I groaned as the bus pulled to a stop in front of Liv’s house. Her two weeks with me had drawn to a close, and we were dropping her off before we finished the last few dates on the tour. I wanted nothing more than to get off this bus and stay with her, but I knew that in a few more days, I’d be home with her for the holidays.Home.After all this time, I finally had someone to call home.
“Girl, what am I going to do without you?” Antoni asked, throwing his arms around Liv. “Are you sure you can’t stay? I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I’m going to miss you too,” she replied. “Allof you.” The guys each took turns hugging her and saying their goodbyes. “And I’ll see y’all at Thanksgiving?”
“You know I’ll be there, Cupcake.” Dallas smiled.
Antoni propped a hand on his hip. “I’ll bring the yams, honey.”
“Count me in,” Derek added.
Luca pretended to be thinking hard about her invitation before breaking into a genuine smile. “I’ll be there.”
“It’s not going to be the same without you here,” Cash placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Tell Ella and Grace we said hello, and I’ll be seeing you all for Thanksgiving.”
“Thanks for everything, Cash.” Liv wrapped him in a hug. Finally, her eyes settled on me.
“I’m going to walk you to your door.” I grabbed her suitcase and duffle bag. “I’ll be right back,” I said to the guys.
“Take your time,” Cash said. “Bye, Liv.”
We quietly walked hand in hand up the walkway to her front door. She clicked the key in the lock, shoving the door open. I rolled her suitcase inside, placing the duffle beside it. Mama peered at us down the hallway before hissing and scampering off toward Liv’s bedroom.
“I think she missed us,” Liv joked, circling her arms around my neck.
“I don’t want to get back on that bus without you,” I murmured, pressing a kiss into her forehead. My entire body already ached knowing I wouldn’t get to hold her at night or wake up next to her.
“I wish I could have stayed longer,” she admitted. “I’m sorry about… everything. For freaking out like that and for not telling you what I was feeling sooner.”
I tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “It’s okay, baby. I’m sorry too. That wasn’t something we’d talked about yet. Honestly, hearing it on some TV interview wasn’t the way you should have heard it for the first time either.”
She nestled herself in my embrace. “You better get going. You don’t want to be late getting to Atlanta. Traffic will be nuts.” I knew she was right, but it was the last thing I wanted to do. I longed for the day we would never have to part ways again.
“I know.” I sighed. She walked back outside with me, and I pulled her into my arms, inhaling her citrusy scent one more time. “I’ll call you and FaceTime you every day.”
“Shit or get off the pot, man! Kiss her already, for fuck’s sake!” Luca’s voice called out. I could hear Cash, Dallas, and Derek laughing in the background as we turned to see the guys crowded around the cracked bus windows.
“Seriously,” Antoni yelled. “Kiss that girl, dammit.Kiss her!”
“You heard them. Are you gonna kiss me or not?” She raised her brow at me and bit her lip. My fingers were in her hair and my hand on the back of her neck as I pulled her to me. I grazed her lips lightly at first, tasting the warmth of her breath. I kissed her slow and deep, savoring every second. I’d have forgotten all about the guys on the bus if they hadn’t burst into cheers and applause, causing us both to laugh.
She turned toward the bus with a little curtsey, making them cheer even more. When she turned back to me, she pulled my face down to hers for another kiss. “Let me know when you make it to Atlanta.”
“I will,” I promised.
With one last squeeze of her hand, I started down the walk. When I reached the door of the bus, I heard her call out to me. ”Turn around!” A grin spread across my face as I turned to see her running toward me. She didn’t stop until she jumped into my arms, planting a kiss firmly on my mouth. “I love you, Jaxon Slade.”
“I love you, Olivia Sinclair.”
Chapter 25
Liv
After I returned and debriefedElla over lattes, I was thrown right back into my normal life. The bakery was in full swing with holiday orders, which made the time fly by. I loved being back with Ella, Grace, and Katie, but I also felt like a large piece of me was missing.
I missed Jax fiercely, and I was surprised to realize how much I also missed the rest of the guys. I missed precious Dallas and his goofy sense of humor, though he made sure to send me a ‘Hey Cupcake’ or ‘Miss you, Cupcake’ text every day. I missed Derek’s calming presence and Cash’s steady friendship. I even missed Luca’s wildcard charm and sweet Antoni, whom I now exchanged calls and texts with all the time.
I missed being on the road, or maybe it was that I missed what that meant: being with Jax and writing music. Being around Jax was like getting drunk on inspiration. Even back when I wrote music all those years ago, I’d never been as inspired as I was now.
