My Stardust Melody, Chapter 46
Reid threw himself down on the sofa and then smacked his hands against the leather cushions with a hollow thwack. “Nathan, is your brain fried? When have I ever given you the idea I was interested in grand romantic gestures?”
“When have you ever been in love?” Nathan asked from the chair cattycorner to Reid. He wasn’t even bothering to glance at Reid as he was too busy with his smartphone searching for information for his grand plan.
“Jesus. You tricked me into telling you that,” Reid retorted.
Nathan looked up and smirked. “No, I badgered you. There’s a difference.”
“Whining would be more precise…and I’m still not doing it.” He folded his arms over his chest for emphasis. Just the idea of it sent little darts of panic into his gut.
Nathan rolled his eyes and went back to looking at his phone. “Oh, get over yourself. After you basically shouted it across a room at him, you could do with a little romance.”
“This is more than ‘a little.’” Leaving the last doughnut was ‘a little’ romantic and as far as Reid had ever considering going in the romance department. This was a big, fucking, heart-on-your-sleeve, grandiose, gesture and not something Reid thought he’d ever do.
“So what?” Nathan asked as he tapped something on his screen to Reid’s everlasting annoyance. “You’re Reid Oliver. Go big or go home.”
“That is not my motto,” Reid grumbled. “Everyone would know,” he moaned.
Nathan was unimpressed. “Of course, they will. We need their help.”
“We? I’m fairly certain I’ll be alone when the time comes.” At least there wouldn’t be an audience, Reid thought. Aside from a band. Maybe I could get a boom box. No, that would, regrettably, suck.
“Aw, do you want me to hold your hand?” Nathan asked in a babyish voice.
Reid scrunched his face at the thought. “Blech. You do not understand the hell I’m in.”
Nathan let out an exhausted breath and looked at Reid from the corner of his eyes. “Must be hard watching that boulder roll down the mountain every day, Sisyphus.”
Reid huffed, annoyed by Nathan’s lack of sympathy and penchant for Greek mythological analogies. “What’s the point of this anyway?”
Giving Reid his full attention, Nathan replied, “The point is that you sprung the ‘I love you’ card in the middle of a heated moment-and it would be helpful if you told me what the argument was about by the way. Then you insisted he couldn’t say anything in return, which to be fair, was kind of romantic. However, the moment needs to be celebrated.”
“We’ll get dinner,” Reid replied with a careless shrug.
Nathan rolled his eyes. “Come on, Reid. Press your advantage. I’m guessing you’d like Luke to feel the same way at some point, right? Even you aren’t that noble.”
Reid shrugged again, admitting nothing. Privately, though, he agreed with Nathan, but thought that the last thing he wanted to do was make Luke say things for which he wasn’t ready.
“Then take the pressure off,” Nathan said in a matter-of-fact tone, seeming to have read Reid's mind. “Do it for Luke.”
He pictured the look on Luke’s face if he did this. Luke would like it, as much as it killed Reid to admit to it. “Ugh,” Reid moaned, inarticulate in his defeat. Luke did deserve something nice, particularly after all the blood, sweat and tears of the past two years. “Who do we need for this scheme?”
“Well, Henry, obviously,” Nathan began. “He pretty much has the Oakdale entertainment market cornered from what I see.”
“Please tell me we aren’t starting on a high note,” Reid jibed in a cross tone after letting out a rather dramatic groan.
Nathan ignored him. “We need some bodies to do labor-so Maddie and maybe the kids. Faith could lure him…”
Reid couldn’t take any more. Just thinking of being in cahoots with Henry was enough to give him a headache, then add in the rest, and it was almost unbearable. He’d never live this down. “Fine,” he snapped. “You go hire the help, but I’ll do the planning.” If he was going to do this, he was at least going to get the credit. “I have a surprise in mind.” And nobody was going to find out what it was until Luke did.
“When do you want to do this?”
“A few days after Luke gets back from Louisiana.” It was the last race before the Derby, and only Midnight would be racing as Serendipity had a sore foreleg. Since the latter had enough points to enter the Run for the Roses already, Luke wasn’t risking making it a more serious injury by racing him again. The blond would be gone for four or five days with Midnight, having decided to leave Andy in Oakdale to take care of Serendipity.
That should give Reid enough time to pull off everything for his big-f’ing-gesture.
***
Luke fidgeted with the collar of his pale blue shirt to get it to lay right over his dark grey blazer. He was staring at Faith who was rummaging through the bowl on the counter where they kept their keys.
“What do you mean we have to drive there?” Luke asked her in confusion. “The barn is right there. I can hit it with a rock.” It was bad enough Henry had agreed to do a cover shoot for Racing Magazine, but Luke was getting really annoyed by the last-minute changes. First, Luke had been told to dress casually but not too casually. Then, Henry told him to wear a tuxedo, which seemed asinine. Finally, this afternoon Henry said to dress like they were going to a nice restaurant.
Faith shrugged, pulling various keys out and placing them on the counter. “Henry called and said that he wanted to do the photo shoot over at Grandma’s old storage barn.” Finding the keys, she held them up and jingled them with triumph.
“That doesn’t make sense. The horses are in the other barn, which has actual stalls. That old barn is basically just an empty warehouse.” There really were way too many keys in that dish, Luke thought. You really shouldn’t feel like you won a ring-toss game at the town fair every time you find your car keys.
Faith shook her head in commiseration. “I tried to tell him, but you know Henry. He said the photographers had spotted it and thought it was a great setting. He’s already taken the horses there.”
“Yeah, like they just happened to be by an old barn way on the other side of the farm. There’s no lighting in there-and I still don’t get why they want to do a night shoot in the first place.” He was a little surprised that anyone was interested at all after Midnight finished third in Louisiana at a slower pace than his standard workout. The horse had acted disinterested in the race, cruising into third without much effort. Afterward, Luke would have sworn the dark stallion had given him a bored look and snorted at the winner with condescension. Serendipity had performed the same in the two races following his maiden race in the fall when Midnight had been injured. Andy had thought Serendipity was at his best around Midnight, and now Luke wondered if Midnight had the same tendency. Turning his attention back to his sister, he asked, “Did Henry at least get some lights and a generator?”
“I think so, but I didn’t ask.” She swiped the unwanted keys on the counter up and dropped them back in the bowl. “So are you coming?”
Luke ran his hand through his hair and then regretted it. “Yeah, just let me comb my hair again.” He sighed to himself. He’d had one free night this week, and he was going to waste it on getting his picture taken. Henry had said the shoot might take hours.
“You look perfect,” Faith said, tossing Luke’s coat to him. “Besides, I’m sure there will be makeup artists.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
It took about two minutes to get to Emma’s old storage barn. Luke could understand why someone might want to photograph it-it had that classic old barn feel. Faded red, with ashen wood peeking out here and there, and white trim, it looked like the kind of place you might see in magazines as a backdrop for fancy events.
But it was nighttime, so there would be no exterior pictures. Maybe the photographers would come back in the morning, Luke thought. As they drove up, he noticed there were no cars, which seemed weird. The photographers must be running late, he surmised. He couldn’t imagine that Henry would have walked over here from the stables, but possibly Barbara had dropped him off. There was definitely some light peeking around the edges of the barn door. Henry was probably in there and trying to keep the wind out.
“I’m going to freeze,” Luke grumbled. During the day, it had only been forty-five degrees, and now, after sundown, it had to be at least ten degrees colder.
Faith stopped the truck a few yards away from the barn, and Luke hopped out. “I’ll call you when I’m finished if I need a ride?” he asked.
Faith snorted inexplicably, composed herself, smiled and said, “Of course!”
Luke thought it a strange reaction and wondered if she was having some sort of secret date with the latest Hughes kid in town. He trusted her enough to know she wouldn’t get in any real trouble, but that didn’t mean she was above getting into a little bit of a scrape. She was still a teenager after all. Since she was eighteen and about to leave for college in less than six months, he stopped himself from expressing his worry. He just hoped her plans didn’t mean he’d be walking home if Henry couldn’t give him a ride.
Faith drove off with a cheery wave, and Luke turned toward the barn, absently thinking about how much his younger sister had grown since he had taken charge of her. He promised himself he wouldn’t get weepy when she left, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to keep it when the time came.
The hum of the generator coming from the back of the barn brought Luke back to the present. Walking a few steps forward, he had to yank on the door to get it to swing open. Age and disuse had made the hinges tight with rust. It wouldn’t budge, and then it suddenly gave way, forcing Luke to jump back and nearly fall over. Righting himself, he felt a blast of warm air, looked up and couldn’t comprehend the scene in front of him. He thought he was hallucinating.
The barn had been swept clean, and a wooden walkway led to a large matching floor in the center of the barn. The support beams and rafters had been strung with twinkling lights, and at least a dozen white paper lanterns dangled from the rooftop casting a soft, shimmering glow around the large room. Beyond the square floor was an elevated platform with a drum set, a bass, and a couple horns visible. In the middle of everything was a round table with a flaxen tablecloth, two pearl-colored places settings of china and elegant crystal goblets and wine glasses. Flickering, cream pillar candles of varying heights were scattered across the table with a simple pewter vase displaying peach roses in the center. It was Natalie’s favorite color of rose, Luke noted absently. They were called, “Carpe Diem,” and had grown years ago in the gardens of his grandmother’s estate.
It wasn’t the decorations, however, that took Luke’s breath away. More magnificent than anything else was Reid, standing in the center of the room beside the table. He was clean-shaven and dressed in a white shirt paired with a navy blazer. He was so handsome Luke felt like his heart might pound through his chest.
Reid walked down the path to Luke and stopped. His stride, like everything Reid did, had a confidence and commanding nature to it. Luke appreciated the opportunity to watch the older man move, but he was, above all else, confused.
“What is this?” Luke asked. “What’s going on?”
Reid smiled, put out his hand and said, “Hi, my name is Reid Oliver. And I’ve never once been interested in a guy for his money.”
“What?” Luke replied in dazed exasperation.
Reid dropped his hand and raised his eyebrows. “Which word didn’t you understand? I thought they were all pretty small.”
“Reid! Seriously, what is all of this?” He waved his hand around the wide space of the decorated barn.
“I thought we deserved a better start than the one we had in New York.” He shrugged with a little embarrassment. “One without all the miscommunications.”
Touched, Luke whispered, “You didn’t have to do this.”
Reid reached out and caressed Luke’s hand. “Yeah, I did,” he said in a seductive voice.
Luke was still too astonished to have much reaction other than to say, “How did you do this? When did you even have time?”
“I had some help. Henry’s catering business provided the heaters, floors, tables and all the frilly stuff. Your sisters picked up the candles and flowers, and Nathan and Maddie got on some ladders and helped me string the lights. Oh, and John has a band.”
“Band?” Luke asked, now noticing the group of guys who were filing over to the platform.
“Twenties standards all night. No more eighties crap.” As if on cue, the band began playing, “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”
Starting to settle down, Luke smiled and cracked, “Unless Henry paid them off.” He couldn’t believe Reid and his friends had done so much work for this. It was nothing short of incredible.
“He better not have,” Reid warned.
“Well, don’t be surprised if ‘Easy Lover’ starts playing in between ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and “The Charleston.”
With a shiver of disgust, Reid said, “Come on, let’s eat.” Reid took Luke’s hand, and they walked toward the table. Luke stared at their clasped hands the entire distance, his mind still not able to grasp what was happening.
When they got there, a waiter arrived to take Luke’s coat. Then Reid pulled a chair out for Luke and waited. Luke lifted his eyebrows at him, and Reid said, “I thought I remembered you saying you wanted to be courted.”
“Maybe not like a Victorian female,” Luke said with a laugh, but he took his seat. In front of him was a small white box, about the size of his hand, laying on his plate. It was wrapped with a simple, black satin ribbon.
He could barely restrain himself from asking about it while he waited for Reid to sit down across from him. After all this, he couldn’t imagine that Reid had also purchased him a gift.
“What’s this?” Luke asked, after having given Reid a few seconds to settle in and take a sip of wine. He was glad he and Reid had discussed whether Luke was comfortable around others drinking alcohol. It was completely fine with him, and he felt more unsettled when people made it a point to change what came naturally to them.
“Are we going to play the ‘Guessing Game’ again? I thought we got finished with that at the door.”
“Reid…” Luke protested, trying to restrain his laughter.
Reid appeared to study the rafters. “It’s a gift. I thought the bow gave it away.”
“This really wasn’t necessary,” Luke demurred, but he flashed Reid a lop-sided smile.
“No, but I wanted to…Are you going to open it?” he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
“Yes!” Luke exclaimed, quickly untying the ribbon and tugging the box open. Inside laid a picture of a Steinway piano that looked uncannily like the one he played growing up in his mom’s house.
Luke’s hand trembled, and he glanced up at Reid who looked nervous with flushed cheeks. The blond waited for Reid to say something.
“It’s the one you had as a kid, and it’s yours to use anytime you want.”
Tears threatened to spill down Luke’s face he was so overwhelmed. Of all the thoughtful, amazing, and unimaginable things for Reid to do… Luke had lost almost everything of value in the auctions following his parents’ deaths, and he’d never thought he’d see his beloved instrument again. “But Reid…” Luke began, thinking that this piano was worth a fortune, but he couldn’t quite force himself to state his objection. This was insanely extravagant, well beyond what anyone would normally get their boyfriend. Luke couldn’t decide if he was about to panic or do a dance.
He stared at the black piano with its shining keys. The image took him back to the moment his grandmother had presented it to him as a surprise in his living room. She’d sat him down blindfolded on the bench before letting him see it. “It’s yours, darling,” she’d said. She then explained that this particular piano came from Steinway’s factory in Hamburg, Germany. It had taken over a year to make, consisting of over 12,000 parts. The soundboard was fashioned from Alaskan spruce, and the encasement was made of ebonized birch. Every single part was crafted by hand, and Luke could explain each one because she’d taken the time to teach him.
He swallowed, staring at the picture. He could almost hear the warm sound of the piano in his ears. Blood raced through his veins, and his hands began to tremble. Where could he even put this thing? There was no room, and he didn’t have the insurance for it, but, god, he wanted it so badly, and…
Yeah, panic was definitely the route he was taking.
Reid snapped his fingers in Luke’s face. “Before you say anything, let me explain. I’m keeping it at my apartment for the moment.” Reid continued in haste, “If you lift up that photograph, you’ll see there’s a key taped to the bottom of the box. You can use it-the key, the piano-whenever you want. And if it’s weird having your mom’s piano there, I can sell it and get a new one. Or it can go to your house. I know you don’t exactly have the room, but you’ve talked about adding on if you ever win enough races. My plan is to hold onto it until then. As soon as you have the space, we can move it. Or if you’d rather it be at Henry’s, we can put it there as well.
“And if you’re worried about the cost, I’ll remind you that as the top neurosurgeon in the country, my salary can amply afford the expense. I should be able to give something nice to my boyfriend if I want to.”
“Reid, it’s too much,” Luke said reflexively-stupidly--but then he looked at Reid and realized what trouble Reid had gone through to make this okay for Luke. He wasn’t going to argue this any further. Something about Luke not having a piano had obviously bothered Reid when he first learned about it, and he’d come up with a way for Luke to play. While Reid’s apartment was spacious, he’d still have to move some furniture around to fit a seven-foot piano. And privacy-loving Reid was offering him a key to his home-joy bubbled through Luke at the idea. It was so thoughtful that Luke could hardly say no. More than that, Luke didn’t want to refuse it.
Not realizing Luke’s change of heart, Reid leaned back in his seat, prepared to do battle. “How’s it too much? I bought a piano for my apartment and gave you a key. Besides, I got a great price on that piano. Damian charmed the pants off the woman who’d bought it…Not literally.”
“You talked to Damian about this?” Luke asked in surprise, distracted from the question of whether the gift was reasonable. He picked up the key and rubbed it between his fingers.
“I had to in order to figure out who bought it. He wasn’t sure, but he pointed me to the auctioneer who gave me the info. And, uh, my conversation with the prior owner didn’t go so well, and Damian offered…”
Luke could surmise the rest. “My father’s negotiation skills are legendary.”
“He got a great deal, actually. I think he promised the owner a trip to his contessa’s castle in Italy. I’m just hoping I don’t somehow wind up in jail over whatever he did. I put the odds at 50-50.” He bobbled his hands in a see-saw motion.
“You shouldn’t joke,” Luke said with a shudder. But he was touched, despite himself, that Damian had gone out of his way to help Reid find the perfect present for Luke.
“So…is this okay?” Reid asked hesitantly.
“This. Is. Extraordinary,” Luke said, looking down at the picture. “I can’t wait to play it at your apartment. I…haven’t gotten to play as much as I used to.” He rarely let himself think about how he missed playing. It was too painful to contemplate something that seemed so pointless. His thoughts must have shown because Reid reached across the table and took his hand.
Reid smiled reassuringly and said, “I know, and I find that to be a ridiculous travesty. You should play as often as you want.”
Affectionately, Luke’s eyes melted into Reid’s. He said, “Well, now I can.”
“I was hoping…” Reid began and cut himself off. He cleared his throat nervously.
Since their hands were still entwined, Luke squeezed the older man’s. “What? What were you hoping?” Whatever it was, if it was within Luke’s power, he’d give it to Reid.
The doctor looked toward the ceiling, then back at Luke, before blurting, “That maybe one day we’d call it ‘our’ piano.”
Luke could only stare, tongue-tied for a moment. Reid wanted to move in together one day? “You mean…” the blond started, but then abruptly said, “I’d like that.” Feeling wrapped in invisible warmth, Luke couldn’t contain his smile.
“When we’re ready,” Reid confirmed.
“Yeah, when we’re ready,” Luke said, blushing and taking a sip of his sparkling water. He knew it wasn’t alcoholic, but it seemed to fortify his nerves just to drink something. The sudden urge to drag Reid across the table and kiss him senseless was nearly irresistible. The presence of the band was the only thing stopping him.
Reid studied Luke when some new thought flitted across the doctor’s features. He pulled his hand back and said in a soft voice, “I meant to tell you at the door that this isn’t some big seduction scene, but I forgot. I don’t want you to feel pressured into saying or feeling anything. It’s just that I shouted--well, you know what I said--at you the other day. And I thought you deserved more than me yelling that at you. I don’t have any expectations about tonight. In fact, even if you did feel…something…you should think about it some more.”
Luke replied, “You didn’t have to say this, but I’m glad you did. I’ve been thinking about the other day and how you reacted to what I was doing with the pills, and it dawned on me that you completely kept your cool-probably better than I would have in your shoes. You were blunt and honest, but you could have torn me to pieces and you didn’t. I wanted to say thank you for that.” Despite his unease over discussing the pills, Luke looked up at Reid to make sure the older man knew he was being sincere.
The blond continued, “And now you’ve lured me here and done all this-and let people know what you were doing, which I’m sure had to kill you. This is special, Reid. No one has ever gone so far out of their way for me. I couldn’t imagine a more magnificent night.”
“Well, I am a genius,” Reid joked and tapped his temple, but his eyes blazed and glowed at Luke’s declaration.
Luke grinned in return while his pulse skittered at the expression on Reid’s lean face. It was at this inopportune moment that a waiter appeared and placed their plates in front of them.
“Hamburgers?” Luke queried with amusement as he looked down at the feast in front of him.
“With fries. Maddie swore it was your favorite. We’re having Rocky Road ice cream for dessert.”
Luke knew that Reid had a photographic memory, but he was touched nonetheless at Reid’s remembrance of Luke’s favorite ice cream.
They ate in relative silence. Luke was so overwhelmed by the evening he could barely speak. And Reid…well, he seemed to be relishing his food.
After finishing his ice cream and eating what Luke hadn’t touched, Reid stood up. “Wanna dance?”
“With you? Always,” Luke replied. His stomach fluttered at the touch of Reid’s extended hand.
The band began playing, “It Had to Be You,” as Luke slid into Reid’s embrace a few feet from their table. Luke thought back to the last time they had danced, an October night in a garden that looked rather similar to the way the barn was decorated. Back then, he had felt hope and optimism of what was to come only to have it all dashed the next day. Now, with nothing but the truth between them, he knew those dreams were grounded in reality.
Luke smiled into Reid’s shoulders and inhaled his spicy scent as they swayed to the music. John’s voice sounded surprisingly like Frank Sinatra’s when he crooned, “For nobody else gave me a thrill, With all of your faults, I love you still, It had to be you, wonderful you, It had to be you.”
In a moment that Luke would never forget, Reid sang the repeat of that verse into Luke’s ear. Luke almost stopped in his tracks. A new and unexpected warmth coursed through him. This was much better than when Reid had sung karaoke.
“I always wonder if I fell in love with you that night and just…never stopped,” Reid said as the song faded.
Luke was caught off guard by the Reid’s sudden reiteration of his love. He took a quick breath of complete astonishment. “I…uh…” he floundered.
The music saved him by changing into the opening notes of “Stardust.” Reid sighed and said, “Now this brings back memories.”
“I’ve never heard this song and not thought of you since,” Luke murmured. A twinge of sorrow crept over him as he thought about those wasted two years.
Reid replied, “For a while, I thought someone was trying to haunt me with it, Henry-style. I heard it everywhere after that party-commercials, movies, at restaurants. God, I loathed it, and that made me so angry. It made me miss you…and I hated you.” He caressed the back of Luke’s neck, giving the younger man comfort.
“It always made me sad,” Luke said. He could feel Reid’s muscles tense beneath his hands, and he knew the memory was as painful for the older man as it was for him.
Reid pulled back to look into Luke’s eyes and said, “You wrote a song with the same name and played it in the cabin. Was the melody about that weekend?”
Luke nodded. “I wrote it not long after the party, sometime after Damian disappeared. I don’t know why I played it in the cabin. I guess I thought that since you didn’t care, I could express my feelings without you knowing-underhanded closure for me or something. And if there was some small part of you that had cared, I thought maybe I’d reach it. I still held some hope that I’d been wrong about you.”
“You got to me all right. So much that I wanted to punch you for what I thought was a cruel joke…I was an idiot,” Reid said, his voice slightly choked.
Luke ran his hand over Reid’s shoulder in a soothing motion. “You didn’t know. And I didn’t know what Damian had told you.”
Reid let out a mirthless snort. “He was an idiot, too. He loved you and did something colossally stupid. You seem to have that effect on people.”
Luke gave him half a smile. “Which one? The love or the stupidity?”
“Both. Although I think the stupidity is at an end.” He hugged Luke close to his body, and a quiver of lust pulsed across Luke’s stomach.
Trying to maintain his composure, Luke replied in a joking tone, “I’m sure Henry will keep that going.”
“True. So what’s the worst outcome someone entangled with Henry has had?” Reid asked.
Luke thought about it for a moment. “Mmmm, either kidnapping or being stranded on a deserted island. I’m not sure which is worse.”
“Was Henry on the island with that person?” Reid asked.
“Yes.”
“Then that’s worse,” Reid said, deadpan, making Luke chuckle.
Reid reached up to where Luke’s hand lay upon the doctor’s shoulder, and brought it toward his heart. He caressed with his thumb the scar across Luke’s wrist from his kidnapping as a child. It was obvious he wanted to soothe away Luke’s dark past.
Reid’s tenderness was Luke’s final undoing. He shuddered, and his heartbeat skyrocketed. “Reid, I know you said you weren’t trying to pressure me tonight…”
“You’re not feeling that way, are you?” Reid asked in a concerned tone.
The solicitude only served to make Luke yearn more for the doctor. “No…I just was wondering if we might get out of here and go to your place.”
“You want to try out the piano?” Reid asked.
“No.” He had to stop his lip from twitching at Reid’s rare display of naivety.
Reid took a step back, ending their embrace. Something intense flared in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Do you really want to question that?” Luke asked.
“Good point. Let’s get this show on the road.” He nearly caused Luke to fall to the floor with a sudden kiss, his hands grabbing either side of Luke’s face. It ended abruptly, and Luke’s mouth had barely had time to close when Reid sprang into motion.
Luke chuckled as Reid grabbed his hand and hustled them out the door. Luke barely had a chance to grab the photograph and key, and they didn’t even bother to get their coats. The band members stared at the spectacle and sniggered. Luke took one last look at the glittering lights and glowing dance floor and savored the view. He promised himself he’d never forget this night.
“When have you ever been in love?” Nathan asked from the chair cattycorner to Reid. He wasn’t even bothering to glance at Reid as he was too busy with his smartphone searching for information for his grand plan.
“Jesus. You tricked me into telling you that,” Reid retorted.
Nathan looked up and smirked. “No, I badgered you. There’s a difference.”
“Whining would be more precise…and I’m still not doing it.” He folded his arms over his chest for emphasis. Just the idea of it sent little darts of panic into his gut.
Nathan rolled his eyes and went back to looking at his phone. “Oh, get over yourself. After you basically shouted it across a room at him, you could do with a little romance.”
“This is more than ‘a little.’” Leaving the last doughnut was ‘a little’ romantic and as far as Reid had ever considering going in the romance department. This was a big, fucking, heart-on-your-sleeve, grandiose, gesture and not something Reid thought he’d ever do.
“So what?” Nathan asked as he tapped something on his screen to Reid’s everlasting annoyance. “You’re Reid Oliver. Go big or go home.”
“That is not my motto,” Reid grumbled. “Everyone would know,” he moaned.
Nathan was unimpressed. “Of course, they will. We need their help.”
“We? I’m fairly certain I’ll be alone when the time comes.” At least there wouldn’t be an audience, Reid thought. Aside from a band. Maybe I could get a boom box. No, that would, regrettably, suck.
“Aw, do you want me to hold your hand?” Nathan asked in a babyish voice.
Reid scrunched his face at the thought. “Blech. You do not understand the hell I’m in.”
Nathan let out an exhausted breath and looked at Reid from the corner of his eyes. “Must be hard watching that boulder roll down the mountain every day, Sisyphus.”
Reid huffed, annoyed by Nathan’s lack of sympathy and penchant for Greek mythological analogies. “What’s the point of this anyway?”
Giving Reid his full attention, Nathan replied, “The point is that you sprung the ‘I love you’ card in the middle of a heated moment-and it would be helpful if you told me what the argument was about by the way. Then you insisted he couldn’t say anything in return, which to be fair, was kind of romantic. However, the moment needs to be celebrated.”
“We’ll get dinner,” Reid replied with a careless shrug.
Nathan rolled his eyes. “Come on, Reid. Press your advantage. I’m guessing you’d like Luke to feel the same way at some point, right? Even you aren’t that noble.”
Reid shrugged again, admitting nothing. Privately, though, he agreed with Nathan, but thought that the last thing he wanted to do was make Luke say things for which he wasn’t ready.
“Then take the pressure off,” Nathan said in a matter-of-fact tone, seeming to have read Reid's mind. “Do it for Luke.”
He pictured the look on Luke’s face if he did this. Luke would like it, as much as it killed Reid to admit to it. “Ugh,” Reid moaned, inarticulate in his defeat. Luke did deserve something nice, particularly after all the blood, sweat and tears of the past two years. “Who do we need for this scheme?”
“Well, Henry, obviously,” Nathan began. “He pretty much has the Oakdale entertainment market cornered from what I see.”
“Please tell me we aren’t starting on a high note,” Reid jibed in a cross tone after letting out a rather dramatic groan.
Nathan ignored him. “We need some bodies to do labor-so Maddie and maybe the kids. Faith could lure him…”
Reid couldn’t take any more. Just thinking of being in cahoots with Henry was enough to give him a headache, then add in the rest, and it was almost unbearable. He’d never live this down. “Fine,” he snapped. “You go hire the help, but I’ll do the planning.” If he was going to do this, he was at least going to get the credit. “I have a surprise in mind.” And nobody was going to find out what it was until Luke did.
“When do you want to do this?”
“A few days after Luke gets back from Louisiana.” It was the last race before the Derby, and only Midnight would be racing as Serendipity had a sore foreleg. Since the latter had enough points to enter the Run for the Roses already, Luke wasn’t risking making it a more serious injury by racing him again. The blond would be gone for four or five days with Midnight, having decided to leave Andy in Oakdale to take care of Serendipity.
That should give Reid enough time to pull off everything for his big-f’ing-gesture.
***
Luke fidgeted with the collar of his pale blue shirt to get it to lay right over his dark grey blazer. He was staring at Faith who was rummaging through the bowl on the counter where they kept their keys.
“What do you mean we have to drive there?” Luke asked her in confusion. “The barn is right there. I can hit it with a rock.” It was bad enough Henry had agreed to do a cover shoot for Racing Magazine, but Luke was getting really annoyed by the last-minute changes. First, Luke had been told to dress casually but not too casually. Then, Henry told him to wear a tuxedo, which seemed asinine. Finally, this afternoon Henry said to dress like they were going to a nice restaurant.
Faith shrugged, pulling various keys out and placing them on the counter. “Henry called and said that he wanted to do the photo shoot over at Grandma’s old storage barn.” Finding the keys, she held them up and jingled them with triumph.
“That doesn’t make sense. The horses are in the other barn, which has actual stalls. That old barn is basically just an empty warehouse.” There really were way too many keys in that dish, Luke thought. You really shouldn’t feel like you won a ring-toss game at the town fair every time you find your car keys.
Faith shook her head in commiseration. “I tried to tell him, but you know Henry. He said the photographers had spotted it and thought it was a great setting. He’s already taken the horses there.”
“Yeah, like they just happened to be by an old barn way on the other side of the farm. There’s no lighting in there-and I still don’t get why they want to do a night shoot in the first place.” He was a little surprised that anyone was interested at all after Midnight finished third in Louisiana at a slower pace than his standard workout. The horse had acted disinterested in the race, cruising into third without much effort. Afterward, Luke would have sworn the dark stallion had given him a bored look and snorted at the winner with condescension. Serendipity had performed the same in the two races following his maiden race in the fall when Midnight had been injured. Andy had thought Serendipity was at his best around Midnight, and now Luke wondered if Midnight had the same tendency. Turning his attention back to his sister, he asked, “Did Henry at least get some lights and a generator?”
“I think so, but I didn’t ask.” She swiped the unwanted keys on the counter up and dropped them back in the bowl. “So are you coming?”
Luke ran his hand through his hair and then regretted it. “Yeah, just let me comb my hair again.” He sighed to himself. He’d had one free night this week, and he was going to waste it on getting his picture taken. Henry had said the shoot might take hours.
“You look perfect,” Faith said, tossing Luke’s coat to him. “Besides, I’m sure there will be makeup artists.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
It took about two minutes to get to Emma’s old storage barn. Luke could understand why someone might want to photograph it-it had that classic old barn feel. Faded red, with ashen wood peeking out here and there, and white trim, it looked like the kind of place you might see in magazines as a backdrop for fancy events.
But it was nighttime, so there would be no exterior pictures. Maybe the photographers would come back in the morning, Luke thought. As they drove up, he noticed there were no cars, which seemed weird. The photographers must be running late, he surmised. He couldn’t imagine that Henry would have walked over here from the stables, but possibly Barbara had dropped him off. There was definitely some light peeking around the edges of the barn door. Henry was probably in there and trying to keep the wind out.
“I’m going to freeze,” Luke grumbled. During the day, it had only been forty-five degrees, and now, after sundown, it had to be at least ten degrees colder.
Faith stopped the truck a few yards away from the barn, and Luke hopped out. “I’ll call you when I’m finished if I need a ride?” he asked.
Faith snorted inexplicably, composed herself, smiled and said, “Of course!”
Luke thought it a strange reaction and wondered if she was having some sort of secret date with the latest Hughes kid in town. He trusted her enough to know she wouldn’t get in any real trouble, but that didn’t mean she was above getting into a little bit of a scrape. She was still a teenager after all. Since she was eighteen and about to leave for college in less than six months, he stopped himself from expressing his worry. He just hoped her plans didn’t mean he’d be walking home if Henry couldn’t give him a ride.
Faith drove off with a cheery wave, and Luke turned toward the barn, absently thinking about how much his younger sister had grown since he had taken charge of her. He promised himself he wouldn’t get weepy when she left, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to keep it when the time came.
The hum of the generator coming from the back of the barn brought Luke back to the present. Walking a few steps forward, he had to yank on the door to get it to swing open. Age and disuse had made the hinges tight with rust. It wouldn’t budge, and then it suddenly gave way, forcing Luke to jump back and nearly fall over. Righting himself, he felt a blast of warm air, looked up and couldn’t comprehend the scene in front of him. He thought he was hallucinating.
The barn had been swept clean, and a wooden walkway led to a large matching floor in the center of the barn. The support beams and rafters had been strung with twinkling lights, and at least a dozen white paper lanterns dangled from the rooftop casting a soft, shimmering glow around the large room. Beyond the square floor was an elevated platform with a drum set, a bass, and a couple horns visible. In the middle of everything was a round table with a flaxen tablecloth, two pearl-colored places settings of china and elegant crystal goblets and wine glasses. Flickering, cream pillar candles of varying heights were scattered across the table with a simple pewter vase displaying peach roses in the center. It was Natalie’s favorite color of rose, Luke noted absently. They were called, “Carpe Diem,” and had grown years ago in the gardens of his grandmother’s estate.
It wasn’t the decorations, however, that took Luke’s breath away. More magnificent than anything else was Reid, standing in the center of the room beside the table. He was clean-shaven and dressed in a white shirt paired with a navy blazer. He was so handsome Luke felt like his heart might pound through his chest.
Reid walked down the path to Luke and stopped. His stride, like everything Reid did, had a confidence and commanding nature to it. Luke appreciated the opportunity to watch the older man move, but he was, above all else, confused.
“What is this?” Luke asked. “What’s going on?”
Reid smiled, put out his hand and said, “Hi, my name is Reid Oliver. And I’ve never once been interested in a guy for his money.”
“What?” Luke replied in dazed exasperation.
Reid dropped his hand and raised his eyebrows. “Which word didn’t you understand? I thought they were all pretty small.”
“Reid! Seriously, what is all of this?” He waved his hand around the wide space of the decorated barn.
“I thought we deserved a better start than the one we had in New York.” He shrugged with a little embarrassment. “One without all the miscommunications.”
Touched, Luke whispered, “You didn’t have to do this.”
Reid reached out and caressed Luke’s hand. “Yeah, I did,” he said in a seductive voice.
Luke was still too astonished to have much reaction other than to say, “How did you do this? When did you even have time?”
“I had some help. Henry’s catering business provided the heaters, floors, tables and all the frilly stuff. Your sisters picked up the candles and flowers, and Nathan and Maddie got on some ladders and helped me string the lights. Oh, and John has a band.”
“Band?” Luke asked, now noticing the group of guys who were filing over to the platform.
“Twenties standards all night. No more eighties crap.” As if on cue, the band began playing, “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”
Starting to settle down, Luke smiled and cracked, “Unless Henry paid them off.” He couldn’t believe Reid and his friends had done so much work for this. It was nothing short of incredible.
“He better not have,” Reid warned.
“Well, don’t be surprised if ‘Easy Lover’ starts playing in between ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and “The Charleston.”
With a shiver of disgust, Reid said, “Come on, let’s eat.” Reid took Luke’s hand, and they walked toward the table. Luke stared at their clasped hands the entire distance, his mind still not able to grasp what was happening.
When they got there, a waiter arrived to take Luke’s coat. Then Reid pulled a chair out for Luke and waited. Luke lifted his eyebrows at him, and Reid said, “I thought I remembered you saying you wanted to be courted.”
“Maybe not like a Victorian female,” Luke said with a laugh, but he took his seat. In front of him was a small white box, about the size of his hand, laying on his plate. It was wrapped with a simple, black satin ribbon.
He could barely restrain himself from asking about it while he waited for Reid to sit down across from him. After all this, he couldn’t imagine that Reid had also purchased him a gift.
“What’s this?” Luke asked, after having given Reid a few seconds to settle in and take a sip of wine. He was glad he and Reid had discussed whether Luke was comfortable around others drinking alcohol. It was completely fine with him, and he felt more unsettled when people made it a point to change what came naturally to them.
“Are we going to play the ‘Guessing Game’ again? I thought we got finished with that at the door.”
“Reid…” Luke protested, trying to restrain his laughter.
Reid appeared to study the rafters. “It’s a gift. I thought the bow gave it away.”
“This really wasn’t necessary,” Luke demurred, but he flashed Reid a lop-sided smile.
“No, but I wanted to…Are you going to open it?” he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
“Yes!” Luke exclaimed, quickly untying the ribbon and tugging the box open. Inside laid a picture of a Steinway piano that looked uncannily like the one he played growing up in his mom’s house.
Luke’s hand trembled, and he glanced up at Reid who looked nervous with flushed cheeks. The blond waited for Reid to say something.
“It’s the one you had as a kid, and it’s yours to use anytime you want.”
Tears threatened to spill down Luke’s face he was so overwhelmed. Of all the thoughtful, amazing, and unimaginable things for Reid to do… Luke had lost almost everything of value in the auctions following his parents’ deaths, and he’d never thought he’d see his beloved instrument again. “But Reid…” Luke began, thinking that this piano was worth a fortune, but he couldn’t quite force himself to state his objection. This was insanely extravagant, well beyond what anyone would normally get their boyfriend. Luke couldn’t decide if he was about to panic or do a dance.
He stared at the black piano with its shining keys. The image took him back to the moment his grandmother had presented it to him as a surprise in his living room. She’d sat him down blindfolded on the bench before letting him see it. “It’s yours, darling,” she’d said. She then explained that this particular piano came from Steinway’s factory in Hamburg, Germany. It had taken over a year to make, consisting of over 12,000 parts. The soundboard was fashioned from Alaskan spruce, and the encasement was made of ebonized birch. Every single part was crafted by hand, and Luke could explain each one because she’d taken the time to teach him.
He swallowed, staring at the picture. He could almost hear the warm sound of the piano in his ears. Blood raced through his veins, and his hands began to tremble. Where could he even put this thing? There was no room, and he didn’t have the insurance for it, but, god, he wanted it so badly, and…
Yeah, panic was definitely the route he was taking.
Reid snapped his fingers in Luke’s face. “Before you say anything, let me explain. I’m keeping it at my apartment for the moment.” Reid continued in haste, “If you lift up that photograph, you’ll see there’s a key taped to the bottom of the box. You can use it-the key, the piano-whenever you want. And if it’s weird having your mom’s piano there, I can sell it and get a new one. Or it can go to your house. I know you don’t exactly have the room, but you’ve talked about adding on if you ever win enough races. My plan is to hold onto it until then. As soon as you have the space, we can move it. Or if you’d rather it be at Henry’s, we can put it there as well.
“And if you’re worried about the cost, I’ll remind you that as the top neurosurgeon in the country, my salary can amply afford the expense. I should be able to give something nice to my boyfriend if I want to.”
“Reid, it’s too much,” Luke said reflexively-stupidly--but then he looked at Reid and realized what trouble Reid had gone through to make this okay for Luke. He wasn’t going to argue this any further. Something about Luke not having a piano had obviously bothered Reid when he first learned about it, and he’d come up with a way for Luke to play. While Reid’s apartment was spacious, he’d still have to move some furniture around to fit a seven-foot piano. And privacy-loving Reid was offering him a key to his home-joy bubbled through Luke at the idea. It was so thoughtful that Luke could hardly say no. More than that, Luke didn’t want to refuse it.
Not realizing Luke’s change of heart, Reid leaned back in his seat, prepared to do battle. “How’s it too much? I bought a piano for my apartment and gave you a key. Besides, I got a great price on that piano. Damian charmed the pants off the woman who’d bought it…Not literally.”
“You talked to Damian about this?” Luke asked in surprise, distracted from the question of whether the gift was reasonable. He picked up the key and rubbed it between his fingers.
“I had to in order to figure out who bought it. He wasn’t sure, but he pointed me to the auctioneer who gave me the info. And, uh, my conversation with the prior owner didn’t go so well, and Damian offered…”
Luke could surmise the rest. “My father’s negotiation skills are legendary.”
“He got a great deal, actually. I think he promised the owner a trip to his contessa’s castle in Italy. I’m just hoping I don’t somehow wind up in jail over whatever he did. I put the odds at 50-50.” He bobbled his hands in a see-saw motion.
“You shouldn’t joke,” Luke said with a shudder. But he was touched, despite himself, that Damian had gone out of his way to help Reid find the perfect present for Luke.
“So…is this okay?” Reid asked hesitantly.
“This. Is. Extraordinary,” Luke said, looking down at the picture. “I can’t wait to play it at your apartment. I…haven’t gotten to play as much as I used to.” He rarely let himself think about how he missed playing. It was too painful to contemplate something that seemed so pointless. His thoughts must have shown because Reid reached across the table and took his hand.
Reid smiled reassuringly and said, “I know, and I find that to be a ridiculous travesty. You should play as often as you want.”
Affectionately, Luke’s eyes melted into Reid’s. He said, “Well, now I can.”
“I was hoping…” Reid began and cut himself off. He cleared his throat nervously.
Since their hands were still entwined, Luke squeezed the older man’s. “What? What were you hoping?” Whatever it was, if it was within Luke’s power, he’d give it to Reid.
The doctor looked toward the ceiling, then back at Luke, before blurting, “That maybe one day we’d call it ‘our’ piano.”
Luke could only stare, tongue-tied for a moment. Reid wanted to move in together one day? “You mean…” the blond started, but then abruptly said, “I’d like that.” Feeling wrapped in invisible warmth, Luke couldn’t contain his smile.
“When we’re ready,” Reid confirmed.
“Yeah, when we’re ready,” Luke said, blushing and taking a sip of his sparkling water. He knew it wasn’t alcoholic, but it seemed to fortify his nerves just to drink something. The sudden urge to drag Reid across the table and kiss him senseless was nearly irresistible. The presence of the band was the only thing stopping him.
Reid studied Luke when some new thought flitted across the doctor’s features. He pulled his hand back and said in a soft voice, “I meant to tell you at the door that this isn’t some big seduction scene, but I forgot. I don’t want you to feel pressured into saying or feeling anything. It’s just that I shouted--well, you know what I said--at you the other day. And I thought you deserved more than me yelling that at you. I don’t have any expectations about tonight. In fact, even if you did feel…something…you should think about it some more.”
Luke replied, “You didn’t have to say this, but I’m glad you did. I’ve been thinking about the other day and how you reacted to what I was doing with the pills, and it dawned on me that you completely kept your cool-probably better than I would have in your shoes. You were blunt and honest, but you could have torn me to pieces and you didn’t. I wanted to say thank you for that.” Despite his unease over discussing the pills, Luke looked up at Reid to make sure the older man knew he was being sincere.
The blond continued, “And now you’ve lured me here and done all this-and let people know what you were doing, which I’m sure had to kill you. This is special, Reid. No one has ever gone so far out of their way for me. I couldn’t imagine a more magnificent night.”
“Well, I am a genius,” Reid joked and tapped his temple, but his eyes blazed and glowed at Luke’s declaration.
Luke grinned in return while his pulse skittered at the expression on Reid’s lean face. It was at this inopportune moment that a waiter appeared and placed their plates in front of them.
“Hamburgers?” Luke queried with amusement as he looked down at the feast in front of him.
“With fries. Maddie swore it was your favorite. We’re having Rocky Road ice cream for dessert.”
Luke knew that Reid had a photographic memory, but he was touched nonetheless at Reid’s remembrance of Luke’s favorite ice cream.
They ate in relative silence. Luke was so overwhelmed by the evening he could barely speak. And Reid…well, he seemed to be relishing his food.
After finishing his ice cream and eating what Luke hadn’t touched, Reid stood up. “Wanna dance?”
“With you? Always,” Luke replied. His stomach fluttered at the touch of Reid’s extended hand.
The band began playing, “It Had to Be You,” as Luke slid into Reid’s embrace a few feet from their table. Luke thought back to the last time they had danced, an October night in a garden that looked rather similar to the way the barn was decorated. Back then, he had felt hope and optimism of what was to come only to have it all dashed the next day. Now, with nothing but the truth between them, he knew those dreams were grounded in reality.
Luke smiled into Reid’s shoulders and inhaled his spicy scent as they swayed to the music. John’s voice sounded surprisingly like Frank Sinatra’s when he crooned, “For nobody else gave me a thrill, With all of your faults, I love you still, It had to be you, wonderful you, It had to be you.”
In a moment that Luke would never forget, Reid sang the repeat of that verse into Luke’s ear. Luke almost stopped in his tracks. A new and unexpected warmth coursed through him. This was much better than when Reid had sung karaoke.
“I always wonder if I fell in love with you that night and just…never stopped,” Reid said as the song faded.
Luke was caught off guard by the Reid’s sudden reiteration of his love. He took a quick breath of complete astonishment. “I…uh…” he floundered.
The music saved him by changing into the opening notes of “Stardust.” Reid sighed and said, “Now this brings back memories.”
“I’ve never heard this song and not thought of you since,” Luke murmured. A twinge of sorrow crept over him as he thought about those wasted two years.
Reid replied, “For a while, I thought someone was trying to haunt me with it, Henry-style. I heard it everywhere after that party-commercials, movies, at restaurants. God, I loathed it, and that made me so angry. It made me miss you…and I hated you.” He caressed the back of Luke’s neck, giving the younger man comfort.
“It always made me sad,” Luke said. He could feel Reid’s muscles tense beneath his hands, and he knew the memory was as painful for the older man as it was for him.
Reid pulled back to look into Luke’s eyes and said, “You wrote a song with the same name and played it in the cabin. Was the melody about that weekend?”
Luke nodded. “I wrote it not long after the party, sometime after Damian disappeared. I don’t know why I played it in the cabin. I guess I thought that since you didn’t care, I could express my feelings without you knowing-underhanded closure for me or something. And if there was some small part of you that had cared, I thought maybe I’d reach it. I still held some hope that I’d been wrong about you.”
“You got to me all right. So much that I wanted to punch you for what I thought was a cruel joke…I was an idiot,” Reid said, his voice slightly choked.
Luke ran his hand over Reid’s shoulder in a soothing motion. “You didn’t know. And I didn’t know what Damian had told you.”
Reid let out a mirthless snort. “He was an idiot, too. He loved you and did something colossally stupid. You seem to have that effect on people.”
Luke gave him half a smile. “Which one? The love or the stupidity?”
“Both. Although I think the stupidity is at an end.” He hugged Luke close to his body, and a quiver of lust pulsed across Luke’s stomach.
Trying to maintain his composure, Luke replied in a joking tone, “I’m sure Henry will keep that going.”
“True. So what’s the worst outcome someone entangled with Henry has had?” Reid asked.
Luke thought about it for a moment. “Mmmm, either kidnapping or being stranded on a deserted island. I’m not sure which is worse.”
“Was Henry on the island with that person?” Reid asked.
“Yes.”
“Then that’s worse,” Reid said, deadpan, making Luke chuckle.
Reid reached up to where Luke’s hand lay upon the doctor’s shoulder, and brought it toward his heart. He caressed with his thumb the scar across Luke’s wrist from his kidnapping as a child. It was obvious he wanted to soothe away Luke’s dark past.
Reid’s tenderness was Luke’s final undoing. He shuddered, and his heartbeat skyrocketed. “Reid, I know you said you weren’t trying to pressure me tonight…”
“You’re not feeling that way, are you?” Reid asked in a concerned tone.
The solicitude only served to make Luke yearn more for the doctor. “No…I just was wondering if we might get out of here and go to your place.”
“You want to try out the piano?” Reid asked.
“No.” He had to stop his lip from twitching at Reid’s rare display of naivety.
Reid took a step back, ending their embrace. Something intense flared in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Do you really want to question that?” Luke asked.
“Good point. Let’s get this show on the road.” He nearly caused Luke to fall to the floor with a sudden kiss, his hands grabbing either side of Luke’s face. It ended abruptly, and Luke’s mouth had barely had time to close when Reid sprang into motion.
Luke chuckled as Reid grabbed his hand and hustled them out the door. Luke barely had a chance to grab the photograph and key, and they didn’t even bother to get their coats. The band members stared at the spectacle and sniggered. Luke took one last look at the glittering lights and glowing dance floor and savored the view. He promised himself he’d never forget this night.