Kiss Me, Katie (19 page)

“I’m searching online right now. Is this the new and improved Blake Jackson?” Caroline asked affectionately.

“Yep. I hope you’re ready, because I’m making some changes.”

She laughed. “Does this have anything to do with Katie?”

“Well, I’m hurt that you would think that,” Blake joked. “But yeah, Katie seems to have gotten the idea that I don’t think of anyone but myself. I’d hate for her to be right.”

“You’re a good man. I’m sure she’ll see that. Okay, so I have some results from my search. I’ll call around and get everything set up. I’ll have the details for you before the doors open tonight.”

“Sounds good. Thanks for your help.”

• • •

The band had just finished their first song of the night, Blake’s popular hit ‘Someone like You’, and Blake stood at the microphone. “Hello, Wichita! Thank you for coming out tonight!” The audience cheered so loudly that Katie could feel the vibrations under her feet. Blake waited for the crowd to quiet down, and then said, “We’ve got a lot of music coming your way tonight, but first I wanted to take a moment to thank you for helping me. I know y’all saw the pink boxes out in the lobby, and I know that many of y’all donated money when you came in. I thank you, and the YWCA Women’s Crisis Center thanks you. We will be totaling up your donations at the end of the night, and I will match them!” A cheer went up from the audience. “Thank you! I thought it was high time I gave back to the communities that have given me so much. Thank you for digging into your pockets tonight!”

Blake grinned at Katie and winked. She tucked her fiddle under her chin and flashed a toothy smile at him.

“How do ya like me now?” He mouthed the words to her, nodded to the band, and counted “One, two, three, four!” before the band launched into their next song.

• • •

“You really are something, you know that?” Katie fished a bottle of water from a tub of ice in the band’s hospitality room and wiped it on her jeans.

“You liked that, huh? Well, there’s more where that came from.” Blake took a drink from his own water bottle and gave Katie a wink.

“More? How many times can you match an entire audience’s donations before you go broke?” She grinned up at him.

“Well now I didn’t say that I would do the same thing in every city,” he laughed. “I’m just trying to use my powers for good, you know? Helping others, being a good guy, all that stuff.”

“I’m just giving you a hard time. I think that what you did was amazing. That was really thoughtful of you. That money is going to help the YWCA do a lot of good. Frankly, I’m impressed, Mr. Jackson.”

“Well, thank you. I’ve been kicking some ideas around. You know, Caroline gets a lot of requests from nonprofits for appearances or money or endorsements, whatever. I’m going to start giving back more. It was recently brought to my attention that I can be pretty selfish.” He gave her a boyish grin.

“Well I’m glad to see that you’re changing your ways,” Katie teased. She didn’t resist when he leaned down to press his lips against hers. His warm kiss sent a shiver down her spine and reminded her why she fell for Blake in the first place.

“Is this okay?” he whispered against her lips. He closed his eyes and touched his forehead to hers.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Blake took her hand and led Katie out of the room and into the empty hallway. “I have something for you.” His eyes danced as he pulled a thick manila folder out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Katie. “Open it.”

She pulled out a sheaf of papers and scanned the type, her brow furrowed in concentration. Blake watched her carefully, waiting for her reaction.

“You should go over it in detail later, before you sign it. I wanted to give it to you tonight to show you how serious I am about you and your career. It’s a new contract, if you’re interested. It’s an offer to join me in a legal partnership. If you accept, then you will no longer be a hired musician for the band. You’ll be my partner. It gives you more stability, more ownership and involvement in the music. What do you think?”

“Oh my gosh, this is amazing. This is huge. I don’t know what to say.” Katie’s hand trembled as she tried to focus enough to read the words on the pages, unshed tears blurring her vision.

“You don’t have to say anything. I want you to know that, without any doubt, I want you here with me for the long haul and I think we’ll make a great team. This is not a favor or a gift. It’s going to be a lot of hard work, but it’s a solid career move for you, if you decide to take the next step. I want to make it clear to you that you will not be my employee, we will be partners in this.”

“I am overwhelmed. I honestly never expected anything like this.”

“I hope this will show you how serious I am about you, as a musician and as my partner.” He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “I swear to you, Katie McCoy, that I will never hurt you again. I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me.” He kissed her full on the lips and whispered, “If you’ll let me.”

He wrapped his arms around her, and she inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent that she had missed so much when they were apart. She felt his comforting warmth envelope her and could feel his heart beating next to hers. When Blake held her in his arms, Katie felt like she had come home. She had found her perfect fit, and she never wanted to let go.

She lifted her face and looked into his eyes, those blue eyes that told her he meant every word he said. She looked into the face that she loved so much, and words failed her. She pulled him down to meet her and kissed him. As he deepened the kiss, she could taste his minty toothpaste and found herself intoxicated by the spicy scent of his cologne, the warmth of his familiar body pressed against hers. It was everything that she had missed when they were apart. Her head was spinning and her toes were tingling. Her mind couldn’t focus on anything except the delicious sensations swirling through her. How could she not take him back? This is where she belonged, in his arms and at his side.

Chapter Sixteen

Katie woke up in her Denver, Colorado hotel room on the morning of her twenty-fifth birthday and stretched, enjoying the deliciously soft hotel sheets. The room was beautifully appointed, one of the best money could buy, but the silence, the beautiful golden silence, was the most decadent luxury. The tour had landed in Denver early the morning before and the band had been given a free day to refresh before the show tonight. True to his word, Blake had used his time between the Wichita show and the band’s stop in Denver, Colorado to respond to charity requests and schedule appearances that he would have skipped in the past. Yesterday he had installed Katie in the luxurious hotel room and left her in the capable hands of the staff massage therapist and aesthetician. She had spent the day getting kneaded and scrubbed while Blake had made an appearance at a local children’s charity event. The day of pampering and the fancy hotel room had been an early birthday gift from Blake, and if she were to be honest, it was sorely needed.

The new touring and practice schedule had taken its toll on Katie and it was beginning to show in the dark circles that had taken up residence under her eyes. She had worked hard in Sterling, but life on tour with a major national act was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

This morning, though, well-rested and completely refreshed, Katie was ready to get back to work. She called for room service to deliver breakfast and started her shower. The luxurious appointments reminded her how lucky she was. It was only because of Blake that she was even in Denver, much less spending her morning surrounded by luxury. He was shaping up to be a pretty good boyfriend. Working on her birthday would actually be a treat this year, and it was Blake who had made her dream job a reality. She massaged shampoo and conditioner through her hair and let her mind drift to the kiss she and Blake had shared in Wichita after he had given her the partnership papers.

Perhaps it had been too easy for her to slip back into his arms, but she was tired of resisting him, of denying herself what she wanted, what she needed. He was making changes in himself and the partnership agreement proved to her that he was serious. Katie wanted to believe that Blake had been as miserable as she had been when they were apart, that he would never let her go again. She had signed the contracts and was optimistic about their future together both professionally and romantically. For now, Blake was her everything, and the thought of losing him again felt like losing part of herself.

Katie wrapped herself in the hotel’s plush robe and lounged on the bed while she waited for breakfast to arrive. She pulled her fingers through the tangles in her wet hair and wished that she had ordered coffee with breakfast. There was a knock at the door and she pulled her robe tighter, checking to be sure that she was completely covered up. She was surprised to see Blake instead of the room service attendant when she got to the door.

“Happy Birthday, sweetheart,” he said with a grin before leaning in for a sweet kiss. He held up a package adorned with a giant fluffy pink bow.

Katie stepped aside as Blake entered the room. She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “I thought you would be room service.”

“Sorry, no pancakes here, but I did bring you something.”

Blake led her to the bed and sat her down before placing the package beside her. He grinned like a school boy and sat down beside her. “Open it.”

Katie pulled the ribbon to unfasten the bow and tore the paper off the package. “You didn’t have to do this. You’ve already done so much for me.” She lifted the lid off the box and gasped as tears filled her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hands and looked up at Blake. “Oh my gosh, it’s gorgeous! Thank you!” Her tears began flowing in earnest as she took in the gift and the look of adoration in Blake’s eyes.

“I’m glad you like it. Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

Blake had given Katie a gorgeous new fiddle, one that was nicer than she had ever played and certainly nicer than the battered instrument she had been dragging across the country. Her old fiddle had seen her through good times and bad and she would always love it, but the new one was amazing. And it was from Blake, given to her on her twenty-fifth birthday, and every time she looked at it, she would remember this day.

“I know that musicians can get attached to their instruments, so I promise you it won’t hurt my feelings if you still use the old one. Absolutely no pressure.”

“Oh my gosh, no! I’m going to start using this one tonight if I can. It’s amazing. This might be the nicest gift anyone has ever given me.” Tears threatened to fill her eyes again, but her breakfast finally did arrive and she allowed the room service attendant to distract her.

He grinned at her and got to his feet. “Have your breakfast, sweetheart, and get yourself ready for the day. I’ve got more surprises for the birthday girl later. I’m afraid if I stay in here with you in nothing but that robe for much longer I’ll miss my afternoon appointments.” Blake winked and pulled Katie into his arms and held her close. “Take your time getting ready and I’ll see you in a bit.” He looked down at her and smoothed a wet lock of hair behind her ear before pressing a soft kiss on her lips. He raked his eyes over her, bit his lip, and let out a low whistle before stepping back with obvious effort and leaving her alone in the hotel room.

• • •

The stage lights were blazing and the floor rumbled beneath her feet, shaking from the noise of the crowd. Katie looked at the set list taped to the back of her monitor and saw “KATIE” scrawled in black marker between the neatly written song names of the familiar show order.

She looked across the stage to find Blake already watching her, his expression mischievous. He pulled an acoustic guitar onto his lap as he perched on a stool in the middle of the stage. The other musicians set their instruments on racks and moved to the side of the stage to watch, apparently already aware of what was going on.

Blake winked at Katie and pulled the microphone down to meet his lips. “Hello, Denver!” The crowd screamed and flashes went off as people took pictures. “Tonight is a special night, and I’m so happy that you’re here for it. We’re celebrating a very special birthday.” He held his hand out and gestured towards Katie, who was frozen in place. “Happy Birthday, baby.” He absentmindedly picked out the notes to ‘Happy Birthday’ on his guitar as he looked out into the audience with a wide smile.

The audience roared, and Katie felt her face flush as she realized that all attention was on her. She put her fiddle on its stand and turned towards Blake, clasping her hands at her heart as tears welled in her eyes.

“Have you ever met someone who seemed like they were made just for you? Someone so special that it was almost too good to be true? I have. I’ve also screwed the whole thing up. I had the perfect woman right in front of me, and I let her go. We don’t always get a second chance, but this time I did. I’ll never make the same mistake again.”

Blake turned to Katie and mouthed the words, “I love you.” Katie’s heart squeezed and buttery warmth spread through her, all the way down to her toes.

He pulled the strap of his acoustic guitar over his shoulder and settled himself on the wooden stool before adjusting the microphone. “I wrote a little song for the lovely, talented, incomparable Katie McCoy, and I hope you’ll indulge me while I share it with y’all.” The crowd shouted their approval, and Blake strummed a couple of chords on his guitar before clearing his throat. He gave the crowd a toothy smile and said, “Thanks y’all. You’re the first people I’ve ever played it for, so here goes.”

“From the moment that I saw you, all I wanted was to kiss you. I knew that if you left me, all I could do would be to miss you. Kiss me, Katie, if you love me like I love you. Kiss me, Katie. I’ve had days and weeks when I’ve thought of only you. I’ll die a happy man if you love me like I love you. I dream of your eyes, your lips, your sweet smile. I’ve had days when being a foot away from you felt like a mile. Kiss me, Katie, if you love me like I love you. Kiss me, Katie.”