Page 106 of Animal Beats

My heart stutters. Once. Twice.

“Yes.”

Not one to allow her even a split second to reassess, I swoop down for another kiss. Which leads to another round of amazing sex. Missionary style.

The next morning, as arranged during the Oscars, we leave to meet up with Luke for a late breakfast. After I lock up, I notice the unicorn under a small rainbow sitting proudly on the lawn, and my chest tightens for half a beat. I grab Hayden’s hand and kiss her palm.

Our manager greets us in the restaurant. “I have to say, you two are beaming. Can you bottle that stuff?”

“I’m not sure,” Hayden begins.

I intercede. “If we did, we’d call it ‘She Said Yes.’”

Luke leans back. “Well, I’ll be. You’re going to make a go of it?”

“We sure as shit are,” I respond, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. “Took me two times to get her to agree. I’m not letting her slip through my fingers ever again.”

“From the jail in Rome to here in LA, I have to admit I didn’t see this coming.”

“Life definitely moves in unexpected ways.” Hayden looks at me and I kiss her. Because I can.

“Congratulations, guys. I’m happy for you. Who would’ve thought the babysitter would end up married to her charge?”

I smile. “Trust me—I won.”

The server brings our omelets. Taking fuel seriously, I dig into my brunch as does my fiancée and manager. Too bad Coop didn’t join us, but he never answered his phone, the bastard.

Luke clears his plate first. Wiping his lips with the napkin, he says, “The reason I wanted to bring you here is to give you an update on Darren’s scholarship.”

Hayden and I exchange a glance. I point at him with my fork. “Did we raise any money at the Oscars?”

“You bet your ass we did,” he replies.

Next to me, Hayden claps. “That’s awesome.”

“It’s funded to the tune of a half-million dollars.” Luke lets his pronouncement settle in. “Five hundred thousand will give a lot of students a leg up in music.”

“Fantastic.” I sip my coffee. “I guess we have to move onto the next stage of setting up applications. Darren would be so proud.”

“He sure would.”

Hayden leans forward. “Río and I were talking about this.” She bites her bottom lip. “What do you think if I became the scholarship’s administrator? I could handle the paperwork, oversee the money, and ensure the band’s vision is carried out. Of course, UC would have final say over the recipients.”

He takes half a second to respond. “I love this idea. You have a business mind, for sure. Look how you turned around Jenna’s therapy centers.” He whacks my back. “Not to mention our resident wild card.”

“Hey!” I lean back in my chair, hand over my heart.

“I haven’t ever done anything like this before, though.” Hayden’s admission is adorable.

My shoulder raises. “You’ve got Luke here, who knows everything. Plus, you have the biggest asset.” I point to myself. “Me.”

Her arms cross over her chest. “When have you done something like this, Río?”

“Well, never. But I’m a fast learner and Darren was my friend. We can muddle through together.” I tap the beat. “So long as you do all the work.”

Luke cracks his knuckles. “I think this problem is solved.”

Before Hayden is able to respond, I say, “Hayden can tour with UC and still keep up with whatever’s required, right?” At our manager’s nod, I sweeten the pot. Gazing at her, I add, “Plus, you’ll earn an honest salary, which is separate from the label.”