“I’m forever in his debt,” I said, and cleared my throat. “He was your hero when you didn’t have anyone else. Because of him, I have you.”
I threw my arms around her and gathered her to me, clasping her tightly to my chest. I just needed to get her to accept that she was mine, totally and completely, and that she had a new hero now.
Josephine
I WOKE GROGGY, AND blinked to clear sleep from my brain and haze from my eyes. The room was dark except for some ambient emergency lighting out in the hall. Struggling to sit up, I glanced at the wall of windows across the room. Darkness filled the glass. Once again, the sun wasn’t up, but Gale was.
“Morning, Jo,” he said, breathing hard.
I sat up straighter, turning at the waist to find him like the day before on the floor, by my side of the bed, doing crunches.
“What time is it?” I pulled my hair back from my face and secured it with a ponytail elastic I wore around my wrist for just that purpose.
“You don’t want to know.” He grinned. His silver eyes were bright and shiny with predawn adrenaline.
I frowned at him. “How can you be so wide awake and happy this early in the morning?”
“Because I’m with you.” His eyes remained bright, but they also softened in that way that made my stomach flutter.
“Oh, Gale.” I sighed, practically swooning. “Thank you.”
“My very own virtuoso.” He shook his head, his lips curving into a teasing half smile.
“Don’t start up with that again,” I grumbled. He had grilled me well into the night, wanting to know everything about the training I’d had on the piano.
“Then come join me.”
The coming and joining that immediately came to mind at his words did not involve me doing abdominal crunches.
“No way.” I grimaced. “No exercising for me.”
It wasn’t that I was opposed to the endeavor. Just that I could think of more pleasant and rewarding ways to burn off calories, especially with Gale so near and only wearing boxers.
“I need a Red Bull before I can focus on anything this early in the morning.”
He grunted. “Not an early morning person. I get it. You’re practically nonverbal until you get your magic focusing elixir.”
“If you want sparkling conversation when I first wake up,” I mumbled, “then let me sleep later.”
“Or maybe I just need to wake you differently.” His eyes sparked with promising heat.
“That would work.” My stomach did a warm dip amid all the flutters.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He gave me a big grin. “Your magic elixir’s in the mini fridge, babe.”
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.” I was already up and on my way there.
“Taking care of my girl is my top priority.”
At his words, my footsteps faltered. Top of his list, being his, his actions backing his words, those concepts registered deep. I’d never been a priority on anyone’s list, not from a very young age. And no one, not even my brother, had ever lavished me with so much attention and affection.
My hand trembled as warmth surged through me. Focusing took effort, but I managed to snag a Red Bull from the door of the mini fridge. The aluminum was cool in my grip, and it didn’t escape my notice before I closed the door that there was more than one can, should I want them.
Typical Gale, his care was extravagant. Like this suite. Like dinner last night. Like his song.
Retracing my steps to the bed, I leaned against it and watched him as he exercised. Only now my eyes were bright and shiny too.
Gale in only boxers? All that smooth skin and his chiseled muscles flexing? I didn’t really need a Red Bull. Suddenly, I was as wide awake as he was.
“Can you read to me from your story,” he asked during an upward crunch.
“Okay.”
My copy of Wuthering Heights lay on the nightstand by my side of the bed. Taking a sip of my drink, I set the can down and picked up the book, finding my place by the bookmark.
As I began reading where we’d left off, Gale continued exercising. I sipped my drink between lengthy paragraphs, and that seismic settling I’d experienced at the estate occurred again. I might give him flack about the earliness of the hour, but I truly enjoyed being with him like this. Effortless, easy, no agenda, just the two of us sharing time together and each other’s company.
Onstage, we both connected our musical truths to an audience. But here, in the simplest of moments, was where those significant truths were born.
“All done.” He popped up as if he had springs for legs and leaned in close to me, pressing his warm lips to the round of my cheek, making a shiver roll through me. “I’m going to shower. Could you call the valet and have them bring the BMW around to the private entrance?”
“Sure. But don’t you want me to come shower with you?”
“Want you to.” He gave me a heated look. “But we don’t have any extra time to play, since I let you sleep so late.”
“This is late?” I asked incredulously after glancing at the nightstand clock to confirm.
“It is if you want to accomplish everything on our travel agenda.” He was back to couple references, and I couldn’t see the point in being stubborn to refute them anymore.
“What is on our agenda? I need to decide if it’s worth it to miss out on shower time.”
“The Hoover Dam first, then if we’re lucky, and don’t have to make too many stops for Red Bulls and bathroom breaks, we should be able to see the sunset at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.”
“Whoa.” My eyes rounding, I whispered, “I’ve always wanted to see the Grand Canyon.” I’d wanted to see a lot of things when I got old enough to dream my own dreams. But unfortunately, all my dreams and my choices had been ripped away from me at around that same time.
“I see where shower sex rates.” He made a face.
“I didn’t have a childhood where I got taken to see tourist attractions, Gale.”
He stilled and stared at me with burning intensity, much like he did when I shared about Joey at the piano. “I suspected you didn’t, babe. That completely sucks. Did you take any vacations as a family?”
“We went to Six Flags once in Arlington. And Texas Stadium in Irving, before they tore it down.”
“Was your father performing with his band in those places?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
Gale shook his head. “That doesn’t count as a vacation.”
“Did your parents take you places when you were a kid?” I asked, shifting the focus back to him.
“Every summer, we went somewhere for two weeks. We didn’t have a big travel budget, but we pored over maps and chose a route together. Then we drove there and camped.”
“Your love of traveling comes from those trips.”
“Yes.” He tilted his head to a considering angle. “I guess it did.”
“Did your love for music come from your parents too?”
“Not really,” he said. “That came later.”
“How much later?” I leaned forward. Like the tidbit about his family vacations, this wasn’t in any of the interviews I had seen.
“I was in my early teens when I first picked up a guitar.”
“Let me guess,” I said, raising my brows. “When you started getting interested in girls.”
Giving me a smile, he nodded. “Girls my age weren’t as interested in my intelligence as you are.” He winked. “But yeah, they were interested in musicians.”
“You started listening to Zeppelin. The Who. The classics in your room. Taught yourself to play the guitar.” I remembered all that from the YouTube interviews of his I’d watched.
“Yeah.” His lips curved because I’d admitted stalking him early on. “I learned the piano later. My parents were supportive of all my phases.”
“Such as?”
“Rock collecting. Hiking. Reading.” His smile widened. “Always reading.”
&n
bsp; “The outdoorsy stuff keeps you from being a total nerd.” I gave him a couple of approving nods.
“So the musician part doesn’t rate for you?”
“It rates.” Man, did it ever. Gale with a guitar would always rate. “It’s all important because it makes you who you are.”
“That’s the way I feel about you, Jo.” His brows inched closer together. “I want to know everything there is to know, and I want to create a new knowledge base of memories to draw on that’s our own.”
“Then I guess you’d better get your shower.” My eyes burned as I processed the long-term implications of his words, and knowing how much I desperately wanted to create lasting memories with him too.
“You’re in for a treat. Sunset is my favorite time at the Grand Canyon. The colors of the rocks when the sun hits them will take your breath away.”
He was a romantic and a nerd, mine if I could find a way to keep him.
“Thank you so much.” My eyes beamed my gratitude. “For all the things you planned. All the surprises. I’ve enjoyed every single one of them.”
“You’re welcome,” he said before heading to the bathroom.
Watching him until he disappeared, I thought about some things I’d learned. I knew burdens were halved sharing them with him, but I was learning that my past and the events that made me who I was were easier to process and easier to put into perspective too.
I snagged my Red Bull, tipped it back, and drank the liquid remaining.
My thirst was quenched, but as I heard the water in the shower come on and imagined Gale getting in it naked, my throat went dry all over again.
Stop it, Jo. I caught a glimpse of my dreamy expression in the mirror and shook my head. Get a grip. But when it came to Gale, I didn’t think getting a grip was possible. I certainly hadn’t come close to achieving one yet.
Getting up, I picked up the phone on Gale’s side of the bed and took care of my appointed task with the valet. Then I moved around the room, gathering my things. Getting a grip didn’t unfortunately involve going into the bathroom to watch Gale while he showered. However, it did involve inventing busy work to keep myself occupied until he emerged.
“Ready?” Gale asked, approaching me as I was zipping up my duffel. I’d folded and refolded my meager supply of clothing during Operation Keep Occupied. Several times.
“All set.” I nodded while I took him in.
His hair damp, Gale wore jeans, his foreplay ones. They were all he had. I think in his case, he was what made the jeans sexy. He also had on one of his cute slogan T-shirts. This one read, Nerd? I preferred the term intellectual badass.
“Did you get your charger cord?” he asked, lifting a brow.
“No. Thanks for reminding me.” I rounded the bed again and pulled the cord out of the wall outlet. When I came back around, he took it from me and zipped it up inside my bag. “Now I’m ready.” I offered him a smile.
“Good.” He returned my smile, which gave me the predictable stomach flip. Then he put the straps of my duffel and his over his shoulder.
“Did you not pack any of your new clothes in your bag?” I asked, attempting to buy a moment to cover up my swoon from his smile.
“I asked the hotel to pack up and send my new stuff to Ivan and Ty’s place, since I’ll likely need something formal for the remembrance ceremony.” The warm affection in his eyes cooled.
The corresponding sadness inside my heart washed away the previous lightness of my mood. Of course, his words were a reminder I didn’t need. We didn’t need.
No matter how far away we were from our friends, we knew they were hurting and processing Nicholas’s death. We all were. Everyone was doing their best, in their own way, to try to come to terms with it. The remembrance ceremony would be part of that process.
Unfortunately, Gale and I had our own experiences with ceremonies that marked permanent good-byes. They stayed forever etched in your mind and your heart.
I preferred not to visit my brother’s grave. He wasn’t there. Instead, he was up in the stars, his memory living on inside my mind and my heart. And when I shared wonderful things about him with Gale, he existed in Gale’s mind and heart too. I stumbled externally and internally as that realization—a big one—hit me.
“You okay?” Gale gave me a concerned look.
“Not really.” I made the truthful admission, and he frowned. “Hard to leave, I guess.” I gave him a lesser truth. “I had a good time with you here.”
“So did I. But we’ll be back,” he said firmly.
He was certain, but I was back to covering fear that resurfaced. Our arrival in Dallas would mark the end of our journey. Would it be the end for Gale and me?
Our problem remained. My problem.
Even my thoughts were influenced by him. He was persuasive and so sure. But certainty didn’t solve the problem. If a solution didn’t present itself, if I couldn’t change his mind about an alternative, did I have the courage to do what would be necessary?
Josephine
“HURRY UP, ALREADY.” I tapped my foot, jangling the metal buckle on my boot.
We were in the parking garage at the Hoover Dam, and I was waiting for Gale to complete his task. Impatiently waiting. I appreciated his attention to detail most of the time, but now wasn’t one of them.
“Be still, Jo,” he said, and I knew he was grinning, even though his back was to me. “I can’t concentrate, and this will take longer if I can’t.”
“We’re just going to see the view. We won’t be gone long.” I frowned as I watched yet another group of sightseers stream past us.
“And yet I still have to make sure all the riding gear is stowed away properly.”
He turned around, grinning, and I forgot my impatience and everything else at being on the receiving end of his amusement.
“The dam’s not going anywhere.” His brown hair cast shadows in the silver of his eyes, but there was no missing his grin.
“I know that,” I grumbled, then squinted at him. “Don’t be a jerk. You’re moving slow on purpose.”
“Maybe a little. But only because it’s adorable how excited you are.”
He threw his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. Without my borrowed hoodie on, his skin touched mine in a lot of places, and all those places registered the burn.
“I’m a serious musician. A badass rock ’n’ roller. I’m not adorable.”
“You’re those things, I agree, but you’re also adorable to me.” He gave me a sexy, low-lidded glance. “Especially when your eyes are full of sparks and your breath is all choppy. Reminds me how you looked on the piano . . .” He trailed off as another large group moved past us.
I got the picture. And I was ready for him to do that again. Hopefully soon. But for now, I threw some attitude at him. After all, if he teased, I had to tease him back.
“I’m sexy, not adorable. But I can certainly see where a nerd could get confused. C’mon.” I grabbed his hand and drew him into the flow with all the other visitors.
“I think maybe we should pause a moment so this nerd can paint his badass a better picture using my expansive . . . vocabulary. Or better yet, demonstrate.” He pulled me toward a nearby stairwell. “Pop in here with me for a minute, and I’ll show you how naughty a nerd can be.”
“No stopping.” I tugged on his hand and stuck my tongue out at him. “Sexy times, yes, but after I see the dam.”
“Fair warning.” He kept pace with me but gave me a pointed glance as we crossed the street with all the other pedestrians. His gaze was luminescent like the moon, even in bright sunlight. “Show me that sweet tongue of yours again, and I’ll turn you around and take you right back to that stairwell.”
I nodded. I was excited about the dam, but he wouldn’t get a lot of argument from me. Bossy Gale, teasing Gale, naughty or nice, I would take him and it, anywhere and however he wanted to give it to me.
“Having you and your sexy tits pressed into my back all day,
knowing your tiny top is all that keeps me from getting to them, has strained my patience.”
“Straining more than just that, I’ll bet.” I glanced down. I couldn’t help it. The cut of his jeans revealed he wasn’t just teasing. The denim was strained, all right. “We could skip the dam and the canyon. Check into a hotel, or put up the tent somewhere private. Do whatever you want.”
Fire licked my skin as he slowly scanned me, seeming to consider it.
“Tempting, but no.” He squeezed my hand. “I want you to see the dam and the canyon, and anything else that you’re interested in along our route. Sunrises or sunsets. Star-filled nights in the desert. Whatever you want or desire, I want to give it all to you.”
I desired him. Just him was more bounty than I’d ever had.
As we turned and crossed another street, I turned to glance at him. “I love the way you pay attention to every detail I give you.”
“Not hard to do, Jo.” He held my gaze. “Everything about you fascinates me.”
Stopping on the bridge that spanned the dam, I moved in front of him and placed my hands on his chest, right over the nerd slogan, right over his irresistible heart. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” The wind tossing his brown hair, he leaned in and touched his mouth to mine, pulling back much too soon, but I was appeased when he captured my hands and enfolded them in his. “Now take a look at your view.”
He turned me by the shoulders, and my jaw dropped at the magnitude of the gleaming concrete structure and the rushing water it contained.
“Wow. This is so cool.” I turned my head to glance at him over my shoulder.
“You’re cool.” His lips curved into a soft smile that made me feel warm and melty inside.
I turned back to the view. A gust of wind blew wet spray onto my skin. The sun was bright and shiny. No clouds.
“It’s a beautiful day.” I blinked, taking a mental snapshot for my locket.
“I’m glad you’re having a good time, glad I could bring you here.” His grip on my shoulders tightened. “It makes me sad that you didn’t have a chance to see it sooner.”
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