Page 101 of Driving Beats

Was someone to give it to me

And there was you.

Knowing my personal inclination is to keep this to myself—and Nese is the exact opposite—I ask, “Think I should share it with the guys? It could become our next hit, and only you will know it’s about you and me and how you make me feel.”

She turns toward me. “Oh, Coop. I love the sharing idea.” She kisses me. “And we definitely have to keep the genesis only for us.”

The woman who lived out loud wants to keep something for only us? “You got it.” I kiss her again.

And again.

The night before we’re scheduled to take off for Australia, Luke arranges for the band to meet up at a trendy club in Los Angeles. Partially to be seen, since we’ve been off tour for a month. But also to bring the group back together one last time for fun, before the tour officially starts and we’re “on the clock” again.

I adjust my watch. “This is the first time we’re going to be out with everyone as a couple. I have something to admit though.”

I pause. How will she take my revelation? I hope she’s not upset I confessed it to my best friend. Not everything, of course. He doesn’t know about Georgia or afterward. Nese interrupts my rambling thoughts.

“Admit what?” She bends down to adjust the strap on her sandal.

“I told Río we had sex.” The weight shifts between my legs. “Only about the first time.”

I allow the bomb to settle.

She straightens. “Oh. Yeah, I mentioned it to Jenna and Hayden when we went out for brunch. They teased me we were going to end up together.” She puts her hands on her hips. “Guess they were right.”

All of the ladies’ knowing looks when I was at Bennett’s house making s’mores fall into place. “They knew?”

“That we had sex in the pool? Yup.” She fixes her other sandal.

“It was private. Between us,” I argue.

“And now Río,” she points out.

She has me there. Looking at it from her point of view, she used to have sex with several partners. Until me.

Right?

I don’t want to know, but a part of me has to. “After we happened that first time, you didn’t go to bed with anyone else, did you?” Noah comes to mind. She went out with some people on UC’s crew for dinner on that one occasion too.

“Coop, I haven’t been with anyone except for you since that night.” She walks to my side and places her hand on my arm. “Full disclosure, I had opportunities, but I turned them all down. Because, well, they weren’t you.”

I let her words sink into my bones.

Hope goes off like a flare.

My heart feels lighter.

“I guess this won’t come as a surprise to them, huh?”

“I don’t know, Sugar,” she replies with a smirk. “I bet we’ll get some ‘I was right’s,’ but others will be shocked. How do you want to play it?”

I consider her question from multiple angles. “How about we simply walk in arm in arm?”

“So very Coop,” she quips, then kisses me on the cheek. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

A text pings, and I open my app to see Río telling me to get my ass in gear and get to the rockin’ club. I reply with a photo of my middle finger. I’m about to put my phone into my pocket when I remember the picture I took of Emilie Dubois at the gym. I pull it up and show Nese.

Her reaction doesn’t disappoint.