Page 53 of Mr. Naughty List
Casey was right. RJ had other options aside from the traditional route.
“Sure, sure. It’s a new world of opportunities to make pennies,” Chip said sarcastically.
Aaron still lingered in the darkness of the corner, one arm hanging low, the other crossed over his waist. He didn’t meet RJ’s eyes even when he came into the control room and made further plans. He also walked a few steps behind RJ and Chip when they all went back out to the lobby to say their goodbyes for now.
Aaron was dressed sweetly casual today in soft, faded blue jeans, a long-sleeved, green Henley shirt, a loose, forest green jacket, and a pair of black, high top converse. His ass was still magnificent, but RJ also knew it still hurt. He’d practically winced when he sat down on the folding chair in the control room before leaping up to stand again, and then skedaddling to hide in the shadows behind Chip.
Was it RJ’s voice that had scared him? His lyrics? What had pushed Aaron to want to disappear? RJ supposed he’d have to wait until they were in the car to find out.
Grabbing his own jacket from the coat rack by the door and slinging his guitar over his shoulder, he shook Chip’s hand and watched as Aaron did the same. Then they were in the blacktop parking lot, approaching the shining, stupidly big SUV together.
Aaron suddenly reached out and took hold of RJ’s hand and twined their fingers together. RJ almost asked why, but he bit the question back and didn’t mention that Chip could surely see them from the windows of the lobby. He just gripped Aaron’s fingers in return until they got to the car. Then he used his fob to unlock Aaron’s side and let him in first.
When their hands broke apart, Aaron smiled at him.
“It was a good song,” Aaron finally said once RJ had climbed in behind the steering wheel. “Was it…. Am I overthinking it or is it about…” He blushed. “Never mind.”
“It was about you and that magical ass, Mr. Danvers.”
“Really?” He blushed even more, dimples blossoming, and RJ’s heart clenched at the sweetness of it. “I thought so, but that seemed egotistical. I second-guessed myself.”
“You should be proud. It’s the first song I’ve written in over a year. The well was dry. Then I got to unwrap that sweet butt of yours, and suddenly I’m chock full of inspiration.”
Aaron chuckled. “Well, as my kids at school say, don’t get all extra about it.” His blush extended down up to his hairline now, and his dimples kept popping. “But, still, I’ve never had a song written about me before.”
“I admit, when you went to go hide in the corner of the studio, I was surprised.” RJ played up his ego rather than reveal how vulnerable he’d felt. “I expected a full-on swoon when you heard it.”
Aaron shook his head. “I don’t swoon. I just got really embarrassingly hard watching you play, and I had to hide myself so Chip didn’t see it. I didn’t even know that was a thing that could happen.”
RJ whooped, laughter shaking him as he pulled out onto the highway toward the address Aaron had plugged into his GPS earlier. He didn’t know what to expect for the rest of the afternoon, but he was excited to go meet Aaron’s dad.
RJ wondered how Aaron planned to introduce him. He knew it was too much to hope he’d introduce him as his holiday lover. But a guy could dream.
As they drovedeeper into the countryside, heading toward the gray Holston River and the winter-brown farmland that ran along it, Aaron finally spoke again. “This is all Danvers family land now. Starting about here. It used to go out even farther, but a lot of it was sold to pay my grandfather’s estate taxes, and then to provide the monetary inheritance for us kids that didn’t want to take a house out this way.”
“Take a house?”
“Yeah, there are houses all over the property. Some old, like from the eighteen hundreds, and some newer. The cousins who stayed all took one. It’s the way it’s been for generations now. I wasn’t the only one who left.” Aaron shrugged. “Though that wasn’t really my choice.”
“Oh?”
“The divorce. My mom got custody.”
“Why’s that?”
Doug was divorced from his first wife (who claimed that was all Betsy’s fault, but RJ stayed out of that discussion; he didn’t want to know), but Carter spent one week a month at his mom’s, and three with Doug and Mom. Mainly because Carter’s mom’s job required a lot of travel. But RJ knew it was unusual for parents not to get fifty-fifty custody anymore. Of course, when he and Aaron had been kids times were different. Heck, times were always different.
“Mom moved into Knoxville proper, became a teacher first, and then a principal. She insisted I attend her school. My dad couldn’t easily get me into Knoxville and back every day for classes, not from all the way out here anyway, and especially not with his farm duties. Plus, my mom was…the mom.” His voice took on a flatter note. “The judge agreed with her that I needed consistency with my schooling. So, that was that.”
“Ah. And your grandfather died when you were a kid?”
“No. I was grown. And when he died, I could have taken land out here, but I didn’t.” Aaron gestured toward the green rolling fields. “Don’t get me wrong. I love it, but being a farmer isn’t for me. And you can’t live out here on the family farm and not participate in some way. It’s just not done.”
“Interesting.”
“Yeah, all of my cousins chip in. Plow fields, sow and pick crops, or they deal with cattle, pigs, horses, and goats. Gather eggs from the free-range chickens. Mend fences. Read up on the latest and greatest family farming techniques. None of that is really of interest to me. I’ve never been into getting dirt on my hands.”
“Prissy.”