Chapter 34 Harrison
HARRISON
“He’ll need his insulin at eight, which I trust you’re comfortable giving him?” I asked.
The young woman with a tattoo of an octopus on her forearm and multiple piercings not limited to her ears shot Gwen an incredulous look then refocused on me.
“Mr. Ashford, as I mentioned during our first meeting, I’ve been a vet tech for five years. I could administer insulin with my eyes closed. Please trust me, I’ll take excellent care of Monty while you’re at the concert.”
“But have you used an Apex needle? Because that’s the only type that—”
“Harrison,” Gwen put her hand on my arm. “Did you forget that Kerri works at the same vet clinic that treats Monty?”
I nodded. “Right, of course. But I just want to be sure he’ll be okay while we’re gone.
He’s only been with us for a few weeks now, and I don’t want to upset him during his acclimation period.
My assistant fostered him while we were in the UK, so this is his second home in just a couple of months, and I’m sure that’s stressful for him. ”
“Of course, I get it. Poor guy has had plenty of upheaval,” Kerri agreed, thawing a little.
Apparently, it was less annoying when I micromanaged people if they understood I was coming from a place of caring.
An overprotective, hyper-detail-focused place of caring.
Because that was definitely where I was when it came to the newest member of my family.
The decision to adopt Monty the shelter dog had happened during a casual conversation with Gwen during our weeks in London.
She’d held out her phone to show me that he was still in the shelter, and logiced me into realizing that the two of us together could handle the responsibilities of a special needs dog.
We’d made arrangements for them to hold him until we returned, but when Susan heard, she’d stepped up to foster him so he wouldn’t have to wait for us in the shelter.
She’d been so delighted with his company that she ended up adopting her own new best friend from the shelter after we’d stolen Monty back from her.
I glanced over at the handsome black dog staring up at us as we talked about him. Adopting him was one of the many things Gwen had been right about. We were meant to be together. Now I had two reasons to love being a homebody: my dog and my girl.
Although tonight was a big night out for a good reason. Scarlet had sent us VIP tickets to the final show of her tour. I’d become a huge, unapologetic Rushie, so this time around I’d be screaming the lyrics along with Gwen and the rest of the crowd.
Although this time around, there was a new song on her set list.
I dropped to my knees. “Monty, get over here and say goodbye. Come give me a kiss!”
He wiggled his way over to me with his body in a happy half-moon then slid onto his back. I scratched his belly, marveling that I’d almost let the chance to have this pass me by.
I’d almost let plenty pass me by, but somehow I’d gotten lucky.
“Awww, look how much he adores you,” Kerri said. “He’s so happy. And he looks so good compared to the first time he was at the clinic. His fur is like velvet now.”
“This dog is living a pretty incredible life,” Gwen said. “He’s got his own seat on the jet; how many dogs can claim that honor?”
“Hey, Monty, I’m happy to take your place if you ever opt to skip the jet,” Kerri laughed.
Monty already knew what laughter meant, so he wiggled harder in shared delight as I scratched him.
“Can you finish up the love fest so we’re not late?” Gwen smiled at us.
“Right, right, of course.”
Given a choice, I usually would’ve preferred to stay home on the couch with the two of them, but tonight was going to be a very special night.
Of course we hit traffic on the way, but for a change, I’d opted to let the Ashford driver take the wheel so I could enjoy every second with Gwen. By the time we got up to the VIP box, the opening act was just finishing up.
“The main event,” Gwen said, bouncing on her toes as she stared down at the stage.
I moved behind her and slid my arms around her waist. I breathed her in and still felt the tingle of excitement knowing that I could get a hit of Gwen any time I wanted.
“Did I tell you how stunning you look tonight?” I whispered in her ear.
She cocked her head to look back at me. “Hmm, I can’t remember.”
“Allow me to remind you,” I murmured, dropping my lips down to kiss her neck. “You’re the prototype for angels and goddesses in that dress. But you shouldn’t have worn white, because all I want to do is get it dirty.”
She giggled and pressed back against me. “Oh really?”
I ran my hand up the back of her thigh. “Do you think anyone can tell that I’m doing this right now?”
Gwen shivered. “If they can, I don’t care.”
My fingertip grazed the edge of her underwear at the curve of her ass cheek, and she inhaled sharply. “Well, now I want to fuck you.”
But Scarlet had other plans, because the house lights went black. The crowd screamed in unison as I reluctantly removed my hand from Gwen’s butt.
The dark stadium was suddenly illuminated by the thousands of glowing bracelets all of the concert attendees had gotten at the door. They quickly rolled through a rainbow of colors, then simultaneously switched to yellow.
“Sunshine Baby!” Gwen screamed and jumped up and down with the rest of the stadium.
A roar I could feel in my chest went up as the bracelets started flashing in a certain rhythm, which was then picked up by a drumbeat.
Then bass, then guitar. The massive screens behind the band flashed images of Scarlet during various concert stops.
Then she strode out, guitar in hand and waving at her devoted fans.
“Why am I crying?” Gwen asked me, her eyes brimming. “I’m such a dork.”
I turned her to me and cupped her cheeks. “I hope it’s because you’ve never been happier.”
She thrust her bottom lip out and nodded, and it was all I could do to not jump the night ahead to the big finish. I settled for a quick kiss—well, relatively quick—and then refocused on the show.
Even I could see the growth in the production in the months since we’d gone to her first show. Scarlet was a true superstar, and I totally got the hype now. I wasn’t a big enough fan to wear a flattop cap, but I could sing along to most of her hits.
With one big exception, which would come toward the end of the night.
“Yes, it’s ‘Throwaway Boy,’” Gwen yelled in my ear over the noise. “I’m pretty sure this song is about Ian!”
I’d heard her playing it around our apartment, but I’d never really focused on the words. Now they were being broadcast on the big screens behind the stage while male dancers turned mansplaining into movement.
That chance you took, yeah it was your last. I’m no throwaway, I showed you fast.
At the end of the song, one of the dancers who looked quite a lot like Ian wound up alone and facing down Scarlet under a spotlight. She held up her palm and used her other hand to flick across it, and he disappeared through a trap door in the stage, to wild applause.
“I bet he’s mortified,” Gwen threw her head back and laughed.
How I loved that sound.
“Hey, folks,” Scarlet said once the crowd finally quieted down. “I’ve got a little surprise for you, since this is my last show of the tour.”
The sound of booing echoed through the stadium as all of our bracelets turned blue.
“Hold on, hold on, I think you’re going to like it.” She smiled mischievously. “Can I sing you a new song?”
The roar that went up was so loud I wanted to cover my ears, but that would mean letting go of Gwen, and that wasn’t happening. Not in this moment especially.
All of our bracelets turned pink and pulsed like a heartbeat as the band and dancers left the stage and someone brought out a stool for her.
“This song is called ‘It Was Always You,’” Scarlet said as she settled onto it.
“I can’t believe we’ll be the first group to hear a new song. I’m so excited,” Gwen breathed, eyes wide and her hands clasped under her chin.
I was excited as well, but also shockingly unsettled. I rarely felt nervous, but I was definitely facing down some butterflies.
Scarlet started singing softly about a lost boy and the girl who rescued him. It was a gorgeous, haunting song, and I had to blink away a few tears as our lives started to take shape in the words she was singing.
“Hold on…” Gwen turned to me, puzzled. “Is she…”
Let’s carve our initials in a tree, an H for you and a G for me.
Gwen’s brow furrowed. “Huh?”
It was always you…forevermore.
This was my moment. Gwen was trying to figure out if she could believe what she was hearing, which gave me a chance to reach into my pocket then go down on one knee.
Scarlet sang the refrain again, the song ended, and Gwen turned to me. She jumped backward when she finally put it all together.
“That song was about us, and now you’re doing this?”
Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at me. Then the spotlight hit our box, and the crowd cheered even louder.
“Now we’ve got an audience,” I said. “And we’re all waiting for your answer.”
Gwen snapped back into reality and tackled me to the ground, laughing and crying at the same time. I glanced up at the screen just outside the box and saw that only Gwen’s high heels were visible.
But this was life with her. Topsy turvy, unpredictable, joyful fun. Passion, adventure, and a best friend for life.
At least I hoped so.
I held her close to me, still on the ground with her on top of me.
“So that’s a yes?” I asked her.
“Oh my God, yes,” she giggled. “Sorry I didn’t say it. I thought the tackle was enough of an answer.”
“Maybe we should get up, and you can put on the ring?”
“The ring! That’s right, I get a ring!”
We untangled and stood up, getting another roar from the crowd when Gwen waved at them. I took her hand and slid the ring on. Her mouth dropped open when she looked at it.
“It’s gigantic,” she squealed. “It’s perfect!”
I’d taken my time making sure I found the right one: a five-carat round brilliant cut on a diamond and platinum band.
Gwen held her hand up toward the crowd, and the camera zoomed in on the ring, resulting in more screaming.
“Damn,” Scarlet said from the stage. “Now that’s a diamond. And since we’re talking gemstones, how about a song on the subject?”
She launched into “Mood Ring,” and Gwen and I moved closer to slow dance.
“Get a room, you two.”
It was Drew, followed by Logan.
I’d known they were coming, but I wasn’t quite ready to let go of Gwen. “Hey, guys. Welcome.”
“Logan! Drew! Oh my gosh, hi,” Gwen said excitedly. She turned to me. “You planned all of this?”
“And then some,” I nodded and kissed the top of her head.
We all took turns hugging and admiring how the ring looked on Gwen’s finger.
“I heard there’s going to be a wedding?”
We turned to find my dad and Gwen’s father walking in together.
“Dad?” Gwen’s voice trembled. She ran toward him, and he gathered her up in his arms and swung her around. When he set her down, she ran over to hug my father as well.
“I can’t believe you did all of this,” Gwen said as she swiped the tears under her eyes.
“Oh, there’s more,” I chuckled.
By the time the concert ended, our box was full.
Sarah had joined us with her new boyfriend, Ted, along with Kevin and Sydney, who both finally felt ready for a night out without their baby boy, Jack.
It was a room filled with love, and I was so happy we could all be together to celebrate what was to come.
Gwen and I finally got a few minutes alone as the concert was ending.
“I never dreamed I could be this happy,” Gwen said to me, her eyes filling again.
“I’ve never seen a happy woman cry so much,” I laughed softly and swiped a tear off her cheek with my thumb.
“Well, you better invest in Kleenex, because if you keep up stunts like this, I’m never going to stop.”
“Yeah, you’re right. We’ve got an engagement party. Tears. Wedding. Tears. Honeymoon. Hopefully zero tears. Down the road…a baby…”
She gasped. “How far down the road are we talking?”
I kissed her hand and shrugged. “I don’t have a roadmap. But I do know that I’m ready for whatever adventure comes our way.”
“I like the sound of that,” she replied. “Consider me your travel buddy for the rest of your life.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better copilot,” I kissed her again, and somewhere far off, I heard the sound of cheers.