Page 31 of Under the Same Sky

“The old barn on the ranch,” Fletch replies. “You really want to turn it into a recording studio and have this be our home base?”

I shrug. Easy answer. “Doesn’t have to be your home base.” I sip my now warm beer. “But I’m ready for it to be mine.”

Hours later, I’m stopping outside Ryan’s house—well, I guess it’s now mine—and notice the stable is open, lights on. I frown. Ever since the staff left, I’ve been cleaning it up, and looking after the horses. Maybe Reese is doing the same, but at this hour? And on her own? I climb out of my truck, and walk towards the open doors, taking in the scent of my childhood. I hear sniffling in the farthest stall, where we keep our mare, Bonnie. She was Reese’s favorite when we were kids, and Dad used her to teach Reese how to ride. I round the corner, my steps faltering when I see Reese curled up against Bonnie. Reese rubs her snout, and then wipes her face.

“Hey.”

She startles, but when she sees its me, she goes back to rubbing Bonnie.

“Are you okay?” I ask. My mind goes to Eli. “Where’s Eli?” It’s not my night with him, but it’s rare that I see Reese without him.

“Mya’s looking after him.” She sniffles again. “I just needed some time alone.”

I suck my top lip into my mouth, trying to decide what to do. I had fun with the guys, but something sizzles beneath the surface of my skin, I just can’t place exactly what it is.

“You wanna talk about it?”

Reese looks up, and if looks could kill…

“Not with you,” she says quietly, dropping her gaze. That stings, but I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to have a heart-to-heart with her either. God, she’s as confusing as she is infuriating, which is why it’s in my best interest to steer clear of anything that isn’t platonic.

“Fine,” I snap, agitated. I spin on my heel, and then something hits my head. The fuck? I turn, and notice a notebook on the floor. I pick it up without looking at it. “What was that for?”

Reese’s lips form a thin line, like she’s trying to hold something back.

“You got something to say, Reese? Fucking say it.” Jesus, why do I feel like I want to kiss her right now? Might be the look of righteous indignation in her blue eyes, anger that’s clearly directed at me. Without a word, she stands, dusts herself off, and walks out, locking the stall behind her. She’s visibly upset, but I sure as hell won’t kiss her ass and beg her to tell me why. She brushes past me, and I watch her go, utterly frustrated with our situation. That’s when I look down, and notice the book in my hands. I flip through the pages, and realize it’s the book we wrote our songs in, the one she carried around with her. I thought I lost it years ago, searched for it like a mad man for months. Never once did I think she’d kept it. I flip through the pages, reading some of the words we penned together, and then see that she added a few things. Her last song was Under The Same Sky, and just below that, in black ink, is Thorin Decker is an asshole. Looks fresh too, like she might have written it as recent as tonight. And to say it bothers me is an understatement. I growl, flick the lights of, and stomp my way back to the house. If I had any inclination of apologizing to her for how I’ve behaved over the last week-and-a-half, it just disintegrated into dust.

Chapter Twelve

Reese

Mya is officially on my shit list. Not because she’s bad at her job, oh no, but because she thought it was ‘okay’ to allow Thorin and his band to use my home gym for a few hours without asking me. I can feel her stare on the back of my head, but I’m pretending to be too busy with Eli’s ‘tummy time’ to notice. After last night, the last thing I wanted was a group of rowdy rockstars in my house, invading my space, but after learning that I had all the right equipment, Mya told the guys they could use the gym. Not my idea of a fun time, but Eli’s proving to be a great distraction. He wriggles around a little, and after a few minutes, I roll him over, and smother him with kisses until the sweet sounds he makes become a balm to my fragile heart. Mya finally got me in front of a camera, with Eli in my arms, telling my Youtube followers why I’ve been absent. Talking about Ryan and Mel’s death was hard, but what I struggled with the most was the onslaught of memories that came with it. When it was over, Mya took Eli, and I sought refuge in the stables with Bonnie. Her inability to talk was what made it the right decision, a bit of time to myself that didn’t involve Mya telling me everything will be okay. I was angry with her, but I also wasn’t. She made a valid point about me having to get back to work, but that didn’t make it any easier for me to spill my guts and share more of my personal life. She reminded me that it came with the territory, that what I did for a living was, in fact, sharing my personal life with millions of people, but I just didn’t want to hear it. So she gave me some space, and time alone, and then Thorin showed up. His look of concern when he found me only fueled my ire, and because everything inside me felt raw, and so very broken, I lashed out. Wasn’t my finest moment, but in my humble—and very subjective opinion—he had it coming. We’d reached a silent impasse without me even realizing it until last night. Neither of us were prepared to budge, and I wasn’t sure how well that would bode with our tenuous relationship, but I didn’t care. Now, I realize I’d behaved foolishly, and without much thought for how we would move forward in a way that is best for Eli. Nevertheless, I ignored Thorin when he came in, and stayed focused on Eli. He’s growing every day, sleeping longer through the night (thank you, baby Jesus), and eating more. He’s more aware of his surroundings, and becoming more responsive to what he sees and hears. Including mine and Thorin’s voices. Of course, the latter annoys me more often than not.

“You going to ignore me forever?” Mya asks from the kitchen. She walks over, and plops down next to me on the white shag rug in my living room. She hands me a cup of coffee, and I begrudgingly take it. “Peace offering,” she states. I snort. She knows I can’t stay mad at her for long, and eventually, I give in. “I hate you,” I mutter.

“Not right now,” she laughs, “but in about fifteen minutes you will.”

“What have you done now?” I groan, placing my coffee mug on the table. I play with Eli’s feet, and smile. “What is your Aunty Mya up to, huh?” I coo. He gives me a toothless grin, and watches me intently, his eyes lighting up. I snatch my phone and snap a few pictures, and then the door leading to my home gym flies open. The guys laugh, slap each other on the back, and as soon as they see Eli, they flock to him like flies to honey. Of course, he just laps up the attention, and even Mya and I laugh when Carson, Fletch, and Benji pull faces just to get a reaction out of him. Yep, he’s got the Decker charm, even at only almost four weeks old. Mya shoves Fletch when he gets too close. “Ew, you guys stink! Hit the showers!”

“You sound like our high school football coach,” he snickers.

“My dad was a football coach,” she tells him. Technically, her dad owns a football team, but I’m not about to point that out. “Now, seriously, go shower, all of you. Then you can come play with Eli.” She pats Fletch’s head, which is quite a sight considering she’s almost an entire foot smaller than he is. He grins at her—a smile I’m sure many girls have lost their minds over—and stands. Her returning smile has me frowning. Were they just flirting? Before I can think too much of it, she’s looking at Thorin. “You, big man, need to stay, though.” His brows furrow, and he puts his hands on his hips, his shirt clinging to his sweaty chest. I try my damndest not to look, because honestly, it’s like looking directly into the sun, but damnit, he’s got a chest so wide, with muscles for days, and I’m only human, okay! “Why?” His voice is terse, his posture rigid. You’d think after a good workout he’d be more relaxed, but I suspect he’s just as uncomfortable being around me right now, as I am him. Stupid impasse.

“Because we have business to discuss, and it can’t wait.” Mya is as unflappable as the day is long, and I know no one is impervious to the almost stifling tension rippling between me and Thorin.

“C’mon,” Benji slaps Fletch on the shoulder. “Let’s head out.” He looks at Thorin, gives a slight nod, and then drags Carson and Fletch out. And then it’s just the three of us, and Eli, who I’m positive Mya is going to use as a buffer of some kind.

“Now that I finally have the two of you in the same room,” she starts, “I’ve spoken to our rep at the clothing company, and at the company who’s developing your app, and they want Thorin to do your men’s clothing line, and the men’s exercises for the app.”

Thorin looks like someone took a shit in his protein shake, and I, well, I think I look like fucking Medusa because this is so.not.happening.

I say, “hell no” the same time Thorin says, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Mya, on the other hand, looks like the cat who caught the canary. “I’ve already spoken to Alex, and arranged everything with Penelope.”

“No, Mya. We’re not doing this.” I stand, and cradle Eli in my arms. I walk to the kitchen, and prepare a bottle. It’s the only thing keeping me from wringing Mya’s neck. And there it is, the buffer. She knows I won’t toss my toys out the proverbial cot with an infant in my arms. “Again, what are you talking about?” Thorin asks Mya. In my periphery, I see Mya stand and face Thorin. “Reese is launching a fitness clothing brand, and a fitness app, and until now, it’s been for women. But, there’s an opportunity to engage with a male audience, and we’re going to use you to do it.”

I shake my head, and get settled on the sofa to feed Eli. “Mya, we never spoke about this.”