by Amy Vastine
Sara had stopped glaring and was now watching him as if she was more curious than angry. “So whatever happened to that girlfriend of yours? Thankfully you’ve managed to stay out of the tabloids.”
Rehashing all the things he had done in the past was rough but totally allowable. Discussing Ruby was not.
“I heard your release day got pushed back. What happened?”
“Touché,” Sara said, tipping her water glass in his direction. “Let’s not get too personal.”
“Good idea. We should practice sticking to safe topics for those family dinners.” Family dinners that unfortunately wouldn’t include everyone he wished were part of his family.
* * *
BOONE CALLED DEAN on his way home from the restaurant. He wanted to make sure he was okay with the studio he had booked to record the rest of his album.
Dean had no issues with the space but had a question about who else might visit during recording sessions. “Piper was wondering if she could sit in and learn a little more from you about writing songs. You have no idea how disappointed she was when you dropped out of the duet. She looks up to you, Boone.”
The man could try to butter him up all day. It wasn’t going to work. Boone wasn’t the man for the job. Teaching Piper how to write songs simply wasn’t in his skill set.
“What about Sawyer?” Boone asked.
“What do you mean, what about Sawyer?”
“What if you had Sawyer teach Piper how to write songs? He writes songs. They seem to get along. Now that their single has hit the airwaves, they should be spending lots of time together promoting it. It would be the perfect time for a little Songwriting 101.” Dean didn’t hate the idea.
Boone turned down his street and noticed two people standing beside their car outside his gated driveway. It had been a long time since fans stood out there waiting for him. He used to tell them if they didn’t get out of there by the time he made it to the house, he’d call the police.
It was a wonder he had any fans left.
He was a new man now. He couldn’t go around threatening people every time they annoyed him. Boone couldn’t control the feelings—and annoyed was one he felt quite often—but he was working hard to manage the way he acted. Especially when he was annoyed.
“I have to call you back, Dean. Looks like I have some unexpected visitors.”
The stalkers had parked their car at the curb and were clearly looking for a way over the gate. Hanging out was one thing, but trying to break in was another. He’d give them one chance to get out of there before he took more serious action.
He pulled into the driveway. Both of them shielded their eyes, and both of them had red hair. They almost reminded him of Ruby and Violet, if Violet didn’t color her hair black.
He shut off his lights and rolled down his window. “Hey there. Can I help you?”
“It’s about time, old man. We’ve been standing out here for, like, ten hours.”
“Don’t exaggerate. Ten minutes is more like it. I’m pretty sure one of the neighbors would have called the cops if we had been standing out here for ten hours like stalkers.”
“Oh my gosh, Mom. Who would stalk an old country singer?”
“He has lots of fans, Violet. You’re the one who did the internet search, remember?”
“Oh, you mean like that lady who has a shrine set up in her bedroom? She would totally stalk him. You need to get a bigger gate, Boone. That lady would definitely come prepared with a ladder to get over this little thing.”
Boone covered his mouth with his hand. He couldn’t believe they were really there. He also couldn’t believe Violet had gone back to her natural hair color.
“What up, Red? I left town and you went reverse emo on me.”
“First of all, no one says what up anymore. Your age is showing again, and I know how much you hate that. And second, don’t call me Red. My name is Violet. One color name is enough, and I had to sit through hours of torture to get the black bleached out so they could dye it this color that I hope will match what grows in. So don’t tease me about it or else I’m going back to black. Third, can you please get out of the car so we can hug you, because it’s been, like, two months and we’ve been missing you.”
Not nearly as much as he’d been missing them. Boone hopped out of his car and Violet jumped on him, wrapping her arms and legs around him like a koala bear hugged a tree.
“How’s it going, kid? You staying out of trouble?”
“Working on it.”
The hair was different, but Violet was the same. She detached herself and stepped aside so he could greet Ruby. She was exactly the same. Beautiful as ever and capable of breaking his heart with one look.
“Sorry to just show up like this,” she said. “We thought knocking on your door was going to be easier than it was. We should have expected a little security.”
“Never apologize for coming to find me.” He wanted to hold her, feel her in his arms again, but she didn’t leap at him the way Violet did, and he was too afraid to make the first move.
One side of her mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “Noted,” she said.
“Are you going to let us in or what?” Violet asked. She randomly pressed buttons on the keypad.
“Press the wrong pass code in more than three times and the police are going to show up.”
Violet put her hands in the air. “Seriously?”
“No, but it’s good to know you’re still gullible.” Boone laughed, earning him his first eye roll since he’d left Grass Lake.
He unlocked and opened the gate and had them follow him up the drive. His house was a bit bigger than the Airstream back in Grass Lake. Violet was slightly impressed.
“How many bedrooms?”
“Seven.”
“How many bathrooms?”
“Five and a half.”
“How many secret passageways?”
“If I told you that, they wouldn’t be secret anymore, would they?” Boone unlocked the front door and let them in. It felt so strange to have them in his house, yet so right.
“That wouldn’t be spoiling the secret,” Violet argued. “The secret part is, I wouldn’t know where they are or where they lead.”
“Fine. None. Are you happy?”
“You could be lying to keep it more secret. I may have to do some investigating later.”
Ruby shook her head and apologized. “She’s a little hyper tonight. Since she started school, I think having to be quiet for so many hours makes her ten times more talkative in the evening.”
“It’s fine. I’ve missed her.” Boone touched her hand. “I’ve missed both of you.”
Ruby pulled her hand away like he’d stung her. He hated that, hated the distance that existed between them even though they were merely inches apart.
“Come on back here,” he said, leading them to the kitchen. “Can I get you guys something to drink?”
Violet was all over that, while Ruby politely declined.
“So how’s Nashville treating you?” he asked Violet, assuming that if school had started, she was living with her dad.
“It’s good. School is school, but I tried out for the school play and actually made it.”
“That’s awesome!” He smiled over at Ruby. He hadn’t forgotten how he had once suggested she get into acting. “Has your dad found you a place to ride yet?”
“No, but Mom has. We had Faith give us some suggestions before we left. It’s pretty nice. Best part is, it’s only five minutes from our house.”
“Your dad lives five minutes from a horse ranch? I thought he lived downtown.”
“Not five minutes from my dad’s place. Five minutes from our place. Me and Mom moved up here so we could be closer to the people we love. Right, Mom?” Violet
raised her eyebrows until they disappeared under her bangs.
“Yes, that’s right, Violet.”
“Is there something else you want to say, Mom?”
“Not right now with you standing here,” Ruby said through gritted teeth.
“Fine. Hey, Boone, where’s one of the five-and-a-half bathrooms in this place?”
He pointed down the hall, and Violet left the two of them alone. It seemed too much to ask that Ruby would have moved back to Nashville for him. She had been so adamant about getting away to Seattle.
“So Violet still lives with you?” He walked around the kitchen island that was separating them.
“Turns out she didn’t really want to live with her dad, just wanted to see if he’d say yes. When he did, she hoped I would put my foot down and make her stay with me.”
“Jesse would call that trying to pass off the accountability. Have someone else make the decision so you can blame them when it all goes wrong.”
“Thankfully she came clean, and we’ve been doing so well that I’m sometimes afraid something bad is going to happen and ruin it all.”
“She seems happy. And what’s with the hair?”
Ruby shrugged. “It’s the new Violet. She wanted to do something different. She thought maybe getting rid of some of the black would help change her attitude.” She took a step toward him, and his heart started acting up again. “How are things with Emmy?”
“Really good. These last two months have been exactly what we needed to start rebuilding that foundation. We’re going to start visits back up. I just came from a meeting with Sara and our lawyers.”
“I’m in love with you,” Ruby blurted out. Her cheeks turned redder than her hair. “Violet and I are both working on being honest about our feelings so there are no misunderstandings. I love you and we’re here... I’m here to say we want you in our lives. In whatever capacity you can be in them.”
She was close enough to touch, and his fingers were tingling in anticipation. “I’d like that.”
“Are you sure? Because I was really mean to you the last time I saw you.”
“I get it.” He wanted her to know he didn’t need her apology.
“No, I was hurt, and I have some pretty massive trust issues. I believe everyone I care about will eventually want to leave me. But I’m working on it.”
“I have some issues with being trustworthy, but I’m also working on it,” he admitted.
“That’s why it took so long for me to come by.” Ruby took a deep breath. “I’m terrified, but I needed you to know that I felt the same way you did when you left. I fell in love with you even though I didn’t want to.”
“We have a lot in common. I think that’s a pretty good place to start.” He wanted to prove to her that he would never leave her now that she’d forgiven him.
“Violet told me I need to take this risk. That she knows you’ll be worth it.”
Boone’s heart swelled. The kid still had a soft spot for him. That meant everything.
“I promise to be worthy of whatever you’re willing to give me.”
“Good. We don’t live too far from here. Maybe you could come by for dinner sometime?”
“I could do that, but I need to do something first.”
A tiny crease appeared above her nose. Boone reached to smooth it out. Her skin was soft. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. She leaned in like a purring cat, craving more. Cupping her face with both hands, he kissed her slowly and purposefully. He wanted her to feel it from head to toe. He needed her to know exactly how he felt so there were no misunderstandings.
His lips trailed down her neck and back up to her ear. “I love you, too,” he said clearly.
“Finally!” Violet shouted from the hall. “I mean, please don’t kiss when I’m around because gross, but feel free to be in love any other time.”
“Don’t kiss like this?” Boone placed another kiss on Ruby’s lips.
Violet shook her head. “Cut it out.”
“How about this?” He took Ruby’s hand and kissed the top of it.
“Don’t be weird,” Violet warned.
“Is this weird?” He grabbed Ruby up in his arms. He dipped her dramatically and kissed her the same way.
“I’m going looking for secret passages so I can find where you keep all your money! You’ll be broke when I’m done with you. I hope all that kissing was worth it!”
Boone smiled against Ruby’s lips. It was.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“IT’S A GIRL!” Ruby announced, placing the newborn in her mother’s waiting arms. “She looks good. Strong set of lungs.”
As the baby wailed, the new dad looked a little worried. “A girl? Are you sure?”
There weren’t a lot of ways for her to be wrong. “I’m sure.”
“I don’t know what to do with a girl,” he said, panicked. “I have five brothers. We don’t have girls in our family.”
Ruby took off her gloves and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “She will be the sweetest thing you’ve ever known. I have a girl and I can tell you they are a blessing. So helpful and kind. Not messy and loud like boys.”
Ruby’s phone chimed with a text for what felt like the hundredth time. She left the new parents to bond with their new baby while she checked her messages. She had twenty new texts. All of them were from Violet. Most of them were MOM in all caps followed by a line of nothing but exclamation points. The last two were her favorites.
WHERE ARE YOU??????????????
If you don’t get here soon I’m moving in with Boone. He’ll never notice. He has 7 bedrooms.
What was that she had told Mr. Berkley about girls? She hadn’t promised patience and understanding, she hoped.
She quickly sent a reply that explained she was working and if Violet needed to know what that meant, she could Google afterbirth. Her phone chimed a minute later.
OMG gross! I’m scarred for life!
Ruby finished her work, and when she left the hospital, she was more than late. She drove home to get changed and pick up Violet.
“He’s going to make us listen to it twice because we’re late,” she complained when Ruby walked through the front door.
“He knows babies are unpredictable. He’ll release you after one listen.”
“I’m never having kids, by the way. Having them is gross, and then all they do is eat, poop and cry.”
“Don’t forget when they get older and spend all your money on makeup they don’t need to wear and tell you that your hair is embarrassing to be seen with.”
“Exactly. More reasons never to have them,” Violet said, following her upstairs. “But really, your hair was super embarrassing that day. Your appearance affects my life. Never forget that.”
“I’m going to wear my hair in pigtails tonight. Will that be a good look?”
“Yeah, sure. It would look great. If you were three. Which you’re not. You’re, like, twenty times that.”
Ruby gasped. “Someone needs her mom to sign her up for some math tutoring. Sheesh!”
Emmy answered the door when they finally arrived at Boone’s. She and Violet could have been sisters in their black leggings and pale pink T-shirts with an elephant on the front pocket. Every shirt bought saved an elephant or something like that; at least, that was what the girls told Boone to convince him to buy them three each.
“He’s getting a little anxious. Good thing you guys finally made it,” Emmy said.
“Babies arrive when they want to, not when I want them to,” Ruby reminded her as the girls took off ahead of her, their heads already together and surely planning something to drive her and Boone crazy.
Boone was waiting in his media room above the garage. His relief was visible when sh
e walked in. He pulled her against him and kissed the crook of her neck.
“I thought you were never going to get here. This album has been cued up for two hours just itchin’ to be played.”
“Well, let’s hear it. Violet has been waiting all week for this.”
“I’m going to count how many times you say pickup truck. Each one will cost you a dollar,” Violet said from the couch.
“I don’t remember inviting her. Who invited her?”
Violet stuck out her tongue, and Emmy vouched for her. “I invited her. I wouldn’t survive this without her.”
She and Emmy both had their phones out and were giggling about something. They took a selfie, and Emmy encouraged Violet to send it to “him.” Ruby wasn’t aware of a “him” that Violet sent pictures to. She needed to schedule a phone snoop ASAP.
Boone got everything ready and clapped his hands to get the teenagers’ attention. “No recording of anything you hear tonight. I do not want to find out things were leaked on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Vine or whatever other social media sites you two spend your lives on. Understood?”
“I’m pretty sure we aren’t into music piracy, Dad. Chill.”
“Chill.” Boone stared at Ruby. “That’s your daughter’s influence.”
“Well, your daughter just told mine to send a picture of them to ‘him.’ That’s her influence.”
Boone frowned. “Who is this ‘him’?”
“Oh my gosh, play the music. Please!” Violet groaned.
Boone had finished his album over a month ago. He had slaved away day and night in the studio. None of the three ladies in his life got to see much of him during the making of it. It was finally mixed and whatever else the producer did to it, and now Boone was giving them the first listen.
“I know it’s not Pink Floyd, but try to keep an open mind.”
“I also want a dollar for every reference to boots or T-shirts,” Violet said before he pressed play.
“Good call,” Emmy said. “My mom’s album mentions lipstick, like, five hundred times. I should have thought to say that before she let me listen to it.”
