The Long Way Home

by K. Langston

“Hmm…you are a good kisser,” I tell him and he plunges his tongue deep into my mouth.

  He walks me backward until I bump into the table where he lifts me to sit. Nudging my legs apart, he takes up residence between them, never once breaking our kiss. I wrap myself around him, clinging to him as he devours me. “When we get home next week?”

  “Huh?” I ask, confused by his words.

  “We’ll get married when we get back home.”

  “You haven’t even given me a ring yet.”

  His lips morph into a mischievous smile. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Lifting his hand between us, he wiggles his pinky at me before slipping the small vintage ring off and reaching for my hand. I gasp, wondering how I didn’t notice it there before. It’s perfect and looks oddly familiar.

  “This was Mama’s ring.”

  Tears sting my eyes. “Linc.”

  “Dad took her to the top of the water tower in town, where he spray-painted her name and got down on one knee. I thought about doing something romantic like that but I couldn’t come up with anything that I thought would impress you so here I am, a man standing in front of a woman”—he slips the ring on my finger then looks deep into my eyes—“asking her to marry him.”

  My heart flip-flops in my chest as my eyes fill with tears. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”

  “I knew this would seal the deal,” he says, sliding it onto my trembling finger.

  His hands frame my face before his lips brush mine. “God, I can’t believe we’re finally starting our life together. I wanna marry you before I go on tour.”

  “Linc, we have plenty of time. I think we should wait.”

  Pulling back, he tilts his head. “Haven’t we waited long enough?”

  “Yes, but I want to make sure Caroline is okay with this. We need to give her time to adjust.”

  “Babe, I’ll be on the road for months at a time. I don’t wanna wait. I’m tired of waiting. I’m ready to build our life together. I wanna make you my wife.” His hand drifts to my belly. “And if you’re not pregnant already, I want you carrying my child as soon as possible.”

  “What makes you think I would be pregnant already?”

  “Because we haven’t been using protection and you haven’t mentioned birth control.”

  “I have an IUD. I had it put in a couple years back to make sure Dean and I wouldn’t have any more children, and I could never remember to take my pill.”

  His brows furrow. “Do you want more?”

  I smile. “Of course. I would love nothing more than to be the mother of your child.”

  “Children, babe. I want more than one.”

  “Wait…how many are we talking about here?”

  “At least two more.”

  “Two huh?”

  “Yes, a boy…so he can carry on the Matthews’ legacy.” He dips his head, bringing his lips to rest upon mine. “And a little girl who looks just like you.”

  My heart swells, bursting at the seams with so much love and adoration. “I want that, too.”

  His arms wrap tighter around me, holding me close. “I can’t believe you’ll be gone for six months.”

  “I’m gonna fly home every chance I get and you’ll come out to see me. Then, after this tour, I’m done.”

  “Linc, you can’t quit.”

  “Not quit, but do things my way. I think I’ve earned that. I don’t want to be away from you, Caroline, or our babies when they come along. If I weren’t tied to this damn contract I would tell them to shove it up their ass, but I’m a man of my word and I have to see this through. This is the last bend in the road for us though. Then it’s all downhill from there.”

  “Sounds like you have it all planned out.”

  Linc’s face turns serious when he brings my left hand to cover his heart. I can feel the thundering heat beneath my palm, so strong and steady. “You are the most certain thing I’ve ever known.”

  “I’m just as ready as you are to begin the next chapter of my life, of our life together, but I have to consider Caroline here, too.”

  “So if we talk to her and she’s okay with it, can we get married next week?”

  “Next week? Like elope?”

  “Not necessarily, but I’m open to that if you want to skip the formalities. I was thinkin’ something quiet, simple. Just us, our family, Rach and Will, maybe even Kacey.”

  My heart flutters in my chest. “You’ve given this some thought.”

  He shrugs, a shy grin tugging the corner of his mouth. “A little.”

  The question isn’t whether or not I will marry him but when. We have two months together before he goes back on the road. This is not how I wanted to do it. I thought we would have more time, but nothing about us has ever been easy, except well, loving him.

  Loving him is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.

  It’s as simple as breathing.

  “Give me a month. That will give Caroline time to get used to the idea and time for me to plan.”

  His smile is brilliant, brighter than I’ve ever seen. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  “I’m going to be Mrs. Lincoln Cole Matthews?”

  “Damn, that sounds good coming out of your sweet mouth,” he says, kissing my lips. “But I was thinkin’ more along the lines of our honeymoon. Someplace warm, with white sandy beaches and lots of privacy.”

  I smile against his mouth, draping my arms around his shoulders and pulling him in closer. “Sounds like heaven to me.”

  Present

  Over the next couple of days I attend most of his commitments, standing off on the sidelines with Kacey while he does his thing. I like being able to see him in his element. He’s so relaxed and confident. Everyone he meets is so enamored with him and it’s no surprise. The man just has something about him that puts people at ease and lures them in. It’s fascinating to watch yet a part of me feels special knowing that I get to have a side of him no one else does. Kacey and I have become good friends as well, and I’m comforted knowing that he’ll have her to take care of him out on the road.

  He took me to lunch at the Bluebird Café yesterday and showed me where he pinned his song “Roots” to the wall. It was one of the first songs he wrote when he got to Nashville. It’s about remembering where you come from but not being afraid to spread your wings and fly. It’s surreal to see where he got his start. Where he struggled to get recognized among the countless singers and songwriters that graced the infamous small stage. And unlike so many others who have traveled the same path, he still remains humble. His loyalty has always been to the music. He even goes back from time to time to play. To remind himself where he started.

  Today, I’m helping Linc finish packing. He didn’t have much left to box up. The movers had done most of the heavy stuff already, but there was some personal stuff he didn’t want them touching. Like his father’s things. Most of which he kept in his office. His father’s medals from the war were displayed in a glass case, along with the folded, framed American flag from his funeral. I remember when he died, how devastated Linc was. It took him months before he would even talk to me about it.

  It was music that helped him through that dark time of his life. It’s what kept him going.

  Carefully, I wrap up the remaining photos in his office. There are several of him and his father when he was younger. One where they are camping. Linc’s father was a real outdoorsman, loved wildlife and nature. They were always going on camping trips. When we were younger, I even tagged along a few times. There are a few shots of his mom and dad together over the years. It’s so obvious by the look on their faces how much they love each other, and I silently wonder, as I tuck another newspaper-wrapped frame inside the large cardboard box, if people say the same thing about us.

  Do they see it written all over our faces? How much we love each other, how deep that love runs?

  When I turn around to grab the next picture from the shelf, my breath catches in my throat.
I blink, not really sure of what I’m seeing. It’s a picture of me, taken when I was about sixteen. I’m sitting on the bed of his truck, my bare feet dangling while my hands cup the edge of the tailgate. I’m leaning forward, a half smile on my face and my hair blowing on a slight breeze. The edges look to be crinkled and worn, as if someone has spent a lot of time looking at it. Tears prick my eyes.

  If I only knew then what I know now.

  “Beautiful, isn’t she?” His deep baritone voice sends a shiver down my spine.

  I gasp and look over my shoulder at Linc. “Jesus, you scared me.”

  Linc softly kisses my cheek before slipping the picture from my grasp. He looks at it thoughtfully, a wistful smile playing on his lips as he rounds the desk to sit in the big leather chair behind it.

  He holds the photo close, as if seeing it for the first time. “There are certain days that stand out the most in my mind. Like the day we met. The day I sang to you the first song I ever wrote. The day we went swimming at the lake and you lost your top. Prom.”

  Exhaling a long sigh, he continues. “We didn’t do anything special this particular day. We’d been to the lake, then shared a pizza at Emilio’s, then we hung out at my house while my mom was at work. We sat on the tailgate and I played around on my guitar. It was a day like so many before, yet so different. You kept telling me how proud you were of me and how someday I would shine brighter than any of the stars in the sky. But all I could think about was how the setting sun would catch your eyes just the right way and how they would sparkle every time you smiled. How the summer wind whipped your hair across your face, the delicate strands kissing your porcelain skin. I knew I had to capture the moment or it would be lost forever. So I ran inside and grabbed my mom’s digital camera. You called me a dork, among other things, and refused to smile for me. But I did manage to get this one. Then the very next day I had it developed.” I stand in front of him, my eyes filled with unshed tears. “I’ve carried this around in my guitar case ever since. Every time I opened it you were right there, smiling at me, encouraging me. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to give up, but every time a door would slam in my face I would look at this picture and remember this day. You’re the reason I kept going. You’re the reason I never gave up.”

  I climb onto his lap, draping my legs over the arm of the chair while tucking myself into his arms. “You’re not the kind of man who gives up on anything.”

  “I came pretty damn close a few times, with my music and trying to make it in this crazy fuckin’ business, but I could never give up on us. There were times I wanted to, fuck I prayed for my heart to let you go and move on. But it just wouldn’t. It’s like it always knew that someday we’d end up here, that there would be an us.”

  I can’t speak around the knot in my throat so I snuggle closer to him. His arms tighten around me. “Here is where I find peace. Here is where I find the best version of myself. That only happens when we’re together.”

  Lifting my head from his chest, I find his eyes. “I love us, Linc,” I manage on a whisper, my heart overflowing with emotion. “I love you more than you will ever know.”

  One hand cradles my face while his lips brush mine, tender and sweet, but it’s not long before our kisses become more heated.

  Urgent.

  Each stroke of our tongues is a battle of need, fighting for possession. Neither one of us can get close enough, deep enough. If it were possible to love him more, I wouldn’t think it likely until this moment.

  His love heals, binds, and fills me with immeasurable peace.

  His love makes me whole.

  His fingers dip beneath the elastic of my shorts, gliding through my slit while his mouth dominates mine. “I love you, too,” he mutters against my lips, his fingers working back and forth. “Always.” Removing his hand, he urges me to stand up. I reach for the hem of my shirt and lift it over my head, baring my breasts to him. He leans forward and catches my hips, pulling me closer to claim one of my hard nipples in his hot mouth. I stand between his open thighs, his warm breath fanning my skin while his fingers tuck into the sides of my shorts, sliding them down my legs along with my panties. “So beautiful.” He drops hot kisses along my stomach, inching lower and lower until he’s right there. My head falls back and a gasp tears from my mouth when his tongue darts out with a teasing lick. “Spread your legs for me, baby.”

  I widen my stance, my body eager to have his mouth on me. Linc kicks my discarded clothes aside. I can see the outline of his erection straining the loose denim and I lick my lips, desperate to have him inside of me. His hands grip my thighs, kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin in a quest to completely incinerate my blood. My fingers thread through his disheveled hair, gripping the strands to steady myself and guide him closer. His mouth covers me, tongue pressing hot and hard against the sensitive spot as he proceeds to thrust not one, but two fingers inside of me.

  I sway on my feet, gasping for air.

  With his mouth moving against me and his fingers working in and out of me, he takes me to the edge, teetering on the cliff of pleasure, sharp and steep. I’m almost ready to fall over. Hell, I’m ready to leap off the damn thing, but before I can, he pulls away.

  I moan in frustration as he stands up and spins me around, sitting me down in the chair he just vacated. Once the warm leather embraces my skin, I sigh, grateful he had the forethought to get me off my feet before he sends me hurtling into what is sure to be a mind-blowing orgasm. He kneels down in front of me, reaching underneath to lower the chair.

  I smile. “Here?”

  Desire swirls deep in his eyes when he situates my right leg over the arm of the chair then leans in to press a bone-melting kiss on my trembling lips. “Yes, here.”

  Heat flares beneath my skin at my exposed position but my embarrassment evaporates when Linc flicks the button of his jeans and draws down the zipper.

  The flaps of denim offer a peek of the hardness that lies beneath. My blood heats with anticipation. “I’m gonna fuck you until you’re a screamin’, sticky, hot mess.”

  I suck in a thin breath of air, squirming closer to the edge of the chair.

  His smile is victorious and filled with pleasure. “I thought you’d like that,” he says, shoving his jeans down his toned thighs before rolling the chair closer.

  He teases my wet slit, stroking back and forth with his length, each glide driving me closer and closer to release. Fisting the base of his cock, he thrusts forward on a pained groan, filling me fast and hard. A thick moan vibrates in my throat with the unexpected force. “Let me hear you, baby.” He withdraws slowly before slamming into me once more, harder this time. Gripping my knees, I spread my legs wider, desperate to take every single inch of him. “Yes, that’s it. Open wide for me. Fuck, you look so goddamn beautiful when I’m inside of you.”

  Rolling the chair back and forth, he drives into me as I struggle for air and sanity. I’ve never felt anything so intense. His hooded eyes hold mine hostage the entire time. There are no words being passed between us but words aren’t necessary. He’s telling me everything I need to know with his body. And even though he’s taking me with raw, primal strokes, it feels like he’s marking my soul, branding me with his body and with his fierce, unyielding love.

  The sounds pouring from my mouth are as foreign as the white-hot flecks that dance along the edges of my vision but I welcome them both, losing myself in him completely. We explode together in a kaleidoscope of heat, leaving us both a screaming, sticky, hot mess.

  Leaning forward, he places a warm kiss between my breasts, then rests his cheek upon my heaving chest. “Wow.” I manage between my recovering breaths.

  “I know,” he whispers.

  The shrill ring of his phone penetrates our intimate moment.

  “Don’t you dare move,” I tell him, not wanting to break contact whatsoever. He chuckles before the offending sound stops only to start once again. He lifts his head with a huff and pulls out of me before di
gging into the front pocket of his jeans.

  His brows furrow with concern as he looks down at the screen. “Hey, Rene.”

  Dropping my feet to the floor, I reach for my clothes but stop in my tracks when I hear a frantic muffled voice on the other end of the line. Linc’s face drains of color, causing panic to flare in my chest. “Hold on, she’s right here.”

  “What, what is it?” I ask, taking the phone, but I don’t give him a chance to answer before I press it to my ear.

  “Mom?”

  “Sylvie!” She’s crying hysterically. I can hardly understand what she’s saying but when I hear Caroline’s name and the word missing, my heart sinks like a heavy stone in a sea of panic.

  “Mom, slow down. What do you mean she wasn’t at school when you picked her up?”

  “She wasn’t there. I waited half an hour and when she didn’t show I went inside to see what was keeping her. Her teacher said she was dismissed with the rest of the class as usual, but she never came out.”

  “Did you check the library?”

  “Yes, we’ve checked everywhere and called everyone we know.” she sobs. “The police have issued an Amber Alert. We didn’t know what else to do.”

  “Oh God.” My heart pounds frantically against my chest. I try to remain calm but everything inside of me wants to fall apart. Instead, I tell her to keep me posted and that I’ll be home as soon as I can before I end the call.

  “Caroline’s missing,” I croak, my voice not cooperating with my brain. I can feel his questioning eyes on me as I finish slipping my panties and shorts in place. Reaching for my shirt, I move to step around him but he grabs my arm.

  “I have to go, Linc.” My lip quivers and I can feel the emotions building like a tidal wave inside of me, but somehow, I hold them at bay.

  Linc cradles my face, offering me what little comfort he can. “I’m coming with you.”

  Linc makes a few phone calls, and thankfully, we’re able to board his label’s private jet within the hour. Aside from making the arrangements, and the occasional reassuring squeeze of my hand, he hasn’t spoken a word. Which is good because I’m afraid of what I’ll say if he does speak to me. I’m riddled with guilt and fear and the combination is wreaking havoc on my frantic heart.