Chapter Twenty-Six
When our growling stomachs grew too loud, we left the confines of our room to eat. The snow had picked up outside, but inside, the fire crackled in the living room. White Christmas played in the background. Garrick’s laptop was propped on his legs, and I cuddled against his side with a sandwich. It was tradition for my family to watch the movie the weekend after Thanksgiving.
I snuggled closer to Garrick’s side, loving the feel of his shirtless torso. It was a perfect lazy afternoon.
Garrick hadn’t watched much of the movie, but if it meant fewer late hours next week, I was happy to cozy up to him on the couch while he worked as opposed to being separated.
Beside me, his entire body relaxed, and he let out an audible breath.
“Good news?” I asked.
“Yes. The record label messed up. Kurt is probably going to end up owning the label by the time our lawyers are done with them.”
I raised up. “What happened?”
Garrick’s phone rang. “Let me get this. It’s Kurt.” He connected the call. “Hello? Yes, I did. I’m about to bring her up to speed. Sounds good. I figured you would.”
He ended the call and typed a quick response before turning to me. “The studio is at fault, legally. As it turns out, Kurt’s personal payment went through for the private studio time you two had. Because of the contract he has with them, they can’t use those vocals. They never informed him the transaction was canceled. Therefore, he was under the assumption that his contract was in effect at the time of your karaoke. Essentially, they’ve used private recordings without his authorization.”
“His credit card transaction?”
“Yes, it’s in his contract with them. Private time cannot be used for anything without his consent.” Garrick took a deep breath. “I’m glad this will be behind us soon.”
“Me, too.” Oh, this sounded bad. Very, very bad for the record label. “So what happens now?”
“They’re royally fucked. And if your true name is released, it’ll be worse for them. So that’s handled.”
With that information, I felt a great release of the tension I’d been carrying. What a relief. After living the way I had since the Navarro incident, I wanted my life back. And being in the limelight because of a song would not accomplish that. Being Garrick’s wife had forever altered my privacy. By no means was I a celebrity, but it made people interested. Eligible bachelor marries woman out of the blue. And by not going out in public, I only fueled the fire. Soon the interest would die down…at least I hoped it would.
“That’s good news. Thank you for handling that.”
“Always.” He leaned over to kiss me. “I will always protect you.”
I smiled against his lips. “I know. Did Hastings say anything about his date?”
“No new information, but she wants to see him again, which is good. It may take him a couple of times to get her to talk.”
Poor Mickey. Unless Hastings had a change of heart, which I doubted, she was now someone else’s pawn.
An e-mail pinged. He gave my lip a nip. “I need to finish a few things, and then I promise I’m all yours.”
“Perfect.”
I focused back on the movie, thankful for the life I had. Everything had come full circle. And going back to work on Monday would help immensely. I needed to be busy, but I also wanted to earn my way up the ladder. If I were being honest with myself, I wasn’t qualified for a management role.
“What are you thinking about?” I shifted my eyes to Garrick, confused why he would ask that. “Your brows are pinched together, and you’re chewing on your lip.”
Always the observer. “I’m thinking about the job with Shaw International.”
He closed his laptop and set it aside, giving me his full attention. “What about it?”
“Did you plan to bring me in as a PR manager?”
For a second, he watched me with a quizzical expression. “Yes…” He was hesitant. “That was the plan. Have you changed your mind?”
“No. I mean yes.” His brow furrowed in confusion. “I want to work.”
Why is this so hard? Part of me felt as if I was being ungrateful.
“Okay…so what’s the problem?”
“I think I need to start off as something else.” There. Now it was out in the open. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful. Don’t think that, please.”
Getting a job somewhere else was out of the question for now. Otherwise, I would have insisted on not working for Garrick.
“What were you thinking?”
I got up on my knees and looked at him as the idea formed. “You’re bringing Brenda up to speed to help you more, right?” He slowly nodded. “I could take over the event planning part of her job.”
Garrick scrubbed a hand down his face. “I thought public relations was where your heart was.”
“It is. Yes. When I’m ready. I don’t have the experience, and you know it.” He started to talk, but I cut him off. “Garrick, I want to thrive in a management role. I’m not competent enough to handle it yet.”
“I’ll help you.”
Cocking my head to the side, I said, “If you’re doing my job, too, that defeats the whole purpose of more quality time together. I don’t want to work crazy hours. I want to spend time with you, too.” He let out a breath. “You know it’s the smarter business move, Garrick. I can plan events. I’m very much qualified for that. It’ll also prevent any hard feelings if I earn my way.”
“It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It’s our company.”
Though I appreciated the sentiment, Garrick alone had formed this company. “It matters to me that I succeed on my own. It won’t benefit us if I’m miserable because I’m not ready for a management position. I imagine your father groomed you. Right?”
A spark of admiration flashed in his eyes. “Yes, he did. Is this what you really want?”
Though event planning wasn’t my ultimate passion, it was something I enjoyed. “Yes. And it’s the right business move. I’ll earn the respect of my peers—not as your wife, but from the work I do.”
Garrick gave me an approving smile, and his shoulders relaxed. “Consider it done.”
I felt better about the job and what it would bring. I touched his shoulder with my lips and murmured, “I sure hope I can impress my boss.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Quickly, the familiar heat began to build between us, the desire we weren’t able to contain. Garrick’s thumb traced the outline of my nipple where it was visible through my shirt.
I arched and breathily asked, “What are we going to do today?”
“I think I’m ready to have my wife again.”
Without another word, Garrick whisked me over his shoulder. I giggled as he took the stairs two at a time. “Anxious?”
He slapped my ass. “To be inside you? Always.”