My American Angel (Shower & Shelter Artist Collective Book 6)

by Brooke St. James

  "Thank you. I owe so much to Theo. He is the man for doing something like this with his life." She gave me a second to take everything in, and then her arm came in front of me as she pointed at the person who was standing next to Lu. "This is Joe, he's Lu's husband."

  Joe smiled and shook my hand and so did everyone else who had gathered around us. Zoe did the honors of introducing them all, and I went down the line, shaking hands.

  "Mia, Nicholas, Macy, Ethan, and this is my husband, Lane. He and Theo are like this." Zoe crossed her fingers and smiled at me. She pointed again at Lu's husband, Joe. "Joe and Sarah are siblings. Their dad is responsible for Bad Medicine. You know, the television show?"

  I nodded. I knew the show well and I had already recognized one of the guys standing in the group as the super famous star of Bad Medicine.

  She pointed to the actor. "Ethan plays on the show," she said. "Macy, Nicholas, and Mia are all artists. Sarah and Lu are too, but the other three have all been residents of S&S, so they'll tell you first hand what a rockstar your man is."

  I turned to focus on Theo with an impressed smile and he smirked at me.

  "Zoe said you two met when you were kids," Ethan said.

  I recognized him from television, and I thought it was cool that he was standing there talking to me. But honestly, after coming close to death like that, I had a new perspective on things like fame. I thought it was neat that Ethan Prescott wanted to talk to me, but I wasn't nearly as nervous as I would've been in the past—it was like sleeping for a year somehow made me comfortable in my own skin.

  "We did," Theo said. "We met at a library in Montréal."

  "The one you just built?" Lu asked.

  "Yes," Lane said, knowing more of the story than she did.

  "How'd you get in touch?" Macy asked.

  "She called me," Theo said. "When we were kids, she told me she would call me up and we would marry each other if we turned thirty and weren't already married to other people." He looked at me and smiled. "Only I didn't understand her, so I had no idea we made that deal. I was totally shocked to hear from her." He turned to regard all of them. "Keep in mind that she doesn't remember that I know any of this. She's still missing the days before the accident, so she doesn't even remember us reconnecting."

  "Wait, wait, wait," Zoe said. "Wait a minute. You don't remember him? Do you remember the accident?"

  I shook my head.

  "Do you have amnesia?" she asked.

  "I don't remember the accident or the couple of weeks before it." I looked at Theo. "I remember Theo from when we were kids though, and I watched the documentary on Netflix, so I knew what he looked like as an adult."

  I stared at everyone standing around—friendly faces all smiling and wearing curious expressions. I could tell they really cared about Theo, and I could also tell they thought his proximity to me was interesting. He held my hand the whole time, placing it different places on his body like he took comfort in having me touch him. Just the act of Theo holding onto my hand was pleasurable enough, but it was obvious by the way his friends were looking at us that it was unusual behavior for him, and I felt honored to be the object of his affection.

  "My family assured me I'd want to meet him, so as soon as I recovered enough to travel, I came up here."

  "How long ago did you wake up?" Macy asked.

  "Three months ago," I said. "I had a long road to recovery. The doctors are blown away that I'm doing so well."

  Chapter 18

  Zoe was the artist being honored, therefore she began to get a bit of attention from people who weren't in that initial group. Ethan also had a few people come up and ask for a picture, and so did Theo. It was a busy hour and then, just like that, it was over.

  Theo and I said our goodbyes to Lu and the rest of the gang, but Lane and Zoe stayed in the gallery with us. There were a few staff members walking around and getting everything cleaned up, but other than that, it was just the four of us. We found ourselves standing in an open area in the gallery. Theo had not let go of me the whole evening, a fact for which I was extremely grateful.

  "I'll lock up," Lane said.

  "Are y'all coming upstairs?" Zoe asked. "We've got a babysitter. She'll have Hannah put to bed by the time we get up there. Y'all could come over for a little bit if you want."

  Theo looked at me and shrugged as if asking me what I thought. "I'll probably just keep her to myself tonight," he said.

  "How about breakfast in the morning," she asked. "Lane will make his famous French toast."

  I smiled at Theo and lifted my eyebrows. "I like anything famous," I said.

  "How's 10 o'clock?" Theo asked.

  "Perfect," she said.

  Lane went to lock the front door before once again joining our circle. Zoe held her hand out for him as he approached. "Are you ready to head upstairs?" she asked.

  "Yep." He kissed her cheek. "You did good, 'lil mama," he said to her. "We sold everything."

  "I'm so thankful," she said humbly.

  Lane smiled at her and then looked at us. "You two coming upstairs?" he asked, assuming we'd both be getting on the elevator.

  "Caroline and I haven't even talked about what we're doing," Theo said. He looked at me. "I have something to show you while we're down here, anyway."

  "I know what it is," Lane said, pulling his wife toward the elevator.

  "What?" Zoe asked, hating that she was the only one who didn't know.

  "I don't know either," I said.

  "Don't tell her," Theo said to Lane.

  Lane shook his head as he and Zoe walked away.

  "So glad you're here!" Zoe yelled as she followed Lane to the elevator.

  "I'm glad too!" I yelled back. I stared at Theo with wide eyes. "She's the sweetest person ever," I said. "They all are. What is this place? Everybody's so happy."

  Theo shrugged. "Happy people make good art. I don't know, maybe sad ones do too," he added, reconsidering. "…tortured artists and whatnot. But we have a lot happy ones around here."

  Theo took me by the hand and pulled me toward the back of the gallery. I glanced but didn't really have the chance to take in some of the wonderful art on the way down the hallway.

  "Where are you taking me?" I asked.

  "My office," he said.

  "What's in there?"

  "You'll see. I wonder if your family told you anything about this, or if they even knew anything about it."

  "What is it?"

  "That little desk right over there."

  His office was rather large. Toward the left, was an ornate mahogany desk, and on the right was a seating area. Perfectly positioned in the back corner of this area was a simple, old, wooden school desk, and I looked at Theo the instant it sank in what it was.

  "That's not the one from…"

  He smiled and nodded.

  "Is it the one from the library?" I asked.

  He continued to nod.

  "The exact one?" I asked.

  "Yes."

  I instantly jogged to the other side of his office and sat on the ground in front of the desk. He had written our names underneath, so I ducked under the desk, inspecting the underside. "Oh my gosh, it seriously is there. They're right here, Theo. Our names are on here."

  I reached up and touched the letters that had been carved into the wood twenty years before. I inspected it for what must've been a full minute before shimmying out from under the desk and letting him help me to my feet.

  "Did you get this before or after you came to Florida?"

  "Before," he said. "I told you all about it when I went down there. I even showed you my scar."

  He put his hand out and let me see the scar that was on his finger.

  "I remember this," I said. "I remember you cutting yourself." I reached out to grab his hand holding it in front of me so I could get a good look at the scar. I ran my finger back and forth across it and then looked up to make eye contact with him. I reached up and touched another scar that was on t
he top part of his cheek, stretching downward to the hollow of his cheek. "I think I might have given you that one, too—the second time we saw each other. I'm really sorry if that's the case."

  "What makes you think you gave me this one?" he asked.

  "I just assumed you got it in the wreck because you didn't have it in the documentary."

  "What are you, a detective?"

  I smiled and touched it again. "Did you have anything else," I asked softly as I touched the little line on his cheek. "My parents told me you fractured your arm, but they didn't say anything about this. I'm sorry."

  "I thought you'd like it," he said.

  "I do like it. It's really handsome on you, actually."

  He looked at me with a sincere expression. I had no idea what he was going to say. "Please don't ever be sorry about the accident," he said. "That was not your fault."

  "It's crazy that you don't remember it, either," I said.

  "I remember everything leading up to it, I just don't remember the accident itself. We had just stopped at the grocery store."

  ***

  I fell asleep in my clothes that night.

  Theo and I stayed up till 4am, talking about everything we had missed in each other's lives. Theo said we talked about some of the same topics that we did when he was in Florida with me. He thought it was interesting that I responded to some things the same way I did back then, but to others, my responses had changed. He said that to him it seemed like I was the same person only that I had kind of settled into more of a confident, laid-back version of myself.

  I asked him during our conversation if someone in Canada had cheated him out of some money before he left. I told him I had that feeling when I watched the documentary, and Theo said it was definitely a memory I had from our time together because he hadn't told anyone else that story.

  I fell asleep snuggled up next to him on the couch, and that was exactly how I woke up.

  I opened my eyes to find that Theo was staring down at me from his position stretched out next to me on the couch. He was holding his phone, and he reached over me to stash it on the nearby table when he saw me open my eyes. He kissed me—half on my cheek and half on my nose.

  "It's nine fifty, sleepy bones," he said, his voice sounding deeper than usual on account of his own sleepiness. "Lane's blowing up my phone, saying we should be over there at 10 for his famous French toast."

  "We slept so late," I said.

  "Because we went to sleep late."

  I stretched a little before snuggling up next to Theo again. He had changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt the night before, but I was still in the outfit I had on at the gallery. I picked my head up so that I could glance down at my own appearance.

  "I feel bad seeing your friends in this," I said.

  Theo spoke to me in French. I couldn’t understand what he was saying but I could tell he meant for me not to worry about my clothes.

  I put my hand on the side of his face after he spoke. "You sound cute when you're French and sleepy."

  "Good, because that can happen every morning," he said.

  "You want to get up so we can go to Lane and Zoe's?" I asked.

  Theo moaned reluctantly as he began to stir.

  He stood behind me a few minutes later when we knocked on the door of Lane and Zoe's apartment. Zoe must have been expecting us to show up, because she opened the door within seconds after we knocked.

  She and I both said, "Awwww," at the same time—me because she was holding an adorable baby girl on her hip, and her because Theo was holding onto me from behind when she opened the door.

  The smell of cinnamon and vanilla drifted out of the apartment as soon as we opened the door, and Theo and I both commented on how great it smelled as we stepped inside. I hugged Zoe and met little Hannah. Zoe sat her down, and she toddled through the living room to be with her dad.

  I heard a loud bark coming from the other side of the room, and it startled me. "I didn't know you had a dog," I said, looking around.

  "Darlene," Zoe said. "I'll let her out in a minute, I just didn't want her getting all excited when you came in."

  "I love dogs," I said.

  "Dog," Hannah said, looking at me. She was holding a pacifier, but she put it in her mouth so she could use her hand to point. "Dog."

  "Where's the dog?" I asked with an over exaggerated shrug.

  Hannah walked to the dog's kennel, which was in the living room. I followed her over there. We had to go close to the kitchen on our way, and Lane turned when he heard us coming.

  "Hey!" he said from his spot at the griddle.

  "Hey chef," I said. "It smells good in here."

  "Dog," Hannah said, slapping her palm to the top of the kennel. She still had a pacifier in her mouth, but I understood her. "Die-yen," she said. "Die-yen."

  "Dog?" I asked.

  She patted the kennel. "Die-yen."

  "Darlene," Lane said, translating.

  "Darlene!" I said, causing Hannah to nod at me and smile around her pacifier.

  "Can we let her out?" I asked.

  Hannah reached out to jiggle the handle, but she didn't know how to get it open.

  "You can let her out if you don't mind her spazzing out for a minute," Lane said.

  Zoe and Theo had been engaged in their own conversation, but she now came up to us to help with the dog. Zoe picked up Hannah, putting the baby on her hip while (with the other hand) opening Darlene's kennel.

  Darlene was a beautiful grey and white bulldog with wrinkles and folds galore, and she ran around the living room, snorting with her mouth open as she greeted all of us. Elroy was long and lean and moved with grace and agility whereas Darlene literally tripped over her own feet a couple of times during her laps around the living room. She was funny, and we all got a good laugh at watching how much she entertained Hannah.

  Chapter 19

  Lane's French toast was as famous as he claimed it would be. He had gone to the store to buy fresh fruit to go with it, and Zoe made hand-whipped cream.

  Theo never did let me stray far from him. This was a good thing for me because I wanted to be close. I felt the urge to be next to him so greatly that I probably would have made a way to do it even if he didn't initiate things, but he did. He stayed right beside me the whole time we were there. I was a little nervous about being with his friends, but Lane and Zoe were laidback and easy-going. She was full of Southern hospitality, always making sure everyone was comfortable.

  We stayed at their apartment until about noon, at which point Theo went to his place to shower and get dressed, and I did the same in my hotel room. I took the opportunity to call my family to let them know how things were going. I talked to my mom since I knew she'd give everyone else the message.

  I told her I had made contact with Theo the night before and had been with him since. I was excitable and speaking quickly, so I gave her a lot of information all at once. I told her about the art show, and the desk, and breakfast with Lane and Zoe. She had grown to love Theo during the month that he was down there with them, and she cried on the phone when I told her how happy he was to see me.

  She made me promise to stay in touch and that I would keep them posted on how things were going. I talked to her on speakerphone the whole time I was getting dressed, and by the time we hung up, I was ready to go.

  I dressed in some cropped jeans with a yellow vintage-style graphic T-shirt that had a picture of a sunset on the front. I had a lightweight hoodie to match it, and I put it on a chair by the door so I wouldn't forget to take it with me. I was nervous about seeing Theo, and I styled my hair two different ways before deciding on a couple of braids leading to a big messy bun on the back of my head. Growing up with two brothers I had never been much for getting fancy with my hair, but Katie had taught me a thing or two over the years, so I managed.

  Theo said he would meet me at my hotel at 3pm, and it was five till when I heard him knock on my door. He was standing there, looking casual in jeans and,
at the same time, too sharp for his own good. I shook my head and smiled, and he did the same to me as he walked into my room.

  "I like your shirt," he said.

  I looked down at my own shirt and gestured to it with my hands like I was some swag person showing off my clothes. "Gotta represent the 772," I said.

  He grinned. "You look like a little surfer girl," he said. "I've done it a time or two, but I never really stuck with it," I said. "We're on the water quite a bit, but not really surfing."

  "Water girl, then," he said.

  I smiled. "Water girl for sure."

  We stopped walking once we got all the way into my room, and I popped up to kiss his cheek. "Hi," I said.

  "Hello."

  "Is it crazy that I missed you just now?" I asked.

  "No," he said, looking around with an entirely serious expression. "In fact, that's one of the first things we should get out of the way. I don't see why you need this room. I don't think there's really a point in you being in the same city as me and being at a different location. That's just… I, I just don’t think you should be apart from me at all is pretty much what I'm trying to say here. I've had quite enough of being separate from you, and now I'm just ready to… not be separate from you anymore." Theo had been absentmindedly looking around my room as he spoke, but he turned to look straight at me.

  He grabbed my hand and brought the palm of it up to his mouth. He looked at me the whole time he was doing it, and I felt a warm, rushing sensation in my whole body.

  "Can we please just pack up your things and take them down the street to my apartment?" he asked. "I was over there the whole time just now, thinking why in the world are there blocks of city separating you from Caroline right now? I basically just don't want to be apart from you is what I'm saying. I'm done with that in my life."

  I smiled at how he delivered the statement in such a matter of fact way. "So you just pretty much want to…" I trailed off because I was too embarrassed to finish the statement.

  "Be with you," he said slowly. He held up two fingers. "Two times I've had you, and both of them were far too brief." He paused and lapsed into French for a few seconds. He got animated and passionate when he spoke in French because he knew it made me smile.