by Tess Keeler
“You’re right.” I nodded, lifting my eyes to meet hers. I kissed her again once more before we pulled ourselves together.
She got dressed in the shirt and sweatpants that I had gotten out for her earlier, and I could tell she was nervous to meet everyone she didn’t already know.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” I brought our tangled fingers up so I could kiss her knuckles. “I’ll be right beside you.”
We relocated to the party, my arm around her as I introduced her to everyone. No one asked questions, even though most of them knew that we had broken up. It must’ve been obvious that we worked through it with our hands connected and the kisses we would share.
I loved that she was wearing my clothes, and she filled it out way better than I did. “By the way, it’s incredible how much better you look in my clothes than me.” The smile I gave her was playful, happy. I couldn’t believe she was here and all mine. The most beautiful girl in the room— no, in the world.
She grinned and looked up at me. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
I held her chin with my pointer finger and thumb. “Oh, but it is.”
“I can’t believe you’re mine,” she whispered, her arms squeezing me as she shook her head. It was like we were thinking the same things at the same time.
I wrapped her close to me, “It’s almost midnight. Would you like something to drink?”
“Surprise me?”
I kissed her nose before I untangled myself from her. “I’ll be right back.”
Mason moved over to talk to her once I slid away, and it made me feel good that she had him to lean on, too.
The only thing I could think of getting for her was a glass of white wine. I grabbed two beers- one for myself and one for Mason- then headed back to her. When I reentered the room, I saw her laughing with Mason and it made me feel warm all over. That feeling would never go away, would it?
I walked back over to them, handing Mason his first beer of the night and tapping our bottles together. Harper’s glass was to her lips, and I clinked my bottle with her glass lightly as I whispered, “To us.”
“To us.”
We took a drink, and Asher began announcing the time. We had sixty seconds until 2020, and I turned to face Harper as the seconds ticked away.
“Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven…”
Our eyes were locked as we helped our friends countdown.
“Six… Five… Four… Three… Two…”
I touched Harper’s face, stepping into her as I whispered, “One.”
Then I kissed her. Long and sweet— I felt like I was on cloud nine. For the first time in months, I was content.
Our kiss broke, her eyelids fluttering open to reveal the beautiful light blue hiding behind them.
“Happy New Years, baby.”
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Make You Mine
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Harper
Before the impromptu trip I made, I had projected New Year’s day to be miserable. Either hungover with Grace or thinking about Nixon in some beautiful place I had never explored, tainting the usual excitement of it. Thankfully, my day started out much better than that. Nixon made me his infamous avocado toast—he claimed it was the only thing he could cook. I dared him to prove it. Mason joined us in visiting a new coffee shop that had popped up since the last time Nixon was home. The rest of his bandmates were recovering from the party, scattered all about the house with their guests. Girlfriends? I wasn’t sure who they all were.
Many of the high school friends I had met went home before we woke up. It was a different environment when it was Nixon’s friends and not his family. I saw a different side of his childhood and life in the wee hours of the morning. I loved all of it and all of him. It was incredible how quickly all the pain evaporated. We needed each other more than we needed to dwell.
“How long is your break?” I asked both of them, my body angled slightly to face them in our booth. One hand was in Nixon’s lap, holding his thigh, while the other held my hot cup of earl grey. Mason had his own, two bags steeping in his water. He liked it strong, much like Nixon liked his coffee.
“I have to fly in to Nashville in a week. So, the 8th,” Nixon said, casually. He placed his hand over mine, and I wondered if he was thinking about us in Nashville together. If his heart palpitated the same way mine did at the excitement of it.
“When are you going home, Mace?”
Details about the relocation hadn’t been discussed yet. Would we separate and meet back up in Nashville? Would I bring anything or would we start from scratch?
“Depends,” he said before sipping on the steaming hot beverage. “Do I need to help anyone move?” His eyebrows lifted as a smile spread out over his thin lips.
I laughed a little, feeling absolutely bubbly. “Of course he told you.”
Looking over at Nixon, I grinned. The time apart seemed to make me feel lighter now that we reconnected. Prior to our rekindling, I was constantly feeling a little heavy with stress from work or his spotlight. Being cautious and worrying about what may happen if I did something wrong. I always wanted to be with him, but didn’t know how to balance it all. Nashville would give us a chance at something normal for us both, and I was grateful it was even an option.
Nixon’s face turned beet red, and I giggled softly. The ever-changing color of his skin was one of my favorite things about him.
Mason interrupted my thoughts. “He told me that’s what he wanted for you, prior to the incident that shall not be named. I assumed that since you’re back to being utterly disgusting again, that it was one of the first things he propositioned.”
I looked between them as Nixon spoke, “That’s dangerous. What if I wouldn’t have asked yet?”
Mason’s laugh was short and sweet. “I know you better than that, mate.”
“I love you both,” I said, holding my face up to admire them. My best friend and my boyfriend. “How’d I get so lucky?”
“Funny, that’s how I feel,” Nixon mused.
We finished the liquid in our ceramic cups and strolled around downtown Jenks. It was quiet and peaceful, the cool winter air retaining a stillness indescribable. Mason and I stood by a few times to watch Nixon take pictures with fans. I was smiling as they did, maybe because we weren’t in a rush and there was no pressure on Nixon to get out of there. Possibly, I was too hard on his fans before—Mason, too.
Nixon drove us back once we walked the lit up streets both ways. Everyone was awake by the time we arrived, all making themselves at home. They had ordered Chinese takeout for all of us, something I was apparently craving. I brought my plate to the table, where Nixon soon joined me.
“So, I don’t have any jobs lined up,” I said, the same few questions repeating in my head. I heard the boys arguing over something in the other room, but I chose to ignore it. Selective listening. Nixon looked up at me as he chewed, the lines in his forehead noticeable as his eyebrows lifted some. “I don’t even know if I need anything from Kansas…”
“Oh? There’s nothing you want to bring? Clothes?” He set his fork down and looked at me with those beautiful hazel eyes. I sighed in appreciation of them as he continued his thought, “I’d love for the condo to be our home. And if we like it, who knows? Maybe it’ll become permanent?”
“Permanent?” Permanent. He nodded, both of us fighting our smiles. I didn’t overthink it, especially when I felt nothing but a glowing happiness. I answered him, “Everything I love and use is in my van already. I’m all set.”
“Do you want to bring your van with you or leave it in KC?”
I had never traveled anywhere without my van, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to start. “I haven’t thought about it.”
His hand reached out, his fingertips grazing my dormant hand on the table. “There’s a parking garage, and if you want it there, I’m definitely okay with it.”
“I’ll think about it.” My van could stand out, especially once I’m associated with it.
“You have time,” he reassured me, leaning over to kiss my cheek sweetly. My eyes fluttered closed as I relished how incredible it felt to be with him. He was the best part of my life. How did I live before him?
“Are you bringing your stuff?” I asked him, his collection of guitars coming to mind first.
Sitting back, I heard him hum. “Clothes and my guitars.” There was a pause. I took another bite and washed it down with my water. “It’s not furnished, so I’m sure I should be preparing that. But, maybe that’s something we could decide on together?”
The reality of it crashed on top of me all at once, internal tremors plaguing my body. This was real. More real than anything other than my career. “I would love that,” I breathed, choking up a little. “Are you nervous?”
“Not at all,” he said, matter-of-fact. “Are you?”
I shrugged, because I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. “I’m excited for a new adventure.”
Lifting his hand to my face, he stroked my cheek with his thumb. “First of many, my love.”
Later that evening, Nixon was kind enough to set up the living room for the boys to enjoy a movie. His family room was as much of a theatre as a family room could be. Mason was the only one staying beyond the next morning. Mitch was already falling asleep on the loveseat next to me when Nixon called me to the back door. I stood and walked in the darkness toward his shadow, attempting not to step on any toes or limbs.
He turned the handle and led me outside, the brisk January air making me tense all over. Without a second thought, he had a jacket wrapped around me, his arms moving up and down. “I already have a fire going,” he said as we walked toward the flickering flame. It was the only light beyond the porch.
A blanket was already laid out close enough to the warmth, providing us with somewhere to gaze at the stars. I couldn’t help it as I chewed on my lip, looking up at his face as the moonlight accented his sharpest features. “After you,” he said, his hand displaying the seating area for me.
I crawled over the chilly surface of the blanket and sat down, waiting for him to take a seat too. I urged him to lie back first, so I could lay my head on the bend of his arm. He placed both hands behind his head and stared at the sky. The twinkling lights came into focus as I nuzzled my way closer to him.
“I got high and laid back here with Asher while we were apart, and all I could think about was the rooftop.”
His words were enough to warm me up, my heart beating with a force unimaginable. I couldn’t imagine him getting high, but knowing he was thinking about that night and how open we were with each other made me fuzzy. The honesty helped provide a foundation for our relationship to blossom from. I wouldn’t change anything about our journey to get where we were today. The shooting of a star or a satellite was the last thing I saw before I turned over, my palm on his chest. I placed my chin on top of my hand, gazing at his chin.
“Do you get high often?” I asked, genuinely curious about the parts of Nixon I was still learning.
“No, I’ve done it maybe five times including that time. Never on tour and never when there’s a chance Bella can catch me.” I watched his long eyelashes move in the light from the fire, his eyes trying to catch me despite the angle. “How do you feel about smoking?”
“It can be relaxing. My ex went a little overboard with his self medicating, and I haven’t gone back to it since.”
He nodded. “I remember you telling me about that now.”
“Nix?” I whispered as I laid my head down beside his, my hand moving to his beating heart. Feeling his reactions always fueled me.
He turned his neck and looked over my expression, his eyes dancing, “Yeah?”
“Thank you for loving me for everything that I am and for never asking me to change.”
The force of his response was given as a kiss, his hand always finding its way to my face. I wanted to give him everything he gave me, and I wasn’t sure I ever could. I would try. In every gesture. In all of my affection. Quickly, our kissing escalated into something so passionate it took the air from my lungs. My hands were all over him as he rolled on top of me. The cool air couldn’t touch us where it mattered most as we made love out of sight and under the beautiful night sky, reminiscing and exploring all at once. Nixon was my next adventure, and it was a lifelong one.
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