Music of the Heart, page 12
“And for the record, I miss this too.”
**********
Waking up in Nashville on Tuesday should normally be nice. But all I can think about is if I’m doing the right thing or not. Normally, I would tell Dixon about something like this but I decided not to share this time. He’s like a brother to Ashleigh and I knew he would tell her before I had a chance to.
I don’t have to wait at all when I arrive at JMA. I’m shown to Jamie’s office where he’s waiting for me with a hot cup of coffee.
“Hey man. How are you?”
“I’m not gonna lie man. I’m not the best right now.”
“What’s going on Cross? I know you have some concerns about Ashleigh Kennedy. Is that what’s bothering you or is it something else?”
“What would you say Jamie if I told you I’m falling for someone and hard?”
The look on his face is enough without any words. He thinks I’m going crazy just like everyone else. Cross Hamilton doesn’t do relationships but that is changing now. A new year is bringing a new Cross. I glance up at Jamie and can see the wheels turning in his head.
“Wait a minute. First, wow. I never thought I would see you wanting a relationship or serious over anyone. Second, does this meeting have anything to do with the person you’re falling for? Is that why you’re feeling like shit right now?”
“Let me be honest with you. I met Ashleigh through both of our best friends. Long story short, we share the same best friends but in close to eight years, our paths have somehow never crossed due to my work and traveling and her music and touring. We met in October and she has owned me from the moment I laid eyes on her. You know me well enough so you can understand we have some rough times. She knows too much about my reputation and has been leery of being with me. Then I found out about her throat and voice issues and kind of took over with doctors and second opinions and she blew up at me for messing with her life.”
“And meeting with me to talk about the need of a very long term break for her is going to help your case how?”
“It’s not. We just got back on good terms this weekend and she is going to hate me all over again. But I need her in my life for as long as possible before she finds out. You have to promise me that you will keep the silent shareholder exactly that way… silent. You can’t mention my name when you tell her. She will find out eventually I’m sure. I just need it kept quiet for now. I need to convince her we belong together before she finds out it was me.”
Jamie just laughs and shakes his head. I’m sure this situation sounds as fucked up as it actually is.
“Look, I agree with you 100% that she needs a break. Her manager and tour manager have both been in touch with me about it as well. Her assistant, Allie, even called me. I’ve been to a few of her shows in the last five months and I can tell the minute it begins to hurt her. It’s obvious to someone in the industry. I know she hits the road again Sunday and I’m going to let her but I’m calling her in for a meeting when she does her show here in Nashville mid February. That should give you some time to get on her good side.”
We finish up our meeting and I leave feeling an even bigger weight on my shoulders. I head straight to the airport to fly out to Denver. I am finishing up the plans for a new complex we are developing.
I shoot Ashleigh a text to tell her I’m looking forward to seeing her Saturday. I get an immediate reply back questioning where we will be on Saturday. I tell her to be patient. I have plans for us. I drift off and grab a quick nap as the plane takes me to Denver.
Chapter Twenty-One
ASHLEIGH
Saturday morning gets here and I’m still curious about what Cross meant by seeing me today. He’s been texting me every day and I know he’s trying to get back in my good graces. The dinner is at his brother’s house tomorrow that I’ve been invited to. After a morning run and a few cups of coffee, I go take a shower and throw on leggings and an oversized sweater. I make myself comfortable on the couch while I watch Lifetime movies.
After a couple of hours, I start to get hungry for lunch. I decide to make a big grilled chicken salad and head to the kitchen to get everything out. Just as I start to wash all the vegetables, my door bell rings. I run to see who could be at my house and assume it’s one of the girls so I just open the door without looking. Instead, I’m greeted with a very good looking man.
“Cross, what are you doing here? I was just fixing lunch. Are you hungry?”
“Why did you answer the door without checking to see who it was first? I could have been a burglar or a murderer for all you know. You need to be more careful.”
“Geez, calm down. I assumed it was one of the girls so I just opened without looking. Oh and it’s great to see you too. Now, are you going to tell me what you’re doing here or do I get to close the door in your face?”
“I just got home from a business trip and honestly, I wanted to see you. I had thought of all these plans to whisk you away and spend the day with you somewhere but all I really want to do is just be here and hang out with you. I came straight from the airport to see you.”
I imagine the look on my face is one of surprise. I wasn’t expecting him to say all that. I thought he might have plans for us today or tonight but I wasn’t expecting his sweet words. I’m just staring at him like he’s lost his mind.
“So, can I come in? Or are you going to make me freeze on your front porch all day?”
“Oh! I’m so sorry! Come in. Are you hungry? I was just starting to fix lunch.”
He follows me into the kitchen and takes a seat at the island and just watches me. He makes me a little nervous if I must admit.
“Here, let me fix something different. I’m sure you’re hungry for something more than just a salad. I can make pizzas or sandwiches. I can also make spaghetti if you can wait a while. Or we could…”
“Ashleigh. Stop please. Whatever you’re making is fine. A salad sounds perfect. Would you mind if I grabbed a shower and changed out of my suit?”
“Of course. That’s fine. There is a full guest bathroom at the end of this hall. You’re welcome to use that one and the connecting guest bedroom if you want.”
Cross stands up from the barstool and walks my way. I stop what I’m doing and watch him. He stops right in front of me and just looks at me with a smile on his face. Instead of saying anything, he just leans in and kissed my forehead and walks back out to this car to grab his carry-on.
I finish up fixing our lunch while he showers and changes clothes. When he walks back out into the kitchen, he looks amazing. I’m pretty sure I would not have minded helping him in the shower. Good Lord, where did that thought come from? I finally hear him trying to talk to me.
“Hey. Earth to Ashleigh.”
“What?! Oh, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“I just asked if I could get a drink and if you wanted one as well.”
“Oh, sure. I’ve got water, tea, diet coke, beer, wine and a few other things.”
He walks over and grabs a couple of diet cokes out of the refrigerator and comes back to the island. I’m busy washing lettuce and vegetables and when I turn back around from the sink, I see he’s slicing up the chicken for me. I grab a big bowl and toss all the vegetables in along with some corn and black beans. Without any question, he grabs the salsa and the sour cream for a dressing. I top it with tortilla strips and lunch is served.
We eat together at the island and I just decide to dish out what’s on my mind.
“Cross. Why are you really here right now? I mean, I know what you told me but you could have waited to see me tomorrow at your brother’s house.”
Before I know what’s going on, he grabs me and kisses the hell out of me. He teases me with his tongue and I open right up for him. Our tongues dance with each other as my hands start roaming up the front of his shirt. God, his body is amazing. I wanted to continue but before I know it, Cross is pulling away. I know I have a confused look on my face too.
“What’s wrong? Why did you pull away?”
“Ashleigh, I want nothing more than for this to continue but I don’t want you to think this is the reason I came over today. I came to see you because I missed you and I wanted to apologize again. I enjoy spending time with you and just wanted to relax with you today.”
Looking at him, I want nothing more than to kiss him again. I stand up and walk around the island to get a few napkins. As I turn around, I lock eyes with him and I decide to just do it. I set the napkins down on the island and go straight for him. He’s still sitting so I grab his face and crash my mouth against his. I’m pretty sure I catch him off guard but after a few seconds, he grabs my waist and pulls me closer. We kiss like this for several seconds before he pulls away again.
This time, I step back and start to walk away. He grabs me by the hand and pulls me back.
“No. Don’t be like that Ashleigh. I can see the wheels turning in your head over why I pulled away. Don’t overthink it. Trust me. I want to kiss you again and again and again but I think we need to slow down. We have all day together. Let’s spend the day with each other and take things slow.”
“Okay. What do you want to do?”
“You tell me. This day is what you want to do baby.”
I think about it for a few minutes and an idea hits me.
“Can we be tourists for the afternoon? I don’t know the last time I played tourist in Atlanta.”
I see Cross grab his phone and start texting someone. He tells me to finish up my lunch so we can go spend the day together. After we eat, I start to clean up the kitchen but he intervenes.
“I got this. You go do what you need to do to get ready. We need to leave soon.”
I walk upstairs to freshen up my face and hair. I’m leaving on my clothes since this is a fun and relaxing day. I walk back down and he’s on the phone with someone talking quietly. When he sees me, he hurries off the phone.
“You ready to go? We need to be there by 2:00.”
“Where are we going?”
“Don’t worry about it. You want to play tourist. I’m going to take you everywhere you could possibly feel like a tourist.”
We walk out the door towards his car. It’s then that I realize that we’re actually alone. No Thomas driving us around.
“So you can drive, huh?! I was starting to think you didn’t know how to since Thomas takes you everywhere.”
That earns me a smirk as he opens the car door for me. I could seriously look at him all day. He is more than handsome. He is gorgeous. I’m not sure why he likes me so much. He could have any woman in the world at his beck and call.
We drive towards downtown and I’m getting excited to see where we are going. He pulls into the valet of the Omni Hotel and I look at him like he’s crazy.
“Please tell me you’re not taking me on a CNN tour? Because let me tell you now, that does not interest me. Or… wait a minute? Surely you didn’t book a room to try and get lucky?”
He just laughs and gets out of the car. Before I can open my door, he is there pulling me out. I grab my purse and when I turn back to him, he leans down to plant a kiss on my lips. I see him slip the keys in the hands of some man and then he leads me away by the hand.
CROSS
I couldn’t resist stealing a kiss from her. I have connections at the Omni Hotel so they agreed to watch my car for me while I take Ashleigh all around Atlanta on foot. I slip on my sunglasses and zip up my jacket. Thankfully, even though it is January, it’s not too cold.
“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
I look over at her and smile at how naturally beautiful she is. Celebrity or not, she doesn’t have to make her face all up and I love that.
“Well, since you’re like a little kid and won’t stop asking me, I guess I’ll have to tell you. We are starting at the aquarium and then headed to the World of Coca-Cola. That’s all you get for now. I’ll tell you more later.”
She is like a little kid, she’s so excited.
We get to the aquarium and bypass the lines. She looks over at me with a curious look and I just whisper to her the word connections. Being who I am allows me some perks in this city.
We spend close to two hours in the aquarium and I enjoy every minute of watching how happy it makes her. She’s most excited when we go for a private tour of the dolphin encounter. Once we’re done walking around, we go over to the photo kiosk and I buy the pictures they took throughout the day. Then we head into the gift shop. She picks out a few things for her niece and gets herself a coffee cup. I pay for everything even after she protests and we head out the door.
Thankfully, we didn’t get noticed in there but that changes once we get by the entrance to the World of Coke. I see a group of college aged girls and guys ahead and I know the minute they notice who she is.
“Oh my gosh!! You’re Ashleigh Kennedy! Can I please have your autograph and a picture? Wait a minute, your Cross Hamilton! Oh my gosh, I am dying!”
This goes on for a while and then we finally make our way into the World of Coke. We go through the tour, see the movie, get our picture taken with the bear and sample cokes from all over the world. By the time we are done, it’s 5:30 p.m. I have a tourist dinner planned but before that, I take us over to Centennial Park.
“It’s so beautiful here. I love the light and water show they put on.”
“Come on. I want to take you somewhere else.” I grab her hand and walk her over to the SkyView Atlanta.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m getting on that ferris wheel. I am not a fan of heights. No thank you. We can move on to your next tourist attraction please.”
“No ma’am Ashleigh. You are going on that ferris wheel with me and you are going to have the best time of your life. Come on. Do it for me.”
She looks at me with a small grin and just shakes her head. I take that as my cue to drag her over to the line to wait our turn. While we’re waiting, I stand behind her and wrap my arms around her shoulders to keep her warm. She relaxes against me and leans her head over to one side. This feels perfect. She fits perfectly in my arms and that makes me more than happy.
We finally load into our gondola and start moving up. I bust out laughing at her because she is huddled up, covering her eyes.
“Ashleigh, what in the hell are you doing? Uncover your eyes and look at this amazing view.”
“No, I will freak out if I do that.”
I pry her hands away as soon as we reach the top. There is no way she is missing this view.
“Open your eyes Ashleigh. I really want you to see this. You think Atlanta looks beautiful normally… you should see it right now.”
She breathes heavy and then slowly opens her eyes. The look on her face is more than enough and I can’t help what I do in this moment. I lean over, grab one side of her neck and pull her to me. I cover her lips with mine and kiss the hell out of her. After a few minutes, she pulls away and just looks at me.
“What was that for? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was amazing.”
“That was me trying to show you how I feel. Ashleigh, I’m pretty sure I’m falling for you. You have seriously owned my heart from the first time we met. I want you in my life. I need you in my life.”
“Cross, I don’t know what to say. You have consumed me and my thoughts since October. You are everything I want in my life although I’m pretty sure you may break my heart.”
“Hey, that will never happen Ashleigh. I will not break your heart. I promise you that. No matter what anyone else says about me, I have no plans on hurting you.”
The ride ends after a few more kisses. We hop off and I walk her towards Hard Rock Café. She wanted a touristy place. I called ahead to put our name on the list so when we got there, we only waited about 10 minutes to be seated.
We are definitely noticed in here. Ashleigh is always very gracious to fans and signs autographs and takes pictures. After about twenty minutes of it though, I can see the look on her face and I know she wants some normalcy. I ask our waiter if he could help me out. The manager comes over and asks the other customers to give us some peace for a while so we can enjoy our meal. Ashleigh promises to sign more autographs and take more pictures after we eat if people want to hang around.
We enjoy a nice meal together and by the time we’re done and I buy her a few things in the gift shop, people have realized I’m the person with her and outside the gift shop doors is a crowd of people waiting for pictures and autographs. We spend about forty-five minutes doing this and finally break away from the crowd.
As we are walking back to get the car, I ask her, “Do you want to head to a bar in Buckhead and get a night cap?”
The look on her face when she answers me is more than enough to tell me what she wants.
