39
Kris
I think Nicolette just asked me to marry her, and I agreed. Her eyes go wide as I call her bluff. “Now I’d be on my knee, but your legs are wrapped around me.” I smile, tightening my grip.
“You better meet dad somewhere in public.”
“We, better. I ain’t marrying myself.” There it is, I said it. I’ve been with this woman less than a month, and I’m prepared to marry her. Some people spend years together and never take this step, but I guess it’s true what they say when you know, you know, and this woman is my lightning in a bottle.
“You’re not kidding, are you?” She’s got a smile that spreads across her face.
My brow furrows, and I easily unwrap her from me, setting her to her feet, before dropping to one knee. Looking up at her, I then look at the bracelets on my wrist. “I got this one from my sister the day of the accident. She told me it would come off when I got my wish. This one, the yellow one, was hers, and I don’t know what she wanted, but I hope that maybe she thought like me. See, I just wanted her to love and be loved.” I start to take off my bracelet, and pulling Nicolette’s hand toward me, I wrap it over her ring finger, twist it, then get it around her wrist, so it’s something like a finger harness. “I love you, Nicolette, you are my the Tink to my Pan, and I was truly a lost boy before I met you. I want nothing more in this world than to be your partner in all things. Career, love, and life, will you be my wife?”
Nicolette bites her lip before nodding her head. “I don’t know what it is about you, Kristopher Kingsman, but once we stepped into the cabin, I felt more at home with you and us. I love you too. It’s crazy, I know, and I’m young, but I want to experience my firsts with you.” Her hands glide across my cheeks, and she kisses me.
“Well, I got news for you, Tink. Loving you is a first for me, so I guess we got that in common.” I pop her onto the counter, making her laugh. “Now, let’s go hunting for smexy eggs. I had the docksman hide twelve plastic eggs on the boat, from bow to stern, top to bottom. Some have little tasks, others promises of the future, and one has a crisp hundred-dollar bill. You game, fiancee, to be?”
“I need my top first.”
With a shrug, I pull off my tee and slip it over top of her. I love that she steals whatever shirt I wear for the day to sleep in. The idea that she wants to be wrapped up in my scent all the time wakes up a very possessive and primal trait inside me.
***
Two days on the water, two days of calm, of fishing, swimming, and listening to my soon-to-be fiancee belt, all of her favorite songs. She’s asleep now that we are headed back to the cabin. I may have worn her out, but she did ask for it, and who am I to deny a woman that knows what she wants? I have the people that I think will be awesome additions to her sound. Musicians that have tinkered with other bands when they needed stand-ins that I believe certainly deserve to be seen.
I didn’t deliberately give her a girl band, but it sort of ended up that way. There is Mariska Halls, who has a way with drums that make most men look like toddlers with a tambourine. Akira Wu plays a mean fiddle, not to mention violin, mandolin, and basically, like me, anything with strings. But she’s a purist, so nothing electric. To boot, the woman can sing. Idra Madden handles keyboards and has even helped me on an arrangement or two, so I think she and Nicolette will get along great. Which is important. If you can’t like and trust your band, you have little chance of good chemistry on stage.
For the guitars, specifically the bass, I tapped Gillian Concord. Her daddy ran with me and was one of the only members of the band that stuck by even after the London situation. When he told me his kid was playing, I couldn’t pass up the chance to work with another Concord.
There are two guys, Camden Rush plays the electric lead and a country staple, the steel guitar, almost as good as I did at his age, and while he’s pretty as the girls tend to say, he’s about as into girls as I am polyester blends.
Karn Aldin is a master sax player. While I don’t know how often we will use him, having a great woodwind player can make or break a song that should stir you, and if what I’ve seen in Nicolette’s journal is any indication, we are going to need every part of the orchestra at some point, which brings us to Blue Agate, yes that’s the boy's stage name, and no I have no idea what it was before he changed it legally. He’s a brass man, bugle, trumpet, French horn, harmonica. Okay, that last one isn’t exactly brass, but he can really make that thing sing!
As we pull up to the cabin, I see the Vagrant Vans, yeah, we have our own transportation services, and they were told to bring their equipment. I also note that there is smoke coming from the back of the property.
“Tink, we’re home. Looks like the band got here first, and either they’re burning the place down or fired up the outdoor kitchen.”
She stretches. “I swear I’m always tired anymore. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“I’d say it’s a combo of leftover cold and your body just sighing. I mean, it’s been a stressful bit, and even though stress got us here, there isn’t any actually around us right now.” I look toward the house, “Later tonight, I’d like to talk to you about something I am thinking about. It’s not bad-at least I don’t think it is—but I need some reassurance if that’s okay to ask of you.”
“Okay, I mean, you can ask me anything.” She grabs my hand. “At any time. I’m here for you to talk to.” Her smile eases my nerves a little.
“Same, now are you ready to meet your possible bandmat—”
“KINGSMAN!” I’m cut off hearing Markka Ahmed, my favorite stylist.
I smile broadly and, hopping out of the car, rush around to grab my girl. “You need to meet Markka. He is the one that filled your closet.”
“I’m all for someone one else filling my closet. I love clothes, I just hate all the walking around and people being annoying usually.”
Markka is standing on the porch with what looks like a couple of Mai Tais. “Little woman, I do hope you like fruti things because the girl power behind me is strong!” He slides down the banister like something between Gomez Addams and Mary Poppins.
My girl gives a look that says she’s unsure, but her grip on my hand also tightens. “How much girl power are we talkin’? I don’t do no catty crazy.”
“These are not those kinda gals. They have been ja—” He’s cut off by the sound of an electric guitar riff that makes Nicolette’s eyes go wide and Bowzer whimper. “Yeah-that.” Nicolette is grabbed as Markka thrusts the second drink into her hand and drags her toward the sound, leaving me to get everything back into the house. I swear I need people for this kind of shit. I’m missing all the fun!