I lick salt off my fingertips, thumb through pinky. “This is better than any restaurant I’ve been to in the last month, bar none,” I say with a wink. “Sometimes you just need potatoes, grease, and salt.”
“And family. Family is the best spice,” Bump adds, sounding like a wise man.
Gabriel reaches out to throw an arm around him and pulls his head against his side. “You definitely got that right, bud.”
“So, does that mean you’ll come to the barbecue next weekend at Big Mike and Joanie’s? I told them you might be too busy to come, but Big Mike said I was crazy and that you wouldn’t miss it.”
I glance back and forth between the two men and watch as Gabriel’s face softens. “Of course I wouldn’t miss it. Big Mike’s barbecues are the best.”
Bump throws both hands into the air, sending a chunk of the cornmeal coating from his dog flying over his head. Thankfully, the projectile flings the opposite direction from my face, and I smile at Gabriel.
“I’ve never been to a barbecue ...”
Bump’s mouth drops open. “No way,” he says in shock. “You are not living, Scarlett.”
His comment, so straight to the point and innocent, like I’ve learned is typical from Bump, hits me right in the solar plexus.
He’s right. I wasn’t living. Not before Gabriel and Bump came into my life.
Gabriel reaches across the table and covers my hand with his. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your fill of them in no time. Mike would have one every Sunday if he could talk Joanie into fixing all the food that often. You’ll love her. I promise.”
“And you’ll meet Dani and Tony and Carrie and Christopher ... oh, and Melanie, and maybe more. It’sso much fun. Gabe had to miss the last two, but Big Mike bet me he’d come to this one and I never bet against Big Mike because he’s always right even when you don’t think he could always be right.” He heaves for breath after that mouthful and then gulps down half his bottle of water.
“Sounds like I’m coming to a barbecue then.”
“This isawesome!” Bump throws his hands into the air again before lowering them and turning to Gabriel. “Can I have another twenty? I want to get a lemonade. You know, the kind that they squish the actual lemons into and then put a chunk in the cup? I saw it when I was in line, but my hands were full ...”
Gabriel reaches into his pocket and pulls out another twenty-dollar bill. “Get your lemonade, dude. Rock gods can’t be thirsty.”
The look on Bump’s face as he swivels and rises from the picnic table is priceless.
“I’ll come with ya, Bump. I could use some lemonade to wet my whistle,” Hal says, also rising.
“You want a big one or a small one? Because I’m getting a big one,” Bump asks as the two men take off to the trailer with two giant lemons wearing ball caps on the side.
As soon as they’re out of earshot, I grab Gabe’s hand in midair, while he’s reaching for another fry.
“You getting stingy?” he asks.
“No, but we have to get Bump a guitar. And lessons. And see if he likes it for real. God, Gabe. He looked so happy. Did you see how he soaked up the energy from the crowd?”
Gabriel nods. “I saw it. I was thinking the same thing.” He tangles his fingers with mine. “I don’t know how it’ll go, but it’d be worth it just to see if he enjoys it.”
“Okay, good. So we need to find someone who knows about guitars, and get the right one for him. I’ll talk to some people.”
Gabriel’s shaking his head while I’m talking.
“What? Am I moving too fast on this?”
“No, you’re fucking perfect. I can’t stop thinking about how damn lucky I am that Bump decided to steal you for me.”
My cheeks stretch with my grin. “I know. It’ll never sound normal, but I’m so glad he kidnapped me. Just thinking about missing out on all of this would level me.”
He brings my hand across the table and presses a kiss to the back of it. “And my life wouldn’t be nearly as good without you. It’s still early with all this, but I know what I want, Scarlett.”
“What?” I whisper as my heart thuds impossibly hard.
“You. For as long as I can possibly have you.”