Here in Joey’s arms and watching Jess and Gage have their first dance, I’m filled with nothing but happiness. Jess found her happy-ever-after, after so much grief. And being here with Joey makes me think that one day I may have mine. It’s like what Cam said the other day: you know you’ve found the perfect match when you find someone who can make you forget you were ever broken in the first place. Joey does that for me, just like I know Gage does for Jess.
The ceremony today was extremely beautiful and extremely emotional. There were people who knew Dave there, and seeing Jess moving on was a reminder of Dave’s absence and hope that her life is able to go on in the best way possible. She has found true happiness again with someone who loves her daughter as much as he loves her.
Jess’s dress fit her casual, happy personality to perfection, and when she walked down the aisle that was covered in peach and white rose petals, everyone gasped. She was escorted by Bob Bosi, Dave’s dad, which added another emotional part to the wedding, showing to everyone how united their lives truly are. When Jess’s parents passed away, the Bosis became like parents to her, and seeing him proudly hand his son’s wife over to another was something special to us all. We all wish Dave was still alive, and the sting of sadness at his loss always looms, but Gage is a man we all know he’d want for Jess and his daughter since he isn’t here to love them anymore.
When Joey came into view as I led the way down the aisle, my heart raced. He smiled knowingly at me when our eyes met, and it took everything inside me not to run down the aisle into his arms. It isn’t often that I get to see him dressed up that way, and I had to say he was the most gorgeous man up there. The gray tuxedo fit him perfectly and framed his masculine frame flawlessly. While our black dresses weren’t the summery peach color Jess was hoping for, it played nicely against the whimsical colors that decorated the venue and Joey seemed to love it. He always likes it when I wear black, saying it brings out the green in my eyes and auburn in my hair.
My parents were more welcoming towards Joey than I expected when they met him tonight, but I think it’s because the Bosis and Cam’s dad got to them first. My mom said that once she saw the way he looked at me when I was walking down the aisle, all of her concerns faded away.
Now, sitting here in Joey’s arms, watching our friends together, the world seems perfect. It’s as if he was the missing piece to the puzzle of my heart, making me feel whole for the first time in my life. He scratches up and down my arm the way I love, with his lips pressed against my head in one constant kiss, while he hums along to “Sky Full of Stars.”
“I have a surprise for you,” he says in in a soft, alluring voice that drips with want, and my mind goes crazy with all of the things he could be planning to do to me.
I look up at him and can’t hide my mischievous smile. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”
He nudges me and laughs. “Get your head out of the gutter, Kit Kat.” He kisses me square on the lips through his laugh, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
We’ve had many surprised glances tonight when people realized we were a couple, and I have to say, I noticed quite a few glares from some of the women too. Joey’s affection towards me was impossible not to notice today and I’ve loved every minute of it. Any time I would catch a woman approach him when we weren’t together, I didn’t even flinch. I was too happy to let any of that bother me, and he’s done nothing to ever make me question his love and faithfulness to me.
We sing along to the song together, watching Jess glide along the dance floor gracefully in Gage’s arms. Joey plays with the loose French braid that has held up in this heat surprisingly well, and presses his lips to my ear. “Gage asked me to play something for them on the piano with him. And since you let the cat out of the bag about my amazing talent, he hooked Holden and me in to another one of his romantic gestures for Jess.”
Joey always plays off his romantic side, but the more time we spend together, the more I think he’s the most romantic man in the world, because when he says or does something, he leaves no doubt that he means every word. “Awesome. Go blow me away up there, babe.” I just called him babe. What’s come over me?
“Please don’t say blow,” he says jokingly as he adjusts himself. “It’s hard enough sitting here, this close to you, when all I want to do is take you home and never come out.”
“I knew once I gave it up to you, it’s all you’d want me for. Once a playa, always a playa.” I try to joke along with him, not realizing until it’s too late, I’ve pissed him off.
He straightens up and looks down at me intently. “Will you ever forgive me for my past?” He kisses my lips sadly.
“There’s nothing to forgive, Joey. Our past is our past, and I just want to think about our future. Now stop acting like a girl and go make me swoon.” I hadn’t meant to upset him; I’m just used to making fun of his past.
He smiles and I see the glimmer of excitement flash back in his eyes when I discreetly stroke his prominent bulge. “Fuck Kat, after that damn song, I’m taking you home and we aren’t coming up for air until I have to leave for work.” He takes both my hands and kisses my wrists, finding a direct line to my heart. “I love you, Kat. You’re my plaster.”
I laugh. “I’m your what? What the hell does that mean?”
“It’s a term I made up when Jess was being an idiot with Gage. It means you fill all the places in my heart that have been empty. When you’re gone, I feel like I’m broken. Just being close to you makes me feel whole.”
“How you can make something like plaster sound sweet and sexy is beyond me, but it’s one of the many reasons I love you. At least now I know a cheap gift I can give you for your birthday.”
“Cheap ass,” he jokes and kisses me again, this time, far too intimately for those around us, since catcalls begin all around. “Fuck, now everyone sees what you’ve done to me. You’re seriously ruining my rep.”
Joey has lots of his pals from the firehouse here, along with a lot of Dave’s old buddies. Gage has become close with Dave’s old partners since he’s such a large part of the GoodFellas Foundation that Jess started in Dave’s name. They have helped hundreds of families in the military and police force afford rehabilitation or financial support when a loved one is injured or killed in the line of duty. It really is a testament to what great people Jess and Gage are for all of these people to be here celebrating their union. Even if it does mean they give Joey and me a hard time. Fact is, I know all of these guys have been trying to get the two of us together for years, just like the others.
When Joey and Holden make their way up to the stage with Gage, you could hear a pin drop. Even though all these guys are in their thirties, they have every woman shaking at the knees with lust, and it’s obvious. Wives are quieting their husbands, and I notice the men all sit a little straighter when they watch our men reach the stage. Not only do the three of them look like they’re straight out of a Vogue cover shoot, the fact that they are all musically gifted is another whammy for the egos that surround us. Jess calls over to me, and I go over to be by her and Cam’s side to experience this together with my best friends.
When the song begins, I instantly recognize the tune Holden and Gage strum on their guitars. Jess holds her hand up to her chest and bounces along as Gage starts singing the words to “Ink,” one of their favorite songs. I’m surprised when Joey and Holden sing back-up and they sound better together than if Coldplay where here playing for us themselves, although I may be a little biased.
“Did these guys take lessons on how to be sexy when they were young? Goddamn, they can all sing and dance. They’re like Justin Timberlake.”
Cam laughs. “No, Justin is also a scratch golfer—they all suck at golf.”
As the three of us sit there and watch the guys playing together as if it’s something they do all the time, it makes me wonder when they even had a chance to practice together. Hell, I’ve only heard him play a few times before and now here he is, playing for tw
o hundred people. Now that I’ve had a chance to see the way his hands move effortlessly across the keys, I don’t think I’ll let another day pass without him playing for me.
Joey’s full of surprises and I’ve loved every single one of them so far. I can’t wait to see what our future could hold together.
Joey
“All of Me”
I can hardly keep busy enough at work today. I’d hoped there be more action with summer only a few weeks away and vacationers already taking advantage of the early heat wave. I wonder whether being away from Kat will always be this hard, or whether it will get easier as time passes. I never minded being gone from home for weeks at a time, but as the fire season draws near, the times where I’m away for weeks at a time will feel nearly impossible. I know the way I’ve been thinking about Kat and a future together is crazy, but these days, I can’t imagine one more day without her. Being in love is so much more all-consuming than I expected, I’m glad that it didn’t happen for me until now. Because now, I have no doubt that I will do anything it takes to spend the rest of my life with her. I have no questions whether there’s someone else out there for me. I’ve been with all kinds of women before, but not one has touched my heart the way Kat has, or even come close.
She’s.
My.
Plaster.
I remember the time I came up with that phrase when Jess was torturing herself by breaking things off with Gage. Jess was being such an idiot back then and it took the group of us intervening to make her see it. I would think there’s too much history between Kat and me to have something like that happen. Our lives are interwoven in ways that would be impossible to untangle.
I’m counting down the hours until I can go home tonight, before heading back to work for another four days straight. I told Kat I’d be home late, and not to wait up, but now I’m not sure I can wait until tomorrow to see her. It’s becoming harder to sleep when she’s not in my arms and I’m regretting telling her to go to sleep without me.
My phone chimes with Kat’s ringtone and I check her text with anticipation. She has been sending me sexy messages with songs attached that make me go crazy when we have to spend time apart, and I’m always waiting with excited anticipation for what she’ll do next. She has me doing things and feeling things that I never thought I’d be capable of. All for this girl. When I look down at her message, instead of seeing a picture of her cleavage, I see words that fill me with worry.
Kat: Call me ASAP
I don’t know why it makes me worry so much other than it’s what I wrote to Holden the day Dave died in my arms. I walk out of the room filled with my buddies and out to the garage, dialing her number as I walk.
“Are you alright?” My heart’s in my throat and my palms sweat. I’ve got to hold it together.
“I’m fine, Joe.” I love that she’s started calling me Joe. No one has ever called me that, and it’s never sounded sweeter. “I just got off the phone with Kevin.” She continues to tell me that he called her to tell her his mom died, and asked her to come up to see him and his family. A familiar feeling seethes through me when Kevin’s name is mentioned. I had thought he was finally out of her life for good, and although I feel bad that the bastard lost his mother, mostly because I know Kat has always thought so highly of her, I can’t help but question his motives for needing her right now. She isn’t his anymore.
“I’ll go with you. I can get the time off for a funeral if I have to.” I try to sound smooth and cool, but it comes across more possessive and pathetic when I say it aloud.
“I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”
There’s a long silence. I can’t find the words. I know I shouldn’t worry about her being with him, but I do. Something in the back of my mind keeps telling me things are too good to be true between us. Something in my mind keeps telling me that I don’t deserve someone as loyal as Kat.
“Are you going up just for the funeral?”
“I told him I’d come tomorrow after school’s out. The funeral’s Sunday.” I can hear the hesitation in her voice.
“That’s three days, Kat. Three days away from me, three days he gets to have you back. I’ll be back on duty Monday night and won’t see you until the end of next week then.” I can’t hide my irritation. Something about that fucker pisses me off. He’s not right in the head. I’ve always known it. He’s the most deviant narcissist I’ve ever come across and I have complete confidence that he’ll do anything he can to manipulate Kat and use this tragedy to his advantage. I wouldn’t put it past him to use his mom’s death to try to get Kat back.
“I don’t want to be away from you either, Joe, but I have to go. You understand, don’t you?” I hate that I’m making her worry more right now. She lost someone close to her and all I’m doing is being a fucking jealous boyfriend.
“Of course, Kit Kat. I love you, and I’m sorry for your loss too. I’m just being a douche because I miss you so damn much.”
“I miss you too. What time do you get off tonight?” Regret drips in her words and I wish I could just sneak away and hold her.
“Not until midnight, so I won’t even be home until after one in the morning. You get your sleep and I’ll stop by school and bring you lunch tomorrow before you head up north. Is that alright?”
“That’s better than alright. I wish I could see you tonight.”
“You’ll be all I see in my dreams.” I’ve officially turned into a total wuss. “I love you.”
“You’re my plaster.” She laughs a little and it touches my heart. I’m a lucky mother fucker.
It’s just after midnight when I gather my stuff to head home. Knowing Kat would be waiting in my bed would make me move a little more quickly, but she has to wake up so early to tutor Todd before school starts that it would be selfish of me to just show up because I’ve turned into a needy, whipped asshat. I have turned into the exact thing that I’ve always mocked Holden and Dave for, and now I’m worse than either of them ever were.
I check my phone to see a text from Kat with the song “All I Want is You.” I love U2, and that has become one of my favorites to send her. So I respond with another U2 song, “Song for Someone.” God, I wish I could see her tonight.
I scroll through a few other messages. Gage and Jess sent some pictures of their honeymoon in St. Thomas; my parents sent me a farewell message because they’re back to Hollywood to make another book into a movie. The next text is from an old bed buddy of mine, Kelly. That’s a girl who just can’t take a hint. I was surprised to see her at Jess’s wedding as a date of one of Dave’s pals from the station. The fact that she knew Kat and I were together and that she was there with a date didn’t stop her from basically stalking me the entire night and shooting Kat the stink eye every chance she got. Thankfully Kat was oblivious of her relentless flirting, but it got to the point where I had to actually pull her aside and tell her that there was never a chance for us, whether or not Kat was the love of my life.
It seems she hasn’t gotten the picture because when I open the text, there she is, in nothing but the smallest piece of lingerie, asking me to come see her tonight. I delete it before I can look too closely and decide not to even respond. By responding, I’m acknowledging I saw that text, and I’d rather just ignore it tonight and send her a completely clear message tomorrow to never contact me again, followed by figuring out how I can block her number.
When I turn down my quiet street, I notice there are more cars lining the street than usual and several homes are illuminated other than just mine, Kat’s, and Holden’s. It’s another sign that summer is drawing near, and my quiet town will become busy once again. The usual excitement for the tourists flooding our community is gone. I’m no longer looking for a fling with no strings attached. Now all I want is to be attached. When I look up at Kat’s house and see all of her lights off, I wish she were still awake to be able to steal just one kiss. But I know it wouldn’t be just one kiss, so I just keep driving past, revving the engi
ne of my motorcycle a bit just in case she’s up and has a change of heart. I’m a little irritated when I see a silver sedan parked in front of my house, silently cursing that people just don’t park in their driveway instead of on the street. It’s always been a pet peeve of mine when people park their cars right in front of my house in a way that makes it hard to pull my truck out of the driveway. I’m glad I at least have my bike tonight.
I glance one last time back at Kat’s, willing a light to turn on, but it doesn’t, so I grab my helmet and my bag and make my way into my lonely house. I’ve been beginning to wonder how soon would be too soon to ask Kat to move in here with me. Even though we’ve only been together a little over four months, we’ve known each other two decades, and I’m tired of waiting. It seems ridiculous to live down the street from each other. I know Kat struggles to pay for the house, even though Jess keeps all the money in an account for her. Kat pretends that money doesn’t exist. I can’t blame her, though: I do the same with my parents’ money.
When I walk through my door, I freeze in my footsteps when I see a long leg, wrapped in sexy fishnet stockings, extend out from behind the wall. The only word to express my feelings right now is exhilaration. All I’ve done for the past two days is imagine being inside Kat, and now here she is.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
That’s not Kat’s voice.
“What the fuck?” I say as Kelly walks around the corner with a big smile and not much else.
“Come on, Joey, you want this as much as I do. I know that girl’s always been your second choice.”
I’m in complete shock when she comes up to me and tries to unbutton my uniform.