Chapter 28
28
S ean opened the door for Gloria. He held her hand as she stepped into his home. It was the first time she was in his home. He hoped she would be comfortable here, and he wanted her to like it. He'd bought it about three years ago when Jami told him it was stupid to pay rent and they made enough money for him to buy a house. He wasn't far from the Barn, and Jami, and that suited him. But they went on tour, and he worked tirelessly writing songs for their first album. He barely stayed here that first year. He'd slept many nights at the Barn. Mostly due to the long hours he worked. He and Jami were there until two or three in the morning or later, both of them opting for a sofa to sleep on. They'd get up early and start again. This place didn't feel like home at all.
Then, they went on tour. So, the most he'd done here was hire a housekeeper to clean the house, check the mail, and email him important stuff. She suggested her husband work on the landscaping, and he agreed. When he came home the first time from a tour, he was pleasantly surprised at what her husband had done around his home.
Gloria walked slowly into the living room and he felt nervous. "I haven't done any decorating much to the frustration of my housekeeper."
Gloria smiled. "It's lovely, Sean."
Livia, Tony's wife, came rushing from the kitchen, and stopped cold in front of them. "Oh!" She looked between them and her brows furrowed. She put her hand over her heart. "Oh dear. I'm so sorry."
Sean stepped forward and gently hugged Livia. "It's okay, Liv." He turned to Gloria and smiled. "Gloria, this is Livia, Tony's wife." He turned to Livia, "This is Gloria."
Livia held her hand out to Gloria. "It's nice to meet you, Gloria."
Gloria smiled. "It's nice to meet you, too. Sorry, I look a mess."
Livia shook her head. "Oh no. No, not at all. Goodness, please don't worry. I have to admit I looked you up and saw some of your interviews. You're beautiful."
Gloria scoffed slightly. "I'm sure you saw all kinds of things about me on the Internet."
"Well, we know what we see on the Internet is only about ten percent truth. So, I'll make my own judgments based on how you treat me. And Sean, of course."
Gloria smiled. "Thank you."
Sean took a deep breath. "It smells good in here, Liv."
"Thank you. I made lasagna because it freezes well if you can't eat it all. Garlic bread and salad."
Sean nodded. "Thank you so much. We appreciate you." He glanced at Gloria. "I think Gloria would like to take a shower first and change clothes. Do you mind if we wait just a bit?"
"Of course not. Tony and I can go home and give you privacy."
Gloria looked up at him first, then at Livia. "Please stay and eat with us. I'll be as quick as I can."
Sean grinned at her. "Livia and Tony, we'd love for you to stay and take the opportunity to get to know Gloria a bit better. Let me get her situated with her suitcase and where everything is in the bathroom, and I'll come out here while Gloria cleans up."
Livia smiled. "Sounds good to me."
Tony chuckled. "I was about to pout loudly for not getting to eat your lasagna, babe."
Sean chuckled as he led Gloria down the hallway to the left.
He was now a bit embarrassed by his bedroom, the white walls and mismatched furniture. He'd never really cared about what his place looked like. His focus was always on his music. He saw Gloria's suitcase in the corner and lifted it to the bed. He nodded to his right and stepped into the bathroom and flipped on the light.
"You should have everything you need in here. Towels are..." He stopped and opened a cabinet and pulled two towels out and laid them on the counter. "Here. Take all you need."
He opened the shower door, now that he was proud of. This house had an amazing main suite with a huge tiled walk-in shower. He twisted the handles to start the shower warming up. Then he flipped the switch on the wall and turned on the overhead infrared heater. "You should be warm in here and able to do what you need. All you need to do is let me know if you need help with anything."
She smiled at him and it was beautiful. She looked into his eyes for a long moment. "Thank you, Sean. For taking such good care of me and handling things."
He felt his eyes begin to water and blinked away the moisture. He leaned in and kissed her lips softly. Then he deepened his kiss. She tilted her head slightly, and he dipped his tongue into her mouth. Her lips felt like they did all those years ago. Soft, wet, and tender. He'd missed her kisses over the years. Their lips had always fit together so well. His heart beat out a steady tempo. He lifted his right hand and cupped the nape of her head, holding her still for a few moments longer. Loathing the thought of their kiss ending.
Her arms slid gently around his waist, and she took a step closer to his body. Standing together, toe to toe, their bodies touching softly, their lips exploring and reacquainting themselves with each other, he nearly lost his balance. He gently pulled his lips from hers and pulled her head to his chest as his arms then wrapped around her. They stood for a long time like that. Just holding each other. The warmth of the room increased, the steam rolled from the shower and Gloria's body pressed to his in a magnificent way. He swallowed the ball of cotton in his throat and emotions slammed him in all directions. His hands shook slightly, and he wondered how long it would take to stop this reaction every time they got close. God dang, he'd missed this woman so fucking much over the years.