“You’re a special lady, Wynter.”
Her smile widens. “And you’re a special man.”
I want that to be true.
And I really fucking hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Wynter
The band has two days off the following week, and Ross and I decide to take a day to explore Vancouver. He said something about going out on a date, but we’re going to play it by ear instead of making plans or reservations. We have nowhere to be and nothing expected of us until tomorrow, so it’s nice to spend time together without anyone else.
We’re alone at night, of course, but that’s different.
This is about spending quality time together that has nothing to do with sex, the band, or Ross’s music.
This is about us, Ross and Wynter, the couple.
We start the day at a little bistro with a great view of the water. It’s quiet on a weekday and we squeeze into a booth sitting next to each other. Ross slides his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.
“The one thing I love about touring is seeing so many different places,” he says. “Sometimes we’re in and out before we have time to enjoy anything, but there are also lots of times where we can. Like today. The band tries really hard to build in time to be tourists when we’re overseas. It doesn’t always work out but I have to admit I’ve gotten to do things a lot of people never can.”
“Yeah, I’ve been lucky to have traveled with Harley quite a bit. Otherwise, I don’t know that I would have ventured out of the country.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get to visit lots of places. And not just when we’re on tour.”
“That would be fun.”
“What’s your dream vacation?” he asks.
She pauses, knitting her brows together thoughtfully. “You know, I never really thought about it. It was always Paris in the past, but now that I’ve been there, I’m not sure that’s the dream anymore. Maybe Greece? Island hopping, eating all the food, lying on those glorious beaches you see in pictures… I think that’s my dream now.”
“I could be down for island hopping in Greece,” he says with a chuckle.
“Of course, then there’s Egypt. Seeing the pyramids. And also Japan. I guess I have a lot of dreams.”
“Nothing wrong with having dreams. I mean, look at me.”
“Is music all you wanted to do when you were a kid?”
“I started singing in the choir in high school and started a band right after I graduated. I don’t know that rock and roll was always what I wanted to do but I knew it would be something in music. Ross & the Rock-it’s just happened. I went to high school with our guitarist, Joey, and he knew Dixon—Craig Dixon, our drummer. From there, we held auditions for a bass player. Rambo walked in and said we were going to hire him. And we did.”
“Do you still miss them?” I ask softly.
“It comes in waves. Once I got over the initial grief, which took a really long time, I tried not to think about them at all. For the longest time, I battled with why I lived when everyone else died.”
“Did you ever discover why?”
“Not really. I had the flu, so Clara wasn’t in my bunk with me. I’d taken something to knock me out and I was wrapped in a bunch of blankets because I was cold. The doctors said that may have saved my life. Everyone else was up at the front of the bus, playing cards, and we were hit head-on. I was in the back.”
“I’m sorry, babe.” I wish I could tell him how awful I feel but I know he doesn’t want pity. “Did they get the person that hit you?”
He nods. “Drunk driver. I think he did three years or something.”
“For killing all those people?” I’m incredulous.
“It wasn’t intentional. He was an alcoholic, impaired. You know how the attorneys spin it. I spiraled after the sentencing, drinking and partying to numb the pain, which backfired because that’s when I started having nightmares.”
