Page 44 of Strike A Chord

I guarantee my walls won’t thin

Mesmerized. Enthralled. Love. Everything I felt and more as Josh sang the song that he’d written about one of the many nicknames I’d given him. As the song came to an end, he raised his head and our eyes met. “I love you, Reagan.” How could I not storm the stage, take his face in my hands, and kiss him with every ounce of the love he filled me with? The crowd erupted in wolf whistles and catcalls, and we broke apart smiling like two fools in love.

“I love you, too, Josh.” Red-faced and happier than I thought possible, I took my place behind the bar while they continued through their playlist.

“Holy shit, Reagan.” You’d have thought the song was for Daniel as excited as he was. “You have a song written for you. That’s major.”

How did you compete with a gift from the heart such as that? The only way you could, by giving your partner the best life you could, one filled with years of love and happiness. But still, a song? I had a song for me, how freaking awesome was that?

Afterward, both bands sat at the tables they’d placed in the lobby and signed autographs and posed for pictures with those who couldn’t get in but remained in line hoping for a glimpse of the men they idolized. That spoke a lot to the guys from Social Sinners’ character. No wonder they had such a huge following, and having Chaotic do the same would set their path for success. Fantastic music and kind hearts. Amazing how many times those two things didn’t coincide, yet these guys had it all and then some.

Easton came in a while later, followed by his personal guard whom I’d been introduced to earlier. “Reagan, thank you again for doing this. The show was a success, and it was great for the fans to see Josh with Joey and Stoli playing on stage together.”

“It was a fantastic night.” We’d agreed over the phone when Easton and I set this up that it would be a free show. Stoli insisted he wouldn’t take any pay for it. “How do the guys feel about it? Think it went all right?”

“Stoli is our excitable child and he’s very excited. I loved the new songs and look forward to Chaotic’s CD launch. The true test will be while Chaotic and Embrace hit the west coast together the first part of next year. Usually, the bands release one track from an upcoming CD ahead of time but with Chaotic they’re going to play a mix of old and new at their upcoming concerts before we release. It’ll be a great way to push preorders. Will you be joining Josh on tour?”

“I wasn’t aware that was an option and as much as I wish I could, I’ve got too much on my plate here. But I’d like to be at the local shows if possible?” Would be great to have the bar and our home renovations done before he got back. Like a surprise to come home to.

“I’ll make it happen. Well, thank you again. Diamond and I are off. We’ll have you and Josh over for dinner soon.” A stunned wave was all I mustered. Josh thought his life changed a lot, guess mine had, too. Dinner with two of the biggest people in Josh’s world, one of which did nothing but glare at him. Life would never be boring again.

With the bar shut down, I went out to the lobby to check on them and found Josh dozing off in one of the plush lobby chairs. All signs that the bands had been here were gone, everything put away and cleaned up. “Hey, sleepyhead. Ready to go home?”

His eyes opened as he jumped. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.”

“No worries. You haven’t slept much this week.” Thankfully he’d been so overtired with the long hours he’d put in he’d crashed hard into dreamless sleeps once he actually got home. A couple hours later he was back up and off to practice. I was thankful that Stoli and Joey got Easton involved when Josh mentioned a low-key therapist. As far as I knew, Josh had two sessions with her thus far, but his schedule wasn’t his own right now and I understood why. He said she gave him her number and he could call anytime but that if she didn’t answer to please understand it meant she was with another patient and promised to call him back. As far as I knew, he hadn’t called her outside of their sessions, but she’d given him a bit of homework.

“Is everything all right?” Josh asked after we'd silently gotten ready for bed. I didn't think anything of it, my mind was running a million miles a minute, focused on the huge list of tasks I had.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just approved the plans for the bar renovation and the contractor doing it is the one that Stoli recommended who also does residential work. So, I wondered if there was anything in particular, any wish list items you had for our bedroom suite remodel. I don't want to overwhelm you because I know you've got a lot going on, but I was kind of thinking we could get it done after he finishes the bar and Mom’s place. If that's okay with you?”

“Oh? I mean, it’s your house. What do you need from me? I can help move stuff while I’m here. I think we have a little over a week before we head out to Arizona.”

“Josh, this is the last time we’re having this conversation.” I wasn’t mad, just frustrated. I understood his insecurities but damn. “This is our house. Not my house. Our house and we’re making it a home. Our home. Now, is there anything specific you’d like me to add to our master suite? Any colors you like? Anything?”

He blinked. Blinked again. Mouth opened, but nothing came out. Swallowed, and blinked again. “Um, a bigger closet?”

“Done.”

“A bathtub for two.”

“Done and done.”

“Any color, I’m not picky as long as you’re in the bed beside me. Speaking of that, can we get a king-sized one?”

“Absolutely. They’re doing Mom’s tiny house first so we can get her moved in. Well, provided the city approves the plan in time. It was submitted with the bar plans already.” The contractor wasn’t concerned, though we all know dealing with any city was never a quick or easy process.

“I feel bad leaving you here to handle it all. You have enough on your plate.” Josh’s words held that all too familiar, I’m a problem, why would anyone want me tone.

“Josh, don’t go there. Our lives are busy and there may be times you’re off when I’m not, so you will have to take care of whatever’s going on for us. That’s how this works.” Anger wasn’t what I wanted to convey, especially when I wasn’t and Josh deserved better than that. But how many times and in how many ways did I have to explain this before he got it?

“Shit.” Josh sat on the bed and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry. I really suck at this.”

“You don’t suck. We are learning together. I’m not mad, don’t think for a second that I am. I just don’t want to make major decisions such as this one without consulting you first. These are things in life we both provide input for. The bar, that’s me. Your music and equipment, that’s you. Our home, vacations, major purchases, those we do together.” Parameters. How did I keep forgetting that? Hopefully I just gave Josh that. “And by the way, congrats on a fantastic night. That song, “Lone Wolf,” man, you had me in tears and the deep timbre of your voice is sexy as hell.”

“Really?”

“Really. The rest of the songs were great, too, but that one was my favorite.” Struck me right in the heart and held there. “Easton asked if I was going out on the road with you guys.”

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