rose and started clearing away plates. Vivienne stood up and started to do the same.
“Viv, everything was amazing. Cooking has never really been my thing. Believe it or not, Riley’s the cook in our relationship.”
At that comment, Riley groaned. “I set the bar too high trying to impress her, and now I’m stuck in that role.”
“Poor baby,” Savannah cooed as she leaned over and kissed him. “You know you love it.”
“Matt is learning,” Vivienne said and then mentioned how they had been working together on meals for the magazine and blog. “The first week he was here, he was making sandwiches and heating up frozen entrées, but it turns out he can grill a mean steak and has been keeping up with me in the kitchen.”
“Watch it, man,” Riley said, sounding serious. “Next thing you know, you’ll be making all the meals while Vivienne’s locked in her office writing a novel or something. It happens before you know it.”
“Nah,” Vivienne said, unable to hide her amusement. “I’m too much of a control freak in the kitchen. I’m unable to sit back and relax while someone’s in here messing around with my pots and pans.”
“And her organizational system,” Matt commented dryly. “I’ve never seen a space organized with such military precision.”
“And yet I know where everything is and never have to waste time rummaging around for utensils or lids or seasonings when we’re hungry and want to eat quickly.”
“We can save time if we just make a sandwich or a frozen pizza,” Matt teased and then looked at Riley and grinned as if to say, Watch this.
“Frozen pizza?” Vivienne cried as she loaded dishes into the dishwasher. Muttering curses under her breath, she sighed with exasperation. “So in the time it takes to heat up that…fake food, I can put a gourmet meal on the table. I cannot even believe you would compare the two! Have you learned nothing in the last couple of weeks? I mean, honestly.”
She stopped her rant when she realized how quiet the room had gotten and when she looked up, Matt, Savannah, and Riley were all staring at her while trying not to laugh.
Hands on her hips, she let her gaze settle directly on Matt. “You did that on purpose.”
“Guilty as charged,” he said, still smiling.
“You won’t think it’s so funny when you’re back to having no choice but to eat frozen pizzas every night,” she said, doing her best to sound firm.
“You’d never let that happen,” he countered as he stood up and walked over to her.
And then, right there in front of Riley and Savannah, he took Vivienne in his arms and pulled her in close and kissed her. It wasn’t a quick peck on the cheek or quick in any way, shape, or form. It was deep and wet and filled with all kinds of promise, and she felt her knees go weak.
Her arms wound around him. Her hands raked up into his hair as she did her best to be as close to him as she could possibly be.
“Jeez, you two,” Savannah muttered.
“Shush. It’s like free porn,” Riley teased.
That was like a bucket of cold water being thrown on them. Vivienne slowly pulled back and looked up at Matt. She knew her eyes were a little glazed, her breathing a little ragged, but she was relieved to see he was equally affected.
With a sly grin, she turned toward their guests. “Don’t let him fool you. It’s all about the food. And he likes to play dirty.”
They all burst out laughing and as Vivienne finished cleaning up the lunch dishes, all she could think was, Yeah, this is pretty much perfect.
* * *
“Oh my God. I’m going to be late,” Vivienne huffed as she ran back up the stairs to her bedroom. “I can’t find my purse! Where the hell is my purse?”
Matt looked around the living room and saw a purse sitting by the front door. “Is it black?” he called out.
“Yes!”
“It’s down here by the door!” He heard her footsteps overhead and then coming rapidly down the stairs. “You need to relax, Viv,” he said, tying to sound soothing. “You’ve got plenty of time to get to the airport. Aaron’s going to have to go through customs, and deal with his luggage and all that, so you’re going to be fine. It’s going to be okay.”
She looked at him as if she didn’t believe him.
“Do you want me to go instead? I can totally deal with an airport run.”
Shaking her head, she reached down for her purse and looked around the room. “No, but thank you. I’m going to be fine. I really am anxious to see him and…” She paused, then added almost reluctantly, “I want the time alone with him to talk about us.”
“You’re going to do that on the car ride? Why?”
“Matt, it needs to come from me, and I don’t want him blindsided when he gets home.”
“That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” he asked, still stunned at her plan. “Why didn’t you mention this to me earlier?”
“For this exact reason. I don’t want to argue with you about it. We aren’t kids, and we’re not going to spend our time sneaking around now that my brother is back. I
know how to handle Aaron, and it’s important to me that I have this time with him.”
There were at least a dozen reasons Matt wanted to disagree with her.
But he didn’t.
He trusted her. And if she said this was the way she wanted to do this, then he would go along with it. Not happily, but he’d go along with it.
“You’re pouting,” she said.
“No, I’m not,” he said, and dammit, he knew he was pouting.
“Matt,” she sighed, taking his hands in hers, “believe me. This is going to be a good thing, and when we get home later, you’ll be thanking me.”
“I still think we’re not giving your brother enough credit. For all we know he’s going to be fine with this, and we’ve been worrying and freaking out for nothing.”
She chuckled even as she disagreed. “You weren’t around for a lot of years, Matt. My brother has been giving guys—all guys—hell since I started dating. I doubt you’d be excluded from that.”
For a minute, all he could do was stare at her. “Okay, fine. Go and get him. Talk to him. Make him see reason.” He paused. “And what is it that I’m supposed to be doing while you’re gone?”
“You’re in charge of the steaks, remember?” Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him softly on the lips. “All of the side dishes are ready and just need to be heated up. I’ll call you from the car, so you can time everything from there. I put a list on the counter so you can follow those instructions.”
Looking over his shoulder, he saw the piece of paper sitting on the granite island. His girl was so adorably organized.
“I really need to go,” she said and leaned in to kiss him one more time. “Wish me luck!”
Before he could say a word, she was out the door. Matt stood there and watched her climb into her car and then pull out of the driveway. Once the car was out of sight, he realized he was alone for the first time in a long time. Even though he spent a lot of his time over at Aaron’s while Vivienne was working, he always knew she was just a few steps away. It seemed odd to be in her house without her there.
A quick glance at his watch showed he had plenty of time to kill before she was going to have Aaron in the car with her. With nothing else to do, he walked out the door and across the yard.
Dinner was going to be a no-brainer—steaks, au gratin potatoes, and salad—and Vivienne had baked an apple pie for dessert. Apparently, this was one of Aaron’s favorite meals, and she was hell-bent on going out of her way to keep her brother in a good mood. They had talked about wine, and while Matt knew both Foresters had several bottles on hand, he was really in the mood for a good Bordeaux.
He searched through Aaron’s wines and didn’t find one and then trekked across the yard to see if Vivienne maybe had one somewhere that he hadn’t seen. She didn’t. Looking around the room, he decided he would take Aaron’s car and head into town.
“Do I want the wine that badly?” he asked himself on his way back across the yard. It wasn’t that he had to have the wine, but he knew it would go perfectly with the meal, and as Vivienne had done all of the preparations and the shopping, Matt felt he wanted to contribute something other than his grilling skills.
He found the keys and walked out to the garage. It wasn’t until he was sitting in the car that he realized he was shaking.
“This is bullshit,” he muttered, starting the car. Sure, it had been a long time since he’d driven himself pretty much anywhere, but that was only partially what was freaking him out. For the most part, Vivienne—and Aaron—had kept him sheltered. Whenever they went out, he had on a hat or sunglasses or pretty much did whatever he could to blend into the background. This was going to be the first time since the show tanked that he was going out and being himself.
And the weirdest part was that he felt like he was doing it for the first time.
All those years ago, the last time he had lived in this town, he’d walked around as a rebellious teen and wannabe rock star. Then, his first years in LA were spent with an overinflated ego as they began making a name for themselves. Once the band started touring, he became Matty Reed, who was really like a caricature of himself—a little flamboyant, a little over the top, and always in search of a party.
It was time for the real Matt Reed to stand up.
And it was far more daunting that he would ever have imagined.
He didn’t move, didn’t back the car out of the driveway as reality seemed to kick him in the gut. Even he didn’t know who the real Matt Reed was anymore.
Throwing his head back against the cushioned headrest, his breath came out in a loud whoosh. Why now? Why did he have to come to this conclusion about himself right the hell now? All he had to do was go out and pick up a freaking bottle of wine and he’d managed to turn it into a life-altering event.
Okay, he told himself. Breathe. After a minute, Matt gripped the steering wheel and chided himself for creating so much damn drama. Why did he have to know exactly who he was? Most people go through life trying to figure that shit out. That meant he was no different than anyone else.
He should take that as a good sign.
But he didn’t.
Saying he was Matt Reed was easy. Matt Reed, musician. Just because he currently wasn’t recording or touring didn’t take that identity away. He was a talented performer, no matter what those Broadway critics claimed, and he was looked up to by many of his peers for his guitar skills. And along with being able to play kick-ass guitar, he was an accomplished songwriter. True, he’d done it primarily for Shaughnessy, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do it on his own for other projects, other performers.
For the first time in years, he didn’t have a plan or a schedule, and rather than letting it make him crazy, he knew he should embrace it. There were endless possibilities out there. Besides the music, there was his personal life.
He finally had one.
One with meaning.
Although he and Vivienne had been struggling with how Aaron was going to react to the news of their relationship, Matt didn’t see it as a problem. A future with Vivienne was what he wanted, and if he hadn’t been such a damn coward, he would have professed that before she got in the car today.
Or anytime in the last couple of weeks.
Coward.
And the thing was, he had a feeling it was going to be a sticking point when he talked to Aaron later on. They’d been friends for far too long for him not to call Matt out on not making his intentions clear. But in his defense, he knew he had fallen hard and fast, and was trying to give Vivienne some time to see if she felt the same way. He sighed. She hadn’t said it yet, but he felt it in everything she did—her every touch, her every word.
Still, it would be nice to hear her say that she loved him and that she wanted a future with him, and not just allude to one.
Okay, maybe he wasn’t the only coward in this relationship.
Hell, they both had baggage. Lots of it. But he had faith that together they could make it work and overcome it all. Matt wasn’t sure if it was the reality of everything that happened after the show failed or the time alone or the time spent with Vivienne that had had the most impact. More than likely it was the combination of it all, and as much as it pained him to admit it, he was glad the show had failed. He wasn’t happy about the public response to the failure, but the failure itself had forced him to take a long, hard look at his life.
And it had brought him to Vivienne.
Back to Vivienne.
The confidence he hadn’t felt a few minutes ago filled him as he reached out and turned the radio on. He smiled when the last ballad Shaughnessy had released together, “Suddenly Mine,” filled the air.
He’d done that. He’d been the one to write the chorus, the one who had first presented the idea for the melody. And it just proved they were all wrong—the critics, the paparazzi, the press…and h
is father.
He had talent.
He was someone.
And by the end of the night, he was going to ask Vivienne if she wouldn’t mind being someone with him.
* * *
Traffic had been a bitch.
She’d already circled the airport three times.
And if Aaron didn’t come out soon, Vivienne wasn’t going to have any other choice but to park her car and go wait inside the airport.
It was beyond frustrating, and she wanted to wail at the unfairness of it all. She had everything planned out, even made a list. First, pick Aaron up at airport. Second, ask about his trip. Third, get him caught up on her job and how she was doing. And fourth, tell him about her and Matt. It was simple. Beyond simple. She’d had it planned out almost to the minute. But now he was late, and the more time she had to herself, the more her nerves were beginning to act up.
It hadn’t been a lie or simply bravado when she had told Matt she would handle this because she knew how to handle her brother. But saying she could do it and doing it were two completely different things.
What if she didn’t get around to telling him about her and Matt? What if he talked about his trip for longer than she thought he would, and they got back to the house and Matt wasn’t aware of the change of plans? How was she supposed to convey all of that to Matt in a quick text or call with Aaron sitting right beside her? And with all of this traffic, would her instructions for dinner still work or would things end up overcooked?
Dammit! She hated when all of her well-thought-out plans fell apart. If only—
A loud knock on the passenger window had her screaming. When she looked over, there was her brother, grinning like a loon and motioning for her to open the trunk.
“Okay, crisis averted,” she murmured as she reached for her phone and quickly sent off a text to Matt telling him Aaron was with her and to wait twenty minutes before starting their dinner.
The car door opened and Aaron quickly climbed in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks,” he said breathlessly. “I didn’t think I was ever going to get out of there.”
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