It was scary how real that version of my life felt in only a matter of hours with her.
Spencer’s head dropped. “I’m glad you still think of me that way.”
She scooted forward. “Of course, I do.”
“Bay…” Spencer’s mouth opened and closed. “I know I was shitty toward the end.” He brushed his hands down over his jeans.
My protective instincts threatened to break through the calm I’d thought I’d created here. What the hell did he do that was so shitty?
“And asking you to give my demo to Walter was out of line, especially when you hadn’t even signed the deal yet. I shouldn’t have put you in that position.”
Was that what they’d been talking about when I interrupted the conversation when we’d had dinner? His need to apologize felt laughable in light of me sitting beside Bay, of all we’d done to each other.
“How many times do I have to say it’s okay? Look where you are now.” Pride oozed from every word, like a sister watching her brother cross over into the end zone.
Would she watch me on the field? Scream in the stands and cheer me on, unable to look away? Would I ever get to play for her?
“Look where you are.” He looked over his shoulder. “I can’t believe they even let me in here. I’m expecting to be tackled by a security guard in the next thirty seconds.”
“Ha ha. Very funny.”
“So what exactly am I doing here? When I got the invite, I didn’t think we’d be meeting at the studio. Are you recording? I’d love to sit in.”
Bay hadn’t explained it fully to me either, not that I’d needed much of an explanation for anything she wanted to do. Being together had been my top priority. I’d have been up for anything short of bungee jumping or a helicopter ride over the city.
Holden walked back into the studio.
Bay’s head whipped around in his direction. “Great, you’re here.”
“Did you tell him already?” Holden waved his glowing tablet in Spencer’s direction. “I needed to be here to block the door to get him to sign an NDA, if he’s good with it.”
My arm snaked around her back, fingers touching her hip. I hated how much Holden ran her life. At times it felt like she didn’t have control over anything that happened to her. He was supposed to be looking out for her, but the irritation grated that she was always running ragged, never having time for herself, and could barely remember which city she was in. She should have a home, a place to escape the madness of the world she’d been plunged into.
Spencer’s eyes bounced between the three of us. “Good with what?”
Bay leaned forward and plucked the notebook out of her bag. It wasn’t the same one she’d written her songs about me in, but it was well worn. Broken in. “I have some songs I’d like to share with you. After watching your performances they came to me and I wanted to see if you liked them.”
He fell straight out of the chair. It jammed into the wall-length mixing board behind him and his ass hit the floor. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Shooting up, his eyes looked a quarter of an inch from falling out. This was his shot, like a first-round draft pick after being a college walk-on.
A gift. She was giving him a gift, the kind a musician like her didn’t need to give to anyone. Her words. Her songs. Her voice.
She and Spencer spent the next few hours working on music. I threw in my thoughts when asked, but for the most part I was happy to sit back and watch her work, see her immerse herself into the music, offering her tweaks through the mic to Spencer in the booth.
I hadn’t seen her on this side of the glass directing someone else. A confidence stole over her unlike the kind she had up on stage. This wasn’t for show.
Spencer found his groove after nerves seemed like they’d gotten the best of him. He shook it off and dug into the song Bay had written for him. It sounded good—better than good, perfectly matched to his voice even though they were her words.
She grabbed a guitar and they played the melody and rhythm of the song before she worked her magic to mix it all together with the vocals. They wrapped up the recording on one song and she told Spencer to come listen.
I was their sounding board. They both looked to me like I could provide more than a novice’s thoughts.
Spencer crossed his arms over his chest, staring intently. “Would you crank this up in the car and sing along to it?”
I looked to Bay. “The chorus is an earworm I’ll probably be singing for the rest of the week.”
They exchanged looks and high fived with a “Yes!”
After they’d finished recording the three songs, Spencer was spirited away by Holden to rooms unknown, probably to sign away his first born for a chance to release these songs.
Bay sat on my lap while the replays spilled out of the speakers.
Being this close to her would never get old, but the night was stretching on, which meant our time would be coming to an end. I couldn’t go another six years before holding her in my arms again.
“These songs are amazing.”
Her arms looped around my shoulders. “Do you think so? I hope Spencer likes them.”
“If he doesn’t, he’s an idiot.” I nuzzled the side of her face.
She was comfortable on this side of the glass. The edge of anxiety that lurked under the surface whenever she went out, or even before a performance, evaporated. Instead, in the studio with Spencer, her excitement for making music was contagious.
I’d wondered if her love of music had died in her rise to stardom, but it hadn’t. I could see it. I could feel it with every look and nod. The determined expression when she asked him to sing a line again or incorporated a tweak they’d come up with together.
She did love it. Which meant she’d never walk away from this life. And she shouldn’t—it was where she came alive. But I had no idea what it meant for whatever came next for us.
Her fingers toyed with the buttons of my shirt. “Thanks for coming. I’m sure this wasn’t what you had in mind when I said we could spend the day together.”
I kissed her—not the way I wanted, but the only kind I could give her without dropping her onto the couch and giving her a tease of what would happen when we made it back to my place. “Today’s about you having fun. I’m good with whatever that looks like.”
“Should we go rescue Spencer?” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I feel like Holden’s holding him hostage at this point.”
“Give them a few more minutes.”
She rested her head against my shoulder and I trailed my hand down her back. If the world ended in this moment, I would be content.
But it didn’t. Holden and Spencer returned before their minutes were up. Spencer looking like he’d seen a ghost waving winning lottery ticket numbers at him.
Bay got up and cued up the music before coming back to me, as happy to hear it as she’d been to play her own songs for me before Spencer arrived.
Spencer stood by the board with his eyes closed until the last note ended. When they opened, he stared at her like she was a miracle worker. “I’m still afraid I’m dreaming. These are next level. My voice doesn’t do them justice.”
“I wrote them for your voice.” She tapped on my arms and I released them from around her waist. Shooting up, her hands shook Spencer’s shoulders. “Are you not hearing what I’m hearing? Holden, back me up.”