"Yeah, years of hiding from the press will drill these things into you. I have a car service I trust."
"Alright then, you can send your limo for me. Maybe I’ll ask for a trip to the 12th District on your dime. They love me at Buck Mason but I’ll try to go into some other Cali Cool boutique and I’ll get my ‘big mistake, huge’ moment."
"Duncan, are you Julia Roberts in this scenario?"
"Of course I am. I’m your hot, dirty little secret. I’m not a red head but you are so we sort of tick that box."
I can’t help it. I laugh. He’s so carefree and lighthearted. So unbothered and open.
It feels like the polar opposite of my stoic personality and controlled life. I loosen up at home, spend some days in sweats, but the public never sees that part of me. Even Zara rarely sees it.
When Duncan visits I hope I can share it with him. Mike would nag me to get dressed if I threw sweats on in the morning. Even if we were spending the day together at home.
The further I am from this relationship the more I realize how important appearances were to Mike Kerr.
Meek Car.
Duncan and I say good night and I finally feel revived enough to stand, pull my jeans up my thighs and walk into the tiny bathroom. While I wait for the water to warm I look at myself in the mirror.
My face looks relaxed and my hair is a mess. We switched the video off so I never put my hat back on. Did Duncan picture it on my head? I definitely saw his glasses on his face as I pictured him.
Lyrics begin to dance in my head so I wash off quickly, change into comfortable clothes, and start writing while I wait for my team to get back and drive me home.
Chapter twenty-one
Crosby
Natural for Nature
Thisconfirmsit,Iam Julia Roberts.
When I landed at the private air strip outside of Nashville, the black car was already on the tarmac. The driver, Dale, took my LV duffel and opened the door for me. When he settled in the driver’s seat he asked me if I wanted to listen to anything and if the temperature was good.
I asked for some Rhys Reid, because why deny I’m obsessed with him at this point, and dropped the temp a few degrees to counteract my flushed skin.
It was tough not to text him all weekend while we celebrated Bryson and Jo officially committing to each other.
Crosby knows I’m here for him, I don’t want to pile on any more stress as he figures out how to play the hand he’s been dealt. After his disastrous performance at Felix’s I was worried he’d lost his chance but it seems Laila has come around.
Usually Crosby and I would sit next to each other and play cards on a flight, but when he showed up with Laila and Stella they looked like a package deal, a unit. I stayed away from them on our way out to Colorado to give them some space. And, to be honest, when Stella doggie barfed everywhere and Laila rushed off to the bathroom, I was grateful to be sitting on the other side of the plane.
Still, I was proud of Crosby for taking care of his girls when they needed it.
Nashville is humid like D.C. in the summer so I’m in athletic shorts and a Renegades dri-fit shirt. Felix made us fucking dress according to the black and white Penguin theme for the party so I have nice clothes in my duffle but I don’t plan on seeing them again until they’re back from the cleaners, in D.C.
The green rolling hills move along with us as we drive from the airport out to Rhys’s place.
I fully expect him to be holed up in some castle-like estate. It’s what he grew up with. It gives him privacy. And I bet there’s animals. Horses for sure.
My flight home is two days from now because I’m a cocky boy who plans to be completely out of energy by then. Any shorter, wouldn’t give me enough time to do the all things I want to do with him. Any longer, and I’d have to call Luke, our assistant equipment manager, for the electrolyte mix he’s perfecting.
The car slows outside of a gate and Dale taps a code into his phone. I try to see where we’re going but the trees and landscaped bushes block the view of the house. When the gate is open we continue down the drive and after a few turns the house opens up in front of us.
Yeah, castle-like for sure.
It is a sprawling new construction with black siding, cedar shutters, and a paned glass front door. In fact, there’s a surprising amount of glass for someone who seems to value privacy so much.
But, I guess given the gate, the twisting driveway, and the greenery that blocks the house from the road he’s got it.
