Anson had also moved out of the guest house of his grandparents’ place and was staying with me. It was heavenly to spend time with him every day. To go to sleep in his arms and wake up to him kissing me softly and then making love to me. Heaven. Truth be told, it had been the most amazing few weeks of my life. Blissful was the best word to use.
Anson hadn’t made an appearance at the tea room yet, at least not when we were open, and I was okay with that. If people came in to peek at me or him, I didn’t know. With the many tourists we already had coming in and out, strangers weren’t anything new.
I glanced around the tea room and smiled. Two tables were full. One with an afternoon tea for a local book club, the other a group of friends who met twice a month. All locals. And not one of them uttered a word about my post, much to my relief.
The post I shared two weeks ago was mostly received with positivity. Some negative Nelly comments, here and there, but for the most part, my followers were genuinely happy for me. I even gained followers after Anson shared my post.
The bell rang on the entrance to the tea room, and I glanced over to see Anson walk in. He had been helping his father out on the ranch more and more as the weeks went on, and I could see how happy it made him to be spending time on the ranch. I hoped that happiness also came from spending more time with his father. They had started to talk, but Anson said they’d been interrupted when the photos leaked.
“Hey, to what do we owe this honor?” I asked as I walked up and gave him a quick kiss.
He smiled and quickly glanced around the room. A look of surprise crossed his face, mostly at my very public display of affection. I’d waited six years for this feeling again, and I was bound and determined not to waste another minute.
“Are you free to talk alone?”
“Sure, let’s go back to my office.”
Anson followed me as we made our way through the tea room and back toward my office.
“Afternoon, ladies,” I heard him say as we passed one of the tables. I glanced back over my shoulder. It was the book club. All of them had smiles on their faces, a few of them with pink cheeks.
Yes, Anson Meyer had that effect on women, no doubt about it.
“Terry, I’ll be in my office—let me know if you need anything,” I called out to her in the kitchen.
She gave me a grin and said, “Sure thing.”
After we walked into my office, I shut the door and was promptly pushed against it. Anson’s mouth landed on mine, and my body instantly came to life.
Lord, this man can kiss.
He pulled back and whispered, “I’ve been thinking about that mouth all day.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and replied, “Mmm, I’ve missed you too, Mr. Meyer. How were things at the ranch?”
He rubbed his nose softly against mine. “Good. Dad and I still haven’t really talked everything through, but it’s been nice working alongside him. I feel like it’s another piece of me that’s been missing for a while now.”
I smiled and dropped my hands as I leaned my head back against the door so I could look up at him.
“Why do you seem out of sorts then?”
He closed his eyes and sighed before opening them again. The way those blue eyes stared back at me had my heartbeat picking up. I realized he was worried about something.
“Robert called me earlier. He wants me to come back to Nashville.”
My stomach dropped, and the little bubble I had let myself live in was popped instantly.
“Okay. When?”
“He’d like for me to come back as soon as possible. The record company wants to talk about another contract, and Robert is pretty certain they want at least another three, maybe four albums.”
I smiled, and a warm sense of pride filled my chest. “That’s a good thing, right?”
He returned the smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. They looked so confused, and that bothered me. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t support him. I did, and it might be hard, but we’d figure everything out.
“Yeah, that’s a good thing.”
“When are you going to leave?” I asked.
He looked away. “He wants me there tomorrow morning. He’s sending a private plane to pick me, Lanny, and Brad up tonight.”
“What about Zeus?” I asked, knowing Anson didn’t like to travel by plane.
Anson looked back at me and winked. “I was sort of hoping he could stay with you. He’s fallen in love with you, and it’s going to be a quick trip. I’ll be back in a day or two.”