Because he’s mine now, and I plan to keep him.
Wayward Sons usually end their set with “Red Light,” but this time, they have one more song. Jace takes off his baseball cap and wipes his face. Then he looks at me as he talks to the crowd. “Have y’all ever been in love? Have you ever met a woman you’d swear was made just for you? I have, and I wrote this song for her. It’s called ‘Firefly.’”
When he croons into the mic, he stares straight at me.
She says she ain’t a heartbreaker,
but she’s got that secret smile
The one that keeps me up at night,
thinking we could be worthwhile.
My heart swells. I feel like a balloon that might float away into the night because Jace is serenading me in front of the giant crowd with my song.
The girl next to me nudges me. “Holy crap. Y’all are together, aren’t you?”
I don’t want to mess up anything for Jace’s band, so I just grin and shrug. “He’s my best friend.” That’s not the entire truth, but it’s not a lie.
After their set, I find the guys backstage and wait for them to finish their VIP meet-and-greet. When he’s done, Jace wraps me in another hug.
I wince. “You’re sweaty.”
He rubs his face on my neck, and I squeal. “Maybe you can wash me off later.”
“If you play your cards right.” I feel like we haven’t been together like that in ages.
He threads our fingers together, and the two of us make our way through the fairgrounds, stopping to get corndogs and ice cream. He’s stopped a few times for autographs and photos, but the crowd is intense, so we eventually blend in. When we reach the bus, he tugs me to a stop in front of it. “I have one or two surprises for you.”
“I love surprises.”
58
JACE
As I tugRory along to the bus, I can admit I’m nervous. I really want to make her happy, and I’m hoping this is a good start.
After we board, she waves to Ozzie, but I keep moving to the back because I can’t wait to show her.
I don’t think she’s paying attention until I open the door to the master bedroom, and her eyes go wide.
“You got our bus back!” she shouts with a huge grin.
“It’s not the same, but we’ll have our own room and a spot for Layla.” I point to the crib I set up this morning. “It’s one of the reasons I came back early. I know how hard you work and how tough it is to take care of Layla on a bus, so I wanted to get you more space and a little privacy.”
“Jace, this is great.”
The room is bigger than on our old bus, so there’s more room for my wife’s books and daughter’s toys.
Rory puts her cowboy hat on the nightstand, and we sit on the bed. Nervous again, I take her hand in mine. “I’ve been thinking a lot about our situation and what we both want, and I want to offer a proposal to make it happen.”
“What do you mean?”
I rub my temple. “It’s not a perfect plan, but I hope it’s enough to get you to stay through the end of the tour. I know you applied for that job, and for the record, I haven’t agreed to any additional shows.”
“Jace.”
I hold up a hand. “Please let me finish. I know you want to be a librarian, but what if I could offer you something better?”