“I love it. I’m going to write it down.” She grabbed the notebook we’d been working out of and started scribbling the words.
“I feel like that could be a verse, but it needs something more.”
She nodded and jotted something else in the notebook. “Okay, what about this?” She swayed slowly, and her voice filled the air. “What’s it like to always wanna go home? Because you know every city you’re in is the wrong one when you have someone worth missing.”
“That’s it. This is why I love writing with you. It’s like you read my mind.” With one last strum of the guitar, I placed the instrument on the bed, leaning over to kiss her. I grabbed the notebook and tossed it aside. “I think it’s time for a break. What do you say we make use of that Jacuzzi before we have to get back on the bus tomorrow?”
Her eyes shimmered up at me in the warm light of the room. “I like that idea.”
I held my hands out to her and pulled her from the bed, guiding her into the bathroom. I turned the faucet, and she sat on the edge of the tub as the water began to fill.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice low and sweet. “For being so understanding and for caring about what makes me happy.”
I sat beside her, my fingers grazing her cheek. It occurred to me that this wasn’t something she was used to. She hadn’t really known what it was like to be supported in a relationship. I remembered my conversation with Grace on Liv’s birthday. She’d told me that Benton never really approved of her closeness with Ella and Grace. I thought about how her ex had let her believe she was somehow not good enough. He’d been the reason she’d ultimately let go of her dream of a music career.
“All I want is for you to be happy.” And I did. I silently vowed to never let her feel stifled or unimportant another day in her life. Liv had given me the greatest gift of all. She’d given me a person to belong to, something worth missing. The least I could do was spend my life making her happy.
Chapter 21
Liv
Over the next couple ofdays, we traveled through Phoenix and Salt Lake City. By the time we made it to Denver, I could tell the guys were exhausted. It was easy to see how road life could take its toll on you. We’d been eating a steady diet of takeout and gas station snacks. The room service menu was the closest any of us had gotten to anything home-cooked and, truth be told, I was fairly certain home-cooked meals were rare for the guys. While watching the band start their show that evening, Cash and Antoni inadvertently gave me an idea.
“Honey, I’m so hungry I might eat you if you stand still long enough.” Antoni pursed his lips, crossing his arms across his chest. “If I have to eat another Filet-O-Fish, I’m gonna turn into Nemo.”
I scrunched up my nose. “You actually eat those things?”
“You know what sounds so good?” Cash asked. “Some spicy chili.”
“Oh, yes,” Antoni purred, “and some piping hot cornbread. Honey, all this food talk is like soft porn for me.”
“Hmm.” I turned toward Cash. “What are the chances we could sneak out unnoticed right now?”
He eyed me curiously. “Pretty good, I’d say. What do you have in mind?”
“I’m going to cook dinner for everybody,” I said. “I could use some help since we’re on a bit of time crunch.”
“You’re gonna cookon the bus?” Antoni asked incredulously.
I nodded. “Homemade chili and cornbread.”
“You know all that’s on there is a hot plate and a toaster oven, right?” Cash questioned me with his eyes. “Is that even possible?”
“I didn’t say it would be easy.” I laughed. “I think it can be done, but I’ll need some help.”
“This girl is about to feed beans to a bunch of grown men trapped in a tin can with one bathroom. You know what that is?” Antoni raised his perfectly arched brow at me. “Bravery, honey.”
Cash rubbed along the stubble on his chin. “Antoni, can you hold down the fort tonight?”
“In my sleep, boss.” Antoni waved him off.
“Let’s do this,” Cash said to me. “Why not?”
“Y’all have fun,” Antoni called after us. “I’ll see you in time for dinner.”
I pulled out my phone and searched for a store nearby as we wound our way through the venue to the side entrance where the bus was parked. “There’s a Target a couple of miles away. Want me to call an Uber?”
“Why do that when we can take the bus? We’ll need all the time we can get to prepare. Might as well get started on the drive back.” Cash grinned, unlocking the door of the bus. He gave a wave to the driver, an older gentleman with grey hair, who sat working on a crossword puzzle. “Hey, man. You mind giving us a lift to the store?” He took my phone from my hands and showed him the address of our destination.
