Unexpected Harmony

22. Coming Together

Chapter 22

Coming Together

B eats thumped in Aspen’s headphones as she listened to the music. “No, stop right there.”

She and Phillip, her music producer, had sequestered themselves down in Aspen’s newly minted studio in the house she’d moved into a few weeks earlier. They’d been working on the songs she and Zoey came up with, but something wasn’t coming together with the last one. The lyrics were perfect, but there was a problem with either the beat or notes.

Aspen saw potential for the song, but she hadn’t been able to unlock it yet. “Maybe it’s the beat. Try having the drums come on the third instead of the second.”

“That’s not how things are done,” Phillip said in his infinite wisdom.

“I know, just let me try something.” Aspen huffed. They’d been at this song longer than the others and she could feel her shoulders raise with increased tension.

Phillip’s sandy blond hair got in his eyes as he shook his head but did as she commanded. When the drums came in, she held out her hand. “No, stop. Okay, that’s not the right direction.”

At least he had the decency to hold in his I told you so, even if it was written all over his face.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Aspen tried to see the song through the jumble of white noise screaming in her head. Frustrated, she stood from the panel of electronics and moved back to the piano. She played Zoey’s part before picking up the guitar she used only for the studio. While the piano part was playing, she recorded the guitar’s notes, still feeling like something was missing.

“Okay, now just play those two instruments. I’ll worry about the vocals in a moment.”

Hitting play, the recording filtered in through her headphones. It only took five seconds into the song to know something was wrong. “Stop.” She held up her hand before picking up her phone, even though she knew Geno was just upstairs.

“Hey, can you get ahold of Zoey and see if she’ll come by the house?” Aspen asked, rubbing her temple to try and hold off a headache.

“She’s already here. I’ll send her down,” Geno responded crisply before hanging up.

Having a no-nonsense manager who got things done and had her best interests at heart had been hard to get used to for about three minutes. Then it just hurt to realize how little Morgan had done.

In the month she and Geno had worked together, Aspen was already pushing back up the charts in ways that didn’t have her in compromising positions or being detrimental to her relationship. In fact, most fans seemed to be over the moon that she’d found someone. A comfort that stung when she thought of all the wasted years she’d put up with Morgan and her boundary-pushing.

“Geno sent me down. Said to give these to you as well since you haven’t come from the cave in hours.” Zoey walked into the soundproof room and handed off smoothies to Phillip and Aspen.

“If he wasn’t married and I wasn’t ace, I’d try to hook up with that man.” Phillip hummed, taking a deep pull of the drink.

Aspen winced when she saw the time. “I’m sorry, we should have taken a break.”

“We’re not at the suing for labor laws stage quite yet, but maybe in another two hours,” he joked, setting aside the smoothie that was already half gone.

“Okay, this is the last song. I think we’re close. It’s just missing something.” Aspen pulled Zoey to her side, kissing her hand. “Thanks for coming down and for the smoothie.”

“What’s the issue?”

Aspen watched Zoey’s expression turn to work mode. An intense concentration slipped over her eyes. “Have a listen. I think you’ll see for yourself.” She pointed for Phillip to hit play.

The sound grated on her eardrums even before her vocals came on. As the song progressed, the lines along Zoey’s forehead deepened as she continued to hold her tongue.

Long after the last notes disappeared, nobody said anything. Maybe the lyrics were incorrect? Aspen pulled out her phone, looking at her notes. Everything about it felt right, but for some reason, when hearing it all come together, something was missing. Like a sliver of metal keeping a key from working, a splinter somewhere stopped the song from unlocking—a song without its soul.

“There are thirteen tracks already, which is higher than normal. We could shelve this song and wait for the next album.” Phillip’s suggestion was met with silence. “Or not,” he mumbled, fiddling with dials on the recording board.

Zoey still hadn’t said anything, but her eyes were going back and forth like she was trying to read invisible words on the back of the wall. Aspen knew that look. She hadn’t wanted to pull the song from the album and was certain now she wouldn’t have to.

Holding out her hand, Zoey silently asked for a writing device. After lunging over to put a pen in her hand, Aspen slid over a scrap of paper.

Needing something to do while Zoey worked, Aspen paced the small area, not wanting to break whatever spell Zoey was under. When she leaned back from the desk, all Aspen could see from the corner of the room were scratches.

“Let me talk to Phillip. Hold on. No, stay there. I want this to be a surprise,” Zoey finally said, strolling over to the corner and whispering to her music producer, whose skepticism quickly transformed to excitement as he eagerly scanned the paper, nodding excitedly to whatever Zoey was pointing out. Her hand movements were so exaggerated that she knocked the baseball cap off his head.

“It’s my song,” Aspen pouted, too quiet for anyone to hear. Not that she minded, Zoey was extra hot with her tongue sticking out in concentration. Work mode Zoey was a distraction in the best way. She just wanted to share in the happiness.

Without warning, music filled the studio. Whatever was on that paper changed the whole mood. Spirits lifting, Aspen returned to the microphone, filling in the lyrics with the new beat and updated notes.

By the end, goosebumps lined her arms. She stared at Zoey from across the room, not having realized Zoey had been playing the updated piano piece. The guitar would need to be reworked, but this was it. The last sliver was shaved down.

“What do you think?” Zoey beamed, knowing the answer already.

“Your girl is brilliant. Zoey, I’m saving this piece of paper. I can make millions selling it on eBay once this song wins all the awards.” Phillip tucked the paper away with a wink.

“It sounds so much better with the fast beat. Plus, the change in chords livened the song up. What was your thought process?” Aspen walked to the piano, putting her hand on Zoey’s shoulders and feeling her shrug.

“It was nothing really. I thought back to when we were creating the song and there was still so much we didn’t know, so inherently, the song was melancholy. Hearing it now… That isn’t what the song is about, especially after getting a taste of the lyrics. They are hopeful and upbeat. The key change and tempo helped match that. Easy-peasy.” Zoey shrugged again as if she hadn’t just come in riding her white horse to save the piece.

“Let’s stop there. We’ll pick it up again tomorrow, but I think we’ll have the album finished by the end of the week.” Aspen dismissed Phillip, knowing what she was about to do with Zoey would make him very uncomfortable.

Tweaking the wiggling toe at her thigh, Aspen finished her call with Geno.

“Geno says hi.” Her heart thudded, trying to find the nerves to broach a subject that had been eating at her for a day. Aspen Lake could play in front of thousands of people, but having one tiny conversation with her girlfriend was apparently enough to send her into an anxiety-riddled puddle.

“Hi, Geno,” Zoey said offhandedly, not paying attention.

“He says the album is smashing the last one out of the park. Which is saying something since the previous one did well.” Aspen played with a loose string on the seam of her pants.

“That’s awesome, Aspen, but I had no doubts.” Zoey was still distracted by the book she was reading.

“Hey, Cinderella?” Aspen asked her couch mate. That got Zoey’s attention.

“I thought that name had been put to bed.” Zoey rolled her eyes but put down her book, giving Aspen her full attention.

“You know I have a concert coming up.”

“Yes, I already got VIP tickets for me and Kelsey. She’s excited about a photo and an autograph. I think she’s going to try to get you to sign her boob. Too bad I don’t know the performer. I bet she could have hooked me up with some bomb tickets,” Zoey teased.

“Yeah, I might have even gotten you backstage passes, but I can never be too careful about who roams back there. How will I ever have groupies if my girlfriend is hanging around?” Zoey stuck her tongue out. The conversation was unraveling fast. “No, but seriously. What are your thoughts on coming onstage to perform ‘Million Mirrors’?”

More words bubbled on Aspen’s tongue. She wanted to sell it, beg, show her how it would be such a good idea.

“Really? I’m not a performer,” Zoey responded reasonably.

“I think you’d be great at it. Plus, it would give the audience a needed break from my mug. I think people who hear it in concert for the first time will cherish that memory. Please? At least think about it?”

“You don’t think I’ll mess up?” Skepticism coated Zoey’s answer.

“It’s possible, but I also wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think you could do it and be excellent. This is my reputation, and people pay good money to see me sing; I don’t want to give them a bad product.” Aspen was reasonably sure the logic behind her argument would win out with this one.

Zoey stared at the ocean through the large bay windows covering the wall in the new house. “Okay, that would be fun, and if you’re sure, I’d love to try. What’s the worst that could happen? A bunch of fans throw rotten fruit at my head?”

“We confiscate all the fruit. It’s more likely you’ll get a bra tossed in your direction.” Aspen sat up, pulling Zoey to her side. “I know you can do this. We’ll practice. It will be a hit, I promise.” Excitement bubbled up at the prospect of playing with Zoey onstage but Aspen changed the subject. “How is the new movie score coming along?”

“Good. Since the first one was a drama period piece and this one is more action, I’m using different music muscles, stretching things out to see if they will work. I like this producer. She knows her shit.”

“When is the first movie done?” Aspen asked, getting up off the couch.

“Not sure. I know they wanted to hit a festival in about a year. I’m sure they’ll keep me in the loop.”

“I’m proud of you. You’re making a name for yourself. It’s inspiring. Do you want any tea?”

“Sure. Something calming. I don’t want to be up all night.”

Aspen acknowledged her request with a nod before working her way to the kitchen. The domestic moment warmed her heart better than a cup of tea ever could. A new song started dancing on the ceiling, her creative flow back from its hiatus. She was sure it was because of her muse sitting comfortably on the couch in the other room.

Padding downstairs to the kitchen, Zoey tripped on a step, adding to her already foul mood. First, she’d woken up with the cramps of an elephant dancing on her uterus; then, she realized she was out of her favorite shampoo, only finding one that helped with dandruff and smelled like tar; and worst of all, she’d woken up alone in her childhood bedroom. It had been her fault, too, not wanting to get used to staying at Aspen’s in case she overstayed her welcome. However, now she wished she had Aspen to cuddle her awake. She found that rejuvenated her for the day better than coffee.

The decision to sleep back at her place was incredibly short-sighted since she had an interview with a producer later today in LA. Her need to sleep poorly and wake up discombobulated on the night before an important interview wasn’t one of her more brilliant ideas.

Grumbling, she walked into the kitchen and found her mom making eggs. She wished she could sneak in for coffee without saying anything, but she’d have to be a ninja spider monkey and crawl along the ceiling for it to happen. Her mom didn’t deserve the lousy mood Zoey wanted to paint her with.

“Morning, Zoey.” Erin grinned at her daughter.

“Coffee?” Zoey grunted, not willing to put more effort into syllables than necessary.

“Right where it always is.” Erin went on making breakfast, humming a tuneless song. “Want some eggs? And can you get some toast started?”

After doctoring up her coffee the way she liked, Zoey turned to grab the bread. “Not hungry.” Sliding the plunger down on the toaster, she tried to wrangle in her mood.

When the doorbell rang, Zoey and Erin looked at each other, their confusion evident when Erin checked the time on the stove.

“I’ll get it.” Zoey shrugged, clasping the warm mug.

Opening the door, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but Aspen wasn’t it. “What are you doing here?” She stepped aside, feeling her bad mood evaporate at the sight of her rumpled-looking girlfriend.

“I have an interview in LA today.” Aspen smiled sheepishly, pulling Zoey in for a morning kiss.

When they parted, Zoey smirked. “So you decided to come twenty minutes out of your way to say hi?”

“No, I came twenty minutes out of my way to see if you wanted a ride. I know you’re seeing the producer for the indie film later. It’s the third interview they have set up with you, so I was thinking we’ll be celebrating tonight.”

Zoey ran her finger along Aspen’s chest. “So why did you come so early? Usually you’re not up at seven-thirty in the morning.” Aspen checked her watch. “Especially since our appointments aren’t until this afternoon?”

“Well, I was in the area.” Aspen looked to the side like she did when caught in a lie.

“Uh-huh.” Zoey hummed, stepping closer.

“Move in with me. I don’t like sleeping apart,” Aspen whispered, reaching for Zoey’s hip.

“Let me think about it.” As they leaned in for another kiss, Zoey’s words were captured in Aspen’s mouth. “Want to stay for breakfast?”

“I thought you’d never ask. Whatever your mom is cooking makes me want to sell the house and come live here.”

“Stop it. You have world-class cooks working in your kitchen, now that you’ve settled down in the new house.” Zoey teased.

It had been shocking when Aspen started setting up shop on the west coast. She and Geno had been busy finding staff for all the things she used to have in New York. Gone was the quiet cottage comfort that they’d been accustomed to. It was surprising how much staff was needed to keep the day to day on track now that Aspen was back to work. Just another thing to work through; luckily their foundation was strong, and communication was one of their strengths.

Zoey walked hand in hand with Aspen as she reentered the kitchen. “Look who I found wandering the streets. Can we keep her, Mom?”

“Ah, Aspen. I should have guessed it was you since my daughter returned not grunting one-word answers anymore. I was tempted to have her eat breakfast on the porch as I threw eggs in her direction to keep her from biting off my hand.” Erin buttered the last of the toast, piling the bread in the middle of a towering plate.

“I wasn’t that bad,” Zoey huffed, putting her coffee mug down to take the plate to the table.

“No, you were worse,” Erin teased, which wasn’t helped by Aspen’s chuckle, which just encouraged her mom. “I’m glad you don’t work on the yards anymore. I couldn’t handle losing more customers.”

“I’m sending a few of my friends your direction, so if you lost any business because of this monster, I’ll help you.” Aspen kissed the top of Zoey’s head on the way to grab the container of orange juice Erin pulled from the fridge.

“It looks like there’s enough for Aspen to eat breakfast, but I should have asked if it was okay.” Zoey returned for the freshly brewed carafe of coffee.

“When I heard her laugh in the living room, I threw more eggs in the pan. She’s always welcome. You know that, right?” Erin turned, giving her full mom-look of comfort and pulling Aspen in for a hug. “You’re always welcome in this family.” She patted Aspen’s cheek.

A warmth spread along Zoey’s chest as she watched her mom and Aspen interact. She loved seeing her mom open her heart to someone so important to her.

“I haven’t had a mom hug in so long. I can’t believe how much I missed it.” Aspen wiped at her eyes. “Damn, I didn’t expect to turn on the waterworks at family breakfast.” She touched Erin’s shoulder before moving back to the table.

“Morning, my beautiful warriors.” Mateo came in, Theo following behind him. He stopped to kiss his wife on the cheek before squeezing Aspen on the shoulder and patting Zoey’s back on his way to his seat. “Thanks for getting this together, hun.”

“Of course. How was your walk with your dad, Theo?”

In typical pre-teen fashion, he just shrugged as he grabbed a scoopful of eggs.

“It was gorgeous, wasn’t it, Dug?” Mateo leaned down to pet the dog who had settled at Theo’s feet.

“Now, this is the type of breakfast I love to have. My whole family at the table.” Erin’s warm eyes shinned from across the table.

Zoey smiled, knowing she would move out soon and family meals would dwindle. That didn’t mean they’d stop, though. She could see the future clearly: She and Aspen stopping by for dinner or a breakfast like this one.

When she first met Aspen, it seemed like she had everything at her fingertips. The more she learned about her, the more she saw the loneliness behind her gorgeous blue eyes. Eyes that ached for a connection but were wary of anyone who wanted to take advantage.

Slipping her hand into Aspen’s under the table, Zoey felt the tug of being content in the luck of what they had together. Aspen needed a family, and Zoey needed Aspen.

“I listened to your album yesterday, Aspen. I’m sure others can talk about the intricacies of the music and note changes, but those lyrics were powerful. I especially liked ‘Million Mirrors.’” Mateo sent them a proud smile.

“Me too. That one brought a tear to my eye,” Erin added with an enthusiastic nod.

“I was lucky to have such an awesome co-writer for that album.”

Zoey felt the heat crawl up her cheeks. A few days ago, she’d seen the album cover for the first time, and right there was her name. She hadn’t been expecting such recognition but should have known Aspen would have done something like that.

“Zoey was the one playing piano in that song. I couldn’t have done that album without her.” Aspen’s eyes softened as she looked at her.

Life was pretty darn good. After finishing breakfast, Zoey helped her dad clean up in the kitchen, leaving her mom and Aspen to talk in the living room.

“You seem lighter than when you first came here after school,” her dad remarked, handing over a plate for Zoey to dry.

“Probably because I am. Love heals a lot of things, especially when it’s the right kind of love. The one that lifts you instead of tears you apart. The one that celebrates your success with encouragement instead of trying to keep you in a place that they are comfortable with. Basically, a love like yours and mom’s.” Zoey played with the towel while she waited for another dish.

“I’m proud of you, Zoey. Honestly, I worried that being in a relationship with Aspen would cause you to lose your individuality as you tried to mold yourself into what she might want, but it’s not like that. It’s like a stronger you is emerging. She’s not taking your light but holding a spotlight for you to shine brightly.”

Zoey just smiled, knowing exactly what he was saying.

“Thank you for your help over this year, Dad. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t have my family’s support.”

“You would have figured it out. You’re strong and capable. But there is nothing wrong with leaning on your family when you need help. I’m glad we were able to be your support.” Mateo tapped his shoulder against hers. “Come on, let’s see if Aspen needs rescuing from your mother. I’m sure she’s been asking about the possibility of planning a wedding.”

“Oh no, Dad.” Zoey gulped, throwing the towel on the counter and hustling over to Aspen, who was leaning over and whispering something to her mom. All she could hear when she walked up was something about a dress, but they both got suspiciously quiet as she walked up.

“I’m going to go pack,” Zoey declared, waiting for Aspen to follow her. When she stayed seated, Zoey turned with a groan, listening to Aspen and her mom chuckle as she left.

On the way up the stairs, Zoey held her hand over her heart, glad Aspen was comfortable enough to enjoy her family.