Kai smiles and rolls her eyes.
“Well, Rhyson will be happy for me,” she says. “That’s part of loving someone, right? Wanting to see their dreams realized. I want everything for him, and he wants everything for me, as long as there is no full-frontal involved.”
It occurs to me that Rhyson and Kai are two high-powered entertainers making their family and their careers work. Maybe she has some insight.
“Kai, can I ask your advice on something?”
She looks at me curiously. I’m not really one to seek advice from people. I’m usually barking orders and telling everyone else what they should do. Know-it-all is a prominent strand in my DNA.
“Sure,” she says, an eager note in her voice. “What’s up?”
“You had a hit album and were doing Broadway shows, and Rhyson had so much going on with his career. Did you ever feel like you were . . . I don’t know. Missing each other?”
Her eyes narrow at the corners, but her lips twitch.
“Yeah. I thought I had it all under control. The baby was taken care of. I never missed a rehearsal. Knew my lines cold. Executed all my numbers flawlessly.” A husky laugh shakes her shoulders. “But, apparently, I didn’t have Rhyson under control. We had, what we in the South like to call, a come to Jesus meeting.”
“Yeah, I think Grip and I just had one of those this morning,” I say wryly. “He wants us, the kids and me, to go on tour with him.”
“Wow.” Surprise widens her dark eyes. “That would be hard for you, huh?”
“Very.” I sigh and run my hand through my hair. “I was going to focus on the New York office while he was on tour. I knew we were missing each other, but I just thought it was a season. I just don’t want to let anyone down, especially not Grip.”
“You’re helping run one of the fastest-growing record labels in the country and managing some of the biggest stars on the scene,” Kai says gently. “You have a two-year-old and an infant who’s still breastfeeding and not quite sleeping through the night. Cut yourself some slack.”
After I had Nina, I had so much to do at Prodigy that I threw myself into work. Then I got pregnant with Martin and ran myself ragged preparing for maternity leave. I cut leave short to get back and make up for lost time.
“Yeah, you’re right.” I smile weakly. “I just thought everything was running smoothly. For Grip to feel that we’re drifting . . .”
I link my fingers in front of me and shake my head helplessly.
“Bris, we’re married to brilliant men. They’re possessive, intense, demanding. They want everything.”
“Yeah, I’m aware.”
Kai’s smile is wistful.
“But they give everything, too,” she says. “There isn’t anything Rhyson wouldn’t do for me. Nothing he wouldn’t give up for me. Loving him, living with him, is like standing in a storm sometimes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our guys are rare. I hit the lottery when I met your brother, and I don’t mean because of his money. I wouldn’t trade him for all the movie roles in Hollywood. I’m a lucky woman.”
Her phone rings from her purse, and she reaches for it, but holds our stare.
“And so are you,” she finishes, glancing at the screen. “Speak of the devil.”
“Rhyson?” I ask with a smile, because he’s probably waiting at home with a ruler to measure how much skin they’re allowed to show in this movie.
“You guessed it.” She puts the phone to her ear and grins. “Hey, you.”
“I’m gonna go,” I whisper, leaning over to kiss her cheek.
She nods and waves.
“Yeah, we insisted on the no nipple clause you wanted,” she says, rolling her eyes at me.
Demanding. Intense. Possessive.
That’s Grip, but Kai’s right. I wouldn’t have him any other way, and I’m all those things and more. I give as good as I get. I have big decisions ahead of me. I can’t lose him, but I can’t lose myself either. I don’t want to resent him down the road because I feel like I missed out on something. I do have two young children. I am running a booming record label.
And I can’t remember the last time I gave Grip a blow job.