Page 79 of Indescribable Love
Pausing, he knew he had to say all the things that were in his heart, even if she said she didn’t need him to.
“I should have called you,” he admitted quietly, taking her hand in his again. “And when we finished in Chicago, I should have gotten on a plane and gone to you instead of selfishly going into hiding. It was childish and so damn disrespectful to you. To us. And then the tabloids…”
“You forget, I’m used to that world. I don’t like it and we all know that most of what’s out there isn’t true. I was a bit surprised at how fast Max was able to get that stuff out there, but it was even more impressive how fast it all got taken down and scrubbed.”
“That was all Mick.”
“Yeah, he’s…he’s something. He offered me a job with his company. It would be heading up his PR department and only having a handful of clients. The contract was way more impressive than he let on while we were on the phone.”
“And you took it?”
Nodding, “I did. But with the understanding that I wanted thirty days to see how things went with you. I committed to being here with you throughout the filming of the shows, and I’m really excited that you’re starting over with someone new.”
“You and me both! And I’ve sat down with these guys and I trust them. They’re young and hungry and understand this is all about the music and not creating drama.”
“I’m scheduled to meet with them this afternoon while you’re on your break before the show.”
“That won’t work,” he said firmly.
“Why?”
“Because you’ll be otherwise occupied during that time.” He kissed her palm again. “Reschedule.”
Taking her hand from his, but holding his gaze, she reached down for her purse and grabbed her phone. “I shouldn’t encourage this sort of behavior, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything they had to say because I’d be thinking about being alone with you.”
“We’re alone now…”
Juliette glanced around before looking at him. “We are.” Then she paused, leaning in a bit closer. “But there is chilled lobster just inches away and I really want it!”
Unable to help himself, Simon burst out laughing. “How about we eat and then…focus on how much we love being alone?”
“What about rehearsals? Aren’t you supposed to be back out there at some point?”
“We have two hours,” he reminded her. “And it’s not going to take us two hours to eat. Trust me.”
She seemed to instantly sober. “I do trust you, Simon. With everything. But most importantly, I trust you with my heart. I can’t describe it, but I never felt this way with anyone else before. But with you, I know everything’s going to be okay.”
“I know it’s difficult for you to trust, and I’m sorry that I gave you a reason to doubt me, but thank you for being willing to give me another chance. From this moment on, I promise it will never happen again. I love you, Juliette Bellucci.”
Those eyes shone brightly again. “I love you too, Simon. So much that it scares me.”
“There’s nothing to be scared of. We’re a team, you and I, and no one’s ever going to change that.”
Nodding, she said, “Good.”
They served each other seafood, Simon poured black cherry soda for them to drink, and they began to eat.
“Your schedule for this leg of the tour seems fairly full again,” she said conversationally. “Any changes this time around? Other than the new song?”
Smiling, he shook his head. “I didn’t plan on using that song just yet. I’d like to polish it up a bit before sharing it. I asked Mitch—he’s the producer—to film everything today and it will be used in the film as a bonus feature sort of thing. That is, if it’s okay with you.”
“They were filming us? I didn’t even notice!”
He felt a moment of panic. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but we can totally scrap it. Really. God, I’m sorry!”
“Simon,” she said patiently. “I’m fine with it. I was just genuinely surprised that I didn’t notice them. They’re good! Far less intrusive than Max’s people.”
“Okay. Whew! I figured it would be like the last scene of the film.”