Page 34 of Until the End (The Lost Letters #3)

Carson

“ I ’m gonna miss this little bungalow.” I take in the coastal design one last time as Ginny double-checks the contents of her purse.

“Me, too.” She wraps her arms around my waist. “I’ve already got Chelsea on finding a similar place in a gated community.”

“I have no doubt she’ll be successful.”

Ginny sorts. “Me neither. You ready to go?”

“Yep.” I grab our suitcases and lead her to the small driveway. Daren has the SUV idling out front. The trunk is already up, so I get our stuff loaded in minutes, and then we’re headed to the airport.

“How are you feeling about the album?”

Ginny’s wide smile tells me before her words can.

It took a few months of intense work, but she finally heard the ring in her ear that the album is exactly what it needs to be.

We spent another couple of weeks in LA after they wrapped to let it marinate before she listened to the whole thing once more.

She asked Henry to make a couple of tweaks, and it’s since been sent to the bigwigs to do whatever it is they’re supposed to do.

Now we’re flying home, and I’m oddly sad to leave.

I didn’t expect I would be, but I’ve come to love our time here.

I’m a little worried about what’s going to happen when we get back to Sonoma.

Will we still get to have the alone time we’ve become accustomed to?

Is anyone going to object to me living with Ginny?

God knows I’m not going back to living with Michael and Ryan.

As much as I love them, I refuse to sleep in a bed without Ginny.

“I think this album might be my best yet. What did you think of it?”

“You know I loved it. It’s gritty and empowering instead of being a simple breakup album. People are going to go nuts over it.”

“I hope so. Henry played it for the big bosses, and he said they seemed pleased.”

“Even better. That’s how you know it’s going to be great. If those stuck-up snobs were happy, the mere mortals of the world will be obsessed.”

Ginny busts out laughing.

A little while later, we’re pulling up to the airport.

Daren is going to drop us off before he takes the car back to the rental place.

We sent a few guys to the house in Sonoma a couple of days ago to get things prepped ahead of our arrival.

Daren will fly out tomorrow once he gets both rental houses sorted, and then we’ll stay in Sonoma for the foreseeable future.

Or at least until they schedule a tour for Ginny.

Mariana was able to renegotiate Ginny’s contract to make her touring window one year instead of two. She’s also now guaranteed at least a year in between tours. I have no clue how Mariana managed to do it, but we’re not about to question the outcome .

After working closely with Ginny’s team these past few months, my respect for them has grown exponentially.

It takes a monumental amount of work to make Ginny’s life run smoothly.

Daren and Chelsea see to every detail for her because they don’t want her to have to worry about it.

Daren told me he never wants Ginny to stress about the little things because she already has enough to deal with as it is.

I’m beyond grateful she has this special group of people surrounding her.

Ginny dons her trucker hat and sunglasses while I grab the bags from the car.

I give Daren a bro hug before we head inside the airport.

There are hordes of people swarming around the cavernous space.

I have no idea how Ginny remains as composed as she does.

If I were her, I’d be freaking out about being around this many people at one time.

The only reason she doesn’t keep a team of security with her is because it only draws more attention. If I weren’t here, Daren or Reggie would be traveling with her instead.

We get through security without any issues and head straight for the lounge close to our gate. This is another reason why Ginny doesn’t travel with a team of security. She can spend the time waiting for a flight in the membership club and away from the majority of the crowd.

If this album does as well as we think it’s going to, we’ll likely have to adjust the security plans, but for now, this works for us.

Ginny and I sit across from each other at a table. Our stuff gets spread across the two extra chairs as we make ourselves at home.

“Can I talk to you about something?” Ginny’s hesitant question has me straightening.

“Of course. Anything.”

“Well…two things, actually. The first one is that I don’t want you to go back to your house. I…” She swallows. “I real ly like living with you, and I don’t want to feel as if we’re moving backward when we get home.”

I exhale a relieved breath. “Thank god. If you hadn’t brought it up, I was going to ask after we got settled at the house. I don’t want to go backward either. Waking up next to you every morning has become an addiction.”

Ginny’s shy grin makes my heart palpitate.

“Okay, I’m glad we’re on the same page. The second thing is…

I want to help you find your passion. I’m grateful you joined my security team to help with this stalker issue, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to do that every time we go anywhere.

And to be honest, I don’t want you to become another one of my bodyguards.

I want you to be my partner first and foremost. I love the way you protect me—it makes me feel safe—but I don’t want it to become something you think you have to do.

You were bored in LA, and if we’re going to make this work, you’ll have to find something to fulfill you. ”

Words get stuck in my throat. I should’ve known Ginny would pick up on the reason why I started working with Daren. Is she worried that I didn’t want to be there with her? “You know I loved being in LA with you, right?”

“Yes, I do. But we both know you’re too active to be sitting around a house all day doing nothing. If that means we have to get you into kickboxing classes or pottery or something, then we will.”

I chuckle. “I don’t want to learn how to do pottery unless you want to do it, too.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. I don’t know, Goose. I’ve been thinking about it since the first week I got to LA. It’s not like I can go out and get a regular job. The paps are already sniffing around us. There’s no way I could work a nine-to-five even if I had a college degree.”

“You could. We could figure it out.”

“I’m not sure I want to.”

Devastation lines Ginny’s face. “You don’t?”

“Ah, shit, Goose. I meant I didn’t want to work a nine-to-five, not that I never wanted to figure something out.

After working with Uncle Levi, I can’t imagine doing a desk job or something with regular hours.

And besides, we’ve got plenty of time to try new things.

For now, I’m just happy to be by your side.

I swear, I won’t let this fester until I’m unhappy.

We’ll team up and find what works best for us. ”

Thankfully, the lines marring her face ease. “Okay. I just don’t want you to give up your life for me. Going back and forth between Sonoma and LA will make it hard for you to have a normal routine.”

“Maybe, but I joined Levi’s crew because it made the most sense. You know I wasn’t the college type of guy, but I had to make money somehow, so I jumped at the offer he gave me. I enjoyed working on his crew, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t a lifelong dream of mine.”

“What were your lifelong dreams?”

“You. You’ve always been the one thing I wanted most in the world.

And now that I have you, everything else is just a cherry on top of the sundae.

I’ll find something to keep myself entertained, Goose, I have no doubt about that, but right now, I want to bask in the sheer glory of getting to have you in my life as more than just my best friend. ”

Ginny reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “It’s annoying that you’re this smooth. How am I supposed to respond to that?”

I bark out a laugh. “I love you, Goose. Now and forever.”

“I love you, too, Duck.”