Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88218 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88218 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Denver takes me off guard by closing the gap between us and slamming his mouth on mine. I stumble back a couple of steps, but he comes with me, not letting up. His tongue enters my mouth, and then his hands grip the back of my head to hold me to him.
It’s enough to make me forget we’re in a room full of people.
But then Denver pulls back, his lips puffy, his eyes glassy. “I love you too.”
The song ends, and the room is silent.
I keep looking at Denver. “What do their faces look like? Are they trying to figure out how to tell me it sucks and it’s obvious why my solo career tanked?”
“It’s amazing,” Harley says.
I slowly turn.
Harley nods. “We need it on our album.”
“Really?”
“I want to play with the melody a bit, but the lyrics are … I’m blown away.”
I didn’t know how much I needed validation from Harley until this very moment.
“So this is really happening?” Denver asks. “We’re signing contracts, we’re doing this?”
“Let’s celebrate with some drinks.” Harley heads for the bar.
“Uh—” Denver starts, but Harley’s gone before Denver can stop him.
“Where’s all your alcohol?” And Harley’s already back.
Denver rubs the back of his neck. “I, umm, had to get rid of it.”
I frown. “Why?”
“When I decided I should give drinking a break, it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. And then when Cameron died … it was almost unbearable. But while Mason was gone …” Denver’s aqua eyes meet mine. “I poured myself a drink.”
Oh, damn. “I didn’t know,” I whisper.
“I didn’t drink it,” he says quickly. “But you all were right. I would drink way too much and way too often. The biggest problem was I’d drink to forget. When I was numb, I wasn’t stressed about my career or having friends or …” He turns to me. “Missing you.”
I squeeze his hand.
He keeps talking. “I thought I had it handled, but I really didn’t. And while Mason was gone, I realized if I couldn’t handle being alone without drinking, that maybe sober living needs to become a permanent thing for me.”
I’m speechless. Denver and alcohol have always gone hand in hand, but I know he has issues with it, and I’m proud of him for taking it seriously and doing something about it.
“You all are welcome to drink around me, but, yeah, you won’t find any in the house. I had to pour it all down the sink so I wouldn’t drink it.”
Harley gasps. “All your Macallan?”
“Okay, no, that I sold to a party promoter friend of mine for half price. Throwing that out would’ve been blasphemous.”
“We all support you,” Harley says.
Ryder moves from his spot next to Lyric and stands next to Harley. “Agreed.”
Blake joins next. “We’re a team.”
I shake my head. “We’re a family.”
Denver holds out his arms. “Group hug?”
As we step into more of a huddle instead of a hug, I’m taken back to all those times we’ve been onstage together.
We really are a team. We really are family.
And while my feelings for Denver have changed and evolved over the years, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that he’s the one for me.
I’ll support him and love him, cherish what we have and never give up fighting for him.
We’re going to create a life together that we want, and I can’t wait.
Harley steps out of the group hug first. “Okay, let’s get to work.”
Here. We. Go.