Love, Scars, & Shooting Stars

Chapter Forty-Three

"Oh!" Julie grinned, barely taking a breath before launching into another tale. "For his fourth birthday, I hired this clown—"

"Jules," Garrett cut in, gently laying a hand over hers. "Leave some stories for Finn to tell me, okay?"

A tingle ran up Julie's arm at the familiar contact, and her eyes immediately shot to the other side of the room where Finn was fortunately still absorbed in a game of Skee Ball. Julie slipped her hand out from beneath Garrett's and clasped her fingers together in her lap beneath the table, hoping that he hadn't noticed that her hands were shaking.

"Sorry. I get a little carried away sometimes..."

"I remember." Garrett's smile was just like the rest of him—sexy-cool and languid, with just the right amount of arrogance mixed in—and as he leaned back to drape a lazy arm over the back of his booth seat, Julie couldn't help but smile in turn.

"It's just that these stories... they're all a part of who Finn is," she tried to explain. "And if you really want to get to know him, well, you need to know his stories first."

"And I will, but we don't have to cram them all into the first week," Garrett said, and then his face grew serious as his eyes bore into hers. "Julie, we've got plenty of time. I'm not going anywhere."

She had never seen him look so intent on anything other than his music, and as she looked into his eyes, Julie realized that he was sincere. Garrett truly intended to be a part of their son's life from here on out. She tore her eyes away and took a long sip of her water, hoping to wash down the lump that had formed at the back of her throat. This was what she had wanted all along, for Finn to have his father in his life, and apparently that wish was finally coming true. Which was a good thing, right? So why did she suddenly feel like crying?

"But your band," she reminded him. "And your apartment, and Portland, and your... freedom. You're just going to give all of that up?"

"Yes," Garrett insisted, sliding around the table to sit beside her. "I've already started looking for work up this way, and my buddy says I can crash at his place for as long as I need to. And as for the band, a couple of the other guys wanted out anyhow, so after we wrap up a few gigs that were already booked for this summer, we're going our separate ways."

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Julie said, dazed.

"Yes, I am," Garrett assured her, and then slipped back around to his side of the booth and pulled a small, foil-wrapped package from the pocket of his jacket. He slid it across the table toward her. "Open it."

Julie eyed the package warily. "What is it?"

"Just open it."

"Garrett, I—"

"Open. It." He grinned, inching it closer to her. "I promise it won't bite you."

Julie cautiously picked up the package and peeled back the wrapping to reveal a plain white box slightly larger than a playing card. She cast a curious glance to Garrett, who motioned eagerly for her to continue. Julie studied the box for a moment, and then slowly lifted the lid.

"It's... a cell phone," she said, her nose crinkling in confusion.

"It's nothing fancy, just one of those pay-as-you-go deals," Garrett explained. "But it came with 500 free minutes, and that card there is good for another 500 after that, so that should be enough to get you started."