Bourbon Harmony (Bourbon Canyon #5)

Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

June

Summer and Jonah’s cabin had signs of baby everywhere. A little portable bassinet stood by the big picture windows. How many babies got to nap with the view of a wide, sloping valley? A swing and changing table were by the wall. Down the hallway and to the left was a new addition that included the nursery Summer had done up with pictures of wildlife and mountains.

My sister was curled up in the corner of the couch while I rocked in a handmade rocking chair. A Jonah special. I’d have to order one for the cabin, but I had time. My tour would last for almost an entire year. I was leaving after my visit here. The first concert was in four days and it was crunch time for my team.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” Summer said. She’d trimmed her hair recently. All the old blond highlights were gone, leaving her natural strawberry-blond tresses .

“Me too. I told my team that no matter what, I was getting here to see you and little Eli.”

“I wasn’t sure, but I wouldn’t have held it against you. Your album is going bonkers.”

I grinned. Canyon Confessions was on its way to double platinum. The cover photo I’d used was the one taken at Copper Summit, the one I’d asked Wynter not to use in the promotion. My album had topped both the country and pop charts in the first two months, and three of my songs were in the Billboard Hot 100 at the moment. “It’s been wild.”

My audience was devouring the songs. They speculated about them and which ones had to do with Hot Mountain Daddy. Many of them had concluded that all the songs were about me and Rhys. They were right.

My most successful single to date was the one I’d written for myself about myself and what I could do with the love and support of my family. I had titled it “Don’t Wait for Me.” The song still sat at number one, but it was about to get bumped out by “Senseless,” which had just released. I never did name the man in the song who had pushed me away only to kiss me senseless.

The press and the picture from months ago had started circulating again, along with the story of our high school relationship, and it was fueling interest. More people were buying the album, streaming the songs, and it was hard to scroll through any social media without hearing snippets.

“My favorite part,” I said while gazing adoringly at the little sleeping face of my newest nephew, “is how many people have messaged and posted that these songs speak for them.”

“Everyone can hear you now. ”

“Yeah.” Only my sisters knew what that meant for me. In a way, we were all still in the same car together. But we’d all survived and now we were all succeeding.

She pushed up the sleeves of her loose, long-sleeved shirt. “So? How often are we going to see you over the next year?”

“I’m figuring all that out.” I danced my fingers along Eli’s scalp, brushing his superfine hair back. “The first half of the tour will be pretty hot and heavy.” My amazing new manager and my promoter had been enthusiastic about scheduling venues, but when I had returned to Nashville and met with them, I’d slowed things down. I’d still have a heavy travel schedule through the end of the year, but I’d also have longer breaks too, and the venues were grouped to decrease the sheer amount of travel.

The good news was that I had graduated from a bus artist to a plane artist. I could fly from city to city instead of spending so much time on the road on a bus. Being able to take planes eased my anxiety about having the girls travel on the road a lot, and it helped with Bethany’s motion sickness. She still didn’t feel good, but the travel was shorter and she was so thrilled to fly that she didn’t care.

Muffled voices carried in from the kitchen, on the other side of the door to the garage.

Bethany and Hannah spilled in. Both of them had ponytails with orange clip-in hair pieces to add color streaks like I had in my hair. The play extensions were our compromise. Kirstin and I didn’t want to permanently dye their hair and temporary color didn’t show well in their darker tresses.

“It was so cool,” Bethany said. Her gaze landed on Eli, and she shushed her sister who wasn’t talking, then made the same motion to Rhys and Jonah behind her.

Jonah’s mouth tipped up, but he nodded. “Quiet down, Rhys.”

“I’ll try.” Rhys grinned, but his warm gaze was on me instead of the baby.

The girls surrounded me. They’d been enthralled by Eli since we’d arrived.

“Can I hold him?” Hannah asked.

“Absolutely.” Summer got up and took Eli.

While she helped each kid hold the newborn, Rhys squatted next to me. “Somehow, I got talked into ordering two tables, one for each bedroom.” He smirked. “They even talked Jonah into making some frames for the Yellowstone pictures they took with Kirstin.”

Instead of having Kirstin get stressed about the girls around her lenses that cost as much as a decent used car, Rhys had bought each girl their own camera. Kirstin had told him what to get and he’d bought it.

Co-parenting with Kirstin was going surprisingly well. She’d been quiet when we’d first talked. But her guarded demeanor had eventually dropped and she’d gotten more comfortable around me and Rhys while traveling for and loving her job. She didn’t feel like she had to hide it, and she was delighted that Rhys was finally open to letting the girls travel with her. Once he saw how excited the girls and their mom were, he couldn’t deny them the opportunity.

The more he divorced himself from the notions his mom had planted, the easier planning became.

During one of the jaunts when Rhys was in Nashville with me, the girls had gone on a trip to Wyoming with their mom. Their pictures had turned out gorgeous.

“Ready to go?” he asked quietly.

“No.” I had to return to Nashville. I had rehearsals and meetings and one more big interview before my first sold-out concert. Nerves rippled through my belly. “No. But yes.”

“I’ll be there when the girls have their first three-day weekend.”

I inhaled a fortifying breath. He’d been flying back and forth for months, but each time he left, anxiety chewed a hole through my belly. “Then Christmas in LA.”

I rubbed a hand over my other forearm. Rhys had bad memories of LA. He’d been to Nashville. He’d met me in Denver when I’d had an appearance on a morning show. But he hadn’t returned to the towns that had given him the worst memories of his time with his mom.

He covered my hand with his. “Christmas and New Year’s. Tenor said he and Lane and Cruz would handle my animals. I think Goldie likes Cruz more than me.”

“Cruz always has snacks.” My stomach settled down just a little bit and I chuckled. The girls were cooing over Eli, and Summer was taking pictures. “It doesn’t have to be LA. I know how?—”

“You have an apartment there, and it’s time I rewrite those memories with happy ones. I’m looking forward to the kids having wonderful memories of the city.”

“To be fair, it’ll be Disneyland they’ll love the most.”

“To be fair, I’m a little excited about that too.” He enveloped my hand in his. “Time to get you to the airport. Three weeks. Then I’ll be there, waiting for you to run offstage and into my arms.”

Rhys

The organized chaos of the concert never failed to amaze me. Neither did the way June could connect with tens of thousands of screaming fans. Not just them. She laughed and joked with her band and her crew.

“Thank you, Tampa!” She raised her arms and the sound was deafening. I needed to add noise-canceling headphones to my list.

She rushed offstage and right into my arms. I swooped her up and spun her around.

“You’re amazing, June Bug,” I said into her ear, unsure if she could hear me over the roar.

She grinned, radiant, but she let me support her while her team surrounded her, coaching her on how the rest of the night would go, when our ride to her condo would arrive, and when they’d connect with her for the next show.

Hours later, we were entering her condo. The smell of flowers filled the air. One of June’s assistants had arranged for the condo to be cleaned and ready. A bouquet of roses sat on the table.

The floor plan of the place wasn’t much smaller than the main floor of my house. With two bedrooms and two baths, it was more than enough for June and a nice getaway for a couple, but also big enough for the kids. They’d love the view of the water. Not to mention the pool in the back. June had mentioned letting go of all her places, but I’d encouraged her to wait and see. She didn’t need to shrink her world for me; I was expanding mine for her.

June took her boots off. “Ugh. I need a shower and to sleep in.”

She took my hand and tried to drag me to the bathroom, but I tugged her toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was nice, but lights dotted the view and reflected off the water. So different than what I was used to, but not at all bad. Not when I was with June, and my kids were having a nice long weekend with their grandma.

I lifted a little velvet box I’d asked June’s assistant to place by a vase on a table by the window.

June’s lips parted and a small gasp escaped her.

I slowly knelt while watching the shock play over her face. Her jaw dropped farther open and she put her hands in front of her mouth.

The question played in my mind. I wanted to make her mine in every way possible. I wanted her to know I was committed. I knew she feared the travel would wear on me and that the memories of my youth in LA would scare me away. Nothing would keep me from this woman ever again. I wouldn’t keep myself from her, and I needed her to know. I needed her to be mine.

“June, will you marry me?”

She looked from the ring to my face and back to the ring. Then she dropped to her knees and flung her arms around me. “Yes!”

Laughing, I hugged her back.

She cried against my shoulder. “You don’t have to?—”

“June Bug, you’d better not finish that sentence. I want you. You’re mine.”

She sniffled and pulled back, a wide smile on her face. I removed the square-cut diamond with delicate smaller diamonds encrusting the band. It was a style she’d talked about in one interview years ago. Simple but fancy because even country girls liked diamonds.

I slipped the ring on her finger. A perfect fit.

She held her hand toward the window. The ring sparkled. Her mouth dropped open. “I described this ring once. How did you know?”

“I might’ve done more than check up on you. I’m a man obsessed. And I’m so damn grateful to be with you.” I swooped her into my arms.

She laughed and clung to me. I took us to the palatial bathroom—fanciest one I’d ever been in—started the water and stripped her down. When I was undressed, I led her into the shower.

We took our time soaping each other up, and I used extra care on her, admiring the slope of her belly, the curve of her thigh, and those plump tits.

“Rhys, if you don’t get inside me, I’m going to come just from the wicked things you’re doing with the washcloth.”

I tossed the cloth on the little shower bench and crowded June toward the wall. “Can’t have that.”

Water pounded us from six different angles. I hitched her legs around my waist and plunged into her. I had the whole weekend to take my time with her, but this was the first time in our long history together that I’d been inside of her while my ring was on her finger.

She tucked her fingers into my wet hair and tightened her legs. “I can’t believe I’m going to be June Kinkade.”

That gave me pause. “You’re going to change your name? ”

She wiggled her hips to encourage me to continue. “Two K last names would get confusing for our kids. If you want to have more.”

I didn’t resume thrusting. “Do you?”

“I’ve always dreamed of having kids of my own, and you seem to make really awesome ones.”

Humbled that our dream from so long ago still held firm, I pumped into her. “I want everything you’ll give me.” I kissed a path from the base of her neck to her mouth. “I told you once to fly free, songbird, but I take it back. You’re going to be tied to me forever, and I’ll make sure you get to where you want to go.”

Her climax was building. She was wide open to me and each thrust made her clit scrape against me.

Water ran down her face and dripped off my beard. Steam billowed around us. My orgasm pushed at the barriers I had containing it until June was ready to go.

“I want to go wherever you are, Rhys Kinkade.”

“We’re already here. So come for me, baby.”

She exploded around me, her walls clenching and rippling over my cock. With a growl, I let my release go. Every time with her was more powerful than the last.

Several minutes later, we were dried off and tucked in a bed plusher than I’d ever slept in before. June was nestled in the crook of my shoulder and her breathing was already even.

I let sleep claim me, knowing that for the rest of my life if I had to leave June’s bed, I’d always know I was coming back.