Chapter 22
My arm is draped across Austin's torso and one leg is wedged between his. My hair has come out of the bun and it’s everywhere. There’s even a few wayward strands in his mouth. I should probably be embarrassed by the way I’ve barnacled my body to his, but everything here feels natural. It feels right. And that thought should terrify me, but after last night this feels like something we’ve done before, or maybe something we should keep doing.
Austin begins to stir, cracking one eye open as he drags his hand up to remove my hair from his mouth. I can’t help the giggle that bubbles up and I bury my face into his chest. I start to peel myself off him, but he grabs my waist and pins me to him.
“I like waking up like this,” he says, sleep making his voice gravelly. “No need to be embarrassed. How’d you sleep?”
“Best sleep ever,” I respond, tracing lazy patterns on his chest. I brazenly drag one finger down his torso to the waistband of his shorts.
“Penny,” he growls out on a shiver. “Keep doing that and we might get a late start.”
My fingers continue the pattern and I hear his breathing change. Before I know it, he’s flipped me over and I’m caged in below him. The air around us shifts, electricity sparking.
He leans down, dropping one single kiss on my closed morning-breath mouth. “Our flight leaves in two hours”— kiss —“and if I don’t get out of this bed right now”— kiss —“I’ll be doing something else for the day.” Another kiss.
Austin stands to head to the bathroom, leaving me lying there with my head spinning. A day spent in bed with him doesn’t sound like the worst idea, but I know he’s right; we’ve got to hit the road. How did the tables turn so quickly, making me the instigator?
We get dressed separately, and I throw on my favorite cutoff overalls and a yellow tank top. I give myself one last once over in the mirror and head down to my kitchen to grab a granola bar.
Once my bags are loaded we climb into the van, and nostalgia hits me out of nowhere.
“I think I’ll miss this van,” I admit aloud.
Austin laughs, but pats the dashboard affectionately. “Ya know, I was just thinking the same thing. This van has been good to me over the last couple of weeks.”
When we get to the airport, I run to drop the van keys in the rental drop box, and head to where he’s waiting at the steps of the small plane we’ll be flying in. When we climb on, I’m taken aback by how nice the inside is. I’ve flown plenty of times in my life, but never first class and never a private plane. Against one wall is a buttery leather seat that's the length of my couch with a wood grain coffee table in front of it. I walk over and take a seat and Austin settles beside me.
I’m digging through my carry on for my earbuds when I realize how oddly quiet he is. When I glance over, his leg is bouncing and he’s twirling his thumbs over themselves. For a brief second the thought that he’s regretting inviting me hits me.
“You okay?” I ask.
Austin looks up, his brow creasing and his thumbs stall. “I don’t like flying. I don’t have much choice about it, but I hate heights.”
Inwardly, I sigh with relief. “Here.” I hand him one earbud. “Let’s listen to music. It’ll be a good distraction.”
I unlock my phone and bring up my Spotify playlists. Before I can swipe off the screen to hide the evidence, he snatches my phone from my hand.
“Penny Middle Name Miller. Did I just see my songs in your playlist?” He scrolls looking at all his songs on the screen. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you might be a fan!”
I snort a laugh. “Penny Middle Name Miller. It’s Elaine. Penelope Elaine Miller.”
“Penelope Elaine,” Austin repeats, making my name sound like music rolling off his tongue. “I love that.”
“Penelope was my grandmother’s name. And Elaine was my mother’s middle name.”
“Beautiful,” he replies, a soft smile on his lips. Then his face twists into a smirk. “So about these playlists. If you’ve got my music in here”—he tilts the guilty phone toward me—“I’m guessing you already know my middle name.”
“I do like your music. I like your older stuff better, though, Austin Ryan James.” He smiles, and I cover my eyes with my hand. “I can’t believe you didn’t even know my full name yet.”
He reaches for my hand, curling our fingers together. “We’ve got plenty of time to learn things like that about each other.”
The pilot comes on over the speaker, interrupting us, and before I know it we’re in the air. I settle against Austin, dozing off with my country playlist fading in and out of my dreams.
* * *
“Wake up, Penn. We’re here.” Austin shakes me gently. “Tyler’s already here to pick us up.”
We gather our things and step off the plane. We’ve landed at a small private airport right outside of the city, and a black Volvo SUV sits next to the gate. As we approach, the passenger door flings open and a flash of dark hair almost knocks Austin down, squeezing him like a boa constrictor. When he pries the woman off him, he spins her to face me. She’s taller than me, with chestnut hair that hangs halfway down her back. A tiny stud sparkles in her nose, and a smattering of tattoos decorates her arms. She’s wearing a Fleetwood Mac t-shirt and cut off shorts, and she’s absolutely gorgeous.
“Penny, this is my sister, Cass. Cass, this is Penny, the studio owner and my—” He cuts off abruptly, and I raise an eyebrow at him. I’m dying to know how he was going to finish that sentence.
Cassie opens her arms for a hug and I lean in, returning her hug before we both pull away.
“Sooo, you’re the woman my brother told me all about.”
“What the fuck, Cass!” Austin barks out beside me. He’s chuckling, though.
“What?” she asks, feigning innocence. “You’ve told me all about her studio and her town, that’s all I mean.” Then she turns to me and gives me a big, exaggerated wink. Gah, Josie would love her.
While Austin was introducing me to his sister, the man who I assume is Tyler has walked around the SUV to stand beside Cassie.
“Ty, this is Penny Miller. She’s the woman who will finally make me a star.” Austin snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me to him.
I roll my eyes, but I’m laughing along with them. I’ll never live that down.
Tyler is as tall as Austin with hair the same shade as Cassie’s. He’s tan and his eyes are the most unusual shade. Somewhere between hazel and green. He’s wearing black framed glasses and a tight fitting black t-shirt. He’s extremely handsome, giving off Clark Kent vibes. Any minute he might take off his glasses and turn to Superman to save the world, all while doing my taxes.
“Is that right?” Tyler asks, extending his hand to me. I intend to give him my firm handshake that I’ve mastered for anyone in the industry, but he clasps my hand in both of his. His smile is warm and friendly, belying his serious facade. “About time someone helped you get famous. Can’t let all that cocky arrogance go to waste now, can we?”
Their banter helps put me at ease. Tyler and Austin throw teasing digs back and forth, and it's obvious how close they are.
We load everything in the back of the SUV and climb in. Cassie sits up front and Austin and I get into the backseat. Quietly, I observe their interaction as we drive.
“I’m just warning you two,” Cassie says, turning in her seat. “Aunt Ashley is beside herself that we’ll all be there at the same time. She wants everyone to stay at the main house tonight. She’s already washed the sheets on your old bed.”
Austin laughs. “This is like Christmas for her. Having all of us back under one roof.”
The drive is relatively short and we’re turning off the highway down a gravel road in no time. A one-story ranch-style house comes into view. It's been painted white, probably in recent years to keep up with the new trend, with black shutters and a buttery yellow front door. I’m instantly in love with it. It’s not a large sprawling mansion or even anything fancy. But it’s homey and welcoming.
Chickens chase a dog in the distance behind the house, and a black wrought iron fence surrounds an in-ground swimming pool. Off in the distance I see what looks to be a small pond.
“Where’s your house?” I ask, turning from the window to look at Austin.
He nods his head. “Past that pond.”
Tyler cuts the engine and we climb from his SUV right as two people come striding across the lawn toward us. The woman has the same dark features that Tyler and Cassie have, and she carries herself with the grace of a polite southern woman. The man wears a huge friendly smile as he approaches. Suddenly I’m overcome with nerves. How many women has he brought home? What if they don’t like me?
I grab Austin’s hand, and he glances at me. He must see the fear on my face, because he brings my hand up to lightly graze my knuckles with his lips.
“They’re gonna love you. Trust me. There’s nothing about you not to love.” I know he meant love in the same sense that we all toss the word around. I love romance books and Schitt’s Creek . Still, his words calm my jitters.
“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” the man says, reaching over and giving Austin a huge hug, clapping him on the back while they embrace.
“The one and only,” Austin replies.
Then Austin turns to the woman and folds her into his arms. Their hug lasts longer than the hug with his uncle, and when they pull away she cups his face in her hand, looking him up and down like she’s making sure he’s really here, all in one piece.
“You look so good, son. You look healthy.”
“I’m better than I’ve been in a long time. That small town air agrees with me.”
Tyler clears his throat, cutting his eyes over to me, and I can’t quite bite back the small grin that spreads across my lips.
“Aunt Ashley, Uncle Brad, I’d like you to meet Penny Miller.” Austin turns, wrapping an arm around my waist. “She owns the studio I’m recording at. She’s really special to me.”
His uncle shakes my hand, but his aunt wraps me in her embrace. This is definitely a family of huggers. She smells like something herbal mixed with sugar. I feel an instant sense of familiarity with her.
“It’s great to meet both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Kent,” I say, when the hug ends.
“Oh please, call us Ashley and Brad, hon. We’re not formal around here.” Ashley reaches over to pat me on the arm in a motherly gesture.
We unload our stuff from the SUV, and Tyler grabs my bags, insisting on carrying them for me. Once we’re inside, Austin and Tyler disappear down a hallway with our belongings and Cassie tugs me into the kitchen where Ashley has headed. She’s stirring something that smells delicious and my stomach rumbles. It appears that I’m not a picky eater at all when it’s this family doing the cooking.
“Aunt Ashley’s been cooking since sunrise. It’s her love language,” Cassie explains while I take in all the pots and pans covering her countertop.
“Cooking calms my nerves,” Ashley says, smiling at me. “It’s been months since everyone was here and I was excited. I needed something to keep me occupied.”
“It must run in the family. Austin has been cooking dinner for me. He told me he learned from you.”
“Has he now?” Ashley asks, shooting a surreptitious smile to Cassie. “Maybe it’s his love language too.”
Austin and Tyler come back in the kitchen, trying to grab rolls from the pan with Ashley swatting their hands away. I can almost picture what life must have been like when they were growing up here. Brad comes in next and we all plate our food and make our way into their formal dining room. Ashley insisted we eat in there since this is a special occasion. The laughter and chatter is easy around the table. They welcome me into every topic, like they’ve known me for years rather than just meeting me. No, they welcome me like I’m family. The thought comes out of nowhere and a deep sense of happiness wraps itself around me.
Ashley fills my plate with seconds of everything, but eventually I’m so full I think I might bust. Cassie has already started cleaning, and I push away from the table to help. Austin stays seated, talking to Tyler at the table. I catch snippets of their conversation as they chat about his time in Singing River.
Eventually, though, Tyler heads to the living room where Ashley and Brad are and Cassie follows him, leaving Austin and me alone in the kitchen. I’m standing over the sink looking out at the expansive field behind the house when he comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I lean into him and he lowers his head, grazing his nose along the side of my neck and down my shoulder, where he peppers featherlight kisses.
“Thank you for bringing me. Your family is really special.”
Austin tugs me more firmly against him without saying a word. We stand this way for a few minutes, but finally I spin to face him.
“When do I get to see your house?”
He glances at the time on the microwave. “Lemme grab the ATV keys from my uncle and I’ll take you. It’s too damn hot to walk. When we get back, is it all right if I spend some time with Cass? I wanna make sure she’s all right.”
“Of course! I’ll hang out with the rest of your family while you do that.”
“All right, I’ll grab the keys and we’ll head there.”
He comes back, keys in hand, and I follow him outside to a black ATV and we climb in and head down the gravel driveway. Just as we pass a pond with a wooden pier on one side of it, the roof of an A-frame cabin comes into view. As we approach, I see that it’s absolutely gorgeous with tall windows and a large front porch where two rocking chairs sit. Off to the side of the house is a detached garage that matches the house’s exterior.
“I’m warning you, it's not much,” Austin says, cutting the engine. “I’ve never really been here enough to make it feel like a home. It’s more of a house than a home, if that makes sense. But it does the job, I guess.”
“What do you mean it’s not much? It’s amazing!” As soon as I’m out of the ATV, I’m bounding up the steps, running my hands along the rough wood railing.
Austin unlocks the door and I follow him inside. It’s very neat and minimalist with an open floor plan. There’s a set of stairs that lead up to a balcony overlooking the living area. His kitchen is white and stainless steel. I make my way into his living room, and it’s also very minimalist. Almost bare, in fact. I’d have never guessed someone actually lived here if it weren’t for the shelf full of trophies and awards.
I turn to him, eyes narrowed. “This isn’t exactly what I expected.” I don’t want him to think I dislike it, but there’s nothing personal here. Nothing that tells me anything about the man who owns this house.
Austin huffs a laugh. “It’s a bit sparse, I know. I’m honestly not here enough to make it my own. I’m mostly in Nashville, and when I am in town, I spend most of my time up at my aunt and uncle’s.”
I turn to look up at him, flashing a flirtatious grin. “Can I see your bedroom?”
“I’ll show you my bedroom, but I told Cass I’d meet her in twenty minutes.” He lowers his voice to a deep rumble. “And just so you know, I’m gonna need more than twenty minutes for the things I want to do to you.” My whole body heats from my head down to my toes.
He leads me up the stairs, and when we get to the top he opens the first door we come to. This is more like it. He’s in every square foot of this room. The walls are painted a dark gray, making the room warm and cozy. An enormous bed takes up a large portion of the room. It’s covered in a dark blue duvet, with what looks like a hand knitted throw blanket folded at the foot. The wall behind his headboard is different types of old wood, and vintage concert fliers are framed on the wall to my right. Another wall has a collection of acoustic guitars hanging on hooks, and the biggest TV I’ve ever seen hangs on the wall opposite his bed.
There’s a door leading to a bathroom and I can’t help myself—I’m a sucker for a nice bathroom. When I flip on the light, I’m met with the largest walk-in shower I’ve ever seen. Spray jets are on every wall and a fancy rainfall shower head hangs from the ceiling. Suddenly, this is beginning to feel like a luxury vacation.
Austin comes up behind me. “You’re the first woman who has ever stepped foot in here.”
I turn to look at him. “Not even the friend with benefits?”
“I told you the other day, that was an arrangement. More times than not we only saw each other when we needed to make public appearances.”
Raising up on my tip toes, I gently press my lips to his. “Thanks for allowing me to be here. I know trust like this is hard for you.”
“Yeah,” he says, kissing me back. “But I’m starting to realize that on the very short list of people I can trust, your name is making its way to the top.”