The Naughty List

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

LAUREL

“ A re you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” Leif asked as we left Franklin in the rearview mirror. He glanced at me, those aquatic blues soft and happy but curious as he settled back in the passenger seat of my car. “This is the road to Nashville.”

“Yes, it is,” I agreed unreservedly, flashing him a quick grin before I turned my gaze back to the highway. “That’s where we’re going. Nashville.”

This late on a Saturday afternoon, traffic was heavy but moving. I checked the clock on my dash, but we had plenty of time yet. Excitement trickled through me when I thought about the surprise I had in store for him tonight.

“Is this something you do often on the weekend?” Leif asked. “Take spontaneous road trips to another city?”

“Oh, this isn’t spontaneous,” I replied, knowing I was being coy but loving it. I cleared my throat. “I have tickets.”

“Tickets?”

I nodded. “Tickets.”

“To what?”

“Something that my friends and I have done spontaneously in the past, but technically, this is a departure from our day of doing things I regularly do on the weekend.”

He let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine. Keep me in suspense. It’s not like we’re already worried about my heart because of the constant skipping.”

I laughed. “You’re not great with surprises, are you?”

“Not so much,” he admitted, reaching for my hand and giving it a squeeze. “Whatever it is, I know I’m going to love it. I’m just curious.”

As the interstate spread out ahead of us, miles of blacktop that we were eating up faster than I’d anticipated, I decided it was time to share. At this rate, we were going to be in Nashville in no time, and this way, he could start getting excited with me.

“Have you ever heard of the Grand Ole Opry?” I asked. “Maybe someone called Keith Urban?”

From the corner of my eye, I saw him stiffen before he reached up and slowly pulled his sunglasses off to gape at me. “Are you serious? We’re going to the place that made country music famous to see the guy who sang our song?”

I grinned, nodding as I glanced at him. “When I saw he was performing there this weekend, I couldn’t resist. Surprised?”

“More than when you suggested hot yoga. Excerpt this is a good surprise.”

Joy flared to life in the inner reaches of my being. “Yay! Gosh, that’s a relief. I wasn’t sure if you were still into him.”

“Are you kidding? I love country and Keith is one of the best there is.” Leif reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Plus, watching him with you? After all the hours we spent listening to him in high school? It doesn’t get any better than that.”

For the rest of the drive, Leif was practically vibrating with excitement, and when we arrived, he was like a kid in a candy store. With his hand in mine, he pulled me this way and that, dragging me through every inch of the venue we were allowed to explore.

Our seats were on the main floor, right in front of the stage, and while we weren’t in the front row, we were close enough that when the man himself came up onstage, we could see the sheen of sweat on his forehead and feel the emotion coming from him as he sang. Leif and I knew the words to almost every song and we belted them out, surrounded by hundreds of other people who did the same thing. The energy in the room was so incredible that it gave me goosebumps.

“That was amazing. Just incredible,” Leif raved as we climbed back into my car after the show, sweaty but exhilarated. “Stay with me at the hotel tonight. Please? I know we have to get back to Franklin, but I’m all pumped up. There’s no way I’m just going to fall asleep.”

I chuckled. “Same here. I’d love to stay with you, but only if Grace can take Doodle.”

“Let me drive,” he offered. “I’ll take the wheel and get us back to your place to pack a bag while you make the arrangements?”

“Sounds good.” We swapped seats and Leif quickly got us underway.

I pulled up a Keith Urban playlist on my phone, blasting the volume after connecting it to the speakers in my car. As Leif and I sang our way home, I checked with Grace, who was thrilled to keep my pup with her tonight. Since she had keys for my place, she offered to fetch Doodle right away.

Gratitude swirled through me and I reached over to rest my hand on Leif’s thigh. As we sped through the darkness, our favorite songs from way back when kept us company all the way home. By the time we walked into my place, I was still giddy. Laughing, I quickly shut my front door behind us to block out the freezing cold.

Leif caught my wrist once we were inside, spinning me around and tugging me closer until I was pressed up against him. He brought a hand up to brush my hair behind my ears and lowered his lips to mine. “Thank you, Laurel. That was an experience of a lifetime and I’m going to remember it forever.”

“So am I,” I murmured, linking my fingers at the nape of his neck to pull him to me. “I should go pack my bag before we get distracted. I’ve never spent a night in the Harpeth.”

“Neither have I,” he murmured against my lips before he stole a kiss. Groaning, he pulled away. “Alright. Go. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nope. I’ll only be a minute.” Reluctantly stepping out of his embrace, I left him in the living room and quickly packed an overnight bag, mulling over an idea that had popped into my head on our way home.

Once I emerged from my bedroom, I decided I was going to do it. I slid my phone out of my back pocket, sending Gemma and Mariam a text on our group chat to let them know about my plan. Thankfully, both of them had seen it and they replied with thumbs-up emojis. A thrill shot through me, bringing what felt like a naughty smile to my lips.

I joined Leif in my living room. “Would you like to do something with me?”

“I’d like to do everything with you,” he replied, his back to me as he stared into my fireplace, but then he turned. When he saw the look on my face, he cocked his head. “I think I might like whatever this is going to be. What do you have in mind?”

“I have two more tasks to complete from the list,” I said. “Should we find out what the next one is?”

His eyebrows shot up, but he flashed me a quick grin. “I’d love that, but shouldn’t Gemma and Mariam be with you for that?”

“Nah. I’ve already told them that I’m planning on pulling the next item tonight and they’re fine with it. Gemma has been checking hers as she completes one and Mariam’s already read all of hers.”

“Let’s do it,” he said excitedly. “I’m so in. How does this work?”

“I’ll show you in a minute,” I said. “Let me just go get it.”

He nodded, moving back to sit on my couch. I raced down the corridor to fetch the Bar Harbor box from my desk. My heart thrummed with anticipation as I picked it up and carried it back to the living room with me. Pausing in the doorway, I dramatically lifted the little lid.

“We bought these in Maine earlier this year when we were on a girls’ trip. They all look the same and we each keep our four tasks from the original list in them.”

He rubbed his palm together, leaning forward slightly as those eyes latched onto mine. “Well, let’s have it. I’m really excited for this.”

“So am I.” I reached into the box with my free hand, found the scrap of paper, and pulled it out to read it to him aloud. “Smoke in a biker bar wearing leather.” I frowned, but then I started laughing. “What the heck were we thinking when we came up with this stuff?”

He chuckled. “I don’t know, but you’re going to look so hot in leather.”

“Yeah?” I strode forward, setting the box down on the coffee table as I sent him a devilish grin. “How would you feel about participating in this one? We could go shopping for outfits tomorrow morning and hit up a biker bar at night. It could be fun.”

“Absolutely,” he agreed immediately, eyes glinting with a heated edge. He got up and stalked toward me. “Are you ready to go? I’m just about done with being on the move for today.”

I giggled, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pushed up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “I’m ready. You really like the thought of us in leather, huh?”

His lips hooked up into a crooked, half-smile. “Let’s just say I’ve had worse mental images.”

Laughing, he slid his hand into mine and led me to the door. I locked up and happily followed him to my car. The Harpeth was iconic in Franklin and I was excited to spend a night there, but I was even more excited for more time with Leif.

It wasn’t lost on me that he was only here for a long weekend, and it was almost like I could hear the clock ticking down in my head. Shaking off the dread of his impending departure, I did my best to stay in the moment and marveled at his suite in the hotel and glorious views it offered of the river and my town.

Lights sparkled on the ground as I looked down from above. They reflected on the water’s surface like twinkling stars, making the scene below look twice as impressive. A light dusting of snow covered the ground. The town’s Christmas lights shone through almost every window on ground level.

I stood in front of the windows in his suite and sighed as he came up behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I leaned into him. The view outside was so calm and idyllic, but on the inside, my heart was heavy.

“Would I be a total buzzkill if I told you that I’m really not looking forward to you leaving?” I dropped my head against his shoulder and slid my fingers around his forearms where they rested against my stomach. “I really wish you could stay. Do you think Jack might be open to moving the firm to Franklin?”

Leif chuckled, but the sound was a little darker and more subdued than usual. “Even if I could convince him, the vast majority of our clients are situated in and around Colorado. It’d be like starting all over if we picked it up and brought it here.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I know, but it was worth a shot.”

He kissed the top of my shoulder. “Any chance you’re interested in opening a bookstore in Denver?”

“Maybe someday, but I couldn’t close down the shop here. That storefront has been a bookstore for over half a century, and before I bought it, it’d been on the market for a while. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to bring myself to sell it. Especially not knowing what would become of it next.”

He nodded against the side of my head, pressing a lingering kiss to my hair. “We’ll figure it out.”

I turned in the circle of his arms and looked up at him, once again feeling a surge of desperation to learn as much about him as I could before our time ran out. “Tell me more about your firm. All I know is that you started it with Jack and it’s going really well, but what’s it like?”

“It’s small,” he said, surprising me. “We’ve had to hire a few more principal accountants to keep up with the demand, but we’re trying to keep it boutique. Are you hungry?”

“For the food in this place?” I asked. “No way I’d let an opportunity like that pass me by.”

He slid his fingers into mine and walked with me to the sitting area on one side of the long, rectangular space that comprised the main living area of the suite. As we sat down together, he reached into a drawer and produced a menu, passing it over to me before he turned to slide his legs onto the couch. He pulled me between them as I studied the menu.

I passed it back when I’d made my decision and got comfortable against his chest, loving that the view from here was the same through the expansive window as it had been from the one I’d been looking out of before.

The suite was dimly lit. Only a few of the strategically placed lamps were on and none of the overhead lights. It allowed the glow from the street and city lights below to filter into the room, creating a soft, romantic atmosphere.

“What are you going to have?” he asked quietly.

I turned my head against his shoulder to glance up at him. “I was wondering if you’d like to share some sushi?”

He smiled. “What kind of question is that? It should never, ever be a question.”

I chuckled. “Good to know your views on sushi haven’t changed.”

“I’ll eat it morning, noon, and night,” he confirmed, winking before he reached for the landline on the little side table next to the couch and called room service. After placing our order, he set the phone back in its cradle and wrapped his arms around me. “Speaking of sushi, does your mom ever come visit you out here?”

“Sushi makes you think of my mom?”

“Of course,” he replied easily. “If it wasn’t for her taking us to that little Japanese restaurant when it opened back in high school, I doubt I ever would’ve tried the stuff.”

I laughed. “She was pretty insistent that you do.”

“And I will owe her for it forever,” he said. “So, does she? Visit here, I mean?”

“Occasionally. She and Grammy have made the trip a few times and she always pops in if she’s in the area on a book tour, but we mostly see each other when I go back to Texas. Does your mom visit you guys often?”

“No.” He let out a soft snort, then sighed. “Sorry. I, uh, we’ve tried. Often, but she prefers us to go see them in Austin.”

“Even though her sons have their own plane?” I asked. “You’d think she’d be back and forth all the time. If I was a mom whose kids owned a jet, I’d jet the heck out of it.”

He chuckled. “You’d think, yeah. I feel the same way, but Mom and Phil are pretty set in their ways, and their ways are the simple life in Austin. When she has come out to visit us, she’s insisted on flying commercial because she thinks it’s a waste to fly on a plane carrying just one person.”

I rocked my head from side to side. “That’s not a bad point. It probably is a bit of a waste.”

“Yeah, but it’s our money to waste, and if that’s what we want to waste it on, we both wish she’d just let us.”

“I get that,” I said. “What about Phil? Doesn’t he want to fly on your plane?”

Leif was silent for a beat. “Phil is a good guy. I’m glad Mom has him and I’m very glad she’s not all alone in that house while we’re both in Colorado, but I don’t think he feels like he can take us up on the offer if Mom doesn’t.”

“Why not?”

“We were both adults by the time they got married,” he explained. “Legally, he’s our stepfather, but in real life, to us, he’s just a nice guy living in our house. We don’t have much shared history with him and we like him, but he’s just Mom’s husband, you know? He’s not our dad, and happily, he’s never tried to be.”

“I think I know what you mean,” I murmured as I relaxed into his arms. “I don’t talk about this much, and I still miss my dad every day, but I would like if my mom had some company too. I’m happy she seems to be having a good time with Doug, but I’d absolutely hate it if he ever acted like he was my father.”

“Exactly. It’s probably different if you’re a kid when your mom or dad gets remarried, but we were so much older. He didn’t raise us. We’ve never lived in a house with him. He didn’t have any influence on our upbringing and we only see him a couple times a year.”

“How did you feel when your mom told you she was marrying him?” I asked, remembering the day my mom had given me the news. “I thought about you so often back then, but I didn’t have your number and I wasn’t sure you’d appreciate me reaching out.”

“I wish I could tell you that I would’ve, but I had a bit of a wobble. I probably would’ve been a dick to you if you’d called. Just after we found out, I felt like she was betraying Dad. As if she was moving on and just forgetting about him. It took me a while to realize that wasn’t the case.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of what I thought.” I blew out a long breath, wondering how I’d feel if my mom was to marry Doug. “Do you think it ever stops being hard?”

“Nope, but at least it’s better,” he said, tightening his grip on me. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot over the last few years and I’ve finally learned how to live with the grief.”

“Me too,” I murmured just as a knock came on the door.

Leif got up to let in the room service cart. He tipped the server and then we sat down for a late dinner. As always seemed to happen when we were together, time flew by in a blur of talking, sharing, and laughing.

With only a few hours left until sunrise, we finally went to bed, making out and then making love before we were so exhausted that we fell asleep all tangled up in each other. On Sunday morning, we lazed around and had breakfast in bed, only emerging from the suite because we had a mission to complete.

“Where does one find leather clothing?” I asked as we strode down the street in downtown Franklin, looking around for a store that had what we needed. “There’s a boutique around the corner from here that might have some stuff, but I’m not sure if they sell men’s clothes too.”

“Well, the important leather will be yours. Mine is just for fun. So let’s go see if they’ve got something for you and we can go on a hunt for an outfit for me after.”

“Alright,” I said slowly. “You’re not getting out of the leather, though. We’re finding some for you.”

He laughed but nodded, following me to the boutique I’d mentioned. To my surprise, they did have male clothes as well. I grinned when I flicked my finger toward a pair of skin-tight leather pants near the window.

“You’re trying those on.”

“Fine, but only if you do the same,” he said. “I’m thinking naughty Sandy, from Grease . Do you remember? Shit, that was hot.”

I laughed. “Oh, I remember. You went through a phase where we had to watch that movie almost every weekend, but you only ever really paid attention once she was in that black outfit.”

“Exactly,” he said, choosing a pair of pants and a band of leather masquerading as a top for me to try on.

We had a blast working our way through the different options, though it turned out that leather wasn’t as easy to get out of as other types of fabric. I got stuck in the crop top thing, laughing so hard as he tried to pull it over my head that I nearly knocked both of us over.

Then I heard him calling for me after he’d paraded around wearing a pair of super-tight, black leather pants himself. “Bug? I need a little help in here.”

When I peeked around the curtain, I broke into another fit of giggles, realizing he was stuck too—with the pants right around his ass. He shot me a look of pretend disappointment. “Could you help me now, please? Or do you need to point and laugh a little more?”

“Definitely the latter,” I managed between giggles but finally went in to help him get them off.

It wasn’t easy, and it ended with me on my knees in front of him, almost giving him a header right in the balls, but eventually, he stepped out of them, glanced at me on my knees, and chuckled. “I might buy them just so you have to get me out of them again tonight.”

As I looked up at him, I realized that I was most definitely falling in love with Leif McIntosh all over again. Our love from before had been bubbling right under the surface for a couple weeks, but this was me falling for who he was now and not just who he used to be.

Leif had turned into a man who brought out the best in me, a guy I always had an amazing time with, and who allowed me to be vulnerable while he also made me feel strong and capable of doing anything I set my mind to. My heart soared as I realized that I was officially in love with my first love, but with a new kind of love.

A more mature love. A love I hoped would last despite the massive amount of distance between his home and mine.

Oh, brother. It doesn’t get any more complex than that, does it?