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Chapter Forty-Seven
Jackson
Lena rushed to hug the girl who’d just entered the bar as Brodie and I stood by, waiting to see who she was.
“Oh my God! Lena, are you all right? I had to come and see you. Weezer called and told me what a mess I’d made of everything. I’m so sorry.”
“Gabby, it’s okay. How were you to know? I never told you about the kind of person Troy was.”
“Well, I had my suspicions. How could I not? You dropped out of the band and never wanted to come out anymore. I should have been a better friend.”
“You were the perfect friend. I didn’t want you or anyone involved.” Lena grabbed the girl by the arm and walked her over to us. “Jackson, Brodie, this is my friend, Gabrielle. Gabby, for short.”
Gabby smiled and tucked a loose strand of her long dark hair that hung down to her slim waist behind her ear. The slight curl in the strands made it look thick and luxurious. My brother elbowed me, grinning, and I instantly knew what he was thinking.
“Hey,” she said, shaking my hand and then Brodie’s.
“Any friend of Lena’s is a friend of ours.” Brodie gave her his best, I’m-available-to-show-you-the-town-anytime, smile.
“She sings backup with Weezer’s band,” Lena added proudly. “And she’s excellent.”
“Not anymore.” Gabby shook her head.
“What? Why?”
“Weezer decided to stay in southern California, to be closer to his sister. He said he needed his family. His sister was all he had left. The band fell apart without him.”
“Oh, so how long will you be here?”
“Not too long, but I just got here. I haven’t even made arrangements yet. I’m on my way to San Diego. I’m moving there. I am looking for a change now that the band split up, but I wanted to make sure you were okay first. Oh, God, Lena, I can’t believe it was me who gave you away to that creep. I wish I’d known.”
I decided to do the brotherly thing, for Brodie’s sake. “You’re welcome to stay with us for a few nights.”
Brodie elbowed me in the arm again but managed to keep his face placid. I knew what was going through his mind, though. My brother may have wanted to show this girl the town, but he sure as hell didn’t like the idea of his lifestyle being put in jeopardy. Having a beautiful girl in the house that he wanted to get to know better meant he’d need to keep his other lady associates to a minimum during her stay.
“Really?” Lena glanced at me.
Neither of the ladies noticed Brodie’s sudden change in moods.
“Well, it is my brother’s house. What do you say, Brodie?”
He cleared his throat. “Well, sure,” he managed without a hitch. This was going to be interesting. Who knows, maybe Brodie’s demons were beginning to fade away.
* * *
Lena had madea delicious lasagna for dinner, being the perfect hostess for her friend. Brodie helped make Gabby’s stay comfortable, setting her up in the spare bedroom for the next few nights. Giving her extra pillows and showing her around the house, making sure she had everything she needed. Gabby, it seemed, promised to be quite different from the girls Brodie usually spent time with, and she made it quite clear from the beginning that she wasn’t going to be the easy conquest he was used to. He had his work cut out for him, that’s for sure. I wondered if he would leave and find some other girl to give his attention to for the next few days or if he’d rise to the challenge and put all of his efforts into Gabby. She was a knockout and just the type he liked, but Brodie had his demons to deal with. I hoped to God he’d come to terms with them someday.
Lena watched them sitting on the sofa, perusing some of the music sheets scattered over the coffee table. Gabby giggled at something Brodie said, and Lena shrugged.
We said goodnight to Gabby, leaving her in the company of my brother. Lena was a little reluctant at first to leave Gabby alone with Brodie, and I had to remind her that Gabby was a big girl. She seemed very capable of handling herself with a wolf like Brodie. Brodie might try to seduce her, but he knew what the word “no” meant.
“Come with me, baby,” I tugged Lena into my bedroom. Our bedroom, I corrected. I needed some alone time with her lovely body. With all the worrying about Rufus, I’d forgotten about how she must be feeling about killing Troy. And besides, she looked too good in the new dress she’d purchased today when she’d gone shopping with Gabby during their “girl time” they’d insisted on having. I needed to see if she had anything exciting on underneath. I pulled her against me as we entered the room.
“I love you, Lena, you know that? I think I fell for you the moment you walked into my bar.”
She smiled. “Good, because I’m not going anywhere. I happen to love you too.”
I flipped the switch on the wall that illuminated a small bedside lamp, giving the room a soft glow, light enough to see her beautiful eyes sparkle but dark enough to keep a hint of mystery as we explored each other’s bodies.
“You saved me,” I whispered against her neck. “Thank you.” Those two words of thanks didn’t seem to be nearly enough. I didn’t think there were enough words in the universe to express my undying gratitude to her. I needed her to know how much I admired what she’d done for me. It had taken an incredible amount of courage to pull that trigger.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my lips. Then she kissed the corner of my mouth, then the other side, making her way down my neck to my chest. She shoved the cotton material of my unbuttoned shirt aside and laid little kisses down to my stomach. I shuddered with excitement, almost forgetting what I wanted to say to her. I took her face in my hands and brought her lips back to mine. I kissed her slowly, tenderly, before pulling away.
“Lena, I want you to know how much I admire the strength it took for you to do what you did for me. You saved me, baby. Do you get it?”
“Yes, I saved you, but you saved me first, Jackson Beaumont. And I will never forget that.”
“Sweetheart, you couldn’t have been saved if you hadn’t wanted to be. It had to come from here,” I pointed to her head, “and from here.” I rested the palm of my hand in the center of her chest. “You left him on your own. I was merely a stepping-stone to your recovery. You’re a strong, beautiful, independent woman, Lena. Don’t ever forget that.”
