Chapter Seventeen
Laci
It seems that nothing goes quite as expected, and one thing is for certain: I didn’t expect to go skinny dipping with Noah and come away with my virginity intact. The thing is, though, I didn’t have the slightest problem with it after he told me why he didn’t think we should have sex just yet. If you think about it, he didn’t even want to have sex; he wanted to make love to me, and I think that’s actually incredibly beautiful and romantic.
I thought that things like making love only happened in movies—with the rose petals and candles and music in the background like he described—but he was a living testament that sometimes, art actually can imitate life. The things that happen in movies can be a reality. As he drove home from the lake, I couldn’t help but hope that’s what would happen later on when we climbed into Noah’s bed to “cuddle” as he’d mentioned. I also wanted to talk about what would happen when I went back up north, but since he wanted to hold off on that for now, I wasn’t going to push the subject. It had been a nearly perfect night and he wanted it to stay that way. We would talk about it when he was ready to talk about it. That didn’t mean that I didn’t think about it, though.
I wanted to find a way to make everything work out, whether it was easy or not. After the night we’d just shared, I thought it was safe to assume that he wanted the same thing, but there was still the matter of how we’d make things work. There were so many questions we didn’t have the answers to and all of the unknowns made me a little uneasy.
As I lay down in bed beside him, what I did know was that I loved him. What I didn’t know was how exhausted I was. I did manage to pull out my phone, send a text to Sara telling her that I was spending the night with Noah and not to worry, then kiss Noah.
The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a dimly lit room alone. I padded barefoot out of Noah’s room and toward the sound of cooking in the kitchen. I found him standing in front of the stove wearing a ridiculous flowery apron and whistling the tune to the alphabet. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his middle, stroking his all-too-wonderful abs.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, touching my hand before he flipped a pancake. “Sleep well?”
“Like a rock,” I replied. “What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m making breakfast! I’ve already got the bacon made, and pancakes will be ready soon; do you want any eggs?”
“I could go for a sunny side up,” I answered, kissing him between the shoulder blades and going over to the coffee pot filled to the brim with the beautiful, aromatic liquid of the gods. I poured myself a cup, then poked around in the fridge until I found the cream and added it to my coffee. A good, long sip later, I sighed. “You know, it’s okay that we didn’t do anything last night because I’m pretty sure this is better than sex, anyway.”
“You’re lucky my parents aren’t here because if they were and heard you say that, they’d lose their minds,” he laughed. “And, you only say that because you haven’t done it with me.”
“Or at all,” I corrected.
He stopped what he was doing and cocked an eyebrow as he glanced over his shoulder at me, a smile I didn’t quite know how to describe slinking over his lips. “When the moment’s right, we’ll fix that,” he assured me. He tipped the pancake he was making onto a plate and carried it over to set down on the table in front of me. He handed me the butter and syrup and dished out a few pieces of bacon on the side before cracking two eggs into the very same pan that he’d cooked the bacon in. “This is my secret,” he mentioned. “I cook the eggs in the bacon grease. Gives them more flavor that way.”
“If that’s the secret to your washboard abs, I should eat eggs cooked in bacon grease more often.”
“Have you seen yourself naked? You’re perfect. Trust me.” He made my stomach do flips again; even though he said words like that almost daily, I never got tired of hearing them. When the eggs were finished, he put one on my plate and one on his own before he took a seat next to me and started to dig in. “So,” he said, his mouth full of a mixture of pancake and bacon, “about that conversation you wanted to have last night.”
“What about it?”
“Well, let’s have it.”
“Okay.” I decided to do what Emily always told me to do: cut right to the chase. “I don’t want things to end. I want to make this work even when the summer is over and we’ve both gone back to our jobs. But I’ve seen that little green monster of yours, and one thing you have to be aware of is that, as an actress, I might have to kiss other guys sometimes. It is part of the job.”
“I can handle that, as long as you’re aware that as a devilishly handsome bull rider who scores in the nineties, the ladies will be fawning all over me.”
“As long as you’re still all mine, I’ve got no problem with that.”
“We’ll have to work out the details, you know. Like who’s gonna visit who and when and how,” he said as he put another pancake on my plate and two on his. Then, he drowned the whole plate, egg included, with syrup and dug in.
“It’s not like a relationship can’t last without conjugal visits,” I said, winking at him.
“True, but they certainly might make things easier. I mean, we don’t know just how hard long-distance relationships are yet. And, it’ll be made even harder by the fact that we’re always together now. I mean,” he said, leaning forward to kiss me with his syrupy lips. “Aren’t you going to miss this?”
“I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t. But from what I can tell, my filming schedule runs seven days a week. You know how it is with show business; time is money, and they’re not going to give up a single minute they have to film, especially since it’s already been delayed by three months for my sake. So, it looks like if we’re going to see each other for the first few months, it’ll have to be because you flew in to see me.”
“That’ll be hard, but I think we can work something out. Almost any day that I’m not competing, I’m training. If I want to stay in the Ninety Point Club, I’ll have to work harder than ever, so I probably won’t be able to take more than a day off at a time.”
I shrugged. “It’s better than nothing.”
“And, I’ll have to make things painfully obvious to Jamie. She’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, so if I don’t spell it out explicitly, she might not get the message.”
Suddenly, a flare of jealousy stung me. “Who the hell is Jamie?”
“Oh, I never told you about her?” he said, his mouth full of pancake. “She’s our manager slash gate man, and the blondie I’ve been, well, semi involved with off and on for the last couple of years. She wanted to come back to Alabama with me.”
“I guess it’s a good thing she didn’t because then we probably wouldn’t be together, would we? And, you have a thing for blondes, don’t you?”
“Always have, toots. Take me or leave me. And, no, we probably wouldn’t. She’s far more territorial than you are. We’ve never actually been a couple, but she’s made sure to do her best to keep all other females away from me.”
“Just tape a picture of me to the front of your hat. That way, every time she tries to do anything, you can point to the picture of me and be like ‘She’s watching!’ It’ll totally freak her out!”
“You’re twisted.”
“Hey, you’re the one who fell for me, bub. Take me or leave me,” I mocked.
“I have no doubt we’ll figure out the details. The important thing is that we both agree to try and make things work.”
I put on my best Yoda voice and said, “Do or do not; there is no try.”
“Okay, fine, geek girl. We will make things work,” he agreed, shaking his head. “This relationship is going to make it, Lace. We’ll be okay. I promise.”
After that, there was nothing more to say. I crushed my lips against his and kissed him as deeply as I could.
***
I wasn’t so sure things would be the same after our conversation about the summer ending. For some reason, I halfway expected that we would be distant and less affectionate, but in reality, it was the exact opposite. I chalked it up to the fact that we knew we were going to have something to look forward to when the summer was over, but from that moment on, we were close as close could be.
The peak of the summer came two days before I was set to leave. Having spent the last two months teaching Jack all kinds of lessons that only made sense to Noah, Noah finally decided that it was high time to get Jack on the back of a mechanical bull. Aunt Sara was a little wary of it, but Noah assured her that it was a million times safer than riding a real bull, especially since there were cushions all around the mechanical kind. That was more than could be said for the real kind. Besides, he reminded her that Jack would need to ride a bull eventually, otherwise, what were all of the lessons for? Plus, most of the injuries that happened from bull riding were apparently not from getting thrown off, but rather from getting trampled, which obviously couldn’t happen with a bull that didn’t even have legs.
Naturally, Aunt Sara wanted to go along so she could “supervise,” which was actually code for “freak the hell out and scream every second of the ride,” but you know, it is what it is. We drove to the complex where one of Noah’s buddies had the mechanical bull set up amidst a huge sea of thick, fluffy pads to fall on, clearly ideal for someone just starting out. Aunt Sara insisted Jack put on a helmet, which Noah had already intended, and she even tried to get Noah to wear one, too. He pointed out that he was twenty-two years old and happened to be a professional, to which Aunt Sara tried to argue, but lost.
Before Noah let Jack get on, he gave him his own “starter kit.” Jack was ecstatic to unwrap a package and find a jacket with a chest pad, a glove, and a water bottle that displayed the words “Bull rider in training.”
He put on the jacket and zipped it up, donned the glove, and strapped his bike helmet under his chin, then attempted to go toward the center of the arena where the mechanical beast was waiting. Noah clapped a hand down on Jack’s shoulder and said, “Not yet, bucko. Watch the pro do it first. Really pay attention to my form; watch all of the little things we learned about. This is a big deal, and you’re about to become a man, so make sure you do it right.” He winked at Jack, and then strutted to the bull.
My endearingly arrogant boyfriend hopped onto the bull and pointed at me. “Well, Lace, I already programmed the settings, so hit the button!” he commanded. I complied, stepping forward and pressing the large green button obediently. I looked at all of the switches and knobs on the control panel and was instantly intimidated, but as he so adamantly pointed out, he was the professional. The machine roared to life, starting out slowly and simply. At first, it looked like it was no more difficult than riding a horse. It had a gentle rocking motion that almost looked comforting—that is until it started to spin. The rocking grew a little jerkier as the bull turned to one side, then abruptly to the other. Noah made it look easy, sitting there with one hand in the air and the other one fitted inside his glove as the metal beast did its thing. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, things kicked into high gear. The bucking was suddenly violent, faster, and more like what I pictured a real bull would do.
Noah’s focus became laser sharp, and he let out a shout of glee as he stared at the place where the head would be on a real bull. He lasted nineteen seconds, which I thought was pretty impressive, before dismounting and rolling out away from the still-bucking bull. I had never seen anyone ride a bull in person, and while this wasn’t quite the same, it gave me a new appreciation for what he did. There was no way in hell it was easy to hang on like that with only one hand as a bull did everything in its power to throw you to the ground. Bull riders weren’t just hicks, after all, it seemed. A little out of breath, he jumped up and jogged over to the control panel on which he hit a few buttons and watched the mechanics grind to a halt. He turned and raised his arms above his head in a “V” shape as the three of us onlookers erupted into applause. “And that, ladies and gents, is how it’s done.”
“You lasted nineteen seconds,” I told him with a smile.
“That’s because the first seven seconds or so were the warm-up. A qualifying ride is-” he said, pausing and pointing to Jack to finish his sentence.
“Eight seconds!” Jack chimed in.
“Right!” Noah told him, slapping his hand in an enthusiastic high-five. “So, from the time the thing goes nuts until you dismount, it’s got to be at least eight seconds. If you can’t last that long, though, it’s okay. Rest assured, I didn’t make it eight seconds on my first ride. It was months before I could. So do the best you can,” he said with a smile before suddenly turning very stern. “However, if anything starts to hurt, and I mean anything at all, you dismount right away, alright? I have seen far too many riders try to take on too much too quickly and end up dislocating a shoulder or breaking an ankle because they tried to hold on more than they should. Got it?”
Jack nodded vigorously. Yet another surge of affection for Noah hit me right in the heart. Exactly why I thought it was such a wonderful thing for him to be so protective and explain that my cousin could get seriously hurt, I don’t really know, but something about it just made me want to hug him tight and never let him go. It was nice to know I didn’t have to let go.
I guessed Noah saw the way Aunt Sara’s face blanched at the mention of injuries he had witnessed because he turned to the control panel and started twiddling the knobs. “Now, since this is your first time, I’m turning things down a bit. It’s not going to get nearly as fast or crazy as it was for me, alright? You ready?” At this point, even my guts twisted into a knot. Having already saved Jack once this summer was enough for me; I didn’t want to have to bound into action again for at least another year. Ideally, not at all. Regardless of any apprehension Aunt Sara and I had, Jack seemed to be more than eager to get on the bull because he jumped up and down a few times before taking off at a sprint to the center of the mats.
He perched himself on the saddle, gripped the handle, raised one arm, and nodded at Noah. “I’m ready!” he said.
“You sure? Make sure you keep your eyes on the eyes like I told you.”
“It’s a machine, smart guy,” my cousin sassed. “There’s no eyes.”
I adored that kid even more when he was a smart ass.
“You know what I mean!” Noah shot back. When Jack nodded again, Noah pressed the button and stood there with his hands on the control panel in case he needed to hit the emergency stop button for any reason. The rocking started, and then when it kicked into high gear, I was at least slightly relieved to see that Noah had really turned down the setting so it wasn’t even remotely close to being as violent as it was for him. Jack held his own and lasted a solid six seconds before falling off and landing facedown with a slight “oof.” Both Aunt Sara and I gasped, and Noah turned off the machine, then we all ran up to him to check and make sure he was okay. He rolled over so he was on his back and looked up at us.
“You alright, bud?” Noah asked.
“That was totally wicked!” Jack exclaimed. Aunt Sara blew out a lungful of air as he asked, “Can I go again?”
Then, Sara gasped again. “You’re bleeding!” she said, pointing to his hand, which was indeed seeping a small amount of blood. “What’d you cut yourself on?”
“Not sure,” Jack said, examining his cut. “I didn’t feel it.”
“Adrenaline’s a pretty cool thing,” Noah chimed in.
“Well, come on!” Sara fussed. “We have to get to the first aid kid and patch you up!” She shunted him toward the door, much to Jack’s chagrin.
Noah turned to me. “He did a pretty great job! Looks like he’s got it in him, after all!”
“He’s a tough kid,” I nodded. “Anyway, can I have a go?” The question popped out before I had the chance to stop myself. He looked at me like he wasn’t expecting me to ask. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting me to ask, but here we were.
He raised an eyebrow and said, “You sure you can take it on without the same level of training Jackson had?” He twisted his lips into a shit-eating grin, and I had to prove to him that I could do it—at least, I hoped I could.
“I think I can manage. Even without the protective gear. Bring it!” I commanded, striding to the bull and hopping on. I threw one hand in the air and told him to turn it on. I have no idea how long I lasted, but it seemed to be a pretty long time before my shoulder started to get sore. Remembering the very strict command Noah had given Jack about dismounting the second anything started to hurt, I used one leg and pushed off to the side and rolled away from the bucking mechanical bull. I sat up to hear a slow clap echoing off the walls.
“Impressive work, Princess. You held your own.”
“Huh, maybe I should be a bull rider, after all.”
“Stick with acting, honey,” he said, stepping forward to kiss me. “You looked like that dismount was pretty intentional; everything okay?”
“My shoulder started to twinge,” I said, rubbing the joint. “And, I’m not feeling a dislocated shoulder today, thank you very much.”
“Well, I am an expert at massaging sore joints,” he said, wrapping his fingers around my shoulder.
“Funny, I thought you were an expert bull rider.”
“That, too.”
I was definitely not ready for moments like this to end. I wanted to feel his fingers kneading into my shoulders for as long as I could, but unfortunately, two days from that point, I had to leave if I wanted to film the movie of a lifetime and believe me, I did.
***
It wasn’t actually as hard to say goodbye as I thought it would be. Sara, Jack, and Noah all piled into the car with me, and we made the forty-five-minute drive to Chattanooga. I hugged Jack and Aunt Sara and promised we’d Skype soon before I could miss them too incredibly much. They agreed, and then I turned my attention to Noah.
“Remember, you promised we’d make this work. I’m not letting you go without a fight, Noah Tucker.”
“You won’t need to,” he said with a smile. “I’ve already got a plan, Laci Daniels.”
“I love you.” With a kiss and a turn on my heel, I marched to the terminal and boarded the plane.
Filming started two days after I returned home, so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend catching up with Emily. Not that we needed it. The set was in the city, so it was only a half-hour train ride from my parents’ house, and I was easily able to stay at home and commute to the set every day, though some nights I just stayed in my trailer.
Before I had left for the summer, I couldn’t be in the house by myself, it was too fresh. But things had changed, I had a stronger sense of appreciation for the place and if I was being honest with myself if home was where the heart was. That house didn’t feel as much like home anymore. Without Mom and Dad, it still had all of the belongings it had before, but it wasn’t the same. My time at the ranch had made me see that it wasn’t just about the building, it was about the people. Being back home—and in many ways, it would always be home—started to feel more nostalgic than sad. It still had its tough moments, but I barely had time to acknowledge them with the grueling filming schedule.
Besides, staying there was only temporary. When the paychecks started to come in—and believe me, between Dad’s agency business and my acting, it did—Emily and I got an apartment in the city together.
***
Before I knew it, two years had flown by.
Life had thrown us a few curveballs, but Noah and I were still going strong. At least, we were until I started my role in an off-Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet. Between his schedule on the PBR circuit, my filming two movies earlier in the year, and only have a couple of weeks off in the summer, then having to jump straight into rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet, I hadn’t actually seen Noah in eight weeks.
He was supposed to have made it to opening night, but one of his sponsors changed the schedule on a photo shoot and he had to cancel. Being apart has definitely not been easy, but I thought we were doing pretty damned well with it. I had to confess, though, lately, I’d been getting a little worried. Noah hasn’t been acting like himself in the last few weeks. So, when he called and said we needed to talk, I didn’t think it was a good sign. I prepared myself for the worst.
My life was about to change.