8
Ezreal stared at the notes on the monitor, the music playing in his mind as his hands furiously worked to translate it from his head to the computer. It happened every time he spent time with Sara or the children. It was like he couldn’t shut the music off, and it continued for hours after he left her house. He didn’t have enough waking hours to get it all down.
There was something so magical in Sara and her children. They seemed to waken him even more to the sounds around him. A month ago, it’d been like everything was hibernating or dead. Now, the sunlight was returning and waking the music. It reminded him of those fast-action clips of flowers growing from seedlings to full-grown plants in mere seconds.
Ezreal loved the creative energy, but he couldn’t keep up with it. The pressure to capture all the music made him grumpy with his staff because they couldn’t stay up with him as he chased his muse. He needed to calm himself down so he could seize the energy and control the mayhem around him.
It used to be that he did his best work in the solitude of his office, but not anymore. He now craved something he could get the most powerfully at Sara’s house. His days seemed incomplete if he hadn’t spent some time in her company. But he didn’t want to intrude on her.
Ezreal paused, considering his options. The contractor had the drywall in, and the mudded music room was drying. There was good internet at Sara’s house now because he’d upgraded it, saying she’d need good streaming for her classes. It’d also improved their game play. When he’d first shown her how to play REKD, her sluggish internet had made him lag badly. There was nothing like being in the middle of a team fight and the system freezing.
Yes. He wanted to go to Sara’s. He grabbed his phone and sent her a text.
Can I come over and work in your music room? I need to focus.
He stared at the words, wondering if they sounded lame. Letting out a breath, he clicked Send. Her response was almost immediate.
Are you kidding? Work in the music room with all those fans blowing? Why not in the house? I’m sewing your costume anyway. You’ll be nearby to try it on. Lessa and Nik are over to play, so it’ll be noisy, but you’re welcome to come over.
With the children, there’d be a symphony of sounds. Ezreal grinned.
On my way. And thanks!
When he arrived, Janna and Brand started to run toward his car, but Lessa grabbed their arms to stop them. Ezreal smiled. Rafe’s little sister could be bossy, but he was glad to see her watch out for her friends. When the guys had first moved to Boone, the Diederik children had been prone to run to their cars screaming with excitement. The adults had worried one of them would get run over. It’d taken time to drill into them the need to wait until the cars stopped. He was glad to see it was finally starting to take.
“Ez!” Lessa cried when he turned off his engine.
“His name is Ezreal. I like it better than Ez,” Janna said, holding up her little chin as though she were daring Lessa to argue. It was the first time he’d seen her stand up for something. He found it humorous that the two little girls would argue about a nickname for him.
Sara appeared in the doorway. She met his gaze and that amazing warmth flooded through him again like he’d mainlined an energy drink. He wished he could ask someone about it. It was a novel feeling, and he liked it. A lot. For the first time, he’d met a woman who didn’t make him feel like a pathetic little kid with a speech problem. It made him come alive like he’d never done before. It scared him a little.
Ezreal ducked his head and reached in the car to pull out his laptop.
“I really appreciate you letting me come over and do this,” he said. “I needed the noise.”
“You need noise to write music?” she asked with a soft laugh that made the notes in his head swell.
“Sometimes I do my best work in chaos.” He glanced around the yard, pausing on the children. “There’s music everywhere here.”
Janna nodded. “Everywhere.”
“Especially inyourvoice,” he said to the little girl.
“Myvoice?”
“I wrote your song the very first day I met you. Would you like to hear it?”
“Yes,” Janna said breathlessly, her body trembling with excitement.
“Did you write any music for me?” Lessa asked.
“As a matter of fact, I did. Have I never played it for you?”
She shook her head. He glanced at the little boys, but they were playing on an old swing set.
“Then I guess you girls should come inside so Ezreal can play the music he wrote for you.” Sara swung open the door.
He stepped into the living room and found she’d already set up the table for him that he used whenever they played REKD together. It gave him a sense of belonging that he hadn’t experienced since he’d been a little boy.
