um… she saved me from myself. It’s no secret that I wasn’t always the man that my father wanted me to be, and I just wanted you to know that I’m working every day to be better. I’m not going to fall into bad habits… if—if you’re afraid of that.”
She appreciated his candor. Honestly, she didn’t care what was in his past. Who was she to talk anyway? The man with her tonight was far from anything she’d ever read about him in the media, and that was all that mattered. Seeing his questioning eyes on her, she squeezed his hand. “I don’t know what you used to be, I only see the man beside me, and honestly I like you.”
His arm tightened around her and he stared up at the black dome of stars above them. Her gaze followed his to the starlit night. A sudden peace stole over her. River appreciated the simple beauties of nature like she did. “Pick a star, Liv,” he said.
“What?”
He laughed, his voice turning playful. “Go on, pick your favorite star. I’ll give you whichever one you want.”
“Any star?” she asked. He nodded. He had a way of turning every moment special. The joke was too good not to have some fun with it. Looking up at the sparkling stars, each one of them more precious than gems, she turned back to him. “I want this one.” She pushed her finger into his chest. “This star’s pretty darn cute.”
“You sure you want that one?” His fingers cradled her chin with the gentlest of touches, so that he could kiss her with all the emotion that she’d seen run through his expression while he played his music—the purpose, the sincerity, the wonder. She felt it too. That passion grew stronger as his lips explored hers, delivering all the promises behind his secret looks from that night, and more. She wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her, but that deepest, most vulnerable part of her wondered how long something so good like this could last. “I’m all yours,” he said.
Was he? She could scarcely believe it. She wanted to, but she knew the world a little better than that. His kisses were as yummy as Momma’s molasses drop cookies and had her begging for more. Her heart fluttered somewhere up in the skies filled with all the stars that he’d promised her, and still she only wanted him. She was his song, but was he playing her? Or did he truly mean every word in those lyrics of his?
Pulling away with one last kiss, he squeezed her hand and climbed into his pickup. Her knees felt weak. She didn’t even know how to face her parents after a kiss like that! He gave her a smoldering look that made her want to throw her arms around him again. His dark hair was tousled. Had she done that? His powerful biceps bulged as he got the door shut. What a cutie. She waved him away just as he started his pickup… or as he tried to. Instead of the powerful growl of his engine, there was only a useless click.
River pushed his head out the door. “Liv?” He cracked a grin. “You trying to keep me here or what?”
Chapter Fourteen
River woke up to the sounds of children laughing outside his window. When he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with his pickup last night, Mrs. Bridges—or Kris as she insisted he call her—had declared River must stay the night in Mimi’s old room turned guest room. She even set out some clothes from Grey. The men were about the same build, more or less.
As reluctant as River was at having to check in with Slade last night, he’d shot off a text to his manager to let him know not to expect him last night. He hadn’t gotten an answer back. Only later, River realized how that sounded and groaned. It probably didn’t matter how he explained himself, Slade would never believe him anyway. After all, Slade had worked hard to cultivate River’s bad boy image that the media believed. His manager had gone to great lengths to introduce him to all sorts of women and fast living. Maybe Slade actually believed his own stories.
Now listening to the sounds of the orchard awaking, River knew he was done with that empty life in Nashville. Liv’s mother loudly chattered and laughed in the kitchen. His stomach tightened with excitement at