“And?” She propped her hand on her hip. “Don’t you dare forget that he’s the lucky one here, Liv. That’s the truth.”
“You are the ultimate hype woman.” I chuckled as I crossed to the sink to wash my hands.
“Damn right I am.” She nodded. “Which means I’m going to have to take you shopping for lingerie before you go visit him on the road. When do you leave? We could go this afternoon.”
“I don’t know if I’ll go.”
“Did you hit your head?” She placed her hands on the sides of my face, smushing my cheeks together. “What do you mean you don’t know if you’ll go?”
“He’s going to be gone for a month,” I said, prying my head from her grasp. “I can’t leave for that long right now.”
“The hell you can’t. Katie and I can hold down the fort here. I’m serious, Liv.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You need to go. If you don’t want to go for the whole month, fine, but at least go for a week or two. Look at it as a test drive for your future career as a rockstar.” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “I think you should surprise him.”
“How?”
“It’s simple. We get the guys in on it. You have to be adamant in telling him you’re not able to go, though. He needs to not be expecting it at all. We get the boys to sneak you into their show and stick you in the front row. He looks out and sees you and ta daaaa!” She turned her fingers inward, admiring her navy-blue polish.
I considered her suggestion for a moment. “It’s not a bad idea.”
Before I could say anything else, Katie burst through the kitchen door with a big smile on her face. “You’ve got a delivery out front, Liv.”
“A delivery?” I questioned. Ella and I glanced at each other then back at Katie who nodded cheerfully. Ella and I followed her back through the door and gasped. On the counter was a beautiful arrangement of tequila sunrise roses. There had to be at least four dozen.
“Open the card!” Ella shrieked, shaking me by the shoulders. “What does it say?”
“Hold on.” I waved her off as I plucked the card from its holder in the bouquet. My heart felt like it was about to take flight out of my chest when I opened the small yellow envelope with Ella and Katie reading over my shoulder.
Dear Liv,
I can’t wait to come back home
to my sweet tequila sunrise.
Miss you already.
Love,
Jax
“You are so going!” Ella squealed as she and Katie bounced excitedly together. “If we have to fold you up, put you in a suitcase, and take you ourselves, you are going to see that man.”
I turned to face my friends. “Do you really think I could take a couple of weeks off?”
“Hell yeah, I do!” Ella threw her arms around me.
“We’ll take care of everything here.” Katie reached out and squeezed my arm. “You always take such good care of us. Let us take care of you.”
“Okay. I’ll go.” I held up a finger to Ella. “But not until I see Grace in her Homecoming dress.”
Ella grinned. “Deal.”
I pictured Jax and my heart disappearing out of sight earlier that morning in Brady’s SUV, and I knew there was no way I could wait another month to see him again.
The week Jax was gone passed by excruciatingly slow. The evening before my flight to Los Angeles, I was packing while I waited for Ella to arrive. Grace had rehearsals for her part in her school play, so Ella was coming over for dinner.
My phone rang from beneath a pile of clothes on the bed, and I dove for it.
“Hey, Dal,” I said, cradling the phone between my ear and shoulder.
He chuckled. “We’ve been over this. My code name is Agent Sprinkles.”
“My bad.” I snorted. “Agent Sprinkles.”
“You’re gonna blow this entire operation, Officer Cupcake.” His laughter was infectious and boisterous, and it was one of the things I liked most about him. “I’ve got everything worked out. Brady will sneak away to pick you up at LAX when your flight lands at 8:15 tomorrow evening. He’s going to bring you right to Microsoft Theater, and Jax will be none the wiser until he looks down and sees your beautiful face in the front row.”
“You sure he doesn’t suspect anything?” I asked, folding a pair of jeans and placing them in my suitcase.
“Not a thing.” He assured me. “In fact, he’s been moping around extra hard today. I feel kinda bad for him, but a lot less so now that he’ll be seeing you tomorrow. We’re all excited!”
“I owe you a million cupcakes, Agent Sprinkles.”
“Affirmative, Officer Cupcake.” He cleared his throat. “Well, the eagle has landed, so I better run.” I heard Jax’s confused voice in the background asking who he was talking to.
“Thank you so much, Dal. You’re the best,” I said.
“I love you too, Mom. Talk to you tomorrow.”
I giggled as Dallas disconnected the call.
“Pizza delivery!” Ella’s voice called down the hall when she bustled through the front door. I heard Mama hiss her greeting as the door closed. “Mama, you’re gonna have to get over yourself since I’ll be the one feeding your hostile-kitty ass for the next two weeks.”
“In here!” I yelled, placing a folded T-shirt in the suitcase.
“I come bearing gifts.” She appeared in the doorway with a Victoria’s Secret bag in one hand and a pizza box in the other. She placed the pizza box on the dresser and tossed the bag in my direction. “Also, your cat is an actual psycho.”
“What is this?” I asked suspiciously, peering into the bag as though a bomb might go off inside it at any moment. I withdrew a sheet of the hot-pink tissue paper before extracting a black balconette lace bra and matching panties that didn’t look like they would cover much. I shot her a look and wadded up the lacy unmentionables, throwing them at her head. “Seriously?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m serious.” She laughed, catching the panties and throwing them back at me. “There’s more where that came from inside that bag. You can’t be heading off to LA with granny panties in your suitcase or, God forbid, on your actual body.”
“I don’t wear Granny panties,” I scoffed.
“Oh yeah?” She walked over to my suitcase, pulling out a modest pair of full-coverage underwear. “What do you call this little number that you picked up from Costco?”
“Don’t you dare take Costco’s name in vain.” I laughed, snatching the underwear from her hand.
“Costco is where you buy toilet paper in bulk, not sexy underwear.” She flopped down on the bed and began sifting through my suitcase. “Wow, you are prepared for all climates. Sweaters, tank tops, dresses, sexy lingerie, thanks to your best friend.”
“Thank you.” I raised my brow at her. “And yes, from what Dallas told me, we’ll be making our way across the country over the next couple of weeks.”
“If it were me, I’d have three suitcases for that two-week trip. Are you excited?”
“I am.” I nodded. “And nervous.”
“Because you’re gonna do it?” She grinned at me mischievously.
I shook my head. “I don’t know if we will or we won’t. All I know is I feel all twirly and like my heart is going to fall out of my butt.”
“That’s love, my friend.” She stifled a giggle. “Honestly, I’m really proud of you.”
“For what?”
“For taking this chance. Not just on Jax, but on yourself. I know this has been a lot for you, and I know how scared you were.”
“Correction. Still am. What if I do this? What if I go all in, and it doesn’t work out?”
“What if it does?” She smiled and grabbed the sweater I was folding, tossing it back on the bed. “Come take a break. Let’s eat and catch up on last week’s Grey’s Anatomy before you jet off to see McLo
verBoy. I’ll grab the pizza.”
I followed her down the hall. “I’ll get the wine.” My stomach began doing flips because I knew that this time tomorrow night, I would be back in Jax’s arms.
I landed in Los Angeles right on time, and though I had every reason to try to relax on the plane, I’d been far too jittery to rest. I watched a movie, wrote down a few ideas I had for some songs, and stared out the window as I willed the time to go by faster.
After we landed, I found the nearest restroom so I could change into something far cuter than the sweats I’d worn on the plane. I rolled on some deodorant to hopefully prevent the onslaught of sweat that threatened to form before changing into a silky black camisole. I wriggled into a pair of jeans and my jacket before exiting the stall.
Ella insisted on some impossibly high heels that I regretted wearing the instant I put them on. I touched up my makeup in the mirror and fluffed my hair. Once I was certain no one was looking, I adjusted my boobs, making sure my lacy black bra was in perfect position. I appraised my reflection in the mirror, and I had to admit, Ella was right about the bra. With one last deep breath, I set out to retrieve my luggage, and then I was off to find Brady outside the lower-level baggage claim.
I wove through crowds of people scattered in confused clusters while they tried to figure out where they were going. I started looking for Brady, my suitcase rattling behind me and my carry on bag thudding against my hip. Finally, my eyes zeroed in on him. He stood off to the side holding up a sign that said ‘Officer Cupcake.’ I burst into laughter and walked as fast as I could in the ridiculously high heels.
“Hey, Liv!” Brady greeted me. Before I even thought about what I was doing, I flung my arms around him.
“Brady, thank you for doing this.” I smiled up at him. “I really appreciate you helping me.”
“Anything for you and Jax,” he replied. “Let me help you with your bags.” He took my carry on and suitcase with ease, and I set off behind him. “Jax is going to be so glad to see you.”
Once we got to the car, Brady opened the door to the SUV, and I climbed inside while he loaded my luggage into the trunk. I felt myself start to relax as Brady pulled the car away from the curb.
We made it to Microsoft Theater, and by the time I got inside, the band would be nearing the end of their set.
Brady pulled the car to a stop outside a side entrance. “The hotel is across the street. I’m going to run your luggage over so it’s waiting for you there in the room. I always have extra keys for everybody’s room in case one of these knuckleheads gets locked out, or I need to come to their rescue. You go on with Cash, and I’ll be back to get you guys in a few.”
I looked out the window to see Cash waving at me from the door, beckoning me toward him.
“Thanks, Brady.” I squeezed his arm, slung my tiny purse across my body, and bounded out of the car.
“It’s good to see you, Liv.” Cash pulled me into a quick hug before putting a lanyard around my neck that read ‘all access.’ He quickly led me through the underbelly of the venue. “You got here just in time. They’ve only got a couple of songs left. I’m going to take you up to Antoni, and he’ll show you to your seat. He’ll stay with you and bring you straight back after the show’s over.” He looked back at me with his kind, hazel eyes. “He’s going to be so happy to see you.”
My stomach started doing somersaults as he wound me through the corridors lined with various crew members and security. I recognized a few of the same faces from the show in Nashville as we passed by. When we reached the main floor, I saw Antoni waiting with his headset on. His face broke into a wide grin when he saw us approaching. “How are you, Miss Thing?” He gave me a quick hug, then turned his attention to Cash. “I’ll take it from here, boss.”
“I’ll see you in a few.” Cash squeezed my shoulder and jogged back in the direction we’d come.
Antoni offered me his arm. “You ready to go see your man?” He did a little shimmy, and I took a deep breath, letting him lead me through the crowd.
The audience erupted into screams of approval as Midnight in Dallas finished up “Fortress.”
That’s when I heard Jax’s voice. “This last song is a new one. I wrote it for a very special woman in my life. We’ve never played it in front of an audience. In fact, the only person I’ve ever played it for is her, and I… I miss her a lot. It’s called ‘Love You More.’”
Antoni turned toward me with wide eyes as Jax began to play. “Girl, this is your song, ain’t it?”
Jax’s eyes were closed as he started to sing. The crowd held up their phones with their screens illuminated, swaying along to the slow rhythm of the song.
As promised, Antoni guided me to the front of the stage where there were two empty spaces. I gazed up at Jax, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. He looked so handsome and perfect up there. His eyes were still closed, but to his left, Derek caught my eye and smiled.
Antoni squeezed my arm and leaned into my ear. “He’s got it bad for you, girl.” I looked over at him with tears in my eyes. The song ripped me wide open again just as it had the first time.
As Jax neared the end of the song, he still hadn’t opened his eyes. To his right, Luca looked at me, and his face brightened. He glanced at Jax, realizing his eyes were closed. He winked at me, and I watched as he crossed over to Jax, saying something in his ear. Jax’s eyes looked like a storm on the horizon when they sprang open, and he frantically scanned the crowd.
Finally, his gaze landed on me, and his smile was so big it made the corners of his eyes crinkle. When he sang the last words of the song, his eyes locked on mine.
“Thank you, LA!” Luca said, and the band continued to play the melody of the song. The curtain began to slowly fall as the crowd screamed their praise. “We are Midnight in Dallas! Good night!”
“That’s our cue, baby girl.” Antoni grabbed my hand, and we were off, weaving through the crowd. He expertly sliced through throngs of people until we were back in the long corridors Cash had led me through. He guided me down an unfamiliar hall that said ‘stage entrance.’
That’s when I saw him running toward me. Jax’s face glistened, and his white T-shirt was damp with sweat causing it to cling to every perfect curve of his muscles.
I ran as fast as my heels allowed until I could jump into his arms, right where I belonged.
Chapter 18
Jax
Liv’s chestnut hair flowed behind her as she jumped into my arms, her legs wrapping around my waist. She took my face in her hands and kissed me hard on the mouth. I buried my face in her neck, and I was surrounded by her sweet citrus scent once more.
“Hell yeah!” Dallas whooped as he ran to where Liv and I were still locked in each other’s arms. He started to applaud, and soon he was joined by Luca, Derek, Cash, Antoni, Brady, and the entire team backstage.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” I gently placed her on her feet, but kept my arms around her.
“Surprise!” I beamed at him.
“Alright, alright. You’ve had your greeting. It’s our turn,” Dallas teased, moving in to hug Liv. “It’s good to see you, Cupcake.”
I looked at them curiously. “Cupcake?”
“You did good work, Agent Sprinkles.” She patted Dallas on the back.
“Agent Sprinkles? Wait, you knew?” I asked incredulously. “And you had code names?”
Dallas grinned. “Well, obviously.”.
“We all knew,” Luca said, swooping in to give Liv a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“It was hard keeping it from you,” Derek admitted, taking his turn to embrace Liv. “Especially seeing how down you were when you thought she wasn’t coming.”
“But we knew she’d be here soon, and you’d be okay.” Cash winked.
“I am more than okay.” I reached for Liv’s hand and pulled h
er to me.
“Thank God for that,” Derek ribbed at me. “You’ve become insufferable without her.”
“Seriously,” Dallas agreed. “Sir Mopes-A-Lot over here.”
“Lies. All lies.” I laughed. “Gentleman, if you’ll excuse us, I want to spend some quality time with my beautiful girlfriend who flew across the country to see me.”
Liv looked at me with wide eyes at the mention of the word ‘girlfriend.’ I mentally kicked myself for not having that talk with her before now.
“Are you two ready?” Brady asked, reading my mind. “I’ve got the car parked outside.”
“Yes. Yes, we are,” I curled my arm around Liv’s shoulders and steered her away from the group.
“See you guys tomorrow,” Derek called. They all waved their goodbyes, and we followed Brady out into the balmy California night.
“So, about the ‘girlfriend’ thing,” I said. “I’m sorry. I know we haven’t talked about it, but I just… I want to be whatever says we belong to each other. Was that okay?”
She smiled. “It’s more than okay. It’s perfect.”
I couldn’t stop myself from kissing Liv once we were tucked inside the back of the SUV en route to the hotel. “I’m so glad I get to do that again.”
“And you can for the next two weeks.” She smiled flirtatiously up at me, pulling my face back down to hers. “As long as that’s still okay with you.”
My mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”
“I donut believe I would make this up.” She grinned. “Ella and Katie are holding things together at the shop while I’m gone, so I’m yours for the next couple of weeks.” She placed her dainty hand on the side of my face, and I covered it with my own. I stared into her eyes that sparkled beneath the passing lamplight. She bit her lower lip, and my heart rate picked up speed, thudding in my ears. I had never wanted anyone, or anything, more than I wanted her.
“There you go biting that lip.” I touched my thumb to her pillowy mouth. “You know that drives me crazy.”
“I know,” she whispered. It was as though a match had been lit and was being dangled over a barrel of gasoline, waiting to catch fire.
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