Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 104127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
It’s just the music and me.
I often lose myself in the music, allowing it to transport me to a place where I feel completely at peace. It’s a piece of heaven that I can always go back to, no matter what is happening in my life.
Gideon is bringing it back to me.
He encourages me. With him beside me, I feel like I might just be able to play in front of a crowd one day.
A laugh bubbles up from my mouth.
Imagine if this man, a man I thought I hated, fixed me.
“What are you thinking about, firefly?”
From where I’m nestled in his chest, I turn my head upward and look at him. “The fact that you got me to play again.”
He huffs. “I did nothing.”
I twist around, bracketing his body with my arms and staring him in the eyes to make him hear my words. “You did, and I appreciate it. You gave me something that night, and I’ll never forget it.”
“I sure did.” He smirks, and I lift my hand and pretend to swat at him.
“Knock it off. I’m being serious.”
Gideon grabs my hand, pressing a kiss to each knuckle. “Anything is possible. You just have to believe in yourself as much as I believe in you.” His words make me feel warm and tingly.
We stare into each other’s eyes for a long pause. “How did we get here?” I ask him, but in truth, I’m asking myself more than anything.
“We were born.” His eyes flick to the ceiling like he’s conjuring up another ridiculous answer. “Grew up.”
I purse my lips. “Is that how we got here? I had no idea.” Rolling my eyes, I settle back into his arms, eyes pointed skyward. “But really, Gideon, after all this time, I don’t know you.”
“What do you want to know?” he asks into my ear, and I shiver at the feeling.
“So much,” I whisper. “I’m just afraid to ask.”
I’m afraid it will ruin everything.
I’m afraid once we leave our bubble, everything will evaporate.
“Let’s start with something easy, then.” He squeezes my side, prompting me to ask my first easy question. Which takes me a second to drum up because, lord, do I have a million filtering through my mind at warp speed at this moment.
“Tell me about your family. How did you grow up?”
“You mean how did I become homeless?”
“Pretty much.”
He groans. “Not pulling any punches, I see.”
“I think it’s a pretty basic question.” I playfully roll my eyes, knowing very well it’s anything but basic.
He chuckles, but it lacks humor. It’s as if he’s mentally agreeing with me that this isn’t a simple question after all.
“It’s funny,” he says, “My father was actually a very religious man. Always preaching to me about right and wrong. He never understood me.” I turn around to find that Gideon’s eyes are intense as he speaks, and I want to reach out to him and hold him in my arms, but I don’t. Instead, I give him the space I know he needs right now.
“What happened to him?”
“He sent me away.” He shrugs.
“What do you mean? He sent you away?”
“Eventually, my father just gave up on me,” he explains. “He said that I was going to hell anyway, so why bother trying to save me? The truth is, he’d given up on me long before I ever had given up on myself.”
His voice is full of pain, and it pricks at my emotions. My eyes well with tears, and I have to fight to keep them at bay. I don’t want him to stop talking.
“Then he kicked me out, and I’ve never been back since.”
I take a deep breath, steadying my voice. “Why did he kick you out?”
“I don’t know. He said he couldn’t handle me anymore.” His eyes narrow and I wonder what he’s thinking, but I don’t have to wait long before he answers. “But I think he was just ashamed of me.”
My breath hitches. Thinking that anyone could be ashamed of this brave man is too much.
He runs drugs.
I push that thought down because Gideon is so much more than his job.
“That doesn’t make sense,” I say. “Your father should be proud of you.”
“Even though I’m a criminal?” He smirks.
My lips thin, and I laser him with a stop it expression. “You might be a criminal, but there’s more to you.”
“Not much, but thanks.”
“Do you ever think about quitting?”
“No.”
“But it’s dangerous. You could get killed,” I whisper.
“That’s the risk that I’m willing to take.”
I shake my head. “You shouldn’t have to risk your life like that.”
Gideon smiles at me, but it’s a sad smile. “But that’s the thing about life, Sasha…it’s risky no matter what you do.”
I tilt my head back to look up at the ceiling. What he just told me has opened up a whole bunch of additional questions I want to ask, but I don’t know where to start.