Page 50 of Stage Dive: Short Stories & Novellas
“Stop speaking now, man,” wisely suggested Mal.
“Yep.”
Hands cupping my face, Sam frowned.“Love, I’m sorry.You’re right, I messed this up and I did want to slow down on the working around the clock and having no life.So you’re in charge, you tell me how to fix it and I will.”
“Marty’s in charge?”asked Mal, tone somewhat astounded.“Seriously, man?”
“Shh,” whisper-hissed Lena.
I did my best to ignore them all while Sam stood in front of me, waiting.Because I was in charge.At least right now.This required some thought.“I don’t want to run your life, but I do want to be a part of it.I know that much.I also know that if you keep doing the same job you’re doing now, at the rate you’re doing it, this is going to keep happening.”
He nodded.“You want me to consider retiring?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head slightly.“You’re like me, I think.Without something to keep your brain occupied you’d slowly go insane.”
“Probably.”
“Definitely.”
“What then?”he asked.“Time to consider a change of vocation?”
“But you’re good at this and you enjoy it.Hell, you’re the best.”
“Hell,” repeated Gibby, still clinging to my leg.
“So, my thought is, what if you went into business for yourself?”I asked, turning the problem over inside my head.“What if instead of being the guy standing out on the driveway at all hours, you were the person in the office managing everything and only on site some of the time?”
Speculation filled Sam’s gaze.“You know…that’s not a bad idea.”
I smiled.
“I could start my own security business.”He placed a sweet kiss upon my lips.“This is why you’re in charge, love.Brains and beauty, they’re a lethal mix.”
Mal cleared his throat.“Sorry to interrupt, but…you’d still work for us right, Sam, man?”
“I’d work with you, Malcolm, as a contractor.And charge you a very generous rate.”
“A reasonable rate,” I corrected.“Let’s not go overboard.”
“Huh,” said the drummer.“Okay then.Carry on.”
“When you’re not busy with Adam, perhaps you could help me?”asked Sam.“Setting things up is going to be quite involved.”
“Really?You want me to be involved?”
“Absolutely.”
I grinned.“I’d be delighted to.”
“No more disappearing, I promise,” he said, kissing me again.Deeper and more thoroughly this time.Yet without squishing the small child still attached to me.He kissed me like he’d missed me even more than I’d missed him.Because of course I had.Dammit.Maybe things would be okay after all.
When we finally came up for air, I still had the grin on my face.“You said you loved me.”
“Why else would I call you love, hmm?”He smiled back.“You’re not even freaking out about it, quite surprisingly.”
I shrugged.“Eh.With all that time to think things through, I realized I wouldn’t have been half as mad about you going MIA unless there was actually something meaningful going on between us.”
“Why, that’s very brave of you, love.”
