Chapter 17
“Good show, guys,” a roadie said as he started to pull down the wires and went to clear the stage.
“Thanks,” Zac responded as he ran a towel over his face. He was dripping with sweat.
“Great job,” Mrs. Hanson replied as she came back with Ezra in tow. “Whenever you guys are ready to get going, just let me know.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Mom,” Issac responded slightly sarcastically.
Mrs. Hanson reflected a moment before speaking again. “Taylor, can I talk to you?”
“Sure.” Taylor swooped up Ezra and began to walk with his mother. “Everything OK?”
“Yes and no.” Mrs. Hanson took a moment to reflect on what she was going to say. “You really hurt Natalie when you brought Jody in today.”
“I thought you liked Jody."
“I really do, but I think it’s a little soon to be introducing her to everybody. Natalie looked miserable the whole show. It wasn’t exactly fair to bring someone like Jody in right away.”
Taylor furrowed his eyebrows and smoothed Ezra’s hair down. The little boy was nearly asleep. “What do you mean someone like Jody?”
With that, a peal of laughter could be heard coming from the wings. It was obviously Jody.
Mrs. Hanson motioned toward where the sound came from. “I mean that Natalie feels completely incompetent right now. There’s no way she can compete with someone like Jody. Jody’s got a focus, she’s working hard to get through school, she’s got a great head on her shoulders, cute as a button, she’s all Ezra talks about, and she treats Natalie with respect. How do you expect her to feel?”
Taylor shrugged. “I just kinda thought she’d want nothing to do with Jody.”
“It’s obvious that you care deeply for both of them.” Taylor was about to respond when his mother held up a hand for him to stay silent. “You know that I try to stay out of your romantic affairs, but keep them separated for now.”
Taylor mulled it over and nodded. “OK.” He meandered off and found Natalie. “He’s passed out cold,” he reported as she opened her arms to receive the child.
“Poor thing. It’s late for him.”
“Are you gonna hang around, or...”
“I think it’d be better to get Ezra to bed, so we’re gonna head on out.”
“OK, well, thanks for coming,” Taylor said awkwardly. Natalie reached up and kissed him on the cheek. Both felt the need to say something, but neither spoke. Natalie left soon after that.
“You OK?” Jody asked as she put a gentle hand on his lower back.
Taylor nodded. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah. I think I said goodbye to everybody.”
“Alright. Mom knows we’re leaving, so let’s get out of here.” The two exited out the back and into the brisk winter air.
Once they were out of view of anybody who might have remotely been a fan, Taylor grabbed Jody’s hand.
She looked over and smiled at him. “The song sounded great, by the way.”
“Thanks.” They took a few more steps. “And thanks for being so wonderful tonight. Mom loves you, Ezra was a given, and even the rest of the family thinks you’re great.” Jody blushed hard. They continued in silence as Jody gripped Taylor’s hand a little tighter. “I know today was a little surreal...”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“But you’ve been amazing. Not many people would be able to handle everything like you did.”
Jody shrugged. “I’m just dealing with what I’ve been given. No big deal.”
They were both silent as they approached Taylor’s apartment. “You’re staying tonight, right?”
“Um, yeah, I guess.”
“Good,” Taylor said with a smile, “because I wasn’t gonna let you go back anyway.”
Jody smiled as he let her into the apartment. He flipped the lights on, closed the door behind him, and loosened his scarf. Soon enough he had taken off his jacket as Jody did the same. He took her coat and hung both of them up in the closet.
“You look tired,” Jody noted as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“You do too,” he reminded her. “You had to work this morning.”
Jody groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
Taylor took the opportunity to kiss her suggestively. She returned his kisses with fervor, partially taking him by surprise.
They both parted with smiles. “You didn’t think I had that in me, did you?”
“Oh, I did. There’s a lot you think you can hide from me.”
“Really?” she questioned skeptically. “Like what?”
“Like...” he started, “you think I don’t see you looking at me out of the corner of your eyes.”
“And you don’t do the same?” Jody countered. “You think I didn’t catch that wink tonight?”
“So you were paying attention.”
“Of course.”
He kissed her lightly again, finding her more irresistible than ever before. His hands found her hips and rested upon them gingerly.
“I’m not going to break, Taylor,” Jody whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back as he put his forehead to hers.
“Let’s get you to bed,” Jody said as she took his hands. He tenderly ran them across her hips, up her stomach, and kissed them. Taylor led her down the stairs and to the right and into his bedroom.
“I’ve got extra pajama pants and a sweatshirt if you want,” he offered.
Jody nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Here you go,” Taylor responded after a moment of rummaging through his drawer.
“Thanks.” Both were absolutely exhausted. Taylor’s adrenaline had worn off and Jody was just plain tired. It had been a long day for both of them.
Jody changed in the bathroom and pulled her hair into a quick ponytail. She pulled the neck of the shirt to her nose and smiled. It smelled so good she nearly melted.
She went back into the bedroom and nearly collapsed on the bed. She flopped down face first and looked over at Taylor, who was laughing at her.
He sat down next to her with a thud. “Cute, not graceful.”
Jody rolled over to her side. “I’m sure you’re just as smooth as I am, Mr. Rockstar.”
“Mr. Rockstar, huh?” he questioned as he traced the side of her face tenderly with his fingertips. “Does that change things?”
Jody took in a deep breath. “Yeah, a little bit.” Taylor looked away. “But it’s not what you think. You’re still you. You’re still the mysterious, raspberry chi guy with the kid. That’s who I see you as.” Taylor was still silent. “Yeah, the rockstar thing is cool, but I didn’t...” Jody caught herself. Taylor’s head turned toward her immediately. She took a deep but shaky breath and, although she surprised herself, decided to just say it. “But I didn’t fall in love with the rockstar. I fell in love with you.”
“Did you just say you love me?” Taylor asked in complete shock.
Jody looked just as surprised. “Uh, yeah. I think I did.”
Taylor ran a hand through his hair and tried to take that in. It had seemed like forever since a woman had said something about love to him and although he loved Jody, he wasn’t ready to say it just yet.
“You don’t have to say anything.,” Jody recounted. There was a strange silence. “Not that this is awkward or anything.”
“Did you mean it?” Taylor questioned after a moment.
Jody rolled over onto her stomach and propped herself up on her forearms. “Yeah.” Somehow she just couldn’t look at him. She was mortified. Maybe she shouldn’t have said it so soon or at that moment.
Taylor laid back next to her and stared at the ceiling. He was thinking it all over and Jody knew it. “I’m glad you said it,” he started slowly. “One of us was going to say it sooner or later.”
That was Taylor’s way of saying it back at that moment. Jody accepted it and smiled. He reached over and found her hand. “It’s late, Jode. You wanna call it a night?”
Jody half-smiled. “Yeah. I’m ready for a nap.”
“Nap?”
“Yeah- a solid eight hour nap sounds pretty good right about now.”
Taylor made his way to his side of the bed and crawled under the covers. Jody followed suit on the other side and snuggled in. He hit the light on the nightstand and the two were entangled in the night.
They had reversed their previous perches, so now Jody was staring at the ceiling and Taylor was on his side facing her. She felt his gaze on her and met his eyes.
“I thought you were going to sleep.”
He extended an arm around her and she moved closer to him. He made a kissy face at her and she complied with a small laugh. By now they were both facing each other. He rolled on top of her and playfully kissed her. Jody giggled.
“What was that for?” she questioned.
“Just for being you,” he responded.
“Aren’t you out of good lines like that by now?”
He pulled away from her long enough to smile. “Never.”
“Give it a rest, Taylor,” Jody said quietly. “It’s late.”
“Are you working tomorrow?”
“Nope.”
“Good.” She saw him grin. “I want you all to myself tomorrow.”
“Can we just go to sleep tonight?”
Taylor nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He kissed her again and moved off her.
The feel of his body lingered on her. She generally wasn’t the type of girl to spend the night with a man, but things felt different with Taylor. She had a sense that he had been there, done that, and was ready to move on. Jody had a distinct feeling that she could grow with him. It was a thought that both thrilled and terrified her simultaneously.
Her thoughts left her as she curled up next to Taylor and breathed him in. His scent provided her with an unearthly comfort. It wasn’t too much longer before she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Taylor, on the other hand, had a fitful night of sleep. Contrary to how tired his body felt, just enough adrenaline was pumping to keep him awake. Instead, he’d look over at Jody to see her slumbering softly. He’d smile and yawn and carefully roll over to attempt sleep again. Maybe he’d doze for an hour or so, but no substantial sleep ever took hold.
Every time he awoke, he always reached for her- but Natalie wasn’t there. In her place was another beautiful girl, one that he loved in so many ways. However, she wasn’t Natalie, nor would she ever be.
The last thought lingered in his brain and bounced around before Taylor conceded to exhaustion. The day had left him emotionally drained and he felt good as he drifted off.
A bright ray of light shone on Jody’s face, nearly forcing her out of her sleep. The sun had risen and despite the angle of it, it was past 11 AM. Upon opening her eyes, Jody smiled. There was Taylor, his hair a mess, snoring slightly, and passed out cold. It took all of Jody’s willpower not to reach over and smooth the stray strands of hair. She had felt him move during the night and although she hadn’t fully woken up because of it, she knew he needed his rest. The sun glared down at her, so she rolled over and away from Taylor. He stirred, so Jody stayed where she was and didn’t move until she was sure he was asleep again. Jody, in her new spot, closed her eyes and fell back to sleep for a few more minutes before she awoke again. This time she made her way out of bed carefully and went to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and redid her hair. After readjusting, Jody went back to the bedroom, checked the clock to see that it was close to noon, and decided- reluctantly- to wake Taylor.
She crept around to his side of the bed and knelt next to him. She smiled as his hair flopped in his face and his eyes were heavy with slumber. His face was serene and his mouth moved every so often as if he was speaking to someone.
Ever so gently, Jody reached up and brushed his hair back. This caused Taylor to stir and open his eyes.
He struggled to focus on the girl with the dark brown hair and the big eyes. For just a split second he could have sworn she was Natalie, but then he noticed that her smile was different and concluded that it was Jody.
“Morning, sunshine,” she greeted with a smile. Taylor yawned, rolled over on his back, and stretched.
“What time is it?” he asked groggily.
“Close to noon,” she responded softly.
“How long have you been up?”
Jody shrugged. “Not too long.”
Taylor rolled back toward her. “How’d you sleep?”
“Pretty well.”
He nodded and yawned again. “Good.” He looked at her and patted the space on the bed next to him. Jody complied and sat down. Taylor looked at her and smirked. She had obviously redone her hair, although small wisps and flyaways hung around her face. Even without makeup he could see in his sleepy daze that she was still attractive.
Jody looked back at him and smiled. His hair was a mess, his clothes were crumpled, and yet she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. This was the sexiest he had ever looked.
He reached up to her and she placed her face in his hand. He drew her closer as he ran his thumb across her lips before kissing her so softly she doubted he even kissed her at all. It was she who lingered near his mouth before gently pressing her lips to his again. She loved the way he tasted, the way he made her tingle all over.
They spent the day in bed together. Although no physical love was made, they felt as if they had learned every inch of each other’s bodies. Every time they kissed it resounded throughout their bodies. They took turns holding each other and speaking in hushed tones, only getting up for the occasional food or restroom break.
Taylor looked back at the clock on his nightstand. “It’s almost five,” he said gently.
Jody sighed. “I should get going. The trains are going to get crowded.”
Taylor pouted. He didn’t want to let her go just yet. He tenderly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“I don’t want to leave either, but I’ve gotta get home.”
He looked at her with the half-smile he knew she couldn’t resist. “You sure?”
Jody smiled. “Taylor, that’s cheating and you know it.” He kissed her softly. “Hey now,” she started and was cut off by another kiss. “No fair.”
“I know.”
Every inch of Jody’s body was telling her to stay with him. The logic in her mind told her that she needed to get up, but she felt so secure for the first time in quite a while that she was frightened that if she moved she’d never have this feeling again.
“Stay? Please?” He could see her internal struggle. He knew she wanted to stay, but her mind was thinking about the next day and what was going on.
Jody sighed again. “Taylor, I really should get going.” She kissed him lightly. “We can continue this another time.”
And they did. They spent at least two nights together a week, more when Ezra wasn’t around. Neither Taylor nor Jody wanted to confuse the child or give him reason to accidentally snitch to Natalie that Jody was spending the night.
Chapter 18
Index
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