Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The tour rolled on and for the better part of three weeks, life was busy. Before going to work with Simon, Juliette enjoyed working remotely from her apartment and only traveling when absolutely necessary. Now, she was settling into life on the road, and it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be—mainly because of the five-star hotels, room service, and all the perks that went with traveling with a world-famous celebrity.

This morning, they were going to do a promotional event at a local radio station in Dallas. They were normally up early, but Juliette had woken up before Simon this morning and decided to go down to the coffee shop on the main floor of the hotel.

The coffee shop was cozy and filled with the gentle hum of chatter and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. As much as she loved early morning coffee in bed with Simon, sometimes she missed going out and people watching while she sipped her morning beverage. Thanking the barista, she took her coffee and sat at a small table near the window, tapping her fingers on the wooden surface and wondering if she should sit here or go back upstairs, or if this was all a mistake and she should have just stayed in bed.

"Ugh…it is way too early for my brain to be thinking this much," she murmured into her cup. There were the interviews later, rehearsals, another interview at the arena, and then a late dinner with some people from Simon's record label. It was going to be a long day and she had a feeling this was going to be her first of many cups of coffee today.

Still, life was good. She was coming to realize that she was calmer, happier, and definitely more at peace than she'd ever been. Their schedules were hectic and the daily grind of being on tour was very different from anything she'd ever done with her previous clients, but she was enjoying it and learning so many new things. Nikki had felt anxious about being away from home so much, so Juliette had suggested that she take some time to be with her family. Things had been running so smoothly that Juliette felt she could certainly help with any of the tasks his assistant did for him.

And if she really messed them up, Nikki was only a phone call away.

Plus, taking on a few extra responsibilities filled the gaps when she was sitting around, simply watching Simon do his thing—not that it was a hardship watching him. Hell, she could sit and look at him all day and not be bored. But when she caught herself sighing dreamily and doodling their names, she knew she needed to find a more productive way to spend her time.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder what came next, once the tour was over and Simon was spending time in the studio recording the next album. Where was she going to be? Was she going back to New York? Should she sell her apartment or sublet it? Her grandparents—God love them—were all still alive and she was always going to want to spend some of her free time being close to them. As great as things were between her and Simon, they hadn't really talked about the future and where they saw themselves living or…anything.

That should have panicked her because she loved a good schedule, a plan, charts, graphs, anything and everything that she could look at to know what was coming so there were no surprises. This whole going with the flow thing was unfamiliar territory for her. Granted, the tour was all scheduled and mapped out, so that made her happy. But the tour wasn't going to last forever.

Where do I want to live?

Where do I see us going?

Is Simon going to want the same things?

Inwardly, she groaned because again, it was far too early for her brain to be putting in this kind of effort. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Simon sliding into the seat across from her. Gasping softly, she glanced around, suddenly worried about who was going to recognize him and perhaps bother him. But he looked completely at ease as he stirred his latte, looking at her with a hint of a smile.

"I never pegged you for the sneaking out sort," he teased.

"Sneak is a strong word. Respectful was what I was going for. You were sleeping peacefully, and I had the urge to sit in a coffee shop and people watch."

There were three people total sitting in the surrounding tables.

"Has all the magic gone from our relationship already that you find this more exciting than staying in bed with me?"

And yeah, she knew he was still teasing, but she also knew how much he loved having her there. Though they never talked about it, there were small signs that told her how much he hated being alone. The solitary life never really bothered her, but now that they were always surrounded by people, she sometimes longed for it.

"The magic is alive and well and you know it," she told him. "There's a coffee shop on the corner by my apartment that I used to go down to every morning. Sometimes I even went back in the afternoons and worked there because it just had a great vibe to it." She shrugged. "I miss it sometimes."

"I get it, and you know I'm just joking. You can go wherever you want, whenever you want. I'm not that guy who expects you to be at my side every second of the day."

And he wasn't. If anything, they might be in the same location most days, but the bulk of their time wasn't spent together. It made coming together at the end of the day so much more rewarding because they had so much to talk about. Whether it was something exciting or mundane, she was loving having those conversations as they got ready for bed.

"You still haven't told me where you want to go next week after filming wraps," she reminded him. "I'd like to stop in New York at my place and check on things and maybe refresh my wardrobe."

"We can do that," he easily agreed.

Now came something she'd never asked of any other man. With a fortifying breath, she blurted out, "And I'd like you to come to dinner with my grandparents."

Simon's eyes went almost comically wide. "Really? You want to introduce me to your grandparents?"

She nodded, unsure if he was excited or horrified.

"This is amazing! Are you kidding me? Yes! What can I bring? Do I bring wine? Dessert? What kind of flowers does your grandmother like? Wait…is this your Nana? Or was it Nonna? Does your grandfather smoke cigars? I can get…"

"Simon, sweetie, take a breath," she said, feeling utterly delighted. "We'd bring a bottle of wine and something from the local bakery. Nothing crazy. They're just going to be thrilled that I'm there to visit and bringing my boyfriend with me."

He grinned. "Your boyfriend." Now he chuckled. "Aren't we adorable?"

The eye roll was automatic. "Don't make me regret asking you. This would kind of be a big deal."

"And I'm honored that you asked me, and you kind of stole my thunder."

"Oh?"

Nodding, he explained. "I was thinking about going home to see my mom. Or asking her to go to Charlotte and telling Noah that he had to host all of us for dinner or the weekend."

"Ooh…that could be fun! Either of them can!"

"I'm not big on going back to my hometown. I mean, I do it, but it's just easier when my mom meets up with me someplace. Her house is small—and before you ask, it's her choice. Jax and I both tried to convince her to let us buy her a place, and she declined. So when I go home to visit, I have to sleep in the bed I grew up in."

"No!"

"Oh, yeah. It's insane. She says it keeps me humble—keeps us all humble—but none of us have had girlfriends with us when we visit."

Now it was her turn to snicker. "Girlfriend. We really are adorable."

"Like I said, you're hysterical," he deadpanned. "I'll reach out to Noah today and see what he thinks. I'm sure he wants to show off the new house and it could be nice to hang out with him and Lily. I can't wait for you to meet her. She's amazing."

"She's a dancer, right?"

"She is, and she owns her own studio in Charlotte."

"And Noah works for her family. That's how they met?"

He nodded. "It's a wild story, but it was the best thing to ever happen to him. Lily comes from an enormous family and they're all really close. It was hard for Noah to get used to, but he is completely in his element with them. My brother has always been a numbers guy, so going to work for a big financial company, Montgomerys, and then falling in love with Lily, it's almost like the fates found the perfect woman for him."

"Aww…I love that. Now I can't wait to meet her!"

"I'll definitely call my brother later, but after you talk to your grandparents. We need to see them first."

It was crazy how much that made her love him more. There wasn't a selfish bone in this man's body, no matter how he behaved after the whole Max thing. Deep down, he was just the best person she'd ever known. He was possibly the best person in the world, and the best part was that he didn't even realize it.

"I'll make my call today too and see what their schedule is like." Then she giggled. "I mean, they don't do a whole lot these days, but there's always doctor's appointments or events at the senior center that they're very committed to. I don't want to interfere with anything." But she already knew that once she mentioned that she was bringing a man home with her, they would cancel all of their other plans and probably invite everyone they knew to dinner.

And she couldn't wait.

They sat in companionable silence, sipping their coffees, before Simon gave her a sexy look.

"We have three hours before the car is going to pick us up," he said silkily. "We've had our coffee already…what can we possibly do to pass the time?"

All her girlie parts were cheering and telling her to grab this man and get back to their room.

And that's exactly what she did.

In the elevator, they were kissing and laughing and incredibly thankful that no one else was with them. At their floor, they stumbled out and raced to their room. Simon had the forethought to have his key ready and tapped it on the door before ushering her inside. Then his hands were cupping her face and he was kissing her, devouring her, and Juliette was more than willing to be devoured.

Together, they moved across the suite, unwilling to break apart. It was all soft touches, warm kisses, and heated sighs. Next to the bed, they broke apart and quickly undressed. They knew by now it was faster to do it themselves than try to help each other, but when Juliette was down to her panties, she hopped onto the bed and waited for Simon's help.

He gave her a wolfish grin because he knew exactly what she was doing. Luckily, he was gloriously naked and more than willing to assist. "I love touching you," he whispered as he lowered his head to her breast, gently kissing her. "You're so soft and warm…so good…" His hand caressed its way down her body to her hip, where he toyed with the lace of her panties. "As good as these look on you, I prefer them off of you." And slowly, almost painfully so, he took them off of her. Flinging them over his shoulder, he gave her another grin.

Reaching up, she smoothed his hair and couldn't believe he was hers, that she was getting to start her day looking up at this beautiful man and make love with him.

"I love you," she said, a little in awe, but her words had a transforming effect on him, because his sexy grin turned sweet.

"I love you too, my sweet Juliette."

After that, there was no talking—not really. But they said it all in a million little touches, whispers, and breaths. And it was a glorious way to start any day.

The filming ended, the tour was on a break, and they were currently sitting in the dining room of Noah and Lily's new home, drinking wine, and laughing hysterically.

Mostly at him.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Noah said between fits of laughter. "You did what ?"

Simon shook his head. "My Italian's clearly not as good as I thought it was! I didn't mean to say…you know…"

"That my breasts were beautiful?" Juliette finished for him before laughing again. "The look on my Nana's face was priceless! My grandfather dropped his glass of wine while adorably cursing Simon out in Italian…it was pure chaos!"

"So…what was he trying to say?" Lily asked, wiping away tears.

"I tried to say your granddaughter is beautiful," Simon explained.

"Which would have been tua nipote è bellissima ," Juliette supplied. "But…"

"But what I actually said, because I was nervous," he quickly clarified, "was il seno di tua nipote è bellissimo . And we all know it's wrong!"

"It was sweet that you tried," she cooed, patting his hand, but he still couldn't believe he'd screwed up such an important meeting. "By the end of the night, no one even remembered."

"I remembered…"

"And they loved you."

He shrugged.

"Maybe just stick to English next time," Noah said with a smirk. "First meetings are not when you try some new tricks."

"Oh, stop," Lily said. "I think it was sweet! And it will be something you can look back on and know you can only do better the next time." She stood. "Can I get anyone more wine?"

"None for me," Juliette said before yawning.

"None for me either, but thanks." Pausing, he looked around the beautifully decorated room. "The house is magnificent, you guys. Like…I'm really impressed."

"Thank you," Lily beamed. "We know it's a lot more space than we need, but we plan to grow into it." Reaching over, she squeezed Noah's hand. "Plus, it's nice that we have space for when you guys or your mom or Jax come to visit. Obviously, I come from a big family, so I love having space for everyone."

"Speaking of Mom and Jax, what time are they getting in tomorrow?"

"They'll be here in time for dinner," Noah replied. "We love that you could come early so we could have a quiet night with just the four of us. Jax brings a level of…you know…"

"He's a lot," Lily said with a giggle. "I love him, but he tends to dominate every conversation! So this is definitely a treat. Plus, it gives us time to get to know you, Jules!"

Yeah, Simon was thankful for that too. As much as he knew Juliette could handle her own in any social situation, he wanted her to be comfortable around his family without it being overwhelming.

"Thanks," she said and then laughed softly. "Sorry, I'm just sitting here thinking how weird it is that I'm just sitting here with one of the biggest rock stars in the world, and tomorrow one of the biggest names in football will be joining us, and it's all just…normal! Like…people believe when you're a celebrity that normal is always being in the spotlight and that they don't just hang out at home." She laughed again. "I don't know why that just hit me, but it did."

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean," Lily assured her. "The first time I met Simon was after one of his concerts. I was so nervous, and…"

"You were not," Noah interrupted with a laugh. "You were all excited because I had just proposed to you in front of sixty thousand people, and you were running around backstage showing everyone your ring."

She looked over at Juliette with a big smile. "Okay, so yeah. That night maybe I wasn't nervous. Most of it was a blur. But the next day…that's when I got nervous."

Glancing over at Simon, Noah shook his head and mouthed, "She wasn't."

"Anyway, we went to the hotel where Simon was staying and I was expecting like…thousands of screaming fans to be clamoring to get to his room and having to break our way through security, but all we did was ride up in the elevator to his room."

"That's where security was," Simon added. "I had given Noah the key card to get up to my floor so there wouldn't be any issues."

But Lily went on. "So we get to his room and just hung out. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was all just so normal!" She smiled at Simon. "And we've come to visit you out in the place in LA that you stay at and, again, I kind of expected paparazzi and all kinds of other famous people to be around, but it wasn't like that at all. It was both cool and a little disappointing."

Everyone laughed. "Yeah, I don't live a very exciting life. I enjoy my privacy and just having some down time when I'm not on the road."

"So what comes next?" Noah asked. "I know you've got a few weeks off now before the last few dates of the tour. You've got to get back into the studio, that part I know, but…then what?"

Good question…

Simon reached over and took Juliette's hand in his. "You know, I don't think we've really thought about it. The studio is a must, but most of the songs are written and ready to go. I don't expect that to take more than a couple of weeks. I'm sure Juliette's going to want to go back to New York to see her family, and…after that, I'm not sure."

"What about a house?" Noah asked. "Don't you think it's time you found one of your own? I would hope you're going to take a longer break between this tour and the next, and you've just been bouncing from one rental to another. Aren't you tired of that?"

There was no condemnation in his brother's question, just genuine concern.

"It was never appealing before, but…seeing what you've done here? Maybe I'm not as opposed to the whole home buying thing as I was before." He gave Juliette's hand a small squeeze. "There's a lot to consider, though. Do I want to be in LA? New York? Here in North Carolina? The options are endless and I just haven't had the time or the headspace to really allow myself to think about it."

"What about you, Jules?" Lily asked. "If you could live anywhere, where would it be?"

The look of pure panic on his girl's face was kind of adorable, but he didn't take it personally.

"No pressure! Sorry!" Lily blurted out, obviously reading the expression on Juliette's face.

"What? Oh, no, I'm sorry," Juliette said with amusement. "This was something I was seriously thinking about the other day, so it's kind of funny that we're talking about it now."

"You were?" Simon asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Dude, she doesn't have to share every thought with you," his brother murmured. "Jeez."

"I know she doesn't, but I just think it would have been a great conversation to have." He made a face at Noah before adding a snarky, "Jeez."

"Oh my God, you two," Lily whined. "Although, this is what it's like with siblings no matter how old you are, right, Jules?"

"I…I don't have any siblings. Only child."

Lily's expression saddened, but then almost immediately perked up. "You're going to get lots of them if you stick with this guy! And if you guys come and visit, or maybe even move closer, you'll get to meet my family! There are a lot of us!"

"She's not kidding," Noah said. "I spent a Christmas with all of them and there were over fifty of them in that house!"

"Most of them were aunts, uncles, and cousins," she clarified. "I have two sisters. Both younger than me. But we are a lot of fun and can be exhausting to be around."

Juliette laughed softly. "I look forward to meeting them."

"Yay! But back to where you'd live! What would be your first choice?"

"I've only ever lived in New York, so it's all I know. I have a tiny apartment and I've never really loved it; it was just a place to live. But I think I'm more of a city girl. Or…I'd need to live close to a big city."

Everyone nodded.

"The place Simon and I stayed in out in LA was amazing for obvious reasons, but the place in Asheville was…that felt like a home. I could see myself living in a house like that."

"Just not up on a mountain, right?" he teased.

"Exactly! Move that house about a mile lower down, and I would be a very happy girl!"

"What was wrong with being up on the mountain? It was Asheville, right? That's where my folks and grandparents have houses too!" Lily told her.

Before Juliette could answer, Simon did. "The road up to this particular house was a little harrowing. None of us were prepared for it, but Juliette had more of an aversion than the rest of us."

"It was a death trap," she said firmly. "I cried the entire way up."

"And she kept her eyes closed when I drove us down when we left. So…no narrow, scary, winding roads. That is request number one. Got it."

"What about you, Simon? Where do you see yourself?" Lily asked.

"Hmm…I don't really know. LA has sort of been my home base for a long time. I've lived in condos and a variety of different houses, but…most of the last few years, I've lived out of hotels. It would be too hard to pick a definitive place right now."

"No one's going to hold you to it," Noah said, picking up his wineglass. "Just play along!"

Sighing, he picked up his own glass of wine and took a sip. He'd been thinking about this sort of thing more and more but had kept it to himself because he hadn't wanted to freak Juliette out—especially because when he thought about it, it was the two of them buying a house and moving in together. But knowing that she was maybe thinking the same thing…

"The reality is that I don't have to live in LA. I can live anywhere, have a studio in the house, and fly to New York or LA to meet with Mick or the record label. And instead of always staying in hotels, I'd probably want to have homes in both of those cities. Nothing big, just…someplace comfortable that we can make our own."

Noah and Lily nodded.

"But a house? Hmm…I really do like it here in Charlotte, and I feel like I've spent a lot of time here since you settled here. I'm just not sure this is where I see myself."

More nods.

He glanced over at Juliette. "I still think I'm more of a West Coast guy." Waiting for her reaction—because he knew how much she loved New York—he wasn't sure if he needed to clarify that he'd go anywhere for her.

"There's nothing wrong with that," she told him. "I think I could get used to the weather on the West Coast. I loathe winters in New York, so…" She shrugged.

After that, they moved the conversation to the living room, where Lily served coffee and put out an assortment of pastries from her mother's bakery. They talked and laughed and even though they never seemed to run out of topics, by midnight, everyone was exhausted and more than ready to call it a day.

Their guest room was on the opposite side of the house from Lily and Noah's master suite. It was cozy and luxurious and beautifully decorated. Juliette came out of the bathroom in one of her silky sleep shorts sets and crawled into bed beside him.

"This was a good night. I had a lot of fun." She fluffed her pillows and got comfortable. "I can't wait to meet your mother tomorrow."

"She's going to love you." Pulling her in close, he kissed the top of her head. "Just like I do. Well…maybe not exactly, but…you get what I'm saying."

Laughing softly, she agreed. "I do." Sighing, she snuggled closer. "So you're thinking West Coast, huh?"

"What?"

"A house. You're thinking you'd prefer to live on the West Coast."

"Oh, that. Like I said, I'm not committed to anything. I haven't given it a lot of serious thought."

She was quiet for a moment before saying, "Maybe you should."

He looked at her curiously. "Meaning…?"

"Meaning…it's time, Simon. I understand the logic of not needing a home because you were always on the road so much. But…maybe you were on the road so much because you didn't have a home."

For a moment, he could only stare at her because…

It made sense.

So much of his life was spent looking at a house, a home, as a place that wasn't good. Growing up in such a dysfunctional home made a lasting impression, and maybe there was a part of him that couldn't differentiate between the fact that just because he had a house, didn't mean things would go wrong or that he'd be unhappy.

"A home was never a happy place for me," he quietly admitted. "And because so much of the animosity in that house was directed at me, it just felt like…"

"It was easier to live in someone else's home," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." Sighing, she added, "But I get it. My grandparents' home was a happy place and I had great memories there, so I assumed everyone's grandparents' home was like that for them, and that everyone's parents were awful to live with. It took a lot of therapy to get my head in the right place where that was concerned."

"And I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

They lay there in the comfortable silence. The entire house was quiet, the room was dimly lit, and Simon felt a level of contentedness that he found he needed. For so many years, he thought he was fine living alone and being surrounded by friends and occasionally his family. But what he had in moments like this with Juliette, was becoming everything to him.

"So, here's what I'm thinking," he began softly. "You and I get a house and chase away all those ghosts. We make it a place where we create beautiful memories, and fill it with love and laughter."

He felt a tear on his shoulder and held her a little closer.

"I really like the sound of that," she whispered. "A lot."

"Then that's what we're going to do. You and I, Jules. Together."

Lifting her head, she looked at him with a watery smile. "You just called me Jules."

Nodding, he asked, "And…?"

"You never call me Jules. It's always been Juliette. Even in the very beginning, when I tried correcting you, you held firm to using my full name."

Reaching up, he caressed her cheek. "That's because it's a beautiful name and you are a beautiful woman. It seemed wrong to use a nickname for you. But now, it just felt right."

More tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Don't cry," he lovingly told her. "It's all good. All of it. Names, homes, all of this that we have is good." Wiping away her tears, he smiled tenderly. "Tell me where we should buy a house."

It took her a minute to get comfortable again. "Well, you mentioned being a West Coast person, so…"

"I believe I also mentioned wanting a place on each coast. It's just a matter of which coast has our full-time home, and which one has a fabulous condo or townhouse." Kissing her forehead, he went on. "We'll be coming to North Carolina some to see Noah, Lily, and my mom, but obviously we can just stay here."

"What about Jax?"

"They've got room for him."

She laughed. "No, I mean, where do you think he's going to eventually land? He was talking about retiring. Do you think he'll move here to be closer to Noah?"

"I'm not sure about that, but he has mentioned wanting to do something back in our hometown." He paused. "I don't think he wants to live there, per se, but he's going to do something sports related there, so…who knows?"

They both went quiet again.

"You still haven't answered my question," he reminded her.

"Oh, you noticed that, huh?"

"Kind of obvious."

Sighing loudly, she looked up at him. "I meant what I said earlier. I love New York, but I could live without those winters. I think I'd be open to a move on the West Coast."

"Really?" And he tried to hide how much this thrilled him.

She nodded. "I'm going to want to go back and visit my grandparents. As you saw, they're all getting so much older and I don't want to stay away too long between visits."

"Then we'll visit once a month."

"Simon…"

"What? It's completely doable, especially since we'll buy a place near them."

"Or…we can just keep my apartment. It's already there and…"

"Um…no."

Sitting up, she frowned at him. "Why not? What's wrong with my apartment?"

"Other than the fact that you're constantly saying how small it is, how much you don't love it, and, again, I can't stress this too strongly, how small it is?" Luckily, she laughed with him.

"Okay. Fine. It really isn't a great option, but I'm going to be sad to see it go. That was my first actual apartment on my own and so many career highs and lows happened there."

"If you really wanted to…"

"No, you're right. It's time to move on to this new phase of life and making new memories."

"That's my girl."

"So…" Moving away from him, she reached over for her phone on the bedside table. "Let's take a look at some towns and cities to consider."

"We really don't have to right this minute. At least not to research. I was just curious if you were thinking LA or in the neighborhood where we stayed or…"

"I don't think we need anything big," she commented as she went to one of the popular real estate sites. "It's just the two of us, so maybe a three bedroom so we can have people come and visit…"

"Just the two of us, for now," he added. "Like Noah and Lily, I'd like to plan a little for the future and…"

Gasping, she turned to him with wide eyes. "Simon…I…"

He immediately knew it was too soon for this particular conversation. "House. Let's focus on finding a house right now. The rest can wait."

She visibly relaxed, nodding. "Okay." Then she paused. "But…I want you to know, I wasn't shocked because I don't want what you were saying. I was shocked because…I didn't realize you wanted those things too."

Taking the phone from her hand, he tossed it aside before reaching for her. "I want all those things with you. Only you."

Smiling, they sank back against the pillows and left all the talk of houses and futures for tomorrow. They were far more interested in the emotions and feelings they had right now.

Tomorrow was another glorious day with endless possibilities.