Page 49 of I Need You Tonight
“What about the topic of dating?” I asked. From what I’d heard on the country music stations, it was a popular topic when it came to hot musicians. No one seemed interested when the musicians weren’t so good-looking or had been married for a while…unless there were rumors of infidelity or a breakup. But those questions weren’t usually brought up during an interview. Not unless you had the urge to piss off the celebrity involved.
“That’s fine,” Jared said, “but other than confirming that I’m recently married and Nolan is in a committed relationship, the two of us would rather not go there. But these guys”—he gestured at Kirk, Mason, and Aaron—“are fair game.”
“Are you two dating anyone?” I asked Kirk and Aaron.
“Maybe,” the mysterious Kirk said. The guys all looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.
“Are you talking about Beckie?” Jared asked. From what I’d been able to tell yesterday, she was Callie’s friend. I’d seen her and Kirk talking a few times, but I hadn’t been able to tell if something was going on between them.
“Maybe.”
“Hey, puck boy, does she at least know you’re dating her?” Mason asked, laughing.
Kirk smirked. “Maybe.”
“So that leaves Mason and Aaron who are currently single, right?” I asked, looking at Aaron and doing my best not to glance at the guy I’d had sex with at least a dozen times during the past week.
“That’s right.” Aaron’s gaze slid to Mason.
Mason shifted next to me on the couch, accidentally bumping me with his hip. “Yup.”
I asked them more questions about what was acceptable and unacceptable when it came to the interview. Then we spent the rest of the drive chatting about this and that, giving me a chance to get to know them better. I knew some things from Mason, especially when it came to Nolan and what had happened to his family. From what Mason had told me, I was glad Nolan had Hailey. It didn’t take much to see they were deeply in love. Like Jared and Callie were.
“So when are you planning to finally propose to Hailey?” Mason asked as casually as could be, apart from the amusement creasing the corners of his eyes. “If you don’t get on that soon, she might get bored waiting for you and dump you.”
I elbowed him in the chest. Hard.
“Owww,” he said, rubbing the spot where I’d hit him. “What did you do that for?” The guys cracked up with a we-like-this-girl-already laugh, clearly no longer quite so annoyed at how Mason had hired me without telling them first.
“That’s not going to happen,” I pointed out. “It’s obvious Hailey loves him. So unless he royally screws up”—I didn’t think I needed to elaborate on what I meant by that—“she’ll wait for him to decide when the time is right.” I just hoped he didn’t wait too long if she wanted to marry him sooner rather than later.
Nolan rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, actually, I plan to propose to her at Christmas. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to do it.”
“How hard can it be?” Mason asked, barely holding back a laugh. “You ask her to marry you and hope she says yes.”
Nolan and Jared exchanged looks, which made me curious about what I was missing.
“Do you have a ring?” I wasn’t an expert on the topic of proposals, but this part seemed like a given. If he didn’t already have one, it would be a little more challenging to get one while they were touring.
He nodded.
“Here?”
Again he nodded. “It’s in the safe.”
“Can I see it?” Yes, I was a tad bit curious about what kind of engagement ring a rock star would buy his future fiancée.
He pushed himself off the couch and headed to the back of the bus, then returned a short time later with a black velvet box, which he handed to me. Inside was a platinum ring with a large diamond in the center. On either side of it, the shiny metal split and crossed, forming two small gaps on either side, with a small diamond nestled in each one. It was breathtaking.
My eyes got moist at how lucky Hailey was. She had found the love of her life and survived hell for him, and this was the symbol of how much she meant to him. On top of that, he wasn’t a professional and he had tattoos.
Go figure.
I blinked away the happy tears before the guys could see them, then closed the lid and scooted forward on the couch to hand the box back to him. “She’ll love it.”
He smiled at it as if the ring was Hailey herself…and those damn tears started up in my eyes again.
“A wise man once told me to make the gesture big when you propose.” Jared winked at Nolan.
