Page 154 of The Broken Keys

“Nothing.” I drag my teeth over my bottom lip as I try to find some piece of information I can give her. “It’s just Lily asking me something.”

“About what?” Hawke stands, stretching his arms above his head.

“Her friend Quinn. She wants to know about her, but I don’t know anything other than she’s blonde, good-looking, and turned down Guns.” I flash him a smirk to lighten the mood.

He flips me off. “If you weren’t such a dick, I’d help you out.”

“Come on, mate. Just tell me something to help Livianna. Everyone thinks she’s only dealing with short-term memory loss. I don’t wanna let her down and not help.” I give him a pleading stare.

“Fine, but you owe me.” Bren takes my phone out of my hands and types something.

He returns it to me and struts back to the couch. I read his message.

Me:You met her at a wedding when you moved back from Paris. She’s been your ally ever since. She’s a big-time investment banker who works for Jaxon. And she’s secretly in love with your brother.

I raise my head and laugh. “You’re delusional. I spent a short time with the woman, and even I know that last part is bullshit.”

“I said you owed me, and I’m cashing in.” He shrugs. “Quinn wants me; she just doesn’t know it. If Livianna thinks she can play matchmaker for me, she will. She’ll do anything to make me happy.”

“Whatever.” I hit send and pocket my phone, a weight lifting off my shoulders. “The truth is, Livianna and I are growing closer every day, and that has to count for something.”

The guys are right. I need to stop drowning in what-ifs and start living in the reality I’ve been given.

“Better?” Cooper juts out his chin.

“Yeah, actually I am.” I drop back onto the piano bench and let my fingers run along the keys.

“Good, because we need you present.” Bren picks up the sheet music he confiscated earlier. “This album isn’t gonna write itself.”

“You say that as if I don’t know that.” I play a few morebars, and for the first time today, the music flows naturally. “What if we bridge the chorus like this?”

The melody shifts, building into something that feels right. The guys gather around the piano, and Hawke starts humming harmony.

“That’s it.” Cooper grins. “That’s what we’ve been missing.”

We work through the next hour without interruption, and I realize this is exactly what I needed. The distraction. The creativity. The reminder that life exists beyond my anxiety about Livianna’s memories.

My phone stays silent in my pocket, and I don’t check it. She’s at work. She’s fine. Quinn’s there, and yeah, that’s awkward, but Livianna can handle it. She’s always been strong.

“You good now?” Bren hands me a water bottle. “Back from whatever ledge you were standing on?”

“Getting there.” I lean against the wall. “I need to get it through my head: Livianna and I are together. I don’t think it’ll change if she remembers something down the line.”

“Damn straight.” Hawke takes a drink. “She chose you, bro. Before the accident and after it. That means something.”

Before the accident. The words sting because they’re not entirely true, but I shove that thought down.

What matters is that she chose me in the hospital. She chose me when she woke up. She chose me last night when she pulled me into bed and made love to me. And those are the things I need to concentrate on.

“Yeah, it does.” I twist the cap off the bottle. “I’m falling in love with her all over again, and I keep forgetting to actually enjoy it.”

“Then stop forgetting.” Cooper claps me on the shoulder. “Life’s too short to waste time being miserable when you’ve got everything you want.”

He’s not wrong. I have Livianna back. We’re living together. She loves me and she wants me.

Whatever happened three weeks ago is buried under the weight of her amnesia, and maybe that’s exactly where it should stay. Maybe fate gave me this second chance for a reason.

“All right.” I push off the wall and head back to the piano. “Let’s finish this song so I can get out of here and pick up my girl.”