“You don’t have a problem yet. What about when the press gets a hold of the information? You could end up with the biggest problems of all,” I point out.
“Let’s not borrow trouble from tomorrow. We love you, Blake. You are the best part of my life. If it comes to choosing between my music career and you, I will always choose you.”
“That doesn’t seem fair since I can’t even choose between the three of you.”
Foster grabs my chin and makes me look at him, “Neither of us is asking you to. Ever. I chose you over my small-minded parents, and I will continue to do so over and over because I love you and don’t want to imagine a life without you in it. Cole can’t choose you over his son, and he knows you’d kill him if he even tried to. We love you, don’t get skittish on us when life gets just a little complicated.”
I sigh. He makes good points, but it doesn’t stop my anxiety from peaking.
I stumble into the house on aching feet after a day of shooting a wedding. It’s after midnight, and the house is quiet. Cole is staying the night at his mom's house, trying to get in as much time with baby Connor before the back-to-back away games he has coming up. The custody arrangement with Hannah has been going well, though I have not spent time with them. I'm still not ready, and Cole isn’t eager to rock the boat.
Assuming the other two are already asleep, I crawl up the stairs into my room. I debate just throwing myself in bed, but my skin is tacky from sweating all day, so I opt for a shower first. I quickly get in and out, throw on a towel, and leave my ensuite for the bedroom. Finding Talon perched on the end of my bed startles me. He looks up at me, in only a towel, then back down at his hands.
"What's up?" I ask him, suspicious that he hasn't gawked or made any sexual innuendo.
"I've finalized the dates for the winter tour," he answers, still not looking up at me.
"That's good, right? You guys have been putting this together for the last few weeks."
I go over to my dresser, slide my underwear under the towel, remove it, and pull on a T-shirt to sleep in. It doesn’t seem like the best time to be flashing him my nakedness. He looks distraught.
"It is good. I'll headline shows in the best smaller venues nationwide."
"Isn’t that what you wanted? Did you want to do something bigger?"
He shakes his head, "No. I love to do more intimate performances, especially with this album."
I sit on the bed beside him, "Sooooo, then why can't you even look me in the eye?"
His head snaps up, "Sorry, I'm just nervous."
I throw my hands up in the air. "Talon, you are frustrating me beyond belief. This isn’t you. Can you just tell me what’s wrong with you"
"Do you want the list alphabetically or chronologically?" he asks.
I reach behind me for a pillow and hit him with it, and he laughs.
"At least you can smile now. Talk to me, please.”
He sighs, "The tour is going to be three months long, from December through March."
"Straight?"
"No, there's breaks in there. But I promised you that you'd be my priority. We wouldn’t be separated much, but now I’m going out on the road for months. And Vic wants me to do Australia in the Spring. My numbers are outstanding over there."
I take his hand in mine, "Is this what you want?"
"I don't want to be away from you for this long. But the fan response is great, and there's demand for me everywhere."
"That's not a bad problem to have. If this tour is what you want to do, we'll figure it out. Winter will be slow for photography. I could visit you here and there. We can make it work."
He lets out a long breath. "You don't need to be so damn understanding. I know that this upsets you. I want you to feel comfortable enough with us, with me, to express that."
I take a second before I reply, "You're right. It terrifies me that you'll be away from me, where I can't hold, kiss, and be around your energy. I will miss you a lot. But I also know that's what comes with being in love with someone who belongs to his fans, too. We can handle this."
He jolts forward, bringing his face to mine. I feel his breath touch my lips before he talks, "I belong to no one but you. I love music, but I need you, Kitten, to breathe."
"That doesn't sound healthy, Talon."
