Page 186 of On The Rocks

I met his gaze. “I love you so much.”

“Not half as much as I love you, Lennon. Not even close.”

“You want to have a competition on this, ace?”

He laughed. “There’s my Lenny.”

I wrinkled my nose, but I was getting used to his nickname for me. “Today’s the big day.”

“Are you sure you want to go through with this. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to sit it out.”

“Not on your life.” I hissed through my teeth. “Sorry, little soon for that.”

He laughed and slapped the shower off. “I guess we need to wait a little while for the hot water tank to refill for a proper shower. What on earth could we do to spend the time waiting?”

“I have not one idea.” I went onto my toes and met his cool lips with mine.

The kiss was soft and gentle, unlike our usual fire.

Our loving was just that. Absolute love and a good deal of devotion mixed in.

Things I never imagined would walk into my life.

Things I never thought I’d be able to keep.

And when we did slip back into the shower, we totally drained that water tank again.

Content that I sent him off to play with his friends with a pep in his step and a stupid smile on his face, and his faithful dog at his side, I got myself ready. I’d raided his closet again, for a Reversal of Fortune T-shirt hidden in the back of his drawer.

From theMorning Pagesalbum, to be exact.

I used some creative pinning so that it was sleeveless and tucked under my bra to make it a crop shirt. I put on my shortest pair of shorts with my black sneakers with the best support and no-show socks.

I did a little twirl in the mirror. I’d braided my hair into a crown, leaving a long ponytail swinging, gold hoops, and stacked necklaces. For an extra bit of luck, I added the shell choker necklace around my throat.

After I played up my eyes for maximum effect, I stuffed my ChapStick and phone in my little crossbody bag before locking up.

I parked at the Lodge and took the shuttle. The line was already around the parking lot of the taproom. I could only imagine what the concert parking lot looked like for cars. Hell, I spotted a charter bus taking up ten spots in the taproom parking lot with a shitload of people piling off.

The show didn’t start until dusk, and it was only noon.

I pulled out my camera as I passed people in the line and took a quick video of everyone waving and cheering. Some had signs, some just water bottles and phones, but everyone looked excited to be there.

I uploaded the video to the taproom’s social media stories and jogged my way to the path that led to the concert stage.

Large glass fishbowls at the check-in station were full of singles and five-dollar bills in addition to the ticket prices. I stopped in at the table to find Annette checking in people. I was glad to see a smile on her face again.

I crouched beside her. “Hey, you.”

She threw her arms around me. “My God, I can’t believe what happened to you.”

I hugged her back. “I’m okay. Are you okay?”

Annette blinked at me. “Me? Nothing on you. Nothing.”

I clutched her hands. “The fire was scary. And if you need to talk, you know where to find me.”

Her big brown eyes went shiny. “Don’t get me going. Today is a day of fun.”

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