“That does sound like heaven.”
“Okay, then. You call Mike. I’ll wait for Sam to call me. We can agree on a joint statement, let them deal with distributing it, and we grab a car and take a little road trip to Wyoming.”
He nodded but still didn’t move, his eyebrows pulled low over his eyes.
“It was bound to come out sooner or later. I’m not ashamed of you. Are you ashamed of me?”
“No! God, no. Of course I’m not.”
“Great.” I rose on tiptoes and kissed him. “Then, let’s go, cowboy.”
Chapter 26
Joz
So this is what true happiness feels like.
A few months ago,if I’d been asked what happiness was to me, I’d have said when a song I’d been struggling with suddenly came together, or walking out on stage to a sellout crowd, or cozy winters in my loft, strumming on my guitar as the wind howled outside.
Only now did I realize how superficial those things were. They brought me joy, but it was fleeting. Sitting in front of a roaring fire, toasting marshmallows, and snuggled under a blanket with my girl was true happiness. The last week had flown by, and despite a permanent sore arse from sitting on the back of a horse for hours on end, they’d been seven of the happiest days of my life.
I wished we could stay here forever. Unfortunately, Aspen had a company to run, and I had an album to promote, and we both had to face the heat of the press that we’d swerved by coming here.
“Don’t tell him I said this,” Aspen said, snuggling closer, “but London was right to take our phones.”
Her brother had suggested when he’d handed over the keys to his ranch that we leave our mobiles behind. He promised they’d be waiting in the car for us on our return to New York tomorrow. Once he’d assured us that, if anything urgent came up, he’d call the house phone here, I’d happily given him mine. Aspen hadn’t been as keen, but in the end, she’d agreed.
“Oh, I’m definitely telling him.”
She prodded me in my stomach. “Hey. Your loyalties lie with me.”
I squeezed her hip. “Gotta admit, I’m not looking forward to returning to reality.”
“Me, either. If I could I’d stay here another week, I would, but work’s piling up. Besides, it doesn’t matter when we go back, the press will still be waiting.”
Her PR team had crafted a response to the outing of our relationship before we’d left Seattle, and once Mike had approved it, we’d given the go-ahead to release it. No matter how honest we’d been, though, that wouldn’t satisfy the vultures. They’d make shit up whatever we said or did.
I fucking hated the press.
“I think we should make a short statement when we land that reiterates what was in the press release, then refuse to take any questions. Agreed?”
I kissed the top of her head. “You’re the boss.”
“You’re playing to my ego every time you say that.”
“Yeah, I know.” I slipped a gooey marshmallow into my mouth and chewed. “These are pretty disgusting.”
“Funny that, considering you’ve eaten about ten.”
“It’s eat these or eat you.”
“Hardly the same thing.”
“Correct. You’re far tastier.” I shifted her body weight until she was lying beneath me, a mass of purple hair fanning out over the cushion, and those enchanting hazel eyes that locked onto mine. Aspen was the kind of person who held my gaze without having to look away after a few seconds. The intimacy of it made my breath catch in my throat. I’d fallen hard and fast, and I hadn’t even seen it coming.
“You’re everything to me, you know that, Spitfire?”
“I do now.”
