Goddess of Rock

Nine

On his date with Blaze the following Day, which involved heading out on a sailboat to see how strong her Sea legs were, Bobby couldn't remember having ever been happier than this. Even with at least a dozen cameras trained on them and watching their every move, he felt more relaxed with this woman than he'd felt with anyone else in a long fuckin' Time.

She seemed to be equally happy and relaxed, proving to have better Sea legs than he'd have guessed at first glance as she watched the Waves and Marine Life beneath the Surface. If there was anything he wanted right now, it was for both the women essentially in his care to be happy–but if he'd to pick which one he wanted to be happier, he'd say this one. He certainly cared about Raven and was highly attracted to her, but he didn't think they'd ever be able to make a relationship work. If not 'cuz of her not wanting kids, then 'cuz of what Big John'd told him about her having a stronger preference for Rikki than him.

"Ya know, I can't say that today was a wholly bad Day," Blaze said as they settled for dinner later that Eve.

Looking at her in the dim Lighting, the bassist could already see that she was tanner than she'd been that Morn. "Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that," he chuckled. "God knows I'd more fun today than I've had in a while."

"Really, now?" the ginger beside him asked. "I figured you'd get out more, but then again, maybe I underestimated just how privatecha can really be."

Bobby couldn't help actually laughing, but he also saw an opportunity he hoped didn't ruin their Night. "It's actually not all 'cuz I'm such a private guy–it can be kinda hard to get out when you're a single dad with full custody of two rugrats."

"I know that feeling," she said without missing a beat, taking him by surprise.

"Wait, whaddaya mean?" the bassist asked.

"Ya ain't figured out that I'ma mom?" she countered with a slight smirk.

Shaking his head, he was dumbfounded–being a mother woulda been one of the last things he'd have guessed about her.

"Yeah, Youthful stupidity landed me the proud mommy of twins a few Years ago," Blaze chuckled. "Their dad's incarcerated for Life with no chance of parole, either."

"Then I should hope ya didn't leave two lil kids home alone to come do this," he said.

"I'm not that stupid, Bobby," the ginger snorted. "I left them with Uncle Hunter, whose wife no doubt kept them for the week that he was out here without complaint."

"At least there's that," Bobby sighed.

"Kinda makes me wonder about your own kids, though, if we're gonna go that route," she told him.

"My older one's old enough to hold down the fort, and I've a neighbor keeping an eye out for them, too," the bassist chuckled.

Blaze seemed genuinely curious about his kids, and not in a creepy sorta way that'd tip him off to her having ill Intent in regards to them. Shooting a sidelong glance at the cameraman to his left, he said he'd tell her more about them later, that he wanted to focus on them for the moment. Clearly sensing that he didn't wanna reveal too much about minors on national TV, she simply nodded and dropped the topic. After all, she didn't wanna reveal much about her twins on camera, or she'd have mentioned them far sooner than this, so she totally understood his Silent message.

Following dinner, they headed off on a short walk down the Beach, fingers laced as their hands swung between them with their leisurely pace. Bobby made a bit of small talk with her, but mostly chose to just enjoy the Peace and quiet while it was his for the taking. They both wanted to talk about their kids, but were still keeping their word about not doing so while cameras were still rolling to ensure their safety and privacy.

After Returning to the hotel and the bassist's suite, they were finally free of the cameras that'd been following them for months. That was when he took his chance to ask her about her twins, and he couldn't help a slight smile at the absolutely adoring look that crossed her face as she grabbed her wallet. Flipping it open, she showed him a lil picture of a lil boy and girl, both covered in mud and grass with giant, bright smiles almost breaking their faces as they looked at whoever took the picture.

"These two're Corona and Corvus," Blaze told him.

"Seriously–ya named your kid after a brand of beer?" he laughed.

"Nope–both're named after Constellations as much as I am," the ginger shot back with a grin.

Since he wasn't much of a Stargazer, Bobby could only cock a brow curiously.

"Corona came from Corona Borealis, which means the Crown of the North in Latin," she explained. "She's my lil Princess, and she was born in the Northern hemisphere."

"It actually sounds fitting, now that I know that," the bassist agreed with a nod.

"Corvus came from Corvus the Crow, Corvus being the Latin word for Crow or Raven," Blaze told him. "Crows and Ravens're said to be Messengers from Other Realms, but also as intelligent and patient as they are greedy and deceitful."

"If he's at least intelligent, I can see how that'd be a fitting name," he chuckled.

"Not to mention that I call him Crow all the Time 'cuz he sounds just like one when he screams," the ginger laughed. "He sounded like one when he let out his first cries after he was born, too."

"So how old're these lil boogers?" Bobby asked curiously. "They look like they're four or five to me."

"They turned five back in October, right before we started filming this Insanity," she answered. "And before ya ask, I turned thirty the week before their birthday, myself."

"Wow, I didn't think ya were quite that young, but I didn't think ya were as old as me, either," the bassist admitted sheepishly.

Blaze laughed and made it clear that she wasn't offended, 'cuz people always guessed her age wrong, if she wouldn't outright tell them. She knew her baby-faced looks made everyone think she was younger than what she really was, but her maturity and Wisdom made her seem far older. It was always hard to peg an age for her, and her siblings were often the same way, so it was hard to take offense to such a thing.

Now it was his turn to share a bit about his kids, and he didn't exactly hesitate in doing so–more like his wallet got caught as he was pulling it outta his back pocket. Flipping it open so she could see, he showed her a picture of Zach and Zoe, and it was pretty obvious which one was which. Zach easily looked like he was in his teens, which made sense, given that he'd be sixteen in a couple weeks–which was part of why he wanted to wrap up this filming soon. His daughter looked every bit her not-quite ten Years old, which made her look not quite as young as Corona and Corvus, but certainly not as old as her big brother.

For the rest of the Night, they couldn't help chatting about their kids and home Lives, something he doubted woulda worked very well with any of the other contestants. Bobby couldn't help but feel like this one'd stuck figurative claws in his heart and was pulling at it, but not with the Intent to rip it outta his chest. No, this felt more like she was pulling at it, but with the Intent to clench her fist around and protect it rather than trying to do anything malicious with it.

As they settled into bed that Night, the bassist couldn't help the soft sigh that drifted past his lips as he wrapped his arms around her. There was just something about Blaze that drew him in further and further, like a Luna Moth to an open Flame, and he wanted to keep her around far beyond filming. He'd just have to figure out how to manage that with them both being single parents who no doubt didn't wanna uproot their kids for their own personal gain. There'd be plenty of Time to think about it on the morrow, though, and he wasn't about to let such Thoughts rob him of sleep. He still had his final decision to make, anywhore, and while he was already pretty certain of that, he still wanted to think it through more after a good Night's sleep.