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I tilt my head and ask, “Is it that bad?”
She shakes her head, a slight laugh escaping her lips. “There was a picture of my dad in a box we were going through, and she didn’t know who he was. When I asked her if she really didn’t recognize my dad, her response was, ‘How was I supposed to know who your father was?’”
I laugh out loud. “Well, she did always want to forget he existed. At least she got her wish.”
She hits my chest with her hand, and I grab it, holding it with mine.
Our eyes meet, and she lets out a small smile. “How’d you know to come here?”
“Leah told me you needed me.”
“And you came.”
I pull her back into me. “Of course I came. I’ll always be here for you.”
She places her hand on my leg. “Thank you, Matthew. For just being you.”
I kiss the top of her head, and we sit in silence until she falls asleep. I know I should bring her inside, but I don’t bother. Instead, I try to position myself more comfortably without waking her up and close my eyes.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Matthew
When I wake up, I’m in the backyard by myself. It takes me a minute to remember where I am, but when memories of falling asleep with Hannah on my lap fill my brain, nothing but a smile comes to my face.
I glance around and don’t see her anywhere, so I decide to take off, not wanting any weirdness between us. The last thing she needs is to worry about us or what we used to be. I’m just glad I was able to be there for her last night.
I head to my place, shower, and get ready for my lessons for the day. After I hop in my truck, I crank the engine, loving the way the old beast roars to life, and turn up the radio.
I don’t get far down the road when I hear the DJ say, “We got a new one for you folks. This band comes from right here in Montana. Call us and tell us what you think. Here’s The MC Band with their new song ‘On My Mind.’”
Instantly, I feel my entire body come alive with so much excitement that I feel like I might explode.
No matter what happened in our past, I am beyond proud of her and the accomplishments the band has seen.
Reaching over to the radio, I turn it up as loud as it will go and roll down all of my windows, so everyone can hear.
Hannah’s voice fills the air, and it’s like angels are singing all around me. It’s the same song she sang at the bar that night. It affected me then, and it’s still getting to me the same way now, especially after last night.
I’ve never felt so juiced up in my life. This is better than any win after a baseball game I’ve ever had. This right here is her making it to the bigs. I never got there, but I’m so fucking proud that she has.
As I drive down Old Bridge Road, I honk my horn at Leah to catch her attention as she heads toward Java Jitters. She turns and looks at me like I’m a crazy person, but right now, I deserve it. I feel like a crazy person, jumping for joy for someone I care about.
I wave her down and honk some more. “They’re on the radio,” I shout out, pointing to inside my truck.
Leah gets the drift, and her excitement is just as obvious as she races toward me.
“Are you serious?” She leans in my window like she’s about to jump in but stops short just sticking her head in, then screams, making me laugh just as loud.
She hops back down and yells to everyone, “My girl’s on the radio!” Then, she races around to my passenger seat and climbs in my truck, so she can hear better.
We both sit in absolute awe at our friend making her dreams happen.
As the song comes to a close, the DJ comes back on. “There you have it. Mason Creek’s own The MC Band. Give us a call at 979-CTRY and tell us what you think.”
Leah grabs her phone from her back pocket so fast that it goes flying across the cab’s floor.
I can’t help but laugh as I grab it for her. “Slow down. You’ll hurt yourself,” I tease.
