Page 13 of Moving to Love
She knew for sure LuAnn would do anything in her power to get Jeremiah. Joci wasn’t sure she would be able to hold on to him with that temptation constantly in his path. LuAnn was trashy, but she was pretty and had a great body. She also had large breasts she liked to flaunt at everyone. Joci didn’t have large breasts, and she sure as hell didn’t flaunt the ones she had.
Jeremiah pulled into his driveway and then into his garage. He had a huge Rolling Thunder logo in the back of his garage, painted on the wall. He also had a big workbench and three hot bikes in his garage; Rolling Thunder bikes, of course. Joci looked at the bikes and snickered.
“Nice bikes!”
Jeremiah followed her gaze and smiled. “Thanks. I own a bike shop, you know. These are mine.”
He got out of the truck and walked around to the passenger side. He was smiling as he reached in and helped her down. “The yellow one is the first bike I ever designed. I keep her for nostalgia; I hardly ever ride her anymore.” He pulled Joci forward with their hands linked together. “Nowadays, there are better parts and components that make bikes more comfortable to ride. But she was my first love, so I kept her.”
Walking to the orange bike, he lovingly caressed the handlebars as he said, “This is the first bike the boys helped me build and design. I keep her because of that. It was our first project together. We worked out here in the garage for days and nights, pulling it together when the boys were freshmen in high school. That was about ten years ago or so now.” He brushed some dust from the mirror with his hand. “Every once in a while, I hop on her and take her for a ride. The boys do as well. They love this bike. Eventually, I plan on finding a place at Rolling Thunder to put her up and keep her there as the beginning of the Rolling Thunder garage. It was during the build of this bike that we talked about opening a bike shop and building for other people.”
Joci loved looking at him when he talked about his sons. His features became soft, and his eyes sparkled with pride and love.
Moving around the orange bike to the black one, he touched the seat and looked at Joci. “Of course, this is the bike I ride now. More comfortable, different frame than the other two bikes, different motor and exhaust—a whole new design I wanted to try out. I wanted to show customers that they can have a bagger and still have it look cool. I love her. She’s fun to ride. Comfortable, stylish, classy. I get tons of compliments on her.”
Joci didn’t miss that he called his bikes her and she. Interesting, but not uncommon. Lots of people referred to their bikes as her and she.
He hung onto Joci’s hand and started walking to the door of his house. He opened it and stood back to let Joci walk through first. When she stepped inside, she gasped. There were candles burning everywhere. In the kitchen, they covered the counters. She had a view of the living room and saw that they were everywhere in there, as well.
Joci turned and looked at Jeremiah with a question on her face. He gazed back and kissed her lightly on the lips.
“I’ve been telling my sister-in-law, Staci, about you, and that I wanted to bring you home tonight. I asked her what she thought would be special and romantic. I have to admit, Joci, I really don’t know a lot about romance—I’m just a guy. I trust Staci. She helped my mom and me raise the boys, and she’s been a fantastic sister to me.
“She’s married to my older brother, Dayton. She told me to fill the rooms with candles and have some chilled wine to offer you. She came over here a little while ago and lit the candles for us.” Turning toward the refrigerator, Jeremiah said, “I have white wine in the refrigerator and some cheese and sausage as well. Are you hungry or just a glass of wine?”
Joci looked at him with skepticism on her face.
“You went to a lot of trouble,” she said, a small smile on her lips.
Jeremiah smirked. “I hoped like hell you would come home with me.” His smile grew. “And be a bit impressed.”
Jeremiah walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine, opened it, and poured two glasses.
“You didn’t answer my question… Are you hungry?”
Joci shook her head and laid a hand on her tummy.
He handed her a glass, then picked up the other glass in one hand and Joci’s hand in the other. He walked her to the living room to sit on the sofa in front of the fireplace, which held about twenty lit candles of different sizes and shapes. It was beautiful. Joci looked at the fireplace and was mesmerized by all the candle flames flickering and winking at her.
“It’s very beautiful. Thank you for going to so much trouble.” She sipped her wine and giggled. “Oh, and I am impressed.”
She looked at Jeremiah, and her breath caught at the expression on his face. He was breathtaking. In the candlelight, he was even more beautiful. A Roman god came to mind—strong, virile, powerful.
She sipped her wine. “The wine is delicious. Did you pick it out?”
Jeremiah smiled at her. “Yes. Staci made me go to the wine store with her this morning and taste several different kinds to see which ones I liked. This particular one is Dayton’s favorite.” He drank from his glass, then set it on the table. “Tell me about your life with your sister. Gunnar said you lived together while he was little.”
Joci smiled at the memories. “Yes, Jackie and I stayed in our parents’ house after they died. Jackie had just turned eighteen. We were able to keep the house. There wasn’t a lot of money, but enough that we could stay there and live. We both got jobs to buy food and personal things, so we wouldn’t have to touch the little bit of money there was. We wanted that money to go to the house, repairs, taxes, and utilities.
She continued in a low voice. “Jackie was able to finish college, and I started college. I was still in college when I got pregnant with Gunnar, but we were able to work our schedules out so that I didn’t have to hire a babysitter.”
She looked into the candlelight, and her memories came flooding back. “Jackie loved Gunnar instantly. She was amazing with him.” She turned on the sofa and faced Jeremiah, a giggle escaping her lips. “We would take him to the park and read to him and make sure he didn’t feel the stresses of not having a lot of money or not having a dad around. When Jackie met David, her husband, Gunnar was three months old. David immediately helped with Gunnar. He and Jackie fell in love almost instantly, and he was constantly around. He moved in with us after only about a month of them dating.”
Jeremiah smiled as he watched Joci recall Gunnar’s youth. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight, her dimples winking at him as she spoke.
“Where was Keith all this time?”
Joci grimaced. “Turns out, Keith didn’t want the responsibility of being a dad. I was young, dumb, without parents, and maybe a little too adventurous. I can see things clearly now—long disappearances, late-night phone calls when we were together, a distance of sorts. After Gunnar was born, Keith really backed away and didn’t want the responsibility of a child. Thank God Jackie was there to help me. I wouldn’t have been able to make it without her.”
