Her yawn cuts me off. “I’m so tired. Can we talk in the morning?”
Pressing my lips to hers, I pull out of her slowly, watching my cum seep out of her pussy as I lean back. “Yeah, baby. That’s fine.”
And as we lie in bed together and drift off to sleep, I decide that our date on Tuesday is when I’ll lay everything out there. I’ll tell her how I feel, that I want her to stay, and that I want to make this work.
But I should have seen the writing on the wall—our time was borrowed.
And one phone call was about to prove it.
Chapter 21
Elodie
Give Me a Reason
“Hello?” Remy reaches for the phone at my ear, so I place her in her playpen and catch the phone before it falls from my shoulder.
Lennon’s voice comes through the line at increased volume. “Girl, when were you going to tell me that you’re famous?”
“Uh, last time I checked, I wasn’t.”
“Have you been on social media today?”
“No. I logged out of all of my stuff when I moved to Blossom Peak. Why?” My heart rate picks up. “What’s going on?”
It’s the Monday after my concert at Hart Winery, and yesterday I was basking in the afterglow. Henley cooked breakfast after Remy let us sleep in, and then we took her to the park and visited with Carol and Nick. Surprisingly though, Henley didn’t bring up my performance or the fact that my mom never showed, but neither did I—becausevoicing my disappointment would make it all the more real that my parents truly don’t want me to succeed with music.
Luckily, Henley’s mind was exactly where I needed it to be when we got home that night—in the gutter. The man made love to me with nothing between us, and that was the moment I knew that I was head over heels in love with him. It’s been in the back of my mind for weeks now, but watching him hover over me that night solidified it.
The reverent look in his eyes, the softness of his touch, the way he couldn’t form words and instead used his body to show me what he was feeling—it was exactly what I needed in that moment.
And that’s how I know that he’s what I need too.
I can’t wait for our date tomorrow so I can tell him.
“Your performance at the winery is all over the internet. And girl…that song you wrote about your boss’s daughter?” Lennon whistles, bringing me back to our conversation. “Freaking gold.”
My stomach drops. “Oh my God.”
“And when were you going to tell me that you performed at The Charming Bull?” she continues. “You know that place was our stomping ground back in college.”
I can hear my pulse in my ears. “Is it bad?”
“Is what bad?”
“The comments? The posts?” I struggle to find the couch behind me so I can sit down in preparation for her response. The last thing I anticipated this morning was finding out that my absence from social media has actually made an impact, and not just on my mental health.
“Do you think I would have called you if they were?”
My hand covers the center of my chest. “Lennon, just answer me, please.”
“You’re a sensation, Elodie. Seriously, why haven’t you posted on social media in months?”
“I just needed space from that grind, of constantly feeling inadequate. That’s why I logged off when I left LA.” A chime rings in my ear. I lower my phone to see a number flash across the screen that I don’t recognize, but the area code is from Los Angeles. “Uh, Lennon?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m getting a call from someone in LA.”
