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“I’m sure Janet would be happy to feed more people.” Elliot laughed.
“If your family wouldn’t mind us being there, I’m sure we can find a way up after we settle into the hotel. Jameson needs to call the wife.”
“She’s not my wife . . . yet,” Jameson mumbled.
“Yet?!” Elliot twisted his head to look at Jameson for a split second. “Are you proposing!?”
Jameson nodded. “I plan to once we get back from California.”
“If we go to California,” Chase added, his voice a little softer as he looked down at his fingers.
“We haven’t heard anything yet,” Elliot said to me, “But I’m sure we will soon, and then we have a proposal to plan apparently.”
“I already have the ring and the plan in motion, I just want the stress of a possible record deal out of the way, then we can go from there.”
“And if you don’t get a record deal?” I asked, my eyes focused on Elliot.
A part of me wanted him to answer the question. I knew Elliot’s plan to sell his company was part of the bigger picture, and would enable him to get on the road and focus more on his music. But I hadn’t thought about where I fit into that plan. I didn’t need to before now. I wanted to be a part of it, and maybe in Jameson’s answer I would have a small, smidgen of hope that I could be. Record deal or no record deal, where did I fit into Elliot's life?
I guess that was just another piece of the puzzle he and I would have to figure out together.
“Either way, I’m marrying her,” Jameson finally answered. “I just can’t be thinking about proposing on top of figuring out if we are flying to California or not. One thing at a time, and regardless, I know my girl is solid.”
Solid.
I gave Elliot a small smirk. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, mirroring my smirk.
Solid.
Later that night we sat in the living room that was lit by a fire, Elliot’s band sitting at the dining room table as we all began to exchange gifts. Elliot gave my Mom (shocker) the book I helped him pick out, and the chocolates. She instantly blushed and gave Elliot a hug, telling him how much she lovedI Love Lucyand the book. He chuckled and smiled as she kept giving him thanks. Jillian and Carrie, oddly enough, got each other, and in a twist of fate got each other the exact same thing, a self-care kit complete with lavender essential oils. Harrison had my dad, and got him new fishing lines and lures. Holden picked my name, gifting me with a set of oil paints and new brushes. My dad picked Holden and gave him a new leather-bound journal. My mom got Harrison, and as a gag gift, she got him a shaving kit. Everyone laughed except Harrison, who just shook his head and mumbled“yeah, yeah yeah,”as he put the shaving kit off to the side.
Once everyone had opened their gifts I stood and went to the closet.
“I take it everyone knows I got Daxton.” I smiled as I pulled out the canvas from the closet.
“It was rigged,” Elliot whispered.
“No, it wasn’t, but I will say I was extremely happy to pull your name.” I walked up to him, standing in front of him as I held the painting close to my body. “I know you want the one I entered in the festival, but I hope you like this one just as much.” I spun the painting around and watched as his expression changed.
“Jamie . . .” he whispered.
I had painted an abstract portrait of him sitting on a chair, his head dipped as his fingers strummed his guitar. There were very few details to his face, but he could tell it was him. The shades of brown in his hair, his jeans, and signature converse shoes. I captured him playing his music, hoping you could hear it through the painting, and by the silence in the room, and the look he was giving me, I think it did exactly that. He stood and took the painting from me, looking at it closely, taking it all in before he turned to set it on the couch. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine—soft, warm and absolutely perfect. Holding my face in his hands he kissed me as if we were the only people in the room; not caring that every pair of eyes were on us. He just kissed me, living completely in the moment. A moment I could stay in forever.
He broke the kiss sooner than I wanted, but once his forehead touched mine, my mind came rushing back to earth.
“I love it,” he whispered against my lips.
So many sensations found their way into my body as his thumbs traced my jaw. Reminding myself that I couldn’t take him right here, that there were other people watching, I took a deep breath and ignored the butterflies that fluttered around. Gently grabbing his hands and pulling them from me, I gave him one last fleeting kiss. His eyes were heavy on me as I pulled away to look at him, a look I had seen before.
“I’m glad you do,” I finally answered back.
“Can we see?” Harrison’s voice brought me back to earth.
Elliot blinked, letting out a small chuckle, his eyes returning to his normal weight. “I figured she would have shown you.”
“Nope, I’m the only one who’s seen it!” Jillian shouted, complete and utter joy in her voice. Jillian was—at least for this trip—the queen of keeping secrets.
“You didn’t show anyone?” Elliot smiled, reaching for the painting, taking one long look before showing everyone else.
