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Her emotions were awash with happiness, confusion, anxiety. Part of her wanted to leave, remove herself from this possibility that was opening up, a possibility that could present so many things she wanted and so many that she feared. The other part of her kept her rigid, fixed to this spot in the workshop, her eyes wide and apprehensive.
Ethan rose, looked at her, uncertainty coloring his expression. “I, uh, came by because I wanted to run a song by you and Tom.”
“A song?” she asked. She glanced at Tom. He raised his brows innocently.
“Yes. I value opinions from both of you.” He looked over at Tom. “I’ve played it for Tom already, and he’s told me what he thought.”
“You played it for Tom?” Her mind was having trouble catching up with the conversation, the dynamics and everything else swirling around inside her, clouding her mind.
“Yep, he did,” said Tom. He stood and began to head toward the office at the back. “Since I’ve heard it and given my opinion, I’ll leave you to hear it and voice yours.”
She opened her mouth to protest, to ask questions, but nothing seemed to come out. The office door shut behind Tom with a soft snick. Max leaned against her leg, his weight providing a reassurance she realized was comforting.
She looked at Ethan. He was studying her carefully, mapping her. “You’re going to play the song for me?” she asked, trying to think of what to say, to fight the surge of hope that was taking hold. And the certainty that she wanted that hope, the possibility of Ethan. “What’s the title of the song?”
“It’s called ‘Prometheus Unbound.’”
She blinked at him, a burst of energy shooting through her. She cleared her throat. “Are you into Shelly now?” she asked softly. “Or is it just this particular play?”
Ethan narrowed his eyes, considering. “Definitely just this particular play. Or maybe even just the title of it.”
She nodded slowly. “And it has significant meaning for you?”
“It does,” he said, drawing closer to her.
She looked up into his eyes. Saw the hope there clearly. “You’ve left the band?”
He nodded, bit his lip. “I’m cut loose, on my own. It cost me, but not enough for it to matter. Not nearly enough. I just hope I haven’t lost other, more important things along the way.”
“Things?”
“People. Or rather person. One in particular. One I hope feels for me what I feel for her. What I felt long ago and still do.”
The rush of emotions nearly overwhelmed her, but first and foremost was the burst of a mixture of love and relief that told her what she’d known all along, but had been too afraid to admit. That it was Ethan and always had been Ethan.
A slow, joy-filled smile formed on her face. “Can I hear the song first?”
He laughed and took her into his arms. “You are the song,” he said before he leaned down and kissed her slowly, deeply, and with all the emotion of the best love song there is.
Forty-Five
Six Months Later
Kate fiddled with the pickup connection on the end of her guitar. Her nerves were really starting to act up a bit, even though she’d assured Ethan a few moments before she was fine. They’d rehearsed the whole set until it was better than perfect, and there was no reason for anything to go wrong. But since it was the first time they would be playing together in public, she couldn’t help herself. Even now she second-guessed herself, wondering why she’d finally agreed to Ethan’s suggestion they try out playing a gig. See if it was something they might explore together. The two of them as a duo, singing in local venues around the region. Singing their kind of music, their songs, both old and new. No pressure, because she had her budding art career to give her direction, with Ethan her biggest fan. He’d bought the “House of Clouds” painting to prove what he’d said. As for Ethan’s own direction, he had his literary aspirations along with a healthy bank account. So maybe music would work.
She searched O’Connor’s and saw that Tom was now seated in the front, his new girlfriend, Holly, there beside him. Old girlfriend, actually. Someone Kate vaguely remembered from high school who’d dated Tom briefly in their senior year, but she’d broken it off after a month because she’d told him it wasn’t going to go anywhere. Now, after over a decade spent on the West Coast, she was back, working as a vet in the next town. Kate gave Holly a nod and grinned at her brother, raising her brows up and down in an exaggerated manner. He frowned back, mouthing at her to behave.
Beside them was Ethan’s sister, Teddi, here for the weekend. In the last few months since Ethan had left the band, and at Kate’s encouragement, he’d met up with his sister several times and through her had made tentative connections with his parents. It was all very fragile, but Kate had hope for it.
Ethan came up behind her, rested a hand on her back and kissed her behind the ear. She suppressed the shiver that came over her at his touch. After all these months, she still found it difficult not to seize every opportunity to kiss him, to get as much of him as possible.
“You’ll be so great,” he said to her softly. “I can already tell we’ll be on fire.”
She turned to look at him, amused. “You can tell that already, can you?”
“I can. Because we can’t fail to be anything else when we’re together.”
She laughed softly. “We’ll see, Mr. Prophet.”
He grinned at her. “I was thinking, instead of putting ‘Navigation’ in the middle, why don’t we put it at the end?”
She gave him a puzzled look. “The end? Why?”
He nodded. “Because it is the end. I was steered home to you. You’re my home. And here I am. With you.”
She felt herself redden, a flush of deep pleasure suffusing her. “You’re my home too.” And hearing the words, she knew their truth, and even though she and Ethan were living in the house she grew up in, her home didn’t have to be structured and linked or unlinked to any particular place. It was in herself and the person she’d become. And that person she’d become was inextricably at home with Ethan.
