Page 58 of Speechless
“Alright.” Mav threw his hand up. “I need to know right now, have y’all slept together?”
Travis shook his head as he swiped a hand over his mouth. His eyes were still trained on me. “I wish I could say we had. Believe me, I tried. I don’t think any woman has ever shot me down more times than Codie.”
He wasn’t lying about that. Given my experience with musicians, they hadn’t topped my list of dating prospects for years.
Mav shook his head, looking thoroughly disgusted. “The fact that you seem to know more guys in this damn town than I do is gonna make me crazy. You know that, right?”
Because I wanted him to make me feel secure when jealousy reared its ugly head, I intended to do the same for him. So, while Travis looked on, I curled my hands around my man’s gorgeous face and rolled forward on my toes, looking him in the eye when I said, “You, Mav. Only you. Always.”
He closed his eyes before rewarding me with a kiss and mouthing, “I love you.”
“Alright you two, we gotta get in there,” Travis said, pointing up at the sprawling stone house. “We’ve got a few more to see after this one.”
I smiled as I slipped my hand through Mav’s. “You ready to do this?”
He grinned. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to do this with you. Let’s go.”
* * *
All of the houses we saw that afternoon were gorgeous, but the last one made my heart beat a little faster. I didn’t want to weigh in, since it was Mav’s house and his decision, but if I’d had my pick, there was no other option.
It was a modern-looking newly built house on acreage, nestled on a forested lot, in a gated community. The exterior was stone and stucco with massive double wood and iron doors and a security gate at the bottom of the winding driveway.
“Jesus,” Mav whispered, when he cut the engine and stared up at the house. “I can’t believe this is real, Codie. I mean, I can actually afford to live in a house like this.”
I smiled as I reached for his hand. “I’m really happy for you. You deserve this.”
He shook his head slowly. “No, I don’t think I do. But I’m going to work my ass off to earn it.”
I watched him jump out of the truck and round the front to meet me at the passenger’s door. How long would it take for me to convince him that he did deserve it? He’d worked hard. Never given up. Let his muse come out to play often enough to write incredible songs. Kept his band together by loving them like brothers. And outrun his demons. Yet he refused to acknowledge that he’d done enough and he was… more than enough.
“Something about this place…” His voice trailed off as Travis jumped out of the vehicle.
“Okay guys, so no one has ever lived in this one. A builder friend of mine built it on spec. He’d like to get four out of it, but there’s room for negotiation.”
“Four million, huh?” Mav’s gaze slid to mine. “What do you think? Am I crazy to spend that much?”
I shrugged. “Not if you can afford it.”
Mav looked uncomfortable when he said, “Trav, I’d like to take a walk around, check out the grounds before we go in, okay?”
“Sure thing, I’ve got a few calls to make anyhow.”
He linked his hand through mine and led me down a stone path to a forested backyard with a large circular patio and tiered landscaping. “So, um, there’s something I haven’t told you, Codie.”
“What?”
“I’ve, uh, got a lot of money.”
I laughed. “I figured as much. We wouldn’t be looking at houses like this if you didn’t.”
“I haven’t told anyone this, because honestly, I felt kind of weird about it. I mean, I’ve gotten credit, but…”
“Mav? What is it? What are you trying to say?”
He drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I’ve already made money in the music biz. Even before my debut album and those hit singles.” At my questioning look, he said, “I’ve been writing a lot of hit songs, collaborating with some big names, for a while now.”
“But I don’t understand, why wouldn’t you just record and release those songs yourself? Why give them to someone else?”
