“I get that. It’s why Pippa and I live up in the mountains,” Gareth says.
“You live up there because you hate people,” Jax says. Gareth doesn’t respond, but the drummer’s hatred of people is well known.
“What about your mom?” Knox asks.
“She says wherever I want to settle is fine with her. She’s got her a man now. He makes her really happy.”
And I am thankful for that. After my dad walked out on us, she struggled with two or three jobs. I know that she went without a lot to ensure I had the things I needed. Bert is a nice guy, and he adores her.
“So you’re at loose ends,” Knox says.
“I guess. Not sure what’s going to happen after this tour. I plan on recording, but I don’t want to do a major tour again.”
“We get that,” Gareth says, looking around at his brothers. “We’ve been talking about slowing down. We’ve all got at least one kid, and it just gets old, right? I love performing, but the long tours are starting to suck.”
I feel something in my stomach unclench. I haven’t really talked about this with anyone but my mom. She told me I had to follow my soul. It’s what she always has said.
“Yeah. I just need to find a place I can call home.”
The moment I say it out loud, I realize just how true it is. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, but putting it in the open, in front of anyone but my mother, sets it in stone. Making music is my life, but the road isn’t for me anymore.
“I want to make sure that you understand not to hurt Blossom. She’s all alone in the world,” Knox says.
“No siblings? Where are her parents?”
“I think you need to ask her about that. She has a hang-up about her privacy. But just know that she’s a good woman, the type that could probably convince you that Adam’s Run is the kind of place for you.”
I wait for the knee-jerk reaction I usually have to happily ever after. I might be known for my rock ballads, but I never really thought I would find a woman for me. Coming from a broken home really slants your world. My father wasn’t the best example, so I figured it was in my genes. My mother has always harped on me about finding a woman. I thought that had more to do with her wanting grandbabies, but lately, she’s been pushier. She says she’s worried about my mental health.
“Well, it’s just dinner. I wanted to take her out, but she offered to cook.”
“Ohh, you are in for a treat,” Knox says. “There is something about having a chef cook for you personally.”
“I’ve had chef’s cook for me. Hell, Abby cooks for me all the time.”
“It’s different when it is just for you. In a personal way.”
“I swear to God, if you talk about naked eating again, I will beat the shit out of you, Knox,” Jax says.
“What? Like you don’t brag about skinny dipping?”
“That’s normal, and I mentioned it in passing. You, on the other hand, go into great detail.”
“Jealous.”
It’s then that I notice Gareth is already leaving the room. The two other brothers are definitely going to keep squabbling, so I follow Gareth out into the kitchen.
“Smart man,” he says as he opens up the fridge. He’s a big guy like me, and the two of us are always looking for something to eat. “So, Blossom?”
I roll my eyes and say nothing. If the former hermit wants to ask me something, I will make him actually ask me.
He straightens and looks at me. The stand-off lasts a few seconds, all the while Jax and Knox are griping at each other. Finally, Gareth gives in with a smile.
“You’re one tough fucker, you know that?” he says with a chuckle.
“I’ve heard a rumor or two about that.”
“Just…” He trails off, draws in a deep breath, and releases it slowly. “Don’t count yourself out.”
I frown. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you shouldn’t assume that you’re never going to find a woman. Because the truth is, once you find her, it’s the best thing in the world. You’ve been so damned busy since you were sixteen. Now that you’re slowing down, you might finally be able to see how much better it can be with just one woman. You deserve that.”
I can’t say anything. Not about how I envy Gareth and his brothers for the happiness they have found, or that living in a little town and having a bunch of babies with the woman of my dreams doesn’t scare me as much as I let on. Or even the fact that I wonder daily if I’m like my father.
I just nod and walk away. I have some things to think about before my date tonight.
FOUR
BLOSSOM
“What was I thinking?” I say, looking around my tiny apartment.
“You were thinking your celebrity crush—who has a massive sweet tooth just so you know—was standing in front of you, and you had to take a chance,” Abby says.
“But he’s a millionaire, and I live in a one-bedroom flat above my shop.” I start pacing in front of her. Abby just sits calmly and watches me.
“First of all, he’s probably a billionaire.”
I throw my hands up in the air. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Secondly,” she says, ignoring my outburst, “Niall isn’t stuck up. It’s one of the reasons the guys like to perform with him. He’s good people.”
I will admit that makes me feel a little better. “Still.”
“Plus, this place smells like heaven.”
One of the things I love about my apartment is that it smells like my shop. Flour, sugar, cinnamon, and coffee permeate the entire floor.
“Not everyone likes it.”
Trent didn’t. He also thought I wanted to sleep with him on our first date, so he was kind of an ass. Oh, and he said he didn’t understand why people liked desserts.
WHO HATES DESSERT?
“He was an idiot.” That’s how good of friends we are. She knows exactly who I am talking about without me saying his name. “Also, I just told you Niall loves sweets. Plus, he was looking at you like he wanted to gobble you up.”
I roll my eyes. “A man like Niall isn’t interested in someone like me.”
“Blossom Louise Jones!”
“That’s not my middle name,” I say with a laugh.
She ignores me. “What on earth do you mean by that?”
“My mother didn’t believe in middle names. I don’t have one.”
“Wait, what?”
My parents were born in the wrong decade, or at least that’s what my grandmother always said. They were free spirits who didn’t worry about conventions.
“Don’t get sidetracked by my insane parents. I want to know what to do about Niall.”
“Other than feed him food then jump him?”
I blink. “I’m serious, Abby. Men like him want someone with more…experience.”
She rolls her eyes. “He wants you. I can promise you that.”
“He has…”
“What?”
I sigh and stop pacing. I sit down next to her. “Soul. A man who writes a song like Love Me Always has a lot of soul.”