Pulling her close to my chest, I kissed the top of her head, and she slipped her hand into my back jeans pocket. I was about to take the conversation further when Liam saw us from the front of our house. He had been playing on a bouncy toy, and as soon as he saw us, he discarded it and ran full on in our direction. Valerie chuckled, “Damn, the way he runs with his arms like that is just like Adam used to run,” she said and smiled affectionately.
I bent to catch him and spun him around in my arms, “Hey, little dude, what’ve you been up to?”
“Playing with Nibbin. I let him win, shh, not tell him,” he grinned, covering my mouth so that I couldn’t speak. Valerie grinned widely and glanced at Niven.
“You’ll be telling us next you’ve been looking after him,” she giggled.
“I did, Mommy, me do it all the time. Nibbin not know where things are, he not know where my pajamas live and puts my fruit in ukky yogut. I tell him all the time. He not listen, Mommy,” he said, seriously and shook his head. I was struggling not to laugh as Valerie reached out and took him from my arms before he saw me do that.
“You are a fabulous young man for helping keep Niven straight. Mommy is very proud of you. I think that deserves a treat— don’t you, Daddy?” she said.
I nodded my agreement, “Of course. I think that’s an excellent idea. Do you know what you’d like as a treat?” I asked and saw his face brighten as his eyes went wide.
“Anything?” he prompted.
“If we can buddy, but think carefully.”
He placed his finger at his little pouty mouth in thought, “I know,” he said and gestured by holding his index finger up like it was loaded with his thought as his face changed to a surprised expression.
“I want a baby brovver to play wif,” he said and smiled expectantly before glancing between Valerie and me.
“You can have anything but that honey. Baby brothers don’t just happen. They are gifts from God,” Val replied hurriedly and kissed his head. My heart almost stopped, and I thought she’d think I’d put Liam up to saying that. Placing Liam back down on the ground beside her feet she said, “Go ask Niven for some lemonade and cake; we’ll be in by the time it’s ready.”
Turning to me I was relieved to see she was smirking and not as angry as she had been a few days before when I’d suggested another child, “Did you put that idea in his head?”
“Geez, Valerie, for fuck’s sake, I’d never use our kid to get my point across,” I said, slightly pissed that she could even think I’ve used him like that.
“Well, it just seems like the Docherty men are ganging up is all,” she said and grabbed my arm hugging it tightly. I felt relieved that she knew what Liam had said was nothing to do with me, especially when I was planning a loaded question of my own. My proposal.
*****
Arriving in Vegas, the atmosphere was tense. Valerie and Kayden were highly strung, and we were all doing our best to support them. Two black limos were waiting on the tarmac for us. The drive between McCarran Airport and Caesar’s Palace took us less than twenty minutes.
I’d never been to Vegas before but it looked like an Adult Disneyworld as we drove through the night toward the strip. Everything was larger than life. The Presidential Suite in our tower looked out over the Bellagio Hotel Fountains and gave us an amazing view down the strip as far as the eye could see. Valerie hadn’t even seen the room before she’d dumped her bag at the check-in desk and headed off to finalize the business end of our trip.
If I was honest, I was kind of thankful for that because since we’d landed my stomach had been churning. Valerie was off; her mood was chaotic, and I’d never seen her so strung out about anything before. I’d begun to think what a bad idea it was to accept the gig and put Kayden in such an emotional position. By asking him to play his debut as a professional musician somewhere where they expected the best and the fact that Vegas held a lot of emotional baggage for him— I’d given him a huge responsibility. Apart from that, I had begun to wonder if what I had planned for Valerie was appropriate given the charged atmosphere.
The nerves I was used to in college when I was asked to play were back. My stomach was in turmoil because our whole future rested on Valerie’s response. I had no idea what I’d do or how I’d react if she said no, but I knew l had to get it out of the way, or it was going to cause mayhem with my performance.
Sending Lee a text I’d asked him to check his email. While we were in flight, I’d been surfing the internet and found a ranch near the Colorado River. This was my moment for my grand gesture of love, and I was either going big or going home. I’d contacted the ranch owner and asked if we could have private time for the night, explaining who I was and why I needed their help. Twenty-five minutes later I got a response. The owner remembered the accident and said it had affected everyone working in the Canyon. He mentioned he had only taken bookings for two guests that night and had called a friend who could accommodate them.
I’d sent another email and asked for a camp fire and a romantic setting, and Tigs, the ranch owner, assured me they were well versed with wedding proposals, reminding me that Las Vegas was the epicenter of romantic runaway weddings. All I had to do was get her there. I glanced at Kayden as he sat cuddling his new wife. I’d thought his proposal to Amber seemed corny when he was planning it, yet when it came down to it, I’d taken a leaf out of his book and was about to ask for Valerie’s hand in marriage under the stars.
“The chopper is booked for 9:15 p.m., Flynn. It’s 7:00 p.m. now.” Lee said.
“I need a ring. There are jewelry stores in here, right? Hit a few up and ask them to meet me in your room. Tell them I want platinum, three to five carat solitaires with plain bands. I’ll know the one when I see it. Her hands are tiny; she won’t want anything too ornate or ostentatious,” I prompted.
Lee left with his instructions, and my heart raced again. I prayed that I’d read Valerie right this time. By 8:30 p.m., I’d picked what I’d hoped was her perfect ring and was antsy because she still hadn’t come back. She’d been gone for over two hours, and my plan felt like it had already gone to shit.
At 9:10 p.m. Valerie came into the suite looking tired. I’d showered and changed and had been ready to leave for an hour. Eyeing me up and down Val shook her head, “I’m not going out, Flynn. Please, It’s been a long day,” she groaned as she slumped heavily into a chair.
“It’s Vegas, babe. I’ve already made plans. Humor me?”
Valerie gestured at her attire, “Flynn I’m in a business pant-suit. I’m hardly dressed for a night on the town.”
“Have a five-minute shower, throw on jeans and a shirt, nothing fancy. I just want to take you somewhere I’ve found that I hope you’ll get a kick out of. Please, babe,” I said.
Valerie stared back at my pleading expression and caved, “All right, but I want to be home by 3:00 a.m. We have a long day ahead tomorrow,” she said.
“Fuck, Valerie, I’m a rock star. Let’s live a little. I’ll have you back by sunrise, I promise,” I said grinning wickedly.
Val’s five-minute shower turned into ten; then she blew dry her hair, and my stomach was in knots. I’d texted Lee to keep him updated, and he assured me the helicopter was standing by.
My nerves were fried by the time I got her into the hire car and headed for the airport.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see in a minute,” I said, as I tried to maintain an air of mystery.
Valerie sat looking out of the window, and I stared at her profile as she did. She was beautiful. She was dressed in a simple white tank top with a soft open silk shirt, dark blue skinny jeans and a pair of red stiletto shoes. She had her legs crossed at the knee. As if on cue, she ran her hand through her hair, finger-combing it and plumped it at the back of her head. I couldn’t resist touching her when she did that. I took her by the chin and turned her head toward me. Colored lights from the hotels and businesses we passed outs
ide twinkled in her eyes as they looked into mine. When she gave me one of her beautiful smiles, she looked perfect.
“Thank you for this, Valerie,” I said.
“For this?” she questioned.
“For all of this.” I gestured at the luxurious surroundings of the limousine, “For loving me, for giving me my son, for being the inspiration for my songs, for my band, the studio, being here with me tonight in this awesome dream I’m living…thank you for this great life we have. And babe, most of all, thank you for always being you, believing in me, and for being my soulmate.”
Staring back in silence, her eyes fixed on mine as tears welled with the weight of emotion we felt between us. Her face said a thousand unspoken words at that moment. She’d do anything for me. All she wanted was to make me happy.
“No, Flynn. Thank you. Since that day when you turned up on my parents’ driveway in that stupid humongous tour bus, you’ve been nothing but supportive of me. You’ve always wanted the best for me, and your love and protection at that time helped make me who I am today. You were right to walk away. I’m glad you did, even though it broke my fragile teenage heart at the time. I can’t begin to describe how much I love you, and I’m nowhere near able to describe how you make me feel when I’m with or without you. I’m not like you, Flynn. I don’t have poetic lyrics to help me express how you make me feel.”
Hearing her say that gave me confidence that she wouldn’t reject me when I finally got around to asking her the all-important question. We pulled off the main road and through the wire gate of the airport.
The Maverick Tours pilot, Robert, greeted us, and Valerie looked puzzled about where we were going. “We’re going to fly along the path above the river in the Grand Canyon, babe. We’re paying our respects to the awesome man that brought us together, but we’re doing it in the dark, so you don’t have to see the place where the accident happened. Is that okay with you? I think it’s important to take you to the place where the spirits of your brothers float free.”
Valerie bit her lip and nodded, and I prayed I’d gotten this absolutely right. I hoped to override the hurt she felt about that awesome place with a happy memory she could treasure for the rest of her life.
On take-off, the soundtrack the pilot had was awesome. Jennifer Rush sang “Take My Breathe Away,” the theme from the movie “Top Gun.” It continued with songs from many of the bands I’d grown up listening to, such as “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, and “Fly” by Nickelback. I hadn’t known there was a playlist, but I’d asked Lee to arrange for a special request to be played at the time we passed over the spot where the accident had happened.
Valerie and I knew the moment we’d arrived there. Robert had killed the music, and we sat in silence and paid our respects to Martin, Adam and Ziggy— even though I’d never met the guy. Valerie’s tears flowed freely down her face, and she made no attempt to wipe them away until I pulled her to my chest and swiped one of her cheeks with my thumb.
Seconds later, Robert hit the button for the song I’d asked to be played for Valerie in memory of her brothers. “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd was the one tune on every playlist Martin ever had. It was the song that connected us as it was on every one of mine, too. I’d never shared that fact with Valerie until that moment, but by the look on her face it was clear that she knew the connection to Martin.
Lifting my hand, she clasped her fingers in mine and squeezed hard, “That was perfect, Flynn,” she whispered into the headset microphone. “You may not have known him long, but by choosing that song, you knew him almost as well as I did.”
Another silence followed until Robert hit the playlist again and “Gonna Fly Now,” a tune from the movie “Rocky” filled our ears through the headphones. I sighed heavily with relief because that part of the evening had gone well, and I’d hoped she was ready for the next part of my plan.
Chapter 33
Why?
Flynn
As we got closer to the ranch, excitement was building deep in my belly. A glow in the distance grew nearer until we could make out bright runway lights and the fire from lit torches at the periphery of the helipad landing. Valerie stared at me, puzzled at what was going on. “It’s okay, babe, I thought since we were here we could stop and have a bite to eat.”
Rubbing her stomach, Valerie mumbled, “Yeah, I’m starved. I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”
Robert landed, and we waited until the rotor blades stopped. I jumped down and lifted Valerie, sliding her down my body which made her smirk and whisper, “Every opportunity, huh?”
When she placed her feet on the floor, I grabbed her ass and held her firmly against me, “Where you’re concerned, babe? Always. How many times do I have to tell you that?” I asked with a wicked grin. I winked in response to her smirk, patted her ass as I stepped back, then slung my arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into my side again, “Come on, it’s getting late, and I’m starving.”
I needed a minute to collect myself before I took her through the ranch house to the back. I could already smell the wood burning on the campfire from the moment we’d stepped off the helicopter. Glancing at Valerie, I could see by her relaxed demeanor that she had no idea what was about to happen and that both thrilled and terrified me at the same time.
Who would credit Flynn Docherty, the guy that walked on stage in front of thousands with the guy who was crumbling inside at the thought of taking what he felt had always been his? And she was mine. She’d never given herself to anyone else, but me. I knew every inch of her body and could only claim to know as little as twenty percent of her mind. Her knowledge and understanding of the world, how it ticked and the people in it blew my mind.
Tig, the ranch owner, was a tall Native American guy, with a rugged gnarly appearance but he had a warm smile. He definitely had a presence, and my eyes were drawn to him from the moment we’d stepped through the door into the ranch house. Standing by the fireplace, he twisted his upper body to look at us, immediately walking toward us with his weathered, outstretched hand. I accepted the gesture and shook it, and felt an instant calm when I touched his rough weather beaten skin and firm grip.
“How do you do, Flynn?”
“I’m good thanks. Thank you for allowing us to intrude on your evening,” I said smiling and glanced at Valerie, “This is Valerie, my…girl.”
I swear he smirked at my hesitation, and I felt more than a little awkward because he knew exactly why I was there. “Perhaps you’d like to sit by the campfire. We’re a working ranch here, and all the cattle and ranch hands have retired for the night. It’s an early start tomorrow driving livestock before the sun gets too high in the sky.”
I nodded as he stuck out his hand gesturing the direction he wanted us to follow him. Valerie squeezed my hand, excited by the prospect of visiting a genuine ranch. Outside there were more torches lit as the campfire crackled sending small burning embers into the night air. Valerie sat on a log closer to the ranch house, and I slid down onto the tree trunk beside her.
Seconds later, two tin platters with pulled pork sandwiches, mashed potatoes and gravy were placed on our knees. A bottle of champagne was placed in a bucket at my feet and two tin cups balanced on the log to my left. Not exactly the kind of wining and dining a girl would expect on the night her guy proposed to her, but then again, neither of us had lived conventional lives since we’d met, so I figured it was just about perfect.
We sat talking about this and that as we ate, the conversation flowing like the champagne from the bottle to the cups, and when the food was done, we sat quietly staring at the fire. Gazing up at the night sky, I’d never seen so many stars in all of my life. Valerie followed my gaze, “Oh. My. God. It’s perfect.” She mused, her eyes staring in wonder at the beautiful heavens above. My eyes were on her taking in her reaction, as I found the courage to move the conversation along to why I’d taken her there, “Yeah, it is,” I said, wistfully.
Lee had
sent my acoustic guitar by car to the pilot and as we’d been sitting in the front seats. Valerie hadn’t noticed the soft black guitar bag lying on the ground behind us. Robert had passed it to someone, and I noticed it being placed at the side of the house when Valerie was busy with her dinner tray. I stood and stretched awkwardly, and then walked over to pick it up. My hands were shaking a little with nerves as I sat back down beside her.
“Hey, where did that come from?” she asked looking around her and into the darkness.
“Ah, I actually got something past you, Valerie,” I smirked, “I wrote you a song, and I wanted to sing it to you tonight, is that okay with you?”
“Flynn you’ve written dozens of songs for me,” she said, making a little fun of me and laughing.
“No Valerie. I’ve written this song just for you. It isn’t for anyone else’s ears, babe. This one is only for you. I’ll never record it, but I’ll sing it to you when no one else is around whenever you want me to. I’ve never really been the romantic guy you deserve, but this is the one thing I can do for you. I almost fell on the ground when you said that I had poetic lyrics for how I feel. I really don’t, but you’ve given me those words. And by writing this song, I don’t know whether I’ve achieved that this time either.”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted you. Please, sing it for me.”
I began strumming my guitar a catchy little riff that wasn’t too fast but not too slow either and glanced sideways at my girl with my heart beating out of my chest and my head full of hope. She was concentrating on me, listening intently and the words that started to flow were me telling her what she did for me.
You’re my strength baby when I’m weak,
Ready For Flynn,Part 3: A Rockstar Romance: Ready For Flynn Series Page 29