to do anything else before?”
“No, no. You kids go and have fun. There’s nothing left to do anyway.”
Was this the part where he wanted to make good on his promise to have his way with me? By the intense look in his eyes, the answer was a resounding yes.
Esther returned to the yard, carrying drinks on a platter for everyone.
Once we were alone, he took my hand, pulling me toward the main entrance.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I want to show you around. You haven’t seen the country part yet. We have huge fields behind the house.”
“Wow. The ones I saw through the window upstairs?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I know this will sound silly, but I hadn’t realized those belonged to you. Is the security detail following us?”
“No, we’re staying on the property. They’re guarding the perimeter.”
We went out through the front door, then through a narrow path between the house and the fence that opened up into a cornfield. It stretched out so wide that I couldn’t see anything past it.
“Do you want to see where I wrote my first song? Part of it actually made it into the lyrics of our first hit.”
“Sure. Show me everything.”
Taking my hand, he led me along the pathway snaking between the cornstalks. It was all new to me. As a kid, I’d also spent most of my time outdoors, but we only had fir tree forests near our house.
“These used to be two separate farms. My parents were neighbors as kids. After they got married, they took down the fence separating the properties.”
“Neighbor to lovers? That’s so romantic,” I said. “They seem very happy.”
“They are. They’ve always had a strong marriage, full of respect. They’re great people, and they’ve always been supportive. They were never annoyed that I was spending so much time with my music instead of helping around the house.”
I liked the excitement in his voice. He looked genuinely happy reminiscing and sharing it all with me. This was a part of himself he didn’t reveal to the public, but he wanted me to know. It made me so happy!
A barn appeared in our line of vision, and we headed toward it.
“This was my ‘headquarters.’ It was rarely used, so I was mostly on my own here.”
We stopped in front of it. He opened the door, and the smell of hay was thick inside. There were several heaps around us, but it was mostly empty. I imagined it was filled at the end of summer.
“By the way... rumor has it that you played the guitar. Why switch to piano?”
“I got the guitar as a gift from an uncle and went along with it. It was a great way to explore music. In my freshman year at NYU, I tried out a piano. It was love at first sight.”
“Why did it feel different?”
“Because when I’m sitting at a piano, the world around blurs. It’s like background noise. Even in concerts. Especially in concerts.”
“Ah, that would explain why you’re sitting at a piano 99.9 percent of the time during a concert.”
He whirled me around so we were face-to-face. “I thought you hadn’t watched them.”
I smiled slyly. “Not when I first met you, but I’ve caught up in the meantime. Especially in that week when you were in Nashville. I binge-watched your concerts. You look hot at the piano. Buuut Lars is no slouch with that guitar.”
“Don’t try to make me jealous.”
My smile turned into a grin. “I wasn’t... but I see you’re jealous anyway.”
“Seems I can’t help myself with you.” He looked at me intently. “Thank you for talking me into coming here. And for joining me.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, rising on my toes. “My pleasure. I really like your family. They’re friendly and fun.”
“They like you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because they told me in no uncertain terms. Dad made a point in emphasizing I shouldn’t mess it up. He’s rarely serious, so he means it.”
“Now you’re just giving me more reasons to like your parents.” I gave him a quick peck on the lips and shimmied against him, deciding to rile him up a bit. “Now... we’re in a barn, and you made a big deal out of being a country guy. How about proving it to me?”
Chapter Seventeen
Brayden
“I’ll show you proof.”
I wrestled her deeper inside the barn, kissing a line from her temple to her cheek and then farther down her neck.
Laughing, she nearly lost her balance, but I held her waist firmly.
“Hey, can you show me what’s beyond the barn