Chapter 67

Juno

I shut my notebook with a snap and realized I was grinning like a loon. Looking down, I spotted Jack sitting on the edge of the jetty alone, dangling his feet in the water and sipping a drink.

Feeling a lot calmer and at ease in my mind, I hurried to put my notebook and pen away and go down to him. I was being an idiot. Just like the romance stories I wrote, I was letting past hurt stop me from embracing a possible future.

Of course, life wasn't always that simple, but it was a good starting place. I needed to push past my fears and live life anyway.

I couldn't wait to get outside and be with Jack again, but I grabbed a drink from the fridge on the way, wanting to make it clear I was coming to hang out with him and chill.

He was staring out to sea, so lost in thoughts that he didn't notice me approaching until I was only a few feet away. Immediately, I sat beside him, and he reached out to put his arm around me.

Leaning into him, I sighed.

"I like it here," I said.

He chuckled and gave me a squeeze.

"You looked like you found a good spot to write in," he replied a moment later, looking back at the waves.

"Yeah, I could get used to writing with that kind of view." I grinned. "And I thought about what you said. I think I can handle staying a little longer if you want me to. I'd need to go back to England eventually, but I can stick around as long as I get some writing done."

"You can write as much as you like, kitten," he said, beaming as he looked down at me. "And don't worry, I can't stay more than another week anyway. Band commitments will call me back to the mainland, but I can spend a week with you first."

I found myself grinning as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me once more. It was soft and tender, and he settled back again, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. A moment later, I dangled my feet in the water beside his, enjoying the way the water moved and made them sway a little.

The island was peaceful, unlike anywhere else I'd ever been, and I could almost see everyone relaxing while they were there, all the cares and worries dropping away.

While we sat there, talking about our favorite characters in books, several of the others wandered by, but no one disturbed us in any way more than to wave and acknowledge us being there.

"Come on," Jack said a little while later, his drink finished.

Getting up, he took my hand and pulled me to my feet. I let him haul me up but wondered what he had in mind.

"Let's have a barbecue," he added as he walked back toward the house. "It's the perfect day for it."

There were no arguments from me as Jack made his way around the side of the house again to a patio area. Tucked in one corner underneath a cover was a massive gas grill, and he immediately pulled it out and started preparing it as if he'd used it many times.

"I'll make some stuff to go with it," I said before giving him a kiss.

He grinned as I pulled back before watching me walk away, his gaze roaming my body. It was a look that sent heat and desire rippling through me, but any follow-up was going to have to wait. Sighing and already ready for the evening, I went inside.

I found Alma in the kitchen getting herself a snack and immediately grinned at her before telling her Jack's plan.

"Oh, perfect," she replied. "I'll tell Kai to gather the others, and then I'll help you prepare."

Grateful for the offer of help and the chance to talk to her a little, I relaxed and had a look in the fridge and pantry to see what was available to us. I marveled at how well-stocked everything was, given Jack was only here for a few days at a time and wasn't that much into cooking himself.

Admittedly, it was possible that the housekeeper had brought in so much food because, this time, we were a large group. It wasn't as if any of us could make a quick trip to the store to get more supplies in only a few minutes. It was a four-hour round trip, at least.

I managed to find some gluten-free stuff as well, grateful that someone had passed on the information to whoever was in charge of getting food, and then I began preparing a few different sides.

Alma reappeared quickly, and we were soon side by side, chopping up vegetables and making salads.

"Looks like everything is going well so far," she said, smiling at me.

"So far, everything is going amazingly," I replied. "Although I'm a little worried it could go wrong at any minute."

"That's natural," she said as she moved to tip the contents of her chopping board into a wok. "But I'm still here, and if you need me, you know what to say."

I nodded and grinned. It almost felt silly while we were safely in a kitchen together, especially after I'd just agreed to stay after the rest of the band went home.

But the fear wouldn't entirely go away, despite us managing to have a very silly conversation about the band's earliest days and how she'd met Kai.

By the time we were done preparing all the side dishes and had taken them all outside, the rest of the group was there, sitting around and chatting, and the meat was almost cooked.

We all dug in together, the evening drawing in around us while we took our time and ate and drank. I felt more relaxed than I had in a long time and talked more to Liam and Kai, the former giving me beginner tips on picking up a bass guitar and starting to play properly.

I'd played it as a kid because a friend had owned one for a while, but my family had never been able to afford lessons or an instrument for me. I'd had to let go of the idea, but now it was a possibility again. I laughed at how eager Liam was to teach me everything I wanted to know and marveled at how passionate he clearly was about playing well.

"You should hear some of our old heroes play sometime," Kai said a moment later.

Before Liam could say anything else or Kai could suggest a band name or song, Eve appeared and plonked herself on Liam's lap. She put her arms around him and immediately planted a kiss on his lips.

"I'm bored and cold," she said, only looking at him.

I grinned at the not-so-subtle way she was asking him to take her inside, and it made me think of Jack and the look he'd given me earlier. I got up and went to him. Within seconds, I was sitting beside him, his arm around me while he continued his previous conversation.

He smelled like barbecue in a smoky sort of way, having used some kind of wood chip to smoke and flavor the meat, and it was a strangely calming smell.

Feeling as if I was the luckiest woman on Earth at that moment, I rested my head on his shoulder and let the calming, deep tones of the men around me soothe me even further.