Page 24 of Anchor Grey
I covered his hand with mine and thanked whoever it was that put him in my path because there was no way I was lucky enough to meet someone like him on my own. “I love your lyrics,” I whispered. “So full of emotion and fire.”
“Now I won’t lie and say you don’t inspire me,” he murmured and pressed his lips against mine.
“Well allow me to inspire you even more.” It was corny, but we were in love and alone in the middle of nowhere and all that mattered was the smile on his face and the light in his eyes every time our eyes met.
Twenty
Devon
The days were so much longer here but time moved fast just the same. By the time a week had gone by, I was not anymore ready to leave than the day we arrived. And as I watched Johnny standing on the deck wearing some sweatpants and a t-shirt drinking his morning coffee while staring out at the river, I knew he wasn’t close to ready.
“What time are the guys getting here?” I asked.
“Mateo said around noon, so probably closer to three. You know how they are,” Johnny said and walked over to where I stood at the slider. The weather had cleared and even the snow had mostly melted.
“Are they still predicting more snow?”
“Yep, later tonight. So, they’ll get here just in time to enjoy it without driving in it.”
“That would be great. I’m excited to see them,” I said. That was one really good thing about being in Anchor Grey. I met three of the best friends I’d ever had, and I wasn’t willing to give that up.
“Me too, baby, but I’m not going to lie. I have loved having you all to myself and I’ll really miss that.”
“You know we can change that. If we want to take time off, we can,” I said and hoped it was true because I knew nothing about managing a band, but anytime we asked for time off we had to do it well in advance so they could plan it.
“It’s not that easy,” Johnny said, with the same faraway look he came here with.
“What if we change it?”
“The only way that can happen is if we leave the band. Sorry, but it’s just how the business is. Management works to get usbooked and they want to make sure we have as much visibility as possible to get the next booking. The best way to do that is for us to regularly play so fans can follow us and hopefully bring new fans. Plus, it’s guaranteed money for management that they can keep putting into promoting us.”
“So, it’s great for them, but not for us,” I said as I thought about how much time we put into playing each week. Not to mention travel, set up, teardown, practice, and all the other stupid little things that I tried not to think about.
“We’re the worker bees for sure. No matter how they try to make it sound like they’re doing all the work, ultimately, it’s on us.”
“All the years I dreamed of playing in a band I never knew any of that. My uncle was always miserable either from playing too much and not seeing his family or worrying they didn’t have a gig. I wish it could just be fun. When we’re practicing and everything comes together . . . well, it’s heaven.”
He pulled me into his arms and buried his face in my neck. “I love that part,” he whispered. “When we’re all together and the energy and music are flowing between us all. It’s a thing of beauty.”
“This week has been the longest I’ve gone without practicing in years. It’s been nice,” I said, and it was true. Johnny gave me another focus, and I liked it.
He puffed out an amused burst of air that made me shiver. “My guitar probably thinks I’ve sold it or lost it somewhere. This is the longest it’s been in the case since I bought it.”
“When was that?” I asked.
“Oh, I guess I was around thirteen. I had grand illusions of playing in a band and making millions of dollars.”
“I thought the same thing. So far, we’re lucky to make thousands,” I said and chuckled at how naïve I’d been.
“Let’s tell Mateo and Jeremy how we’re feeling and see what they think. You and I should figure out what we want to do individually with the band, but I won’t give you up. You’re my world now,” Johnny said, and the way he cradled my face in his hands and the sincerity in his eyes told me everything.
“I like that idea and I still have some things to consider before I decide what I want. But I love you, and if we’re in the band or not that won’t change.”
“Promise me, Devon. I won’t be able to make this choice if I thought I’d lose you.”
“I would never want you to give up anything for me and I want you to be happy. Whatever it takes,” I said and forced a smile.
Twenty-One
