Owen backed out of his parking spot and drove off, leaving Daniel and me standing next to the black motorcycle. I was so overwhelmed that I didn't even know where to begin. I wanted to say about five different things at once. I gawked at him as I absentmindedly pointed in the direction of Owen as he drove away.
"That was Owen," I said.
Daniel grinned and nodded at me.
"He's so handsome."
"He's a Bishop," Daniel said with an irresistibly confident smile and shrug.
I couldn't resist—I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I missed you so much," I said.
"How much?" he asked, pulling me close.
"The most," I answered.
"I missed you at least that much," he said.
I cut my eyes toward the beautiful motorcycle that was parked next to us.
"Don't worry," he said. "I've been practicing."
I made a disbelieving face. "I'm not worried," I said. "I'm excited. I can't wait."
He grinned. "Are you ready, then?"
My face lit up as an answer to his question, and he smiled as he let go of me and walked over to the bike. I followed and stood by his side, watching as he stepped over the seat, straddling the bike. He seemed totally comfortable and confident, and I started to get on, but he said, "Let me get it started first, and then you can get on."
He had two helmets hanging from the handlebars, and he put one on and made me do the same. There was a little leather pouch on the side of the motorcycle, and he stashed our caps inside.
"I'm gonna start it now," he warned.
I took a step back and watched as Daniel started the engine. It revved to life with a loud, low rumble that startled me and made me giggle. Daniel grinned at the site of my reaction and then he motioned with a flick of his head for me to get on. He held the bike steady while I stepped on it and then he turned and explained what parts of the bike would be hot and that I should avoid touching them. He also explained that I should hold on tightly to his waist, which was an absolute pleasure, obviously.
"You ready?" he yelled over his shoulder. I could feel his stomach flinch when he called to me, and I closed my eyes, feeling way too giddy.
"Yes!" I said.
And without another word, Daniel took off.
He drove slowly since we were in a parking garage, but it was still such a thrill. I had never been on the back of a motorcycle, and the feeling of him balancing it underneath me was exhilarating. The low sound of the engine echoed in the parking garage, and I smiled when we got to the exit and he started going faster.
There wasn't a whole lot of traffic at the airport, and soon we were on city streets. I marveled at how different the atmosphere felt when riding a motorcycle rather than driving a car. Memphis was different than L.A., but it wasn't just that. I felt almost naked, like everyone was looking at us, which they sort of were.
I wasn't sure how long we had ridden, maybe 10 minutes or so, before we got out of the city and into the countryside. Daniel was a careful driver, but he drove fast enough that the wind whipped all around me, almost taking my breath away. I couldn't stop smiling. I was smiling so much that my cheeks would, no doubt, be sore from it.
Daniel drove into the woods. It was late afternoon, and the cover of trees made it even darker than it already was. The roads began to wind and bend as we climbed a hillside, and I breathed in the crisp, woodsy smell of the forest.
Finally, after we had driven some ways into the woods, Daniel found a landing near the side of the road and pulled off onto it. He stopped the bike, killed the engine, and put down the kickstand before looking over his shoulder at me. I stretched up and placed a kiss on his cheek causing our helmets to touch. This made him take his helmet off, and I did the same. He hung them from the handlebars before turning to face me again.
"Come here," he said. He swiveled at the waist to take hold of me.
"Come where?"
"Up here."
He held the bike steady with his legs while using his arms to lead me where he wanted me to go. I wound up in the driver's seat. He scooted back, taking my old seat and letting me have his. He positioned me on the front of the bike where I was facing him instead of the road. My legs laid over his—our thighs crossing each other. It was glorious. I reached out and grabbed one of his hands, bringing it up and placing it palm-down on my chest.
"This is how I feel right now," I said, referring to my pounding heart.
"Because of riding a motorcycle?" he asked.
"And because of my driver," I said.
He looked at me like he was checking me out, and I felt nervous because of it. I had been wearing a hat and the hairpiece followed by a helmet, so I was relatively sure my hair was in disarray. I ran my hand through it, shaking it out before focusing on him again.
"You're amazing," he said. "It's hard for me to believe you're on the front of my bike right now. You're like something a man would dream-up in his wildest fantasy."
"What about this man?" I asked, pointing at his chest.
He caught my hand, staring at me and lifting an eyebrow like he was a predator who had me in his trap. "I don't have to dream you up," he said. "I've got you right here."
I was so in love with him, so blown away by my current situation on the front of his bike, that my heart absolutely rattled in my chest. I was so stirred up that I had to make an effort to stop my teeth from clacking together. I bit my lip.
"You okay?" he asked sweetly.
"So okay," I said. I touched the side of his face. I was in absolute awe. "I don't know if I've ever been so okay, honestly, Daniel."
He touched the side of my face with his finger as he stared at me. "I don't know if I've ever been so okay either, Courtney."
We leaned toward each other, letting our faces get closer and closer. We moved at a torturously slow pace, closing the distance a millimeter at a time as we gazed into each other's eyes. I could barely breathe. Slowly, slowly, ever so slowly, we let our faces come closer together until we were only an inch or two apart. My lungs were barely functioning. I realized that Daniel and I were so close that we were sharing the same breath. His gorgeous, full lips were so miraculously close to mine that I could literally feel him breathing. We stayed there, letting our breath mingle and enjoying the beautiful, torturous moment for several long heartbeats.
"I think I love you," I whispered as I stared into his dark eyes.
The corner of his mouth turned upward into a slow grin. I was looking directly into his eyes, but I could see his cheeks move and knew that he was smiling at me.
"Me too," he said.
"You what?" I asked.
"Love you."
"Say it to me," I whispered.
"I love you, Courtney."
Our mouths were so close that he nearly brushed up against me when he spoke. This caused a feeling of warmth to spread inside me and I squeezed his hand.
"You do?" I whispered.
"Uh-huh."
"Enough to introduce me to your family?"
"Yep."
"Enough to take me on a motorcycle ride?"
"Yep."
"What else?" I asked.
"Anything you want."
"Enough to kiss me?"
"Uh-huh," he said.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"I heard I was your first kiss," I said.
"You were," he said. "And my second."
"And your third, and eighth, and all the way up to forever?" I asked hopefully.
"I think so," he said with a little smirk.
"Good," I whispered.
We stayed in that same position for a few more seconds until it was just too much temptation for me. I leaned forward, letting our mouths finally make contact. I reached up and grabbed his face, holding him securely as I let my lips softly and gently mold to his. I kissed him over and over again—all soft, tender kisses that reflected how genuinely relieved I was to see him. I didn't realize I had begun leaning into him until I broke the kiss and realized that our bodies were pressed against each other. Daniel was holding me by the waist like he never planned on letting me go. Our faces were still only about an inch apart, and he smiled at me and glanced around at our surroundings.
"We better get going," he said. "My mom is expecting us for dinner."
I pulled back and ran my hands through my hair, putting it in a ponytail with the hairband that was wrapped around my wrist. "How am I supposed to meet your family looking like this?"
"You mean looking like a gorgeous, flawless, famous rock star?" he asked, teasing me.
I playfully scrunched my face at him before getting off of the seat, and he helped me steady myself next to the bike. I turned and glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror. There was nothing rock star about how I looked after a plane ride, a motorcycle ride, and a kiss, but I didn't have anything between my teeth or sticking out of my nose, so it would have to do.
"Who's all gonna be there?" I asked.
"Ivy's the only one of us who still lives at home. I expect her to be home, but I'm not sure because I didn't tell her you were coming. My mom and dad will be there for sure, and Owen. I wanted you to meet Aunt Jane and Uncle Gray, but they're in Nashville for the weekend. The whole family would've come if I would have told them, but that could amount to about fifteen or twenty people, and I didn't know if you would be up for that on day one."
"I want to meet them all," I said. "But I'm happy to get to see your parents first—and Ivy and Owen."
I put on my helmet and Daniel did the same before I stepped back to let him start the engine. I was definitely not graceful at getting onto the bike, but he held it securely and made it as easy as possible for me.
He turned the motorcycle around and we headed back the way we came—through the woods and down a long country road before we entered Memphis again. We drove through a section of the city before entering a nice neighborhood where all of the houses were set back off the road with huge yards and lots of trees. He drove slowly and pointed at one house as we passed it.
"My grandparents live right there," he said, yelling over his shoulder.
"Michael and Ivy?" I asked, making sure I had their names straight.
"Yeah. It looks like they're home, but I'm not gonna stop right now. You'll meet them soon."
I stared at the house as we passed. I couldn't see much of it from the road, but I could tell it was a gorgeous brick home with tons of charm. We hadn't even gone another mile down the road before Daniel pulled into a long driveway. There was a beautiful, light-colored wooden house at the end of it, and my heart started beating like crazy when I realized his family was waiting inside. I squeezed him and leaned up to speak near his ear.
"Is this it?" I asked even though I knew the answer to my question.
He turned to look at me from over his shoulder with a nod. "This is where I grew up," he said. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," I said.