Page 15 of Open Road (Tattooed Hearts Duet 3)

Lennox kept looking at the picture on her phone as we walked back toward the front, where we were to meet the brothers. Slade saw us as we approached and sighed, knowing the look on her face.

“I’m not buying you a horse, Lennox.”

She looked up, and I swear she had tears in her eyes. “That’s rude. I wasn’t going to ask for one.” She strolled off, taking Thane's hand, and pulled him toward the van as Slade looked at me, giving me a look.

“She was.” I nodded, smirking. “She was in heaven. If you ever screw up enough to need an epic ‘I’m sorry’ gift, well, you already have half a trailer to haul it,” I joked, dodging his arm as he reached out to smack me. Laughing, we walked back together, ready to head to the rest of our activities for the day.

* * *

After lunchat one of the places Thane had picked out, we made our way to the Moto Museum, where I feared we were about to find Slade in a drool coma as he looked at all the vintage motorcycles from over twenty different countries.

“And he made fun of me for the horses,” Lennox hissed, finally drawing Slade’s attention.

“Peach, the advantage of a motorcycle over a horse is it doesn’t shit bigger than you.” He lifted his eyebrows, making Lennox laugh, even if she would deny it.

“We should hit Citygarden now, before it gets too late,” Thane said, looking at the time. Slade sighed, acting pained to leave the motorcycles, but eventually walked out, picking Lennox up as he did and throwing her up into his arms.

“Having fun?” I asked Thane as we followed them back to the van.

“Yeah. It’s nice getting out and doing things with Slade like we used to.”

“Any thoughts on what you want to do after our road trip?” I asked, sensitive to the topic since I seemed to have found myself in the same boat.

“Not yet. You?”

“Nope. Do you think ‘lover boy’ is a job title to aspire to?” I asked, laughing at the end.

“For some, it probably is.”

Laughing, we climbed into the van and headed to the outdoor park, an urban oasis featuring modern and contemporary art, native plants, and six rain gardens. Walking through together, we saw a giant eyeball, a giant deer sculpture, and so many other natural and man-made sculptures; my brain was full of all the magnificent sights.

“This place is amazing!” Lennox beamed, spinning around with her arms open wide.

“Come on, I’m hungry. Let’s grab some food, and then it should be time for our tram ride in the Arch,” Slade said, pulling her toward a downtown restaurant.

None of us argued. The day had been fun but long, and I was famished. After a delicious meal, we headed toward the Arch, the sun beginning to set as we neared. Initially, we’d planned to do it first thing, but Lennox had changed her mind after seeing it lit up at night.

Standing in line, I shifted on my feet, the feeling of being watched pricking me again. I’d felt it all day but assumed it was just my paranoia about being outside Kentucky with everything that had gone down last fall.

“What is it?” Slade asked, noticing my shuffling.

“Nothing.” I shook it off, not wanting to put him on high alert for nothing.

Lennox peered back at me but turned toward the front when the clerk motioned. “We have four tickets reserved under Lennox James,” she said, her southern charm shining through.

“Ah yes, Miss James. Here you go. There was also something left for you.”

I looked to Slade, apprehension filling my gut. The lady handed Lennox her four tickets and slid across a familiar-looking envelope she retrieved from under her desk. Lennox picked it up, finding her name on the front.

“It must be from Babs,” she breathed, looking up at us, her eyes big. “Should I open it now or wait?”

We moved away from the ticket line and went to stand in the tramline. It felt like herding a bunch of cattle to me. One line to the next.

“You might as well open it now. You’ve got the time,” I said, motioning toward the hundred people in front of us.

Lennox nodded, opening the envelope and pulling out the letter. The three of us watched as she read it, a smile crossing her face here and there as a tear tracked down her cheek. In the end, she nodded, a soft chuckle leaving her as she folded it back into the envelope.

“What did it say?” Slade asked, never able to wait.

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