"You'll have to come by the shop," Owen said.
"I've actually been to a Bishop dealership in L.A. I've just never ridden one."
"When'd you go to a Bishop dealership?" Daniel asked, glancing at me curiously.
"I made Trevor take me a couple weeks ago," I said. "I was curious and wanted to see what it was all about. We didn't ride one or anything; I just looked around."
"The L.A. store's nice, but we have the original factory and dealership in Memphis," Owen said. "It's our biggest location and we have the original garage… the only one with Elvis."
I gave him a perplexed look, and he smiled.
"A parrot," Rose explained. "He's like 50 years old, and he's been hanging out at the garage, squawking at people since it first opened."
"Yeah, the dealership in L.A. definitely didn't have an Elvis," I said.
"It had a portrait of him," Jesse said. "They all do. It's part of the décor that goes into all the branches—a big ole' painting of Elvis, standing on his perch."
I laughed. "That's hilarious," I said. "I really wish I would have noticed that."
"You can come meet the real Elvis," Owen said. "And then, when you go back to Los Angeles, you'll be able to tell them you saw him in person."
Owen didn't mean anything by mentioning that I would go back to Los Angeles, but the statement still made my heart sink. I smiled and nodded, pretending to be unfazed.
"I'll definitely have to look for that," I said.
"Where's Ivy?" Daniel asked.
Jesse shook his head. "Your mother told her to be home for dinner, but you never know with that girl. She'll probably show up at 8:30 and say she was just getting hungry."
"She would've been here by now if you would've let me tell her you were bringing Courtney," Rose said. "And speaking of dinner, it's ready if you guys are hungry." Rose broke away from her husband and headed toward the kitchen.
"I am," Daniel said.
"Me too," Owen added as he started to walk over there.
"It smells really good," I said.
Rose had made a gorgeous meal, which included lasagna, salad, and bread sticks, and we sat around the table laughing and talking and getting to know each other as we ate. They asked questions about my job, and I asked questions about theirs. We talked about the other members of the family, including Wes who was in London and Jesse's sister, Jane, who lived close by and had two children that were roughly Daniel's age. I told them that I had met Shelby years before, and they all got a kick out of that.
Daniel had already given me lots of details about his extended family, but it was fun to hear everyone else talk about them, and I felt happy that they wanted to share that sort of stuff with me. I gave them a brief history of my life, saying that I was an only child and telling them how I got started in show business. We talked about Jesse's mom being a singer, and Jesse told a couple of stories from when he was a kid and she used to take him and his sister on tour with her.
We sat at the dinner table for a long time before the guys excused themselves to go into the living room so that they could catch up on the baseball game. Rose said she had been meaning to water the ferns on the front porch, and she invited me to join her. Daniel told her I might be more comfortable staying inside with him, but I opted to go outside with his mother just because I liked her and wanted to.
She crossed to the far side of the porch and sat down on the swing, patting the seat next to her and inviting me to sit down.
"I don't really need to water the ferns," she said. "I just did that yesterday. I brought you out here to talk to you for a minute."
"Sure," I said. I smiled at her, but I was suddenly anxious and wondered what she had to say.
I sat beside her, and she put her hand on my leg before turning to stare at me earnestly. She took a slow, deep breath and her eyes filled with tears, instantly causing tears to rise to my own eyes. She regarded me sincerely and cleared her throat, trying her best to get herself together so she could say what she wanted to say.
"A couple of months ago, Daniel went to Florida with Ivy and me for a gymnastics tournament," she said.
She spoke slowly and deliberately and had to clear her throat every time she paused. I could see by the slight quiver of her chin that she was trying not to break down and cry, and I felt moved to reach out and hold her hand. She received my touch gratefully and offered me a sweet smile. She was beautiful, and I could see elements of Daniel in her. She took another deep breath before continuing.
"As you know, while we were down in Florida, Daniel got a call to fill-in on a job."
I nodded.
"Well, he traveled with you to New Orleans after that. He was only gone for a few days, but when he came home, I could tell something had shifted in him. Something was a little bit different. He was acting upset, but I could tell it was because he was happy, if that makes any sense."
I nodded.
She let out another long sigh, looking at me like she regretted something.
"I should probably back up a little bit and tell you that I haven't seen my son happy in quite some time."
Her face crumpled and tears fell onto her cheeks when she made that statement. She covered her face with her hands. I had no other choice but to reach out and hug her. We sat on the swing, holding each other close for a few seconds before she wiped her face and continued.
"So, then a few days after he got back from doing that job, he surprised us all by hopping on a plane to go to Dallas," she said. "And when he got home from that that trip, he came over to the house and he asked…"
She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. I pulled back to look at her and saw that her face was contorted with tears.
"I'm so sorry," she said, shaking her head and covering her face.
"Don't be," I whispered.
Tears were gathering in my own eyes as well, so I blinked as I stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
"He came over the night he came back from Dallas, and he told his dad he wanted to learn how to ride a… to ride a motorcycle."
She paused and shook her head, gasping for air between sobs.
"I'm sorry," she repeated. "It's just been such a long road for Daniel. As a mom… (sniff) it's so hard to see your baby suffer. I really apologize. I told myself I was going to do this without crying. I just meant to bring you out here and thank you."
She wiped at her tears, smiling at herself for being unable to stop them.
"He's been at it for weeks," she said. "He started by himself, going out with his dad, and then, (sniff) one day he came over and asked if I'd get on the back and… (sniff) go for a ride with him…"
She put her face in her hands, letting out a long, wheezing sob, and I rubbed her back as tears flowed from my own eyes.
"I didn't mean to cry. I just wanted to thank you. I know it might not seem like a big deal that he wanted to get on a bike again, but to us it is. To us, it's a very big deal. It's not that motorcycles mean that much to us, or anything… it's not about that. It's something deeper than that. It was like his heart was healing."
We hugged each other for what must have been a full minute as we both wiped our eyes and got ourselves together. About halfway through the silence, she nudged the ground with her foot, causing us to start swinging.
"Daniel has changed things for me, too," I said, finally. "Not in the same way, but he brought healing into my life, too. Not just physically, either, although that's part of it. He honestly helped me see a side of God that I didn't know existed—he helped me know that there's a God out there who loves me—a God I wanted to get to know."
"Oh my goodness," Rose said with a thoughtful sigh. She rubbed my leg. "That's so special, baby. Thank you for sharing that with me."
After a moment, a car pulled into the driveway.
"That's Ivy," Rose explained when she glanced that way.
I started to ask if we should go inside, but I was still teary-eyed and really comfortable sitting on the swi
ng with Daniel's mom, so I just stayed there. Neither of us moved. We sat, comfortably leaning against each other and swinging gently.
About three minutes had passed when the front door flew open, and a stunned Ivy Bishop stepped onto the porch, staring at us.
I giggled at the intensity of her facial expression.
"I can't believe you came to my house for dinner and nobody told me!" she said, staring straight at me.
She grinned and shook her head and she started to walk toward us, and her face shifted to a look of confusion when she was about halfway across the porch. "Are y'all bawling?"
Chapter 18
"I was just telling Courtney how remarkable it was that Daniel wanted to ride again," Rose explained.
Ivy smiled and breathed a sigh, shaking her head. "Yeah, it seems like every other day he's asking me to go for a ride with him," she said. "I thought he was just obsessed with having somebody on the back of his new bike. I didn't know he was practicing for someone."
"I knew he was practicing," Rose said. "I put the pieces together the second he told your dad he wanted to ride again."
"It makes total sense now," Ivy said.
She hugged me as we scooted over so that she could take a seat on the swing next to us. It was a big porch swing and there was plenty of room for the three of us. I ended up in the middle, which felt great. For years, I had been surrounded by people who loved me and were excited to be around me, but those relationships always felt like they hinged on my music. These women just wanted to sit next to me on a porch swing and talk about the fact that Daniel finally wanted to ride a motorcycle again.
"When'd you get here?" Ivy said.
"To Memphis or your mom's house?" I asked.
"Both."
"Today. Just a few hours ago," I said. "Daniel picked me up at the airport and we went for a drive before coming here to eat dinner. Your mom made lasagna and salad."
Ivy leaned forward and looked past me at her mom with a narrow-eyed expression that made me laugh.
"Your father told you to be home for dinner," Rose said innocently.
"I was helping Shelby hang pictures and stuff," Ivy said. "She said we could have a party at her house after graduation."
"Shelby just bought her first house," Rose said, looking at me. Then she leveled her daughter with a stern, motherly look. "And y'all better not be planning anything wild over there. I know she wouldn’t appreciate that."
"We're not, Mom," Ivy said before looking at me. "I'm graduating next week," she said. "That's what the party's for. A bunch of my friends from school are coming."
I smiled. "I was telling your parents that I met Shelby before," I said. "We were both really young. She might not even remember."
"She remembers," Ivy said, nodding. "I told her about meeting you in Miami, and she told me how y'all met when you were kids. How long are you gonna be in town? You could see her if you come to the party."
Ivy was half-joking when she made that last comment, but I shrugged like it might be a possibility.
"I'm definitely planning on coming to your graduation," I said. "Daniel invited me. That's one of the main reasons I planned my trip for this week."
I had to laugh at Ivy's reaction. She tried not to get too excited, but her legs straightened out and she began stiffly paddling her feet in tiny, quick up-and-down motions like she was swimming in a pool.
"Are you staying a whole week?"
I nodded.
"Don't worry," she said, still kicking. "I'm not going to go around telling people you're here or anything. I know I'd have the whole town trying to come over to my house."
The front door opened, and Daniel stepped onto the porch staring into the front yard with an intense expression. He squinted into the distance, looking toward the road.
"What's the matter, Daniel?" Rose asked.
"Nothing," Daniel said. "But why don't you ladies go ahead and come in for now?"
The three of us stood from the porch swing and made our way into the house. Daniel held the door open for us, but he and I hung back in the doorway so that I could talk to him and ask what was going on. I didn't even have to ask. I just gave him a questioning expression.
"Gina called," he explained. Gina was my publicist, so my brows furrowed the instant I heard her name. He paused, and his expression changed as he tilted his head at me. "Were you crying?"
"Yeah but it was a good cry, what's going on? What did Gina say?"
He shook his head. "It's not that big of a deal. You and I just got photographed at the airport and Gina caught wind of it and called to make sure we knew."
"Already?" I asked. "That was just like three hours ago. How'd Gina know about it?"
"It's nothing big. Somebody took a few pictures of us at the airport and tagged you on their social media. Obviously, you had on your hat and everything, but Gina said it was a pretty clear picture of your face and that it had had some shares and stuff. She said she saw to it that you weren't tagged anymore, whatever that means, but she just wanted to make sure we knew what was going on."
Daniel paused and glanced outside through the window. "I really don't think anyone is going to bother you out here. I just figured I'd have you go ahead and come inside."
I leaned forward, collapsing onto his chest, and he held me and rubbed my back lovingly. "Was everything okay out there?" he asked, referring again to my tears.
"Yeah," I whispered. "Your mom was just being really sweet and telling me how much she loved you."
"She does love me," Daniel said. "But I didn't expect her to take you out here and start gushing about it."
"She wasn't gushing," I said. "And even if she was, I'm glad about it. It was sweet. I really love your mom—your whole family. Is it okay for me to say that?"
"Yes. They love you too," he said. "And I think Ivy was slightly excited to see you."
I laughed. "She was so cute when I told her I was going to her graduation."
"What'd she say?"
"It's not what she said. It's just that she started paddling her feet like she was swimming in a pool."
"What?" Daniel asked in a confused tone like he obviously couldn't picture it.
"Nothing," I said. "She was just really cute and sweet. And she invited us to a graduation party she's having at your cousin's house."
"Oh Lord, I'm sure she did," Daniel said.
"Even if we don't end up going to that, I'm really looking forward to seeing Shelby again and meeting the rest of your family." I pulled back to stare at him, and he glanced down at me, wearing that gorgeous smile.
"I'm glad," he said. "They want to meet you, too."
"What about Owen?" I whispered.
"What about him?"
"What'd he say about me being here? Does he know I'm your girlfriend?"
Daniel's grin broadened at my question. "Owen's really happy you're here," he said.
I couldn't quit staring at his teeth. His smile was so irresistible that I wanted to kiss him constantly. I stretched upward and snagged a quick kiss, regretting that I couldn’t stand there and repeat the process about fifty more times. He kissed me back before squeezing my hand to let me know we should head into the house before we got carried away.
We joined the rest of his family in the living room and spent the next hour or so talking to them. They had all pitched in with helping Shelby fix up her new house. The whole family donated their time and some of their extra furnishings to the project, and Ivy filled them all in on what Shelby was putting where.
It was just a normal evening for the Bishops—one where they sat around and caught each other up on what had been going on in their lives during the past few days. I was overjoyed that they welcomed me into their family conversation without feeling the need to filter what they said or even try to impress me.
I loved them all, but there was already a special place in my heart for Owen. It wasn't out of pity, either, because honestly, I couldn't see where he was at any detriment in life because
of the injuries he got in the accident. His scar was actually becoming on him, and the fact that he was wearing jeans made it impossible to tell that there was anything different about his leg.
My warm feelings toward Owen weren't a result of me feeling bad for him—it wasn't that at all. If anything, it was out of gratefulness. I knew Daniel had been deeply concerned about Owen's feelings all these years, which was why he didn't date. They had both experienced pain and heartache as a result of the accident, and I was truly sorry for that, but the end result was that Daniel remained single long enough for me to find him. He unintentionally saved himself for me, and for that, I was eternally grateful.
Daniel was a diamond in the rough—a true, pure soul with a heart of gold—and I knew deep in my heart how fortunate I was to call him mine. Granted, it wasn't all about me. God, no doubt, used the accident to affect the lives of the boys and everyone around them, but I still somehow felt that Owen's sacrifice translated into my gain, and I had a special fondness for him because of that.
It was almost 9pm when Daniel told his parents he and I should be getting home. We thanked them for the meal and made plans to go by Bishop Motorcycles within the next couple of days so that I could take a tour.
Owen was ready to leave as well, so he walked outside with us. The two of them talked about one of their family friends who had a swimming hole on their property and the fact that Daniel should take me out there. I had never gone swimming in a "hole" before, but I figured it might be fun, so I just smiled and went along with it.
Daniel and I stood next to his motorcycle, and Owen walked toward his truck, but turned and leaned against it instead of getting inside. He smiled at us. Daniel came to stand behind me, wrapping his arms protectively around my shoulders. This made Owen's smile widen as he shook his head.
"I can't believe my eyes," Owen said, pretending to rub his eyes with his fists as if he was seeing things. "I thought Daniel would never find a woman who suited him."
"I had to trick him into liking me," I said, turning in Daniel's arms so that I could stare at him from over my shoulder. "I had to fake sick so that he'd come take care of me." We both knew that I had not been faking it, but that's just what came out.
So Happy Together (Bishop Family Book 4) Page 12
