“Didn’t notice you there, Win.”
“So this is the famous Winnie,” the bass player says, looking me up and down.
“Jonah talked our heads off about you before we started playing. He said his wife helped him finish writing some of these songs,” the woman at the keyboard says.
“Just one. And only a few bars.” I blush.
“I’m Matt,” the bassist says. I walk over and shake his hand.
“Gerry,” from the guitarist.
“Klein!” squeaks the tiny drummer. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Anna.” The key board player shakes my hand and smiles warmly at me. “Jonah tells us that you sing, too?”
“A bit.”
“That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one,” Jonah says. “Every morning, the shower basically gets turned into the Super Bowl halftime show.”
“Come on then, let’s hear it,” Anna says enthusiastically. “I have time for one more song before we pack up. I’m competing in the rodeo on the rez tomorrow and I need to get to bed early.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, glancing at each of the band members.
“How about the one we worked on together? We can trade off on taking the melody,” Jonah suggests.
“I’ve heard you practice it enough that I think I know it,” I confirm.
Jonah starts strumming the chords, and the rest of the band joins in. I’ve never heard this song with more than just Jonah’s voice and his acoustic guitar. The other instruments fill out the sound, turning it into a full blown ballad. Jonah starts to sing, and I’m reminded that the lyrics to this one are very romantic. It would almost be a love song, were it not for the hint of anxiety that haunts some of the verses.
I take the second verse and Jonah harmonizes with me. We lean into the microphone together, and as our eyes lock, the rest of the world melts away. It’s just us and the music, and I try not to think about the words I’m singing, and how much I relate to them. Jonah’s voice carries us through the chorus and the bridge, and I join him once more at the end.
We finish off the song with a keyboard solo from Anna, and a few bars of drums from Klein. The band is cheering and whooping when we’re done.
“That felt fucking great,” Gerry said. “That one should close the record, Jonah. With Winnie on it, too.”
“Definitely,” Jonah confirms, without any hesitation. It warms my heart to know that he wants me helping him withsomething so important to him, and that he thinks we’ll still be together when they record it.
It’s feeling more and more like we actually could be, and for once, that thought just makes me smile. No anxiety, no fear.
Just me and Jonah.
36
JONAH
As soon asthe band leaves, I push the couch back into place, settle my guitar on its stand, and then make quick work of scooping Winnie into my arms. I deposit her on the bed.
She laughs as I shower the side of her neck with kisses, and then drag her sweater lower, working my way onto her chest.
“I need to tell you about the conversation I had with your mom,” she says. “But I also really don’t want you to stop.”
“Then tell me later,” I growl against her skin.
“Are you sure?” She sighs as I start kissing my way along the tops of her breasts.
“Yes. I need you, Winnie. After that song together, I…” I don’t finish my thought, unsure of how much to admit. Unsure of how much she’d want to know about how thoroughly wrecked I was by listening to her sing the words I wrote.
“I know.” She drags a hand through my hair and cradles the back of my head. “I know,” she repeats. “I need you, too.”
