Page 75 of Moving to Love
Joci walked over to the table. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No, we were waiting for you two,” Sandi said.
“Okay, well, let’s eat, shall we?” She walked to the buffet and began filling her plate. She wasn’t hungry at all, but she was going to do her best not to ruin anyone else’s weekend.
While they ate, the conversation went on around them. She nodded once in a while and pushed her food around her plate. They talked about where they wanted to go today, and plans were made to head downtown to party on the streets.
Once downtown, they found spots to park along the street and found a nice little bar where a local band was playing. They pulled tables together and listened to the music for a while. Joci found a seat and plopped down. Jackie and Sandi sat on either side of her, and they were quiet for a long time.
“Joci, honey, are you okay? You look so sad and lost. You’re breaking my heart,” Sandi said, rubbing Joci’s shoulder.
“I don’t know, Sandi. I just can’t snap out of this funk. I feel broken or something. It’s like it was the last straw for me. I’m so sick of dealing with LuAnn and her bullshit. It drives me crazy that Jeremiah hangs on to her for some ridiculous, perceived obligation. He would never tolerate the same situation in the reverse. And on top of her, we have Deborah still hanging out there, too.”
Jackie put her arm around Joci and sat there for a while. Staci, Erin, and Angie came over and joined them. Joci was grateful for the camaraderie and change in topic.
After they had eaten dinner, they went back to the hotel and sat by the pool. The boys entertained them most of the evening by playing a mean game of water volleyball and then acting silly when a group of hot babes started paying attention to them.
The Rolling Thunder group headed home late Monday morning. The weekend had been a turning point in their relationship. Which way the turns went, Joci wasn’t sure.
“I love you, Jeremiah, but we have to do something about this. I know some of my frustration with this situation is from my past. That said, I also know it isn’t healthy for you to feel this responsibility to LuAnn when all she wants is what’s best for her, not you.”
He pulled her in for a hug and kneaded his fingers into her tense shoulders. For the first time in a day and a half, she let Jeremiah kiss her. God, she missed his touch, his lips, his warmth. She couldn’t help the tears that leaked out of her eyes. She hoped this was the last time she had to spend time away from this man—emotionally and physically.
Chapter 32
“My bike isn’t running right, Jeremiah. It was sputtering a lot yesterday. Do you think Gunnar can take a look at it? Probably the plugs, but I’m not sure. Since we won’t be riding this weekend because of the staff party, this will be a good week to have it at the shop. Do you mind?” Joci asked.
“Of course, I don’t mind. One of the perks of owning a bike shop is that you can have your bike worked on anytime you want.”
She chuckled. “I don’t own a bike shop; I just sleep with a man who does.”
“Once we’re married, you’ll be part-owner of a bike shop.”
She leaned back and looked into his eyes, her brows furrowed. “Jeremiah, I don’t want to take anything away from JT and Ryder. They are the rightful owners after you.”
“It’s my business. They’re fine. But while we’re on the subject, what do you think of me adopting Gunnar? He would legally be my son. He could change his name if he wanted, and for all intents and purposes, be entitled to anything JT and Ryder were entitled to. I want us all to be a family, with the same last name. What do you think?” He had been thinking about this for a while, but it seemed silly until he’d spoken to his attorney and found out you can adopt anyone you want. As long as they are competent to make the decision on their own.
“I think it’s amazing! I don’t know what he’ll say.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Thank you, Jeremiah.”
He squeezed her tight, and she felt perfect against him. She was soft and pliable and molded to him in a way that soothed him. “No need to thank me,” he whispered. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but the other night, when he called me Dad, it cemented the whole idea.”
* * *
Clicking the save button, Joci smiled and sat back in her desk chair. The two songs she chose to add to the slide show were “Roll Me Away” by Bob Seger and “Let’s Ride” by Kid Rock. Her slideshow turned out amazing. She tried to get pictures of everyone who had participated in the Veteran’s Ride, especially the men and women who worked at Rolling Thunder. She was stunned at the number of pictures of her and Jeremiah. She wasn’t even aware of the photographers around them. There were a few pictures of LuAnn, most of them crude, with her sticking her tongue out or holding up her breasts or pulling her shirt down to show maximum cleavage. She really had zero class.
Nevertheless, there were two pictures of LuAnn, which had been taken when she wasn’t aware of the photographer, and they were nice photos of her, so Joci used them. One of the two was a picture of LuAnn looking over the crowd at Jeremiah with what she would call longing in her eyes. Joci cropped out Jeremiah and just showed LuAnn looking off into space over the crowd. She didn’t want Jeremiah and LuAnn in the same picture if she could help it. Yes, it was immature, but so what?
There were great pictures of the boys and Jeremiah’s family. There was a cool picture of all of them standing at Rolling Thunder together before the ride. Her favorite picture, though, was the one she used to end the video. It was of Joci leaning against a wall at The Barn. Jeremiah had his left forearm leaning against the wall above her head. His right hand was on her chin, and they were staring into each other’s eyes. Both had soft smiles on their face. It was a beautiful, sweet picture of them. When she looked back at it now, she could see the love in her eyes for him. The look in Jeremiah’s eyes reflected the same thing. She couldn’t wait for him to see it.
She pulled the thumb drive from her computer and called Sandi.
“Hey, there. I’m leaving for the restaurant now. Do you need directions?”
“No, I looked it up on the Internet. I’ll be walking out the door in five. See you then.”
* * *
Joci put the thumb drive into the computer they would be using to show the video on a large screen in the back party room tomorrow night.
