A Man Who Knows What He Wants Box Set 5

by Flora Ferrari

  “How did you get here?”

  “I drove all night. I knew when your tour ended and I wanted to be here the moment you arrived.”

  “And I’ve wanted you ever moment since that night in your room.”

  I get up from my chair at the bar in the kitchen where he sat me down and hug him. I want him to take me right here and now, but it can’t be like that. I’ve got news for him that could change everything.

  “Can I get you a glass of water? Maybe you want to take a shower? You must be exhausted.”

  “I’m okay, actually. I’m still running on adrenaline, but a glass of water would be great.”

  “Coming right up.”

  I take a deep breath and brace myself as he gets me a glass of water.

  After he hands it to me I take a sip, pause, and then finish the entire glass.

  “Whoa. How about another?”

  “I’m good. Hendrix,” I begin as he takes the glass from my hand.

  “What’s the matter babydoll?”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  I hear the sound of glass shattering on the Spanish tiles below our feet and watch as Hendrix just freezes. He’s looking at me and his mouth has come open slightly. He’s not moving a muscle and I’m terrified.

  Terrified he’s going to tell me he’s not ready for this. Terrified that he might ask me if it’s for sure his. Terrified of being alone during this pregnancy.

  He takes a step toward me, the glass crunching beneath his shoes.

  “Those are the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” he says, taking my face in his hands and kissing me hard right on the smacker.

  He takes a step back and looks at my stomach. He reaches his hands carefully toward me like I’m fragile or something and places them on my tummy.

  “Right in there?”

  I nod.

  “Oh my god, we did it. We made a life. Our little life. Our little guy.”

  “Or girl,” I say.

  “Little guy. Little girl. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is it’s ours and your here now.”

  Suddenly his reaction changes. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. That you’ve had to go through this alone so far, but not anymore. I swear to you.”

  I lean back into him and feel those big arms wrap me up all over again letting me know everything is going to be okay.

  “I just found out for sure. I was having some worries on the drive out here, but now I don’t have a care in the world. With you by my side I know everything’s going to be alright.”

  “More than alright. I’m going to make everything perfect.”

  “Let’s get you a shower and get you off your feet so you can rest.”

  I laugh. “I’m only three months into this, Hendrix. You’re treating me like I’m due at any minute.”

  “Hey, you got my baby in there…our baby in there. You can be damn sure I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that baby gets the best treatment and doctors from now until, through, and after delivery. And that starts with making you comfortable 24/7.”

  “24/7? I like the sound of that.”

  “And you know what else is 24/7?” he asks.

  “What’s that?”

  “The amount of time you’re going to be at my side from here on out.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hendrix

  The boat docks at Catalina Island and I take Hope’s hand and we get out on dry land. The one-hour boat ride was super fun, but I know we’ll have to do it again at some point so we can drink champagne and live the life on the ride over. On the way back I’ve already scheduled the fifteen-minute helicopter ride. The boat over is fun, but after a long day of walking around we’ll want to get back quickly…plus I have a surprise planned for tonight.

  I take Hope’s hand in mine and she looks up at me and smiles.

  “After we have our child we’re going to go surfing and all kinds of other outdoor activities here. You’ll see how great it is to live here and you’ll wonder how you ever survived without being here.”

  “I already wonder how I ever survived without being with you,” she says. This girl should be writing songs, not me. Her words hit me right in the chest and the only response I have is to shower her with kisses again. It’s what I’ve been doing since the moment she arrived.

  It’s like we got our perfect ending except for one thing…her parents aren’t talking to her anymore. She left a note before she left and they called her when she was driving out but no amount of trying could convince her to turn back.

  I feel terrible about her having to give up her relationship with her parents, and my friendship with them, but in the back of my mind I’m pretty sure things will start to get better once they find out they’re going to be grandparents.

  She hasn’t told them yet since all they wanted to do on the phone was yell at her.

  And we don’t need that stress right now, or ever for that matter.

  Which is why we’re at Catalina Island today. We’ll hit the casino later for a few minutes and have a nice lunch overlooking the water, but mostly we just want to walk around and explore the beauty. She’s been stuck in a car and I’ve been stuck on a tour bus. It’s great to get out together and stretch our legs and more importantly hold hands. And most importantly spend time together.

  We laughed last night when we thought about how long we’ve “been together” and how long we’ve actually known each other.

  We’ve known each other for quite a few years now and we both consider we’ve been together for three months. But we’ve only really been together for less than forty-eight hours.

  I guess when you know you’ve found the one you know.

  At least that’s the way it works for me. I’m a man who knows what he want and what I want is her and her alone.

  We walk along the streets of this quaint little island. It’s picture postcard perfect and I wish there was a way you could bottle up the sea breeze and share it with the world.

  But there’s one thing for sure I’m never sharing with the world.

  Her.

  And our relationship is our relationship.

  I give my fans a lot, but my life with Hope is something special…something that’s ours and ours alone.

  I bring her hand which I’m holding up to my face and kiss the back of her knuckles.

  “Just like the first kiss,” she says.

  “Just like the first, and like all the ones to come.”

  “I can hardly wait,” she says.

  So I kiss her knuckles again before wrapping her up in a hug and then spinning her around right there in the street.

  I don’t even need music to dance when it comes to her. There’s music playing in my mind all the time and recently when I see her the music I think of is the best tune ever played.

  Wedding bells.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hope

  “Encore! Encore! Encore!”

  I stand just off to the side of the stage and still I can feel the electricity of the crowd inside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

  Unbeknownst to me, yesterday Hendrix’s band added one more night to their U.S. tour. Fans loved the idea and tickets sold out in under seven minutes. Talk about having raving fans.

  Hendrix told me it was because he wanted me to experience what it was like for me to feel the electricity of a live performance. That and he also mentioned on the drive up that he was hoping some of that music somehow made its way into my belly and gave our baby some musical talents.

  I loved the idea and completely loved the show.

  I can’t believe this has all happened the way it has. It so perfect…I just wish my parents were here to see it too. Partially I wish that for me of course, but more importantly I wish it for Hendrix. He’s been friends with my dad for so long and I just hate to think things will end this way.

  But I guess life isn’t perfect. That’s part of growing up and becoming an adult. Life
isn’t just birthday parties and cakes with your friends and field trips to the zoo.

  C’est la vie.

  Hendrix steps off stage his final song completed and wraps me up in a big hug. He’s sweaty and full of energy, even after performing for well over two hours.

  “Incredible,” I say. “Thanks for letting me experience this in this way. I’ll never forget it.”

  “You talk about it in the past tense,” he says as he tries to catch his breath. He was dancing and jumping and shaking and just about everything you could imagine for the sold out show. I definitely have even more respect for performers now than before.

  “You played your last song?”

  “Our last song on the set list, but you know there’s always an encore.” He winks at me and rushes back on stage and the cheers of the crowd intensify.

  “Ladies and gentleman, you’re our best fans. You’re the ones who gobbled up tickets for this show in record time because you follow us so closely. We didn’t even announce the sale, but you were there to support us. Thank you.”

  The crowd cheers.

  “And we’re not exactly from L.A., but we’re from just down in Orange County, but even so and even with the L.A. And Orange County rivalry we consider you our hometown crowd. And just like Dorothy said, ‘There’s no place like home.’”

  The crowd cheers again.

  “And all these years I’ve been traveling all around the world and coming home to Southern California…or at least I thought it was home. Now I realize it was just a house. And why is that? It’s because it takes love and a family to make a house a home.”

  The crowd seems confused.

  “And because you’re our best fans and you’ve been following us you know that these last performances I’ve been performing a very special song during our encore performances. A song filled with hope.”

  He pauses.

  “Well everybody…HOPE HAS ARRIVED!”

  He runs over to the side of the stage and takes me by the hand and before I know what’s happening I’m on stage. There are lights coming from everywhere and I can feel the heat on my skin. I can’t even see the crowd the lights are so bright. It’s like I’m in a dream world or something.

  “I got you,” he whispers into my ear. “There’s a chair right behind you. I’ll guide you into it, just trust me.”

  “Always,” I say.

  He helps me into the chair.

  “This chair, like my life without you, has been empty. But through the sheer power of love and hope, you’re here now and my life is as full and complete as it’s ever been. Baby, I want you in this chair where you belong. In this throne next to me as my queen. I don’t ever want to miss you again. Don’t ever want to sing encores again without you. I need you by my side for good.”

  Suddenly all the lights cut but one. The crowd gives off a loud “Ooooh,” and I look as Hendrix takes a knee.

  The entire stadium is quiet except for my gasp as he removes a gigantic engagement ring from a small black box.

  He reaches for my finger which is shaking uncontrollably and I feel the tears stream down my cheek.

  “Hope. My pride and joy. My everything. Will you marry me?”

  I nod. “Yes!” I say and the crowd goes absolutely bonkers.

  I feel the spotlight on me and the ring slide on my finger. I’m completely blinded by the light except for one thing.

  Him.

  I can just see him down there on his knee smiling up at me and I feel like I’ve never felt before. I feel like the luckiest girl to ever walk the face of the earth.

  He stands up and carefully lifts me from the chair giving me a big hug and a kiss and I hear a lot of, “Awwws” from the crowd.

  “Hope! Hope! Hope!” the crowd begins chanting.

  “You wanna hear the song?” Hendrix yells.

  “Yeah!” the crowd yells in return.

  He helps me back into my seat and then whispers into my ear, “This is for you. It was always for you.”

  He stands and I hear the first note played.

  For the next three minutes and fifty five seconds I completely lose track of everything…time, space, balance. It’s like I’m floating on a cloud as he sings to me and I know this is a moment I’ll cherish forever and ever.

  When he wraps up the song he kisses me on the back of my hand. “Just like how we always do,” he says.

  “Always,” I say.

  Then he stands.

  “One second everybody!” Hendrix presses on his ear and apparently someone is communicating with him through that tiny earbud he wears.

  “Ladies and gentleman I have even more incredible news.” He pauses. “I thought we had one special visitor, and we sure do, but now I found out that we actually have three.”

  The spotlight flashes into the front row and I see my parents!

  Hendrix runs to the edge of the stage and flies into the crowd and a huge group catches him. I make a note to remind him about maybe not doing that anymore now that he’s going to be a father.

  The crowd surfs him over to the spotlight and he gives my dad a big hug.

  “I knew you’d come old pal,” he says, not realizing his microphone is on.

  The crowd goes nuts again. It’s becoming a common theme tonight.

  With the help of security he brings my mom and dad onstage and we all hug.

  “Just like the first show when I left tickets for you at the box office hoping you’d show and you showed,” he says.

  “We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” my dad says. Then he turns and looks at me. “Sorry it took us awhile to come to our senses. And congratulations, sweetheart,” he says.

  I hug him tight and soon my mom is back in our hug too. “Congratulations, honey,” she says.

  “More! More! More!” the crowd cheers.

  “You want more?” Hendrix screams.

  “Yeah!” they reply.

  “I’m going to be a father!”

  “Ohhh!” the crowd cheers.

  “One…two…three!” Hendrix says and the band bursts into the next song and my parents and I start dancing on the stage. The lights flash back on and we can barely even see each other and are trying not to trip over the chair but we don’t even care about that right now. We’re sharing the best moment of my life the way it was meant to be shared.

  Together.

  Epilogue

  Hope

  Two years later

  “Dada,” Hannah says as she points out to blue waters of the Pacific Ocean from underneath the little tent we have for the day.

  “Yay! Dada. Wave,” I say and take her little hand and wave towards her dad who’s up and riding a wave on this beautiful, sunny morning.

  He rides the wave almost into shore and when he jumps down off his board he looks right at us and sees Hannah who’s still waving and waves back.

  Then he looks at me and blows me a kiss.

  Less than twenty seconds later he’s next to us breathing hard and dripping wet.

  “Wet doggie alert,” he says twisting his hips side to side and trying his hardest to flip water everywhere.

  Little Hannah holds out her hands trying to catch the droplets as she laughs hysterically and then begins stomping her feet.

  “Did you catch some, pumpkin?” he says.

  He puts his surfboard in the sand and scoops her up and lifts her onto his shoulders.

  “Dada,” she says again.

  “She’s got on SPF 50, right?”

  “Sixty and it’s waterproof,” I say.

  “Perfect. So I can borrow her for about ten minutes while we build a sandcastle?”

  “Borrow her? I want in on this fun too,” I say.

  I grab her pail and the three of us go to the water’s edge and begin constructing the world’s most lopsided sandcastle. But we don’t care what it looks like. All we care about is that we’re enjoying the day here together.

  I almost get emotion when it hits me what’s happened wit
h my life these last couple years.

  I’ve traded in the small town for the beaches of California and a life by myself for my bronzed baby’s daddy.

  The man who makes love to me each and every night, and lots of afternoons, and plenty of mornings to.

  And we don’t just make love, we get hot and heavy plenty too.

  And next year we plan on having our second child and then a few years after that Hendrix says the band should be ready to go on tour again and it will be a perfect time to take the kids so they can see and experience the world.

  And what an experience he’s given me. The perfect husband. The perfect dad. The perfect life.

  And next week Hannah’s grandma and grandpa will be out for a week’s visit so everyone will be here to enjoy this perfect life together.

  Just the way it’s meant to be.

  Extended Epilogue

  Hendrix

  Twenty years later

  “A one. A two. A one two three!”

  My eighteen-year-old son Hunter lays down a riff on his guitar so strong that is sends the crowd into a frenzy.

  I look at him and smile.

  And then I look to just off the side of the stage at Hope and Hannah.

  I belt out the lyrics to the song without so much as a thought. They come naturally to me now.

  Our band still rocks out hard but the critics say we’ve matured. I’d sure hope so after all these years. I mean I still feel like a kid, thanks to my family, but we sure do have some new songs in the lineup that reflect family life.

  And why not?

  Our audience has been with us from the beginning and they’ve matured right along with us. It’s the perfect fit.

  Just like our family. One boy and one girl…and of course Hope, the engine who makes us all go.

  I’ve got my wild schedule and she’s the one who often is shuttling the kids around everywhere all day long and still manages to put a hot meal on the table every night. I try and take us out to restaurants or order in to make life easier on her, but she insists that she loves cooking for our family.