Courtney
Memphis, TN
It had been almost a month since Daniel surprised me by coming to California. He stayed for five days, and before he left, we made plans to see each other again the following month when I would travel to Memphis for his little sister's graduation.
When we made the arrangements, I thought I would be so busy that a month would fly by, but I was wrong. I had been busy, but that didn't change the fact that I went to bed every night wishing I had seen Daniel that day and counting the minutes until I finally got to.
Trevor flew to Memphis with me once it finally came time for my trip. The plan was that he would escort me there and then fly to his hometown of Buffalo, New York where he would take a well-deserved vacation.
I was planning on staying in Memphis for two weeks, and already I was dreading the time when my trip would be over and I would again have to say goodbye to Daniel. I had talked to his little sister, Ivy, on the phone a time or two during the last month, but she had no idea that I was coming to town or that I was planning on going to her graduation.
Daniel was close to his family and I knew they were aware that something was going on between us, but I didn't know exactly how much he had told them. The media hadn't found out about us either. This was one of the only bonuses of our relationship being long-distance. I was glad for Daniel that we had taken things slow, but I was more than ready for everyone to know about us, and I hoped the paparazzi would catch wind of me going to Memphis so that we could be photographed together.
"Don't be nervous," Trevor said as he handed me the bag he took out of the overhead compartment.
"How do you know I'm nervous?" I asked.
"You picked at your fingernails during the whole flight."
"I did?" I glanced down at my own hand realizing that he was right. My fingernails were all really short.
"You shouldn't be nervous," Trevor continued. "The Bishops are wonderful people, and they're really going to love you."
"You think?" I asked as we started to exit the plane.
"Who wouldn't?" he asked.
We paused our conversation to respond to the flight attendant who was thanking us as we walked off of the plane.
Trevor and I were professionals at navigating airports together, and we stuck right by each other all the way through the terminal toward baggage claim. I knew Daniel would be waiting there for me, and I got more and more antsy the closer we got. I heard a couple of people whisper my name while we were walking, but I had on glasses and my fake, curly hairpiece so I just pretended not to hear them.
Denise was a master at planning my travel arrangements, and I knew I wouldn't have to wait for my bag to come around on the carousel. There would, no doubt, be an attendant standing by to deliver it to me.
Normally, Trevor and I would find the person who was holding our bags and make our way over to them before scooting out of the airport. This time, I didn't care about my bags. This time, I was only looking for one person, and that was Daniel Bishop.
I had already begun scanning the room when we were halfway down the escalator.
"There's Daniel," Trevor said, seeing him first.
"Where?"
He pointed, and I glanced in that direction to find Daniel standing twenty or thirty feet from the bottom of the escalator. He had on a baseball cap, which was why it took me a second to find him. It was the first time I had ever seen him wearing one of those, and I smiled at how handsome he looked in it. He smiled back at me, and I could see his perfect white teeth even though there was what seemed like a crazy, unreasonable distance between us.
He had on dark jeans and a baby blue T-shirt, and I was so excited to see him that I unintentionally began bouncing up and down in this shaky, jerky motion. There were people in front of us on the escalator, and I felt like I wanted to hurl my body over them so that I could get to Daniel quicker.
"Oh my gosh," Trevor said, teasing me. "You better calm down, or he's going to think you like him."
I smiled and squinted at Trevor.
"I see your bags," he said, nudging his chin in the direction of the baggage carousel. "I'll go get them for you and meet you guys in a minute."
"Thank you," I said.
I grabbed his hand and gave it a little squeeze before stepping off of the escalator.
I ran into Daniel.
I hadn't planned on doing that, but there was nothing I could do to stop myself once my feet hit the ground. Thankfully, he came toward me as well, and we closed the distance in no time at all. He caught me in his arms, literally sweeping me off my feet. Both of us had on baseball caps, and our faces came so close together that the bills got in the way. Daniel held me in mid-air with one arm around my waist while he took the other hand and swiftly switched his hat so that it was facing backwards. He smiled when he got it into position and then proceeded to place excited kisses all over the side of my face and neck. I giggled as he did that and then set me back on my feet. I kept my arms wrapped around his neck, stretching upward to remain as close to him as possible.
"I misssssssed yooooouuuu," I moaned in his ear before placing several kisses on his neck.
"I missed you too," he said. He leaned to the side so that he could avoid my cap when he ducked to put a quick kiss right my lips.
"That was the longest month ever," I said, wrinkling my nose at him as I grabbed the sides of his gorgeous face.
I flexed my hands, letting my fingertips rub his cheeks. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of weeks, and the short stubble was now long enough to feel soft to the touch.
"You got some fuzz," I said.
"Whatcha think?" he asked, grabbing his own jaw.
"I think it's so handsome."
Trevor came to stand next to us with my bags. "You guys have an audience, just so you know," he said discreetly. "A few people are taking pictures over there. I didn't know if you were planning on standing here and being in love all day or what."
I smiled at Trevor and let go of Daniel so that I could hug him. "You're the best," I said. "Thank you for getting my bags."
"You're welcome," Trevor said, hugging me back. "I'm glad you're in good hands." He reached out to give Daniel a guy-hug with a hearty slap on the back.
"I hope you have a great time with your family," I said.
"Yeah, enjoy your vacation," Daniel said.
Trevor smiled. "I will. Tell Gray and the rest of the gang 'hi' for me. I'll see you both in a couple of weeks."
Trevor waved to us and then turned to head back into the terminal so that he could catch his next flight. I saw a group of people standing near the baggage claim who were staring at me and whispering and pointing like they were working up the nerve to approach me. I loved and appreciated my fans, but I knew from past experiences that moments like these could easily turn chaotic. Daniel saw my expression shift and he grabbed my bags in one hand and wrapped his other arm around my shoulder, urging me toward the door.
"I've got someone out here for you to meet," he said as we made our way outside. "I hope you don't mind."
"Who is it?" I asked.
We had already stepped out onto the curb by the time I got the question out of my mouth, and Daniel gestured to a truck that was parked right in front of us. The driver smiled and leaned over to open the door, and my heart began pounding because instantly, I realized who it was. He was so ruggedly handsome that I hardly noticed the scar that ran down the right side of his face. Owen.
"This is my brother, Owen," Daniel said, opening the door more fully so that I could climb in. I stepped into the truck while Daniel went to work putting my bags into the back of it.
"You must be Courtney," Owen said, smiling and reaching out to shake my hand once I was settled into the seat next to him. I went to shake his hand but changed my mind and instead went straight for a hug. He let out a little laugh at the impromptu change of plans, but he easily went with it and seemed thankful that I was content to skip the formalities. He smelled a little like his brother and I smiled, thinking that all the Bishop boys must smell good.
"I'm sweaty, sorry," he said after we hugged.
I giggled. "I was just thinking that you smelled good."
He let out a little laugh. "You must like the smell of motorcycles. I'm just getting off work."
I was so nervous that I didn't know what to say next. I wanted to say something about his scar being handsome, but I knew that would just be putting my foot in my mouth, so I kept quiet. Thankfully, Daniel climbed into the truck, offering some distraction.
"Owen offered to take your bags to my house," Daniel said. "He'll drop them off for you. It might be a few of hours before we get back there, so if you need to get anything out of them you should probably go ahead and get it now."
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see," Daniel said.
Rather than exiting the airport, Owen made a circle and got in the lane that was marked 'short-term parking'.
"Where are we going?" I asked again.
"I knew you would have bags with you, so I couldn't pick you up on it," Daniel said.
He pointed out the front window of the truck, and my heart dropped. In the distance, on the far side of the parking garage, I saw a motorcycle. It was a simple, matte black two-seater. It was clean and shiny, and it looked like it had just been driven off of the showroom floor.
Owen pulled up and parked right next to it, and I leaned over Daniel so that I could get a good look. It was the most beautiful motorcycle I had ever seen. It was perfect and simple, and it looked like it had been made just for Daniel. There was a silver emblem on the gas tank that said Bishop Motorcycles, and my heart swelled with pride when it sank in that his family had made that thing.
"Is that yours?" I asked with wide eyes.
Daniel nodded. I was tempted to mention the fact that I thought he didn't ride, but again, I thought better of it in present company.
"Are we going to ride it?" I asked instead.
Daniel smiled and nodded at me as he opened the passenger's door. We climbed out, and Daniel held the door open so that he could talk to his brother. I instantly started inspecting the motorcycle and imagining myself riding on the back of it. I wasn't nervous about it at all. I absolutely couldn't wait. There was nothing I could do to stop a huge smile from spreading across my face.
Daniel had been standing there saying something to his brother while I was preoccupied with checking out the bike, but I came up next to him, staring at him with excitement.
"Are we really getting on this?" I asked.
He smiled and nodded, pulling me close by wrapping his hand around my back. It gave me chills.
"Right now?" I asked.
His smile broadened. "Right now." He reached out and slapped the top of his brother's truck. "Just leave her bags in my living room, if you don't mind," he said. "We'll meet you at Mom's in an hour or so."
Owen nodded, and Daniel started to close the door, but he hesitated.
"Don't tell Ivy," he added. "She doesn’t know Courtney's here. I want to surprise her."
Owen smiled and waved as Daniel closed the door.
"It was so nice to meet you!" I called as the door closed. I cringed, knowing Owen only heard about half of my sentence, but he rolled down the window, smiling at me.
"It was great to meet you too, Courtney," he said. "I'll see you over at the house when you're done with your ride. Y'all have fun."