A week went by with Victoria going into Banu with Mason daily. She was avoiding Belle and her request that she join her mother for therapy. Now that she knew the absolute hard truths of what her mother thought of her, it was impossible to consider sitting with her and discussing what a huge mistake she was, at least right now. Everything Belle had told her only magnified all the mistakes she’d made along the way, and all for someone who was never going to love her anyway.
To Sophie Roddy she was an error, a huge screw-up, but she’d given up her dreams and her childhood for whatever sick need Sophie had to have her around. Victoria doubted it was all for show, but maybe it was also a way to punish her grandmother, who actually wanted her. That kind of selfishness was a foreign concept to her, but it was the blade her mother had used to cut her so deep, the wound would never really heal.
That was what she was planning to tell her mother when they finally did sit and talk, but she had to find a backbone before that meeting. There was no going back, but she did want to leave her mother in a place where she could survive the addiction on her own. Trying to keep all that swirling emotion inside was nearly impossible, but she didn’t want to frighten Mason away, even though she’d been nothing but a great friend up to now. What they were building was becoming something special, but everyone had their breaking point, and she didn’t want to reach Mason’s limit.
“You want to take it from the top?” the recording guy said. “You were off tempo on that last run.”
“Sorry.” She put the headphones back on and listened to the song’s opening. Colt had already recorded his part and was on his way to New York for the first stops on his tour.
This always looked easy when she’d watched her mother do it, but having only the voice and the music in your head while you stood alone in a studio made it hard to conjure up any feeling. That afternoon singing with Colt while Mason was listening had freed something in her that hadn’t been there before, and all that emotion had come from singing to Mason.
She started singing again and stopped when she spotted Mason in the booth smiling at her. That Mason had stayed away while they were at the office for the entire week had surprised her, but she’d given her space after they’d signed the contract that would pay her new manager half a percent going forward. They’d argued about it, but that’s all she’d been able to talk Mason into taking. This song would most probably be the only thing she’d ever do that would make money, so she guessed she should be grateful for the extra income.
“You doing okay?” Mason asked into the intercom and she shook her head. The others in the booth took a break when Mason said something to them before joining her. “You change your mind? Your manager will take care of it if you have.”
“No, it’s not that. Surprisingly, this is so foreign.” She put her arms around Mason’s shoulders and stood between her legs when she sat on one of the stools scattered throughout the studio, bringing her to eye level. “And I’m lonely.”
“You don’t have to be, especially when I’m in the building trying not to plan ways to sneak down here to see you.” Mason kissed her like she had all the time in the world and the guys waiting on them didn’t cost a small fortune. “You want to try something different? If it works, we can get out of here and do something fun.”
“Will you stay? Maybe if I sing this to you and not the twelve-year-old you have mixing it, it’ll help me out.”
Mason smiled and nodded. “Whenever you want to sing me a love song, feel free.”
She took some deep breaths while Mason got everyone ready. The guys waited for Mason to put on headphones and sit back down with a microphone over her head. It was different this time when the music started, and she looked into Mason’s eyes and felt her blood ignite at what she saw in their depths. There was no denying the desire and perhaps something more that was plain and strong.
They hadn’t put words to their feelings out of caution, maybe fear, but there it was in Mason’s eyes. They hadn’t known each other long, but Mason’s face was so open, and she couldn’t hide much from her when they were this close, and that truth was like a soothing balm on a horrible cut. Mason gazed at her like a woman who wanted more from her than a casual fling, and she wholeheartedly returned the sentiment. She tried to convey that through the words she was singing, letting emotion flow through the music.
Caring was what made every touch, every kiss, and every look from Mason special. Mason had been passionate but tender with her, and she made the process of falling for her so easy she’d willingly opened her heart, barely thinking of all the things that could go wrong. That had always been her habit no matter what she was contemplating doing, but she’d gone into this not only with her eyes open, but with an enthusiasm she’d never experienced for anything else. She sang as she stretched her hand out to Mason and closed her eyes when she took it.
This time, though, the voice in her head wasn’t Colt’s, but Mason’s. She opened her eyes to find Mason singing along with her. She’d heard her play, but this was the first time she’d heard her voice, and she was ready to cry at how beautiful it was. They made it through the whole song holding hands until the booth guys interrupted.
“Great job, Vic. We’ll drop the boss’s voice out and finish mixing yours with Colt’s. It’s a wrap unless you want to try it again. I can’t imagine you could be more perfect than that last one, but it’s your call.”
She shook her head, never breaking eye contact with Mason. “We’re done, but could I have a copy with the boss on it? She sounds better than Colt.”
“I won’t tell pretty boy you said that, but there’s a reason Mason’s the voice of the company. The boss has some great pipes as well as awesome brains.”
Mason laughed and shook her head. “Kiss ass.”
He grinned and turned off the mic as he started talking to the rest of the crew.
“Thanks, honey.” She squeezed Mason’s fingers and waited for their audience to leave so she could kiss her the way she wanted to.
“You’re welcome, and you are great.”
Mason walked her outside and led her to her office. She knew the way because she met Mason every afternoon when she was finished with rehearsals, but today, she wasn’t ready to go home.
“Will you go out on a date with me tonight?” Mason asked as if reading her mind.
“Anytime, anyplace.” She stood between Mason’s legs again when she sat on the edge of her desk. Her foot had healed enough to walk without the crutches and boot, but heels were still a few days away. “And this,” she said, kissing Mason slowly until she felt the tightening of her hands on her ass, “is for helping me today.”
“Believe me, darlin’, you don’t need any help, but I’ll be happy to inspire you whenever you like. Right now, how about dinner at Rolf and Daughters? I won’t even make you sing for it.” Mason finished her tease by kissing the slight cleavage visible at the top of her shirt.
“I’d love to, but I doubt I’m dressed for that.” Victoria glanced down at herself and grimaced.
“Stop making that face, and you’re fine. If they don’t let us in, we’ll go out for doughnuts that I’m planning to eat in my pajamas.” Mason packed her bag and put her jacket back on.
“Did you run out today and buy pajamas?” Waking up with Mason every morning, pressed to her skin to skin, was something that put her in a great mood for the rest of the day.
“I did not, so I’ll have to go with the naked option. It makes it easier to clean off any unfortunate jelly spills.”
Mason held her hand as her assistant Scarlet followed them to the truck, finalizing things as they walked. She enjoyed the teasing relationship between Scarlet and Mason because Scarlet didn’t leave her out.
“Stop talking, Scarlet—I’ve got a date.”
“What crazy woman agreed to be seen with you in public?”
Victoria laughed and raised her hand. “You can sign me up for a mental health assessment tomorrow, but I’ll take my chances tonight.”
“Have fun and try everything.” Scarlet waved and turned to go back inside.
“At the restaurant, you mean?” she called before Scarlet made it through the door.
“There too, but not at all what I was talking about.”
“Good advice,” she said as Mason opened her door. “Can we talk about what comes next?” She waited for Scarlet to disappear before asking.
Mason closed the door and moved quickly to get in. “What do you mean?” She didn’t put the truck in gear and placed her fingers under Victoria’s chin. “What are you thinking?”
The inside of the truck still had that new car smell, and it reminded Victoria of the newness of their relationship. Hopefully they’d get to a point where she could simply say what was scaring her or bothering her without fear of laying it out there.
“For the first time in my life, I’m not sure of who I am. I can’t go back to being my mom’s manager, but that’s all I’ve ever done. I’m recording this track, but it’s just one little thing, and…what do I do next? Who am I?”
The rapid-fire words sounded almost panicked and Mason wasn’t sure where they were coming from. It’s like Victoria had finished the one thing she’d decided to do, and now all that was left was the abyss of the unknown that was clearly scaring the hell out of her.
“You’ve already done so much for both of us, but there’s no way I expect you to keep my mother in your house indefinitely, and that’s how long it will probably take to make her a decent human again.”
“And you think I’m tossing you out when your mom goes?” She got no answer and it clued her in to how Victoria thought. Doom and gloom were the first things that crossed her mind no matter what the situation was, and it would take time to change that mindset. “If I ask you to do something with me, would you?”
“I’ll try my best.”
“I know what your life has been, and the conversation with Belle last week confirmed it for me.” She brushed Victoria’s hair away from her face and wiped her tears away with her thumb. “There’s nothing I can do to change the past, but I’d like you to give me the chance to be a part of your future. I want that more than anything, but you don’t have to believe me or even trust what I’m saying. The proof will come in time when we wake up together every day and I’m there through everything—the good and the bad.”
“I’m not sure how I lucked out, but thank you.”
“I simply want you, and Sophie’s free to go whenever she’s ready. You, though, are free to stay, and to be honest, I’d really like you to. If that’s too fast for you, though, keep your place, or better yet, keep the river house until you’re ready to take the next step.” She leaned over and kissed Victoria lightly on the lips, not wanting to mess up her lipstick. “No matter what you decide, I’m going to be here. Nothing about this scares me enough to want to lose you.”
“That I believe with all my heart.” Victoria wiped Mason’s lips clean of the bit of color that transferred from her lips, then pressed her hand to her cheek. “You are by far the best thing that’s come into my life, and I do want you. There’s certain things every woman should be sure of, and for me, that’s you.”
“Good, don’t forget it.” She chanced more lipstick before she started the truck, wanting to get to the reservation Scarlet had made for them. “I do have an idea about what comes next, though, if you’re interested.”
“If it has something to do with being your love slave, we might have to negotiate.”
She had to laugh and shake her head at Victoria’s quick wit as she turned into traffic. She might get insecure and panicky, but she was always quick to recover. It was sweet, but Mason hoped it wasn’t a way to mask her true feelings. “Maybe later we’ll iron out my lifelong servitude to you, but I was thinking more about your music career.”
“Honey, you’re kind, but I don’t have a music career.”
Victoria ran her fingers along her forearm, and she thought about how much she’d generally disliked being touched this much in the past. Victoria had broken through so many barriers that it should’ve scared her, but so far she hadn’t wasted brain power on this truth.
“Now that I’ve finished with Colt’s project, I thought maybe you could make me an intern or something. I can start small, but with a little experience I could eventually be useful to you.” Victoria looked hesitant, but it was good she was taking a chance and voicing something she was interested in.
“I do want you to work for me, but I had something else in mind.” She stopped at the valet stand and glanced at the guy walking to Victoria’s door. He opened it and wasn’t exactly covert in checking Victoria out. “Do you think you’ll be more attractive with a black eye and missing teeth?”
Victoria snorted at the question when the valet handed over a ticket, shaking his head vigorously.
“No,” the guy said hesitantly.
“Honey, the faster we eat, the faster we get home and talk about that sex slave thing.” Victoria spoke loud enough for the valet to hear, and Mason had a hard time keeping a straight face when he swallowed hard and went pale. “I don’t want to waste the night out here on stuff that’s not ever going to be a problem, or in any way a possibility.”
“Sorry, guys like that make me nuts.” Mason put her hand at the base of Victoria’s back as they went inside. The possessive side of her was new, but Victoria didn’t seem to mind.
“It’s flattering that you’re pissed on my behalf, but trust me, it’s not necessary. You’re the one I want to be with.” It didn’t take long to get a table, and the secluded spot gave them the privacy to finish their talk. “There’s also the fact that things like that rarely happen.”
“Were you surrounded by fools all your life?” Mason tapped her fingers on the table enough that Victoria finally covered her hand with hers to get her to stop. “I don’t mean to get all possessive on you, but open staring makes me want to punch people. Not that I can blame them, but I’m the only one that I want openly staring at you.”
“I don’t care about any of that.” The way Victoria smiled at her made her relax. “Besides, I want to talk about something else. I’m done with Colt’s project, so I can’t put Belle off much longer. My mother is going to need assistance getting through therapy, and Belle seems to think I’d be good to help with that.”
“Are you worried about talking to your mom?” The waiter took a wine order from Mason and left quickly when she motioned him away. “There’s no rule that makes you have to do this.”
“I do want to, but I want to be sure of myself and what I want to say before I do. This last week has shown me I can stand on my own, and when I can’t, you’ll be there to hold me up.”
“Damn right.” Mason took a sip of the wine she’d poured. It was delicious, and she’d enjoyed having a glass with Victoria every night as they shared a chair on the deck.
That sense of domesticity was something she’d often dreamed about, but she had always wondered if it would eventually suck the excitement out of any relationship. So far that was something she couldn’t imagine happening with Victoria, and she was loving their take on domesticity.
“I’m serious. Only do this if it’s what you want. Don’t let Belle talk you into something you aren’t comfortable with. I know you love your mother, but Sophie’s a big girl who got herself in this position. Maybe it’s time for her to work on getting herself out of it.”
“Trust me, there’s nothing Belle could tell me that’d surprise me about my mother. Well, hearing that I was an unwanted mistake wasn’t pleasant, but there won’t be anything worse, I don’t think. I’m sure you’ve dealt with difficult artistic personalities, so you know what I’m talking about.” Victoria twirled her glass by the stem as she stroked her fingers with the other hand. “The truth is, I have to make peace with my mom, and once I do, we can move forward without that hanging over us. This isn’t your responsibility.”
“I want it to be my responsibility because it’s you. Whatever you need from me, all you need to do is ask. There’s no reason for us to suffer in silence any longer. Whatever is bothering either of us, I want to be able to talk about it without fear of what the other person will think.” She signaled the waiter when she saw him hovering nearby and ordered, after Victoria asked her to do the same for her. “Once you start taking those steps, there are some more I’d like you to consider.”
“Take your own advice, Liner, and just spit it out.”
Victoria threaded their fingers together and smiled at her in a way that made her feel that in this one moment Victoria was truly happy.
“There’s this song I think will be the cornerstone of a new album, and I’d like you to consider it.” The great smile was replaced with confusion, but she wasn’t stopping her pitch. “If we lead with the song I’m talking about, we can release it close to the duet with Colt, and the marketing from that will help it get where I think it will go.”
Victoria was quiet and had slumped back, but she hadn’t let go of her hand. “Could you explain that again, because I don’t think I quite understand?”
“I wrote a song for you. To lead off an album all your own.” She let Victoria go, reached into her pocket, and handed her an envelope.
Her job revolved around the music business, but her heart and her head agreed that no one could do any job effectively unless they understood, and loved, every aspect of it. Her father had grown their family business with her mother’s help because he understood the nuts and bolts of what sold, and her mother understood the music. She’d learned all of it from both her parents’ perspectives, and while she knew her best talents were from her father’s side of the equation, there was no denying her mom’s influence.
“You wrote a song for me?” The way Victoria glanced from the papers to her in constant motion almost made her laugh.
“I did. It doesn’t happen often, but when I feel strongly about something, I’ve been known to try to capture it.”
Victorian nodded slowly. “When did you do this?”
“A week of missing you did the trick, but I wanted to give you the freedom to do your thing in the studio without me hovering.” She stood and opened her arms when Victoria got up and walked into them.
“You’re too much, and I’m so lucky you’re with me.” Victoria kissed the side of her neck and hugged her tightly.
“There’s never going to be too much between us. You’re going to fly because of you, and I’ll be happy to watch. All I can give you is the chance to do what you obviously love, but the rest is up to you.” There was no way to erase every heartbreak, but she could give Victoria everything she needed to live her dreams. Even if, in the long run, those dreams didn’t include Mason. “All you need to do is say yes.”
“Nothing is going to change if I say yes—between us, I mean.”
It most certainly would, but as long as Victoria was happy, that’s all that would matter. “You’re going to set the world on fire, and I’m going to be there for all of it.”
“You’re damn right. I won’t do it unless you’re there every step of the way. Thank you for this. Even if all I ever get to do is sing it to you while I’m cooking dinner, it’ll be special because you wrote it.” Victoria sat and lowered her gaze to the pages. “Talk to Me” was a song about their first night together and the very intimate conversation they’d had.
That night, all those unspoken words that encapsulated devotion, love, promise, and commitment were the ones that resonated the loudest. It had taken one night to fill her heart with everything Victoria meant to her, and maybe she was an idiot for allowing it to happen, but she wanted this woman forever. The song in Victoria’s hands represented her ticket to a new life, far different from the one she was living now. It also represented freedom. Mason wasn’t about to bind Victoria to something she didn’t want if she wanted no reminders of that old life.
She didn’t say anything as Victoria read, and she shrugged when Victoria looked up at her with an expression of wonder.
“There are moments in your life that you have no idea of their impact, for good or bad, until they play out.” Victoria placed the papers back in the envelope and slid her hands to the center of the table. “You get thrown in my path at what seemed like the worst moment of my life, and you’ve done everything to make me fall in love with you. You’ve been the biggest and best impact on my heart, and I love you because of it.”
“You’re the woman I’ve been waiting for, and I have no intention of letting go, but I won’t hold you back, either.”
“Shut up,” Victoria said. She squeezed her hands, and Mason could see the candlelight dancing in her eyes. “I never wasted time waiting or hoping because I didn’t think anyone like you existed, but here you are. The best part of being with you isn’t this.” Victoria cocked her head toward the envelope. “It’s being with you, doing all those things people think are boring, but they’re not because you’re right there. I love you, and I’m not letting go either.”
“I love you too.” It was good to finally say it out loud. “It’s probably way too early to say it, and it’s probably crazy, but I love you.”
“Think they could pack everything we ordered to go?”
“Waiter!”