Coming Home (20 page)

The contemporary home was big and beautiful and isolated. Desi bustled around, giving orders to the staff that greeted them and ushering Reid and Kate into the house, where he gave them a tour and their choice of bedrooms. “Anything you want or need, you have only to ask a member of my staff.”

“Thanks so much, Desi,” Reid said, shaking the other man’s hand.

“Happy to have you.” To Kate, he said, “I hope you’ll accept my heartfelt apologies for what happened at my resort. You can be assured that I’ll be overseeing a full investigation.”

“That’s good of you.”
 

Her dull, flat tone, so in contrast to her usual exuberance, set Reid’s jangled nerves further on edge.

“For what it’s worth, I’m a big fan of your music,” Desi added with a shy smile.

“Thank you. That’s nice to hear.”

An older woman who could’ve been Desi’s mother bustled into the room. “You’re here! I’m Desi’s Aunt Bertha, and I run this place for him.”

Desi grinned at Reid. “See what I mean when I say my staff has been with me forever?”

“So nice to meet you,” Reid said, shaking hands with Bertha. “I’m Reid, and this is Kate.”

“The Kate Harrington with the voice sent straight from heaven,” Bertha said, cradling Kate’s hand between both of hers. “I’ll take very good care of you, honey. Don’t you worry.”

When Kate’s eyes filled with tears, Reid realized that Bertha’s warmth had touched her deeply.

“Kate is so tired,” he said.

“Of course she is,” Bertha said. “Come along. Let’s get her tucked into bed.”
 

“I’ll check on you tomorrow,” Desi said as he took his leave.

Bertha led them into the master bedroom and closed the plantation shutters to block the waning light. “Can I bring you some dinner?”

“After a while,” Reid said. “She needs to sleep.”

“If you press the intercom button on the phone, you can reach a member of the staff—day or night. You let us know when you’re ready for dinner.”

“Thank you very much.”

Bertha left the room and closed the door behind her.

“Do you want to change?” he asked Kate.

She shook her head and crawled up the bed to find a pillow.

He pulled a throw blanket over her. “Do you want me to leave you alone?”

“No.” She reached for his hand, and he linked their fingers, grateful for the contact after so many hours of uncertainty. “I know you’re beating yourself up over this, but it’s not your fault either.”

He turned on his side to face her. “It was my idea.”

“We were both there, equal participants, and I had much more to lose than you did.”

“Still… I should’ve thought about what could happen.”

“We both should’ve.” Her eyes fluttered shut.

Reid leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Get some rest. I’ll be right here with you.”

Kate squeezed his hand and drifted off.

Ashton shot the approach to the runway, pleased to see the rolling meadows of home laid out before him. Central Tennessee was particularly gorgeous with the trees turning gold and red and orange. Autumn was his favorite time of year, even more so now that he’d taken the first major step toward the relationship with Jill he’d wanted so badly. As much as he’d hated to leave Malibu—and their time alone together—earlier than planned, it was always good to be home, and he couldn’t wait to see what was ahead for them.

He glanced over to make sure her seat belt was still fastened and brought the plane down for a smooth landing. As he taxied from the runway to the hangar at his family’s estate, Jill wrapped up the latest in a string of phone calls to everyone she could think to reach out to, trying to stem the damage to her sister’s reputation. To him, the metaphor “bailing the
Titanic
” seemed fitting, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate hearing that right now.

So he kept quiet as he took care of the plane and stored their stuff in the back of the truck he preferred when he wasn’t working. When there was nothing left to do, he went to the passenger side of the plane and opened the door to find her staring at the windshield.

“Jill?”

“Oh, sorry. I was just… I was…” Whatever she’d been about to say was lost in a torrent of tears that seemed to take her by surprise.

“Come here, honey.” He helped her out of the plane and into his arms, holding on tight while she cried out her frustration.

“There’s not a damned thing I can do.”

“I know, but you tried so hard. Kate will appreciate that. I’m sure she will.”

“For all the good it did.” She swiped at her damp cheeks. “It’s my job to protect her from crap like this, but I can’t protect her. I can’t.”

“I know you won’t want to hear it, but she did this to herself. She knows that. My dad knows it. No one’s blaming you.”

“There should be something I can do. We have laws—”

“And your sister is a public figure who did a stupid thing in public. The law doesn’t protect her in that situation.” He framed her face and compelled her to look up at him. Her gray-blue eyes were mostly gray today, flat and dull rather than vivid and bright as usual. “I have my associates trying to figure out who posted the video. If we’re successful, you may be able to go after them civilly.”

“That won’t get the video off the web.”

“No.”

“So this’ll stay with her forever.”

“Most likely, but there are some bright sides to it.”

“Like
what
?”

“First of all, there’s nothing overtly dirty about the video. From the brief bit I saw, it’s more sensual than pornographic. She’s not screaming at him to ‘do me, do me harder’ or anything like that.”

“That’s a
real
blessing.”

“Hear me out. Her fans will be happy to know
she’s
happy. There’ll be a ton of interest in her and in them as a couple. If you spin it the right way, it could turn out to be really good for her career.”

Jill shook her head. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better—”

“Right now, I’m talking to you as a fellow entertainment attorney, not as your lover.”

His use of the word “lover” made her face flush with color, which pleased him greatly. “I’ve been around this business a long time, babe—a lot longer than you have. I grew up with Buddy Longstreet as my godfather. I was in the wedding party when he married Taylor Jones. I was weaned on country music. I promise you that once the dust settles, she’ll be bigger than ever, especially if she’s self-deprecating about the video. A couple of interviews with the right reporters, and she’ll be back on top. She should play it off as a big “oops.” Vacation brain. That kind of thing. Her fans will be outraged by the violation of her privacy rather than disgusted by the video.”

She bit her lip as she thought about what he’d said. “You really think so?”

“I know so, but you have to act fast. Get her out ahead of the story before it spins any further out of control.”

“Why are you giving me this advice when you hate her so much?”

“Aw jeez, Jill. I never hated her. I hated her and my dad as a couple, because of the age difference. But mostly because, for a very brief time, I thought I wanted her for myself, though I can see now it never would’ve worked between us.”

Her eyes flashed with anger. At least they weren’t dull or flat anymore. “Well, that’s good to know. You lusted after my sister. What am I? Second best?” She started to walk away, but he reached for her arm to stop her.

“Cut it out. I had a
minor
crush on her ten years ago. What I have on you is a
major
,
all-consuming
crush. No comparison.” With his arms around her, he brought her in close to him. “And the reason I’m giving you this advice is because I want to help
you
. Not her.
You
.”

“By helping me, you’re helping her.”

He shrugged, amused by her logic even if he didn’t let her see that. “By-product.”

She surprised him when she reached up to hook a hand around his neck to bring him down for a kiss that blew the top off his head. “It’s good advice,” she said many minutes of vigorous tongue activity later. “No, it’s
great
advice. Thank you.”

“If you’re going to kiss me like that, I’ll give you advice any time you need it—free of charge.”

Her smile lit up her face and his world. And then he remembered he’d told her he loved her right before Buddy called earlier, and she hadn’t returned the sentiment. “Jill—”

She tugged on his arm. “Let’s go. I have a lot to do.”

This wasn’t the time to push her. She had too many other things on her mind. But soon, he decided. Soon he’d get her to admit she felt the same way about him, and they’d make a plan for a life together.

Kate had no idea where she was when she woke up alone in a dark room. And then it all came rushing back to her. The video. The scandal. The move to Desi’s house. Reid’s guilt. The sick feeling in her stomach when she thought of strangers watching her have sex.
 

After all the years of rumor and innuendo, she’d finally given them something to sink their teeth into. She could only imagine what was being said about her on the entertainment websites, the magazines, the TV shows. The thought of it made her shudder with revulsion.
 

Tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She’d been so happy to be back with Reid, so caught up in the magic and the moment and the seclusion of the island that she’d let down her guard. Now she would pay for that mightily. As it occurred to her that Buddy’s record company might dump her, her stomach began to ache.
 

And as quickly as she had that thought, she realized she didn’t care anymore. Let them dump her. Let them turn her into a pariah in the business. Let them say whatever the hell they wanted about her. She’d worked her ass off for years. She’d sacrificed everything for this almighty career. She had five brothers who barely knew her, and until recently, she’d gone to bed every night alone.

For what? Another gold record? Another million in the bank? She had a wall full of gold and platinum, more millions in the bank than she could spend in a lifetime and very little else to show for all the hard work.
 

Enough was enough.

Filled with a new sense of purpose, she sat up and wiped the tears from her face. She’d be damned if she would shed another tear over her almighty career. Screw that. After a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up, she went to find Reid.

He was standing on the deck, staring intently into the darkness. In the distance, Kate could hear the crashing of waves against the shore. The familiar sound—the sound of home—brought comfort and resolution as she stepped onto the porch.

He startled when she slipped her arms around him from behind. “Oh hey, you’re up.”

“Sorry to conk out on you like that.”

His hands covered hers at his waist. “You needed the rest.”

“That’s not all I need.” She released him and urged him to turn so she could see his face.

Brushing the hair back from her face, he said, “What else do you need, honey? I’ll get you anything.”

“I want to go home.”

She could tell she’d taken him by surprise. “To Nashville?”

“Yes.”

His face set into a grim expression. “I can’t say I blame you. This hasn’t exactly been the vacation you were hoping for. St. Kitts is usually a lot more restful than it’s been for you.”

She placed her hands on his chest and went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “In all the most important ways, it was exactly the vacation I was hoping for.”

“I gotta be honest with you, darlin’. You’re confusing the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, laughing.
 

“I didn’t expect to hear you laugh tonight.”

“I didn’t expect to feel like laughing, but I’ve made a decision, and now I want to go home and make it happen.”

“What decision have you made?”

“I’m quitting the business.”

His mouth fell open in shock. “Wait. What?”

“I’ve had enough. I want to be a private citizen again. I want a life, a real, genuine life that doesn't include two hundred nights a year on the road. I want to get to know my brothers and, and…” She stopped herself from giving him the full list so as not to scare him away. “Well, there’re a lot of things I want to do, and I can’t do any of them as long as I continue to chase the music. I’ve done everything I set out to do in the business. I have almost everything I need. Now it’s time for me.”

“I, um… I don’t know what to say. Is this because of the video?”

“That’s part of it.” Her entire body hummed with energy. Having made the decision, now she couldn’t wait to implement it. “This has been a long time coming. My health has been shit for the last year. I’m exhausted all the time. I haven’t been writing music the way I used to, which is one of the things I most love to do. I’m not doing
any
of the things I most love to do. I spend hardly any time with my family, other than Jill, my brothers are growing up way too fast. The twins are ten now.
Ten!
Did you know that?”