Malik opened the door for me, ushering me into the empty studio. We sat down at the board together, going over the plans. The musician was going to be laying down one acoustic track, so it wasn’t going to be complicated. But sometimes simple was more of a challenge. The recording had to be precise since there was nothing to hide behind. Just a voice and a guitar.
I swiveled in my chair when the studio door opened. A guitar case came through first, followed by the man carrying it.
“Adam?” I squeaked.
Malik chuckled. “He wouldn’t let me tell you.”
Adam set down his guitar on the leather couch and held his arms out to me. Since we were still doing this whole engagement thing and Malik was watching, I got up from my seat on shaky legs and went to him.
He enveloped me in his long arms, touching his lips to the side of my head. “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he murmured.
“I’m going to murder you,” I whispered in reply.
“No you’re not. You’re going to help me record my song.”
He let me pull back. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were cloudy and distant.
“What song?” I asked.
He chucked my chin. “You’ll just have to wait and listen. Think you can be patient?”
“No.”
He chuckled. “Too bad. You’re gonna have to wait a few more minutes.” Spotting the necklace he’d given me for my birthday, he hooked his finger around the chain. “Looks good on you, Champ. I knew it would.”
“I never thanked you for it.”
“You don’t have to thank me for anything, Adelaide.”
He stole a quick kiss, then worked on taking his guitar out and getting it tuned. I returned to my seat, glaring at Malik. He held up his hands, giving me the face of an innocent man.
“The man wants to record a song in my studio, the man records a song in my studio.”
I snarled at my boss. “This is where I tell you I don’t like surprises.”
He winked at me. “I did drop the party info, didn’t I?”
Adam lifted his head. “Party?”
I rolled my eyes. “My lovely coworkers are throwing me a surprise engagement party on Friday.”
“Cool.” He strummed his guitar, nodding. “I’ll come to that. Just let me know the time.”
“I don’t know if you’re invited—”
Malik elbowed my arm. “Your man’s invited. You know we don’t vibe with strict corporate policies around here. It’s a family affair and all that. Besides, you didn’t propose to yourself, did you? Party’s for both of you.”
Adam shot me a smug smile. “Yeah, baby. Party’s for both of us.”
I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. “Shut up and go sing your song.”
He took his time finishing tuning his guitar, then he wandered into the recording booth. In there, he moved things around, sat down, got up, then sat again. Was he nervous? He was antsy, which was an Adam trait, but this was beyond his normal golden retriever state.
Malik spoke into the mic. “When you’re ready.”
I leaned over, covering my mouth with my hand. “Did he tell you what this song is for?”
“Nope.” He glanced at me. “He didn’t tell you, his fiancée?”