A Beat in Time (15 page)

It had been two weeks since I’d found Vince at the gas station. We’d been inseparable ever since. I’d called Jensen and asked him to meet me so that we could talk. I didn’t tell him what about.

The sun was peeking through the clouds as I sat sipping a margarita on my godmother’s back porch. Vince was down the way visiting the older couple whose house had been struck by lighting. I’d already brought the Q-tip a doggie snack and flowers for the older woman. After all, if their house hadn’t been struck by lightning, I would have met Vince much later on. Probably on a blind date. Either way, it seemed he was supposed to be in my life.

“You know what I think, Tata? I think the tarot cards were telling me I had to deal with my past. To firmly close the door on that part of my life so that I would be able to move on with Vince.”

“The tarot cards can hold different meanings, Serena, but I think you are right.”

“I feel…free? Does that make sense?” My godmother smiled and took my hand. “The Jensen that I loved doesn’t exist anymore and it took all this to make me see that.”

“Well, you have a wonderful man at your side.” My godmother motioned to Vince walking back up to the house.

Just watching him, my heart pounded in my chest. Just the way he walked was sexy. I chuckled softly and my godmother squeezed my hand.

“Even his gait screams confidence,” she said.

“I know,” I sighed, watching him dreamily. “He has been hurt as well, but he was willing to let me go, Tata. He was willing to let me find my own path.”

Watching Vince, I knew I’d found the man I could lose myself in, but still keep
me
intact. Vince was supportive of my career, he wanted me to do what made me happy. After all the years I kept my heart closed off, it was finally open.

“Hey, beautiful.” Vince winked. “You guys want me to cook tonight?”

“What an ass.” My godmother cracked up.

“I know, right?” I agreed.

Vince made us chicken carbonara, and both my godmother and I were in heaven.  We sat around the table and talked about what was next for Vince and I. My godmother offered to read the tarot cards and I took Vince’s hand.

“No. I think my future is right here. I don’t need the cards to tell me I made the right choice when there really never was one. Vince was it.”

Vince checked his watch and frowned. “I have to get to work. You’ll let me know how it goes?”

I pulled him down and kissed him. “I’ll stop by after I’m done.”

“Oh and—” he began.

“We’ve got the dishes. You cooked.”

Vince kissed my godmother’s head, grabbed his bag and shot me a wink on his way out the door. I helped my godmother clean up and then checked the time. I had somewhere to be.

“Good luck,” she said, taking my hands in hers. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

~*~

I texted Jensen to let him know I was on my way. We were meeting at the
eegee’s
in town. I nervously navigated the roads as I thought about what I would say. I didn’t want to hurt him, but he needed to know the truth. What I had now was what I’d always been afraid of having, but now that I had it with Vince? I had never been happier.

I pulled up and spotted his car. He was pacing out front as I got out of my Jeep. Our eyes met and he smiled.

“Hey, you,” he said.

I waited for something, some kind of reaction in my gut to those words and his voice, but nothing came. I almost breathed a loud sigh of relief. Right then, I knew I belonged with Vince.

“Hey!” I hugged him.

“Let’s eat.”

We sat in the back after we’d ordered and I nervously drummed my fingers on the table. Jensen reclined in the booth and eyed me carefully.

“You chose Vince,” he said, quietly.

“I did.” I nodded. “But let me tell you why. All these years, I kept thinking I was still in love with you, and I kind of was, the you from high school, but you’re not him anymore, Jensen. I needed to see you now, to put that part of my life behind me. I’ve closed the door and moved on and I think you should too. You shouldn’t be with someone just because you don’t want to be alone. I’d rather be alone and happy than with someone and miserable. I think you should be alone for awhile, find out who you are now. I would like to stay friends, if you can do that?”

“Of course I can. I’m happy for you, Serena. I’m glad Vince makes you happy.”

I took his hands and smiled. “You will always be a part of my life, Jensen. What we had will always stay with me, but now I have something to look forward to. A new chapter in my life; and for once, I can’t wait to start it. I wanted to thank you for the gifts you’ve sent. It took me a bit to figure it out, but I finally did. That was really sweet, sending me gifts out of my books.”

“Well, if you want to give them back, I’ll take the Nutella,” Jensen grinned.

“Hell no. I’m keeping that shit.” I tilted my head, looking at him. “It was also kind of cheating using Pink Floyd lyrics at my mom’s house.”

“I used what I thought would work. It didn’t though.” Jensen put a hand up as my mouth opened. “It’s okay, Serena. I get it.”

We talked about everything, his appointments with the shrink, his family, and his upcoming tour. He was so animated when he spoke of touring with the guys. I knew music would always be his true first love and I was glad he hadn’t given up that part of his life. I told him all about Vince, how I was still looking for a flaw in him.

“Why does he have to have a flaw? Take him as he is, Serena. If he leaves his socks on the floor, who cares? He cooks and cleans and does laundry,” Jensen mockingly swooned. “What an asshole.”

I busted out laughing. “Thanks for being my friend, Jensen Pratt.”

“Anytime, Serena. Anytime.”

~*~

I left Jensen, assuring him that we would hang out. I may be over that part of my life, but keeping him as a friend was something I had to do. I drove to the firehouse and smiled as I pulled up. Vince’s dick truck was parked off to the side and a few of the guys were out front smoking. I jumped out of the Jeep and one of them whistled low. I walked up to them and smiled.

“Is Vince here?” I asked.

“Yup. He’s in the back. It’s Serena, right? You came with him one day awhile back.”

“I am, and you are?”

“David. He said you’d be stopping by. Would you like me to escort you in?”

“I don’t think that will be necessary, but thank you.”

David narrowed his gaze at me and I pinned him with a look.

“Oh yeah, you’re definitely the one for Rossetti.” David laughed.

“Thank you.” I smiled wide. “You’re the best friend, aren’t you?”

“Yep. Go on in.”

I walked through the quiet halls of the firehouse in search of my man. I finally found him in the back, washing dishes. I leaned against the wall and just watched him. He had a spectacular ass. I could stare at it all day.

“I can see you eyeing me,” Vince said suddenly.

“Can’t help it.”

“How did it go?” Vince turned around and wiped his hands dry.

“It went well. We stayed friends. He invited us to the first concert. That is, if you want to go.”

Vince approached me with a grin. “Of course I do. I love his band. Him? Not so much.”

I pulled Vince into my arms and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me and I liquefied at his touch. I was up against the wall in the next second as Vince devoured me. My legs wrapped around his waist as we inhaled each other. Clapping broke out and Vince broke the kiss with a sheepish grin.

“Oops. Forgot where we were for a second.”

“Well, hell. Don’t stop now!” David laughed. “Free porn!”

“Fuck off, guys.” Vince laughed.

The guys left, laughing as they did. I took Vince’s hands and searched his eyes.

“There will only be you. I don’t feel the same way about Jensen anymore, okay? You are my life now.”

“Yeah?” Vince kissed me softly.

“Oh yeah.” I palmed his cheek. “By the way, Amanda and Ann are coming up to my house to visit.”

“Ann? Your publisher?” Vince visibly shuddered. “The horny one?”

“Yes,” I laughed.

“Am I safe?”

“Nope.”

~*~

Amanda and I sat out on my back deck watching Vince with Ann inside. From the moment Ann laid eyes on Vince, I could tell she approved. How could anyone not? Vince was everything I’d ever wished for in a man and I had to remind myself everyday how lucky I was that he found me on the golf course that night. Falling in love definitely changed the way I wrote. My writing had changed, and for the better. Vince was very patient with me, and supported my career completely.

He even told total strangers that I wrote gay love stories. He was so proud.

I chuckled and Amanda shot a look at me. She totally approved of Vince as well. They had a talk about me while I was keeping Ann from throwing Vince on the floor and fucking him. Apparently, Amanda grilled him and came away like everyone else, loving Vince. I’d never second-guessed being with Vince, not once, and he was actually excited about going to Breeding Blood’s first concert in the U.S.

“She’s going to eat him if you don’t save him,” Amanda snickered.

“Vince is a big boy,” I replied.

“So I hear.” Amanda waggled her brows.

Ann opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the deck with us. She turned to me and took my hands.

“Can I have him for one night? Just one?”

“No.”

“Dammit,” she pouted. “That is one impressive man, and I’m not just talking about his cock.”

“Such language!” I feigned shock.

“Oh fuck off, ya lucky bitch. You must feel that for days.”

I eyed Vince in the kitchen. He was cooking once again. I haven’t had to cook a meal in months because he loved doing it. I’d stopped trying to figure out what was wrong with him because I couldn’t care less. He
has
left the toilet seat up and my ass took an unfortunate dip in the toilet at two in the morning. I laughed at the thought and got the eye from Amanda and Ann.

“Just remembering something,” I told them.

“I’m so happy for you.” Ann hugged me. “He really is just…” Ann sighed comically.

“Yeah, he really is.” Vince and I locked eyes on each other and he smiled, waving a spoon at me.

I’d finally found someone who filled my heart.

I wasn’t going to let him go.

~*~

6 Months Later

“Yo, Rossetti! Your fiancé is here!” one of the guys called out as I walked up to the firehouse.

“Hey, David,” I waved. “How did it go last night?”

“Have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree, Serena?” he asked.

“Um, no?”

“See? They can get down all by themselves,” he huffed.

I laughed and then stopped my forward progress as Vince walked out in his turnouts. I shivered at the sight of him and a sly look crossed his features. I’d moved in with him after my lease was up on my house in Flagstaff. Although I’d wanted to move there since forever, my life was now in Tucson with the man that I loved. Vince wrapped me in his arms and kissed my forehead. He eyed my hand, which held a bag, and searched my features.

“What have you got there?” he asked.

“A sandwich with no pickles.” I waggled my brows.

“Damn, I love you, you know that, right?”

“You have told me about a dozen times, but it’s always nice to hear it.”

“How about I cook tonight?” Vince said huskily in my ear.

“You’re such a dick,” I chuckled.

Next month, I was going with Vince to New York to meet his mother. She’d seen pictures of me and according to her, I need meat on my bones. Oh, European families are so funny.

Jensen and I remained friends. He needed to heal himself first before he moved on with his life. He and Vince actually got along great once Jensen revealed he was still in therapy and knew he had a long way to go. He needed to be alone for awhile, to figure out who he truly was before he could give himself to someone else.

I understood that.

The wall I had put up after Jensen had come crumbling down around my feet and Vince was the one that had taken an ax to it. I was exactly where I was supposed to be and Vince and I? Well, we had our fights, but it was always about stupid shit. I loved him and he loved me. I have a very bright future ahead of me and whatever comes our way, well, we’ll deal with it one beat at a time.

THE END