I smiled. “I’d love to come, but only if your mom is okay with it.”
I looked at Tristan, our gazes locking before her eyes slid to my lips and back. The smell of cream soda filled my nostrils. Cream soda, and dark chocolate, and a deep desire to taste them again. A desire so strong I was willing to forget the argument waiting for me at the house with Mom about her return to Ireland. I was willing to forget about anything. Just like when I was lost in my music.
Tristan
I HAVE A DREAM
“If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail.”
Performed by ABBA
Written by Andersson / Ulvaeus
I was trying not to showthe wave of embarrassment I’d felt at Kiran’s remark. I’d already been fighting off the waves of awareness and longing filling me since seeing Brady in the bakery, and since he’d shown up with a stack of his old sheet music from when Grams had taught him so he could teach Hannah the same songs.
The fact he’d seen in my paintings what no one else had seen?Grams?and that he understood losing himself in his art so completely… It only added to the ridiculous allure he held over me.
But what I’d said to Stacy this morning was the truth.I didn’t know how to reconcile my attraction to him with my reality. Ididn’t know how to share the space in my heart I’d believed was my soul mate’s with someone else.
“I’m sure you have a lot to do,” I said as a way of letting Brady off the hook when Hannah asked if he could join us. I was half hoping he’d say he did have work to do.
“Nope. Absolutely nothing,” he said with his wicked grin and flirty tone.
Stacy choked back a laugh at his easy retort, and Brady’s smile widened more. He’d been voted one of the sexiest men alive last year, so how was a simple, mortal, single woman like me supposed to resist his charm?
Before I knew it, we were all bundled into Stacy’s giant SUV, the girls in their car seats in the far back row, Kiran in his in the middle with Brady at his side, and Stacy and I were in the front. I had to shake my head at it—the country-rock star tucked into a middle seat, discussingYobi, the Five-Tailed Foxwith a seven-year-old.
“Have you even watched Korean anime?” I asked Brady.
“My road manager’s girlfriend is half-Korean, and they’ve introduced me to some. But I’m honestly not up to snuff for any in-depth discussions. Kiran here is definitely educating me,” Brady said.
Kiran smiled smugly at teaching an adult.
“You sure you don’t want to drive yourself? You may be ready to leave before we are,” Stacy said.
Brady shuddered. “Drive? Me? I hate driving. With a passion. I barely have a license.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “I guess you probably don’t have to drive, right? I mean, you probably have a whole host of cars and drivers at your beck and call.”
He actually looked a little embarrassed. “Well. Yeah. It’s one of the perks.”
When we got to the farm, the kids went running for the barn where the chicken eggs had been incubating. Emerick and Alejandro emerged from large wooden doors just as the children were scampering in. Alejandro turned around and followed the kids, while Emerick greeted us.
“Thanks for letting us come,” Stacy said to him.
He shoved his cowboy hat back on his dark hair and smiled. “We’ve been inundated with visitors today. As soon as Lidia posted the video, the calls started.”
Squeals of joy came from inside the barn. Stacy and I headed toward it while Emerick turned toward Brady.
“Brady! Surprised to see you here. How you been?” Emerick said.
“I’m good. Once I heard about your fuzzy little creatures, I couldn’t resist coming to see them myself.”
I didn’t listen to the rest of the conversation as my eyes adjusted to the depths of the barn after the bright spring sunshine. The sound of cheeping filled the air, and I found my daughter with a chick clutched to her chest as Alejandro handed another one to Kiran.
Jalissa was jumping up and down, screaming, “Me, me!” Stacy moved over to help her hold the chick without crushing it.
