First, Jace had surprised me with Bigfoot Days, and now, there was this whole day he had planned out just for me. He also added a little fun by keeping all the places we were going a surprise until we got there. All of this was filling a void I hadn’t even realized was there until he’d done it. Now that I was experiencing it, I absolutely loved it. It made me feel so special, so cherished, that someone would put this much thought, time, and effort into thinking of things and planning them out for the sole purpose of making me happy. I was, seriously, getting spoiled by surprises.
In fact, if he did much more of this, I thought I could absolutely get addicted to this feeling. It was one of the best feelings I had ever had.
Jace navigated the car up through Los Feliz, which had always been one of my favorite LA neighborhoods. Well, what I had been able to see of it out of car windows, at any rate. I loved the architecture of the houses and the lush, mature trees that lined every hilly street. I especially loved the little bohemian “downtown street” stretch of Vermont Avenue that ran through it.
When we were stopped at a light on Los Feliz Blvd, Jace put on his left turn blinker, and I turned to him with my eyebrows drawn together in puzzlement.
“Babe, this is the entrance to Griffith Park.”
He smiled mysteriously. “I know.”
“Um…well…I’m pretty sure Griffith Park closes at sunset.”
He smiled like the Cheshire cat. He was really enjoying this. “I’m well aware,” he said, not expanding any further on the subject.
I sat back again, completely intrigued. Dang. I was seriously curious about what the boy had up his sleeve.
When we turned left, I immediately saw attendants in yellow jackets directing traffic and signs for parking. My eyes shot to Jace, electrified in disbelief. “Oh my gosh! Are we going to the Greek? Are they having a concert there? Do they have any this time of year?” I knew that their summers schedule was packed, but I thought they basically closed shop after October until April.
Jace laughed. “Let me take your questions one by one. First of all, yes, we are going to the Greek. Second, yes, it is for a concert. Third, no, they normally aren’t still holding concerts this late in November, but it’s a special Thanksgiving fundraiser to buy dinners for needy families. It’s a special event.”
I leaned back against the car seat, tears forming in my eyes. “Oh my gosh! Jace. You don’t understand. This is my first concert! Ever! I can’t believe it. Who’s playing? Not that it matters. I don’t even care who’s playing. It’s just amazing.”
He chuckled. “I would never take you to your first concert and not make sure that it was a whole bunch of singer-songwritery people that you really like. KIIS FM is putting it on. Allen Stone, Karina Black and Ryan Perkins, Tristan Prettyman, Sara Bareilles. A bunch of other people—I forget. You’ll see when we get up there.”
I made fists with my hands, triumphantly pumping them in the air. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I can’t believe this! This is crazy! Evelyn is going to be so happy for me!”
Jace smiled over at me. “I’m just happy you’re happy, babe.”
“Oh my God! I’m so happy. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jace! I would throw my arms around you and kiss the hell out of you right now, but I don’t want us to have to miss the concert because we are dealing with the cops after you rear-end someone. I will control myself and wait to throw myself into your arms until after we get out of the car.”
“Don’t think I’m not gonna hold you to that.”
“Oh, I can wait. I have self-control.”
“No, the part about throwing yourself into my arms. That’s the part I’ll hold you to.”
I barked out a short laugh. “Oh, believe me. You’re going to have to peel me off of you.”
Jace grinned at me again, and this time, it was a little wolfish. “That would never happen.”
When we got out of the car, I did indeed make good on that promise, launching myself into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist while I kissed him deeply. Still, he didn’t end up having to peel me off him because, as much as I truly love kissing Jace, I was so excited about getting into the concert that I jumped down and was ready to be on my way, hiking the rest of the way up the hill to the entrance of the venue.
When we got to the front entrance and were waiting in line behind the other people having their tickets checked, I found myself so fidgety and eager to get inside that I could barely stand it. I seriously felt like a little kid who had been up all night long on Christmas Eve and was now waiting through those last few torturous moments before her parents woke up and it was finally, finally, time to open up the Christmas presents. Well, at least the kids I’d seen on the movies. Since I’d never been given a Christmas gift, I wouldn’t actually know.
We got into the courtyard, and to my inexperienced concert-going eyes, it was like a gigantic Festival of Awesome. There were booths put up by the radio station advertising upcoming events and giving more information about the charity that the concert was benefitting, and each of the artists were selling CDs and merchandise.
I dragged Jace around to all of the booths, giving my credit card a workout and picking up concert T-shirts for pretty much all of the acts. Hey, my mother was always on my back to buy more clothes so that I would look “presentable.” While I doubted that this was what she had in mind, it didn’t really matter. It made me happy, and that’s what today was about.
When we had visited all of the booths—and I had collected a truly impressive number of T-shirts—Jace said, “You had said you were hungry, babe. Do you want to go up to the beer garden and grab a hot dog or something?”
I glanced up at where he was indicating, a beautiful terrace with chairs and tables underneath trees strung with twinkle lights. As I was taking it in, my stomach growled.
Jace laughed. “Well, that’s an unconventional way to answer the question, but I’ll take it as a yes.”
“Yes! I guess I forgot about being hungry in all the excitement. But, yeah, babe—I’m starving! Hot dog it is!”
After we ate, we found our seats and settled in. I was tingling with excitement as we waited for the show to start. I was really about to hear live music for the very first time and I could hardly believe it. I had waited for this moment for years. I had fantasized about it, dreaming about what band I would see and what venue it would be at. I had read forum postings from other people detailing their live concert experiences, and I had been—yes, I will admit it—jealous as hell of the fact that they were able to go out and see live music all the time and I never had. But that was all over and done with now. All the waiting was finished. The time was now, and I was sitting in the crowd at my first fucking concert ever—which was about to start.
When the first act came out on stage, the crowd roared and jumped to their feet, and I found that I did the same thing right along with them. I almost felt like I was outside of my body, watching myself react. Being so outwardly expressive with my emotions, so loud…it just wasn’t me. It was not how I would normally act under any circumstances. Yet, in the middle of this crowd of people, as I was carried along by its energy and enthusiasm, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Then, when the music actually started, I was transported. I closed my eyes, let it run through me like electricity, let it wash over me like water. I felt exhilarated when the numbers were upbeat and melancholy during the slow songs. I cried, fat and salty tears running down my cheeks, when Sara Bareilles held that iconic note in “Gravity,” her powerful and beautiful voice filling the air and my soul simultaneously.
I shocked myself by dancing during Allen Stone’s set, my feet and my ass seeming to move of their own accord. I certainly never would have thought of myself as a ‘public dancing’ kind of a person, but there I was, dancing it up like I was alone in my room rather than in an audience with thousands of other people. I was just as surprised to feel tears running down my cheek as Karina Black and Ryan Perk
ins sang their duet. Apparently, I danced and cried in public.
After the show came to a close, and Jace and I made it back to the car together, I realized that I was still on a high that was probably going to last for several hours yet. I was buzzing with the power of the music and the energy of the crowd, and I was certainly not ready to climb in the car and drive home. I needed to process the experience, to talk about it while it was still fresh.
I turned to Jace. “Wanna go back to Raw? Chocolate milkshakes?”
He grinned. “Absolutely. You can tell me how amazing I am and what your favorite part of the day was.”
I stopped, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him hard and deep. Then I pulled back and, as we continued our walk to the car, said, “No brainer. Not even a close contest. It’s that I got to do all this with you.”
As we inched our way out of stacked parking and then followed the slow trickle of cars down out of Griffith Park and into the Los Feliz neighborhood, Jace said, “So, was your first concert everything you’d hoped it would be?”
I threw my head back and shook it, unable to put into words what I felt when I thought about it. Still, even though it was overwhelming, I made up my mind to do my best. I would channel my far-flung thoughts into a coherent narrative and deliver that to Jace.
“I don’t know why it was so surprising to me, but I think the thing that caught me most off guard was how much more emotionally affecting the music is when you hear it live than when you listen to the studio recording. There’s just something so much more raw and immediate and…I don’t know…emotional about it when it’s live. Spiritual, even. I mean, there were a couple of times tonight when I felt totally transported, like I was having some sort of transcendental experience. I’ve had hints of that when listening to music before, in my room, on my headphones—but nothing like tonight. This was like a whole other dimension.
“And the crowd—I think that was a big part of it, too. Being in the middle of this huge ball of excitement and energy…of people who are all sharing the same experience… I mean, I can see now why cults always use group chanting or group singing as one of their brainwashing tools. There were a couple of times tonight that I really felt more like a part of the collective consciousness than like my individual self. Did you feel that?”
Jace nodded. “Yeah, I guess. And I’m sure it wasn’t even a tenth as powerful for me as it was for you, because those aren’t the artists that I’m a huge fan of. I mean, they’re okay, but it’s not like I would listen to their music if you weren’t with me.”
I rubbed my hands together in front of me. “I want to go to a bunch more concerts with you. And next time, it will be a band that you love. I promise.”
Jace smiled. “I think that’s a great idea, babe. Not only because will it be fun, but I’m down for doing anything that can put this kind of sparkle in your eye. It’s been dim the past few days, and I’m loving seeing the light come back.”
I reached up and brushed my fingers along Jace’s cheek. “You’re the best. You’re the one who makes my eyes sparkle, and you always will be. As much as I loved the music tonight, I loved knowing that you did this for me even more. You thought of it, you took action, you made it happen. You gave me the absolute perfect night. There’s nothing else I could ever want that would measure up to that.
“They say, ‘It’s the thought that counts,’ but I don’t agree. Anyone can have thoughts. They’re like good intentions, and you know where those pave the road to. No, I think that, rather than thoughts, what actually counts are the actions. And tonight, you proved that you are the absolute king of taking amazing action. So thank you, babe.”
Jace glanced over at me when we pulled to the stoplight and smiled warmly. “When it comes to you, my brown-eyed girl, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do. You deserve every single little bit of happiness that I can provide.”
I felt my own smile falter a little at that, but I tried to hide it quickly. I didn’t want to ruin this beautiful night that Jace had worked so hard to give me by letting my insecurities make me sad. Jace, however, was far too perceptive and far too tuned into me to let that slip by unnoticed. He leaned closer to me and looked into my eyes, speaking intensely as he ran his fingers through my hair.
“You do deserve it, Cat. Every bit of happiness. Every good thing that I can give you, you deserve. And I’m not gonna stop until you believe it for yourself.”
I smiled back, bolstered by his words. “I can live with that.”
Chapter 21
Jace
As I waited for Cat, who was helping Rachel with something, I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows in Cat’s living room. Staring out at the crashing waves, I felt in complete awe of the gorgeous view. I figured that I should probably get my fill of the sight of Malibu beach waves because it was pretty spectacular and I had no idea if I would ever see them again. With how tough it had been on Cat since we’d been here, yesterday’s touristy adventures aside, I didn’t think she’d want to return anytime soon.
I felt arms around wrap around my waist and breasts press against my back. I turned my head just as I heard a familiar voice.
“That’s right, baby. I knew you wanted me.”
Holy shit!
I spun around, shocked out of my mind.
It wasn’t Cat standing there.
It was her mother.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I pushed her hands off me and backed away.
“Oh, don’t worry.” She dismissed me with a wave of her hand, walking towards me. “Cat won’t catch us.”
I shook my head, trying to clear it and organize my thoughts into some kind of recognizable order. This was totally off the charts crazy, even for Angelica. It was pure insanity.
“There’s nothing for Cat to ‘catch’ us doing. This isn’t happening. Stay the fuck away from me,” I said, my hands in the air as I tried to move around her without actually touching her.
Angelica wasn’t having it. She moved with ninja-like grace and speed, pinning me against the window. “I know you want me, everyone wants me. I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you since you since you got me all hot and bothered in the limo. I like a man who knows how to take charge.” With that statement she pressed up against me like a cat in heat, her arms snaking around my neck and crushed her lips to my mouth and began to kiss me.
I tried to move my face away at the same time that I pushed her shoulders back to pry her off me. But she was glued to me like white on rice. And she was surprisingly strong for her thin frame.
Just as I was able to push her face barely an inch away from me, I heard Cat gasp loudly from the other side of the room. Before I could remove Angelica’s arms from the death hold they had around my neck, I saw a flash of chestnut hair as Cat turned and ran out of the room.
Shit!
The worst part was that it didn’t even slow Angelica down. In fact, she barely seemed to notice at all. As carefully but firmly as I could manage, I placed my hands on her waist and picked her up then set her down in the chair beside the fireplace. It was a little more forceful than I’d ever touched a woman, but I hadn’t had a choice. The second I released Angelica in the chair I ran out of the room, chasing after Cat.
As I made it through the doorway, I heard Angelica’s amused and lilting voice behind me sing-songing, “You’ll be back!”
That woman was the definition of delusional.
I looked in the kitchen, then in Cat’s bedroom, and finally found her in the third place she’d told me she spent her time on the property—the beach. I ran up to her, out of breath at this point, and was heartbroken when I saw tears were streaming down her face.
Double shit.
“Baby,” I implored. “You have to believe I had nothing to do with that. She just jumped me out of nowhere. I was trying to get her off of me the entire time.”
Cat laughed without much amusement. “I know that. You should ha
ve seen yourself. Your hands couldn’t push her away fast enough and your face was screwed up like someone was trying to shove chocolate-covered maggots into your mouth.”
“Not chocolate-covered. Original-recipe maggots. Other than that, though, I think you’ve captured exactly how I felt.”
Cat laughed again, and this time, it was a little more lighthearted. I was glad that we could joke around after what had just happened. Even though I was happy that she was laughing, I knew I needed to get to the bottom of this. It was going to be a tough, awkward conversation, yes—but we couldn’t just go on together after something like that happening and not address it.
Slipping my arms around her, I pulled her towards me. She fit perfectly between my legs. My lips pressed the top of her head, I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair as I said sincerely, “I don’t want you to think that I think this is funny. It’s not. I am so sorry that you’ve had to deal with stuff like this your whole life.”
She shook her head. “Not like this. I’ve never had a boyfriend before. It’s certainly possible that, if I had, she would have pulled something like this with one of them. I just don’t know. No, wait. Actually, I do know. She definitely would have.”
“She’s sick, Cat. Just like Natalya is.” I wrapped my arms even tighter around her, wishing that my embrace could take away all the pain, all the trauma that she’d endured at the hands of that woman.
“You’re right,” she said as she took in a shaky, deep breath before looking up at me, her big, brown eyes shining with something that seemed dangerously close to determination.
“What?” I asked. I had no idea what was running through her pretty little head, but I did have a pretty good idea that I wasn’t going to like it.
“You’re right,” Cat began slowly, her fingers running over my hands, which were interlocked around her waist. “My mom is like Natalya. And you laid out boundaries for Natalya, so maybe I should—”
One Day His (The Someday Series Book 2) Page 14