Alone inside, I locked the door and dropped my bag in the hall, kicking off my shoes, glad to be home.
Home.
It felt strange to say that about a place that wasn’t mine, but it was exactly what it felt like, and I couldn’t wait for Charlie to be back here with me. The last few weeks had been manic. With the time difference, his jet lag, their schedule, and how busy things had been for me trying to learn to run the label, we’d had to make do with short conversations and texting.
I had wondered if needy Charlie would make a reappearance, but his official status as my boyfriend seemed to have helped with that, and other than pouting a lot that he missed me, he’d been amazingly supportive of my new job, because, it had only been a week but fuck, it had been a lot. I didn’t know how Addi did it so effortlessly.
And just like I’d summoned the work gods, my phone rang, and I pulled it from my pocket. “Hi, Ivy,” I answered with anexhausted sigh, walking through the house to the kitchen, not even bothering to turn the light on as I headed straight to the fridge.
“Fern, sorry to bother you, but I wanted to tell you the good news. Sounds of Lauri wants to do a thirty-minute interview with Alchemy Myth. Her PR manager just called me personally.”
I let out a squeal as I pulled the wine out and poured myself a large glass. Lauri Lloyd was the music equivalent ofOprah, and getting a slot on her show was like gold dust.
“The boys did good on this last tour. I don’t need to tell you that. But getting the Lauri seal of approval, well, that’s a lot. I know I keep saying it, but you’re doing an amazing job with their PR. You know that, right?”
I smiled. Ivy had joined the Gods as a photographer, and then she and her partner, Ethan, fell for Grayson. They had such a rough ride before they officially joined the Gods’ family, and having her approval was nearly as important to me as having Addi’s.
The late nights, the long days, the constant work it took to keep the label and all its bands running like a well oiled machine, it was a lot, but I was secretly loving it… although that was because I knew it was temporary and I could go back to my old job, where I only had to worry about press coverage and PR.
“That’s amazing news. When is it? Do they have to travel again?”
“It’s a few months away yet. I’ve checked their schedules and moved some things around so they can do it and they don’t even need to travel for it. Lauri is coming over from the US for a friend’s wedding, so we’re going to set it up and prerecord it here.”
“That’s perfect. Look, let’s not tell the boys until Monday. I think they could do with the weekend to decompress and have some time with their friends and family.”
Ivy laughed.
“Stop that,” I chastised. “If I tell Charlie, he’ll probably want to write an entire album to release before the interview. At least let me have him to myself for the night.”
“The joys of falling for a rock star,” she sighed, but I could hear the happiness in her voice.
“How are the husbands?”
“Perfect as ever. Speaking of, I best go too. I’ll see you on Monday. Take the weekend. I’ve asked for any calls to be redirected to Eth and me, so any problems, we’ll deal with them. You spend some time with Charlie.”
I took a sip of my wine, nerves bubbling in my stomach. “Thanks, Ivy. See you Monday.”
Glancing up at the large black clock in the kitchen, I worked out that I had about two hours until Charlie’s plane landed, which meant about three until he got home. Plenty of time to take a shower, put on some sexy underwear, and make him a home cooked dinner, but I also had enough time for a quick dip in the hot tub.
Loving that all the windows in the house were tinted, I stripped off as I walked, dropping my clothes to the floor in my wake.
Flicking off the lights in the main house, leaving me with only the black sky and fairy lights, I sank, naked, into the hot water, groaning as the heat soothed my exhausted body. Turning on the bubbles, I leaned on one of the underwater benches, letting my head fall back and my eyes flicker closed.
Sleep tugged at me, tempting me to let go, but I wanted to go get ready.Five minutes,I promised myself as my breasts broke through the surface, my nipples hardening as the cool air hit them.
I heard the front door alarm buzz and Thomas call out. “Just me. I just needed to drop something off for you. It’s by the frontdoor. Have a good weekend, Fern. Jarrid is outside if you need him.”
“’Kay,” I called back, knowing there would be no chance of him seeing me in here.
Silence filled the air as the bubbles stopped and I couldn’t find the energy to reach for the button to start them again. Suddenly my skin prickled, and my heart raced, feeling him before I saw him.
“Fuck, Princess, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
I scrambled to right myself.
Charlie.
Standing in front of me like a dream. His hair was shaved short on the sides, but he had at least a week’s worth of scruff covering his face, and it made my heart skip a beat.
