What had been transpiring on the internet was best ignored. It wasn’t like I could change anything. They would say and do what they pleased. And I did ignore the bulk of the bullshit. But I’d be a liar if I said none of it stung.
“The sheriff has been by a few of times,” reported Riley on the drive home. Or rather, back to Garrett’s house. “He and his deputies are helping to keep things calm.”
The crowd had swollen in size. Guess it being summer holidays meant some of the Dead Heart fans had the free time to gather on our street. A couple of guards lingered at the front gate to make sure no one tried making a dash for the house. There were several big black Escalades and a sleek low white sports car parked by the door. More visitors, apparently.
I just needed to see Garrett. For reasons.
My bodyguards escorted me into the house, where someone was thrashing an electric guitar while another musician pounded out a beat on a set of drums. What else was a sitting room for? The music was so loud it made my ears ring. I didn’t bother to try to identify the newcomers. But they radiated a general sense of rich and cool.
I, however, was on a mission. I went straight for the man himself. He stood sipping a beer amongst his guests with a small smile on his face. Like he was actually happy for a change. But a frown furrowed his brow at the sight of me. Though it might have been due to my own dubious expression.
“Can I see you for a minute, please? Now,” I said, heading into the kitchen. Where the band’s manager and her assistant were hard at work at the table. For fuck’s sake. The security people had set up in the dining room, and I was not going upstairs. It was too far away.
So instead, I turned to him and said, “Get in the pantry.”
“You want to talk in the pantry?”
“It’s the closest and most convenient option for us to have a little privacy.”
He frowned some more but did as told.
It was, all in all, a spacious pantry. But two people still made the space cozy. At least someone had done a decent grocery shopping and the shelves were no longer bare. I took his beer out of his hand, downed a mouthful, and then planted my face in the middle of his chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, and thank goodness for that.
“Ani, are you okay?”
“That was a day.”
“What happened?” His expression couldn’t be more thunderous. And his black eye had turned spectacular shades of purple and blue today. It was seriously impressive.
“Fans and so on coming into the store and staring at me and taking my picture without asking permission.”
“Is that all?” He let out a sigh of relief. “You had me worried.”
“I know it’s normal for you, but it is not for me.”
“I’m sorry.” His arms tightened around me. “Will you tell me about it, babe?”
I downed some beer and ignored my hot, itchy eyes. “Grace’s father called me a low-class yeehaw whore who could never replace his beloved daughter.”
“Shit. I hadn’t heard about that.”
“I don’t even know how to ride a horse. It makes no sense. But how lovely to have that splashed all over the inter webs.”
He winced. “She hated her dad. Hadn’t talked to him since she was eighteen. But that asshole always loved it when the media asked his opinion. Got real pissed when she didn’t leave him anything in her will.”
“I do not blame her for hating him one bit,” I said. “Then your fans started coming into the store and wow, did they have some opinions. One of them said I was just some hot, fat bimbo and you’d get tired of fucking me in no time.”
“Babe—”
“At least she called me hot. That was kind of nice.”
He just frowned.
“Tell me something good.”
He grabbed hold of my hips and rested his forehead against mine and took a deep breath. And another. “I missed you. Thought I would be able to go a day without you around. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And there’s definitely other shit going on right now that needs my attention.”
I gave him a weary smile. “That’s nice to hear.”
“I was worried when you came in that you were going to tell me we’re over. That it’s all too much and you want to go home, or you want the bodyguards gone,” he admitted. “That they were annoying you or something. The thought of anything happening to you terrifies me.”
“Being here and having the bodyguards are fine. For now.”
He licked his lips. “If we’re going to do this, I cannot lose you too. You have to understand that. I can’t go through that again.”