CHAPTER FIFTEEN #2
And then, we both sing.
Playing around with the chorus leads to reformatting the whole song until my voice shadows his all throughout on different lines.
Another half hour passes before we’re both on the other side of the glass, sitting with Jared, listening to the results.
“This is so freaking surreal,” I mumble under my breath standing back while the guys express their thoughts a great deal louder and with animated gesturing. When they replay it a second time, Knox turns back, reaching an arm out for me, drawing me back in.
“You don’t hide from this,” he tells me, curling his arm around my waist until I’m snug at his side. “You own it.”
“Definite contender for the next album,” Jared agrees. “Hell, I could see this being a single. Radio would love it.”
“Right,” I roll my eyes at the notion. Me. Singing back up on a Knox Marley song. On the radio. “And then I’ll just start touring with you, so we can perform it this way too.” I laugh. Because I’m joking.
“I could definitely be into that.” Knox just sucked all the humor out of it.
“That’s not -,” I stammer. “Let’s not get crazy.”
Or crazier than we’ve already gotten.
“You’re right,” he agrees. “One thing at a time.” He points at the clock. “And our next thing, is getting back to the dance studio to pick up Sloan.”
We had like three minutes before I was going to mention it.
But I’m over the moon for the simple fact that I didn’t have to.
He remembered. In some small way, Sloan was important enough to contend with his work.
And while that’s a natural way of operating for me, it’s not something she’s ever experienced with a male figure in her life.
“Brother.” Knox and Jared embrace. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, my man.” They release each other, still smiling.
Two grown men, showing affection and genuine appreciation. It’s a lovely thing to watch.
“Kenley,” Jared turns his attention toward me, extending his hand and pulling me in for a hug the second I take it, “until we meet again.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” I smile up at him as I step away again. “Thanks for letting me come and play.”
“With that voice? You come play anytime you like,” he teases. I think.
Jared walks us to the door, slipping Knox a jump drive as we’re walking out. “Take this, too,” he says, handing Knox a guitar case that’s been leaning up against the wall in the foyer. “It’s a spare. Hang onto it until you’re reunited with your own.”
Knows nods, both hands full now and unable to gesture his gratitude any other way. “Thanks, man.”
“Don’t mention it.” Jared grins, waving when we part ways at the stoop.
“I’ll be around through the weekend if you have another stroke of genius tomorrow morning,” he calls after us as we near the truck.
“I may take you up on that,” Knox yells back as he opens the door for me to get in.
I’m almost getting used to it.
Enough at least, to not be so dumbstruck by the gesture I can’t move fast enough to make my own.
“Thanks,” he says, grinning when he reaches the driver’s side door to find I’ve already popped it open from the inside.
“No problem.” I sigh internally. Maybe the last few years of wondering and worrying about how much I’ve forgotten about how one behaves in a partnership were for naught. Maybe, just maybe, I’m not horrible at this after all.
The drive back to the dance studio is a new sort of bliss.
We’re comfortable. We talk. And now, thanks to his efforts to include me in his world as he’s been part of mine, what I know of him feels deeper, more real.
Suddenly I have this whole new insight into his life.
I know what it looks like now if he talks about working on a song or his interactions with a producer.
I’ve seen the expressions dance on his face while he fiddles with his guitar.
Know the way he closes his eyes when he’s stretching his vocals, searching for exactly the right sound.
I’ve heard him laugh at his mistakes. Seen him get silent when he’s stuck and working out his way around the obstacle.
I feel like I’ve learned so much more than what should be possible over the course of two hours.
“So, how long is this meeting you’re supposed to go to going to last?” he asks, as we’re pulling into the parking lot with seven minutes to spare.
“Not long. Maybe twenty minutes or so.” I shrug.
It’s hard to say. “Depends on how many first timers we have. If it’s mostly moms who do this every show, it won’t be long at all.
” We know the drill, it’s just a matter of details then.
Which kids. What numbers. Matching costumes up accordingly. That sort of thing.
“Will Sloan stay inside with you?” He parks and turns off the engine. Both our windows are down from the drive over. There’s been a beautiful breeze the whole way here.
“Doubt it.” I smirk, thinking about my kid’s current fascination with the man beside me.
“I’m sure she’ll want to tell you all about rehearsals tonight.
” I lean my head back until it hits the inside of the door.
“I think she really likes having someone other than me to share that with.” I twist my mouth a little.
“Someone else who’s interested in hearing about it. ”
“He’s an idiot, Kenley,” Knox sighs. It’s heavy, weighted down by a quiet anger I know all too well.
I could agree. But I don’t want to go down that trail of thoughts. It’s bitter and only leads to a maze of dead ends. “If you wanted to, you two could head home when she gets out. I’m sure I could get a ride after the meeting is over.”
He shakes his head. “We’ll go home together.”
“Okay, but you should know Sloan will have no problem filling that window of time with conversation which will probably veer away from dance related things about halfway through and go off on some tangent you’ll likely find entirely unrelatable, and you’ll have no means of escape in a parked truck. ”
He grins. “I’ve had a conversation or two like that with her already. We’ll be fine.”
“I suppose you will.” I check in with my face. I think I’m smiling, but I’ve been doing so much of that lately, I can no longer tell when it’s happening. Maybe it’s just my permanent expression now.
The second it occurs to me, I think of Arizona. She’d get a good laugh out of seeing me walk through life with a dopey grin etched eternally on a mouth that used to be home to a resting bitch face situation.
“There she is.” Knox points at the open door and the first girl in bun and tights flinging herself through the opening.
“Guess that’s my cue to go in.” I reach for the handle letting myself out.
Knox meets me on the sidewalk where we both greet Sloan who’s practically barreling her way toward us. “Oh, my goodness! I nailed the turns and she put me in the part with the seniors!” she squeals the second she’s close enough.
“Check you out!” Knox is the first to respond.
I wait until she hurls herself at me and I can squeeze her with a hug. “I knew you’d get it,” I whisper against the side of her head. “Congratulations. Can’t wait to see it on stage.”
She beams up at me. Then over at Knox. “Can we go get food while Ma is at the meeting.”
“It’s amazing, it’s like our brains are linked.” He grins at her. “I saw a Cuban place that looks good on the way, thought we could go grab takeout from there. Thoughts?”
“My thoughts are ‘yum’ and ‘yes, please’.” She starts for the truck, eager to get in. “Oh, can we get dessert too?”
“We do have twenty minutes to kill. Almost wouldn’t make sense not to.” He leans in toward me, pressing his lips to mine. “See you soon.”
“Real soon.” I kiss him back. Then I take a few steps up the sidewalk to be in Sloan’s line of vision again. “Don’t go crazy ordering desserts.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She knows exactly what I’m talking about.
I shake my head and wave. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I start for the door to the dance studio.
“Hey!” Knox draws me back one more time.
“What?”
“I love you, too.”
Is it possible for your heart to smile? The back of your head? Your hands? Every inch of you? “You’re insane.”
“And?”
“And... I love you.”