I am with you is who I always want to be. And however messy life gets, whatever crap gets blown our way, I know we can handle it if we have each other. You are the words, Avery Jones, to the music in me.”
“Not good with words, huh?” She beamed a radiant smile. “I’ll wear your ring.” She held out her hand and he slid it on her finger, and then he kissed her, a long, possessive celebratory kiss during which he managed to shift her so she was on top of him.
And then there was no talking anymore for a long, long time.
Murmuring voices from the other room woke him up for the second time that morning. He scooped his watch off the nightstand and checked the time. Shit. They were supposed to be at the airport in forty-five minutes and it could easily take at least twice that long to get there.
He got out of bed, pulling on the terry cloth robe Avery must have laid there. He walked down the short hall and smiled recognizing the voices before he saw them. Arms folded, he leaned back against the wall and watched.
In her usual jeans and t-shirt combo, Avery had a piece of toast between her lips, and was dragging a suitcase to the door where Ray was waiting.
“You need to go ahead and wake him up.”
“No, Ray.” She straightened, her hands going to her hips. “Not yet. I want to give him a few more minutes. We were up late and…” She trailed off, spinning around as they became aware of his presence.
“She’s a bossy thing, isn’t she?” Marcus grinned, crossing over and pulling Avery into him.
“Not as bad as some,” Ray quipped, bending over to grab the handles of both bags. “You two better hurry. Everyone else already left. There’s a winter storm headed for New York City and the pilot is saying we have a very narrow window to get in.”
Avery turned in Marcus’ arms. “I’ve got something I want to show you first.” She took his hand and led him to the piano. Her journal was lying open on the bench. She picked it up, sat down and gestured for him to sit beside her. “Could you play ‘Shelter’?”
“Ace, I need to get dressed.” He glanced at his watch. “I have a digital copy of the song. You can listen to on my laptop.”
“Please.” She batted her lashes at him. “It’s still my birthday.”
“I realize that, you minx. You’re planning to play that card for all it’s worth today, aren’t you?” He took a seat, flexed his fingers, and began to play.
She shifted in beside him and sang.
We set sail with so much promise
Seeking treasures on some shore
But soon the whirlwind was upon us
I couldn’t reach you anymore.
Drowning in a sea of silence
Lost in the depths of my despair
Way past time I paid my penance
Harder still cause you’re not there.
Let your arms be my safe harbor
In them I’ll be free from harm
And my kiss will be your shelter
When life is cold to keep you warm.
What the hell must I be thinking?
I hear your voice above the fray
You clutch me, I’m no longer sinking
Your lonely beacon lights my way.
The easy or the hard way
The short way or the long
No matter where the wind may take us
It’s with you that I belong.
I know now what we failed to understand
Before things all went wrong
Our treasure wasn’t in some foreign land
It was between us all along.
Let your arms be my safe harbor
In them I’ll be free from harm
And my kiss will be your shelter
When life is cold to keep you warm.
When life is cold I’ll keep you warm.
Everyone was already in the lounge when they boarded the plane hand in hand. Trevor was typing on his laptop. Dwight was having an animated conversation on the phone and Sam and JR were snuggled up on the couch together watching the television.
Suddenly all eyes were on them.
Trevor’s mouth dropped.
“I’ll call you right back, Mom,” Dwight said. “I think Marcus and Avery are back together.”
Sam’s face broke into a huge smile.
“You’re fifteen minutes late,” JR said drolly. “What kept you guys?”
Avery raised a brow and Marcus chuckled, squeezing her hand.
Sam elbowed JR in the ribs. She came over and interposed herself between them. “Y’all really back together?” she asked hopefully.
Avery nodded.
“I’m so glad.” She gave Avery a big hug. “You treat her right this time or I’ll cut you down at the knees,” she declared.