Page 23 of Love is a Drum Beat
“That’s why you showed up at the hospital? Because Noah asked?”
Yes. And also, no. Noah did ask, but Dax would have gone regardless. From the moment he’d heard Jo was there, he’d worried.
About her. For her. For the rest of Rockstars Anonymous if something happened to her. They didn’t work without Jo. They all needed her.
“Okay.” Jo blew out a breath. “I’m going to need you to explain the whole coming home thing.”
“I… okay. He told me he was able to get on a flight tomorrow.”
She shook her head, surprising him. “No. No way. Noah can’t leave London so soon. I gave him grief about leaving me, but I also know he needs it. Time with Melanie and Stella and his nan. I won’t take that away from him. What’s he going to do here? Sit by my bed all day while I sleep?” Her chest heaved as if she’d been running. “Just… no.”
Dax wasn’t sure how to respond, but that was pretty much his natural state of being.
“I can’t reach my phone with this giant alien incubator belly, so I’ll call him when we get to your place. I don’t need him hovering over me right now.”
“Okay.” Dax drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he pulled into his long driveway in front of the oceanfront house he called home. It was larger than he’d wanted, but he didn’t buy the house for the size. He bought it for the view.
He turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt. “Hold on, I’ll come around to help you out.”
“Dax, I can get out of a car.” She tried to pull herself out, but her legs were still weak, and she flopped back onto her seat. “Fine.” She held out a hand. “Help me.”
Dax’s brow furrowed. His parents drilled manners into him as a kid. “You’re rude, Jo.”
She chewed on her bottom lip as they remained in a silent standoff before words burst out of her. “I know, and I’m sorry. I can’t seem to keep the words in, and then I get angry easily, and I babble. But please, Dax, will you help me into the house you so graciously offered me for the next couple months?”
He stepped out of the car, rounding it to her door. “Better.” He reached for her arm.
“I really do appreciate this, even if it doesn’t seem like it. The minute I cramp your style, you can send me home, and I’ll hire someone to help.”
A growl started low in his throat. “You are not hiring a stranger.” Plus, he didn’t have a style to cramp. Sure, he occasionally went on dates, but he never brought them to his place. Only Jo. He grabbed her bag from the car and slung it over one shoulder while keeping his other arm around her.
He’d never been so close to Jo, and he didn’t hate it. After unlocking the front door, he led her into the entryway. There were four guest bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. But only one of them was right for Jo.
He led her through the living room to the back hall and into his favorite room. If it was larger, he’d have made it the master. Instead, he came in here sometimes to work on his songs. The entire back wall was glass, looking out onto the beach and ocean beyond. Shades came down on a voice command, but he couldn’t imagine wanting them to close.
“Dax…” Jo stepped away from him to survey the room. “It’s beautiful.”
His cheeks flushed, and all the confidence he’d had at the hospital faded away. Only this girl could make him forget his words, only she had the power.
And she didn’t even know it.
“Thanks.” He coughed to hide his nervousness at having Jo in his house. What had he been thinking when he offered? He should have let her hire someone to help her. Heck, he should have hired someoneforher. Instead, he let her into his world. She’d been to his house once before, but that was different. The group stayed in the living room, and he hadn’t offered to give them a tour.
Because that would have changed things. People didn’t like to be surprised by who someone really was. They wanted the facade, the social media presence, the voice behind the music.
He realized he’d stared at Jo too long as she perused the room. “Um.” He pulled on the back of his neck. “Do you think you’ll be comfortable here?”
She nodded, her eyes going to the view. “This place makes me wonder why I still live in an apartment in a crowded building.
Even if she didn’t, he knew the answer to that. Jo was simple. She didn’t like extravagant things, fancy things. She was the kind of person who didn’t keep many belongings. He just didn’t knowwhyshe was that way.
Dax wasn’t a pack rat by any means, but he’d painstakingly chosen everything in this house, every color and style.
“Alexa, shade down.” The off-white shade lowered, throwing the room into complete darkness. “See? You should be able to get some rest in here.”
“Dude, that was wicked cool.”
Jo was the only person he knew who used the worddudeso liberally. He assumed she did it because the word was impersonal.
