Page 74 of Hope and Country

“And now?” she asked, her tone teasing.

“Now you are my life, Devon.” My lips claimed hers, and she liquified when my tongue dived into her mouth.

“I know it’s still new, but I’m where I’m supposed to be, Riley. I just know.”

“Move in with me.”

Devon’s chuckles resonated through the room. “I’m kind of already living here.”

“Yeah, but let’s make it official. Get your stuff and everything. Hope and I want you here full time. With us.”

“I haven’t been to my apartment since—” A chill moved along her spine. It vibrated through me. I kissed her lips once more.

“We can send people to pack your stuff. You don’t have to go back there if you don’t want to. Take some time to think about this, there’s no rush.”

“What if Robbie is released?”

“My lawyers will keep us updated. Don’t worry about him anymore. He can’t hurt you. And he has witnessed your strength the other night. It was pretty badass the way you knocked him down. That look on his face. You surprised the shit out of him. If I were him, I would think twice before coming anywhere near you ever again.” I shifted to level my eyes with hers. “But what’s most important is that you’re safe now, Dev.”

“Have I told you already how much I love you?”

“Please tell me again because I think I’ll never get used to it.”

My lips tasted hers, and her hands traveled all over me. My entire body hummed under her touch.

Devon pushed back, just enough to stare at me, her eyes bright. “I love you, Riley Burns.”

EPILOGUE

DEVON

“Ohmygod, I can’t believe you brought me to a Carter Hills concert,” I said to my man. “I love the intimate set-up you guys created. It’s much better than a show in a fifty-thousand-seat stadium.”

“Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool. When Carter decided to change the way he did concerts after April came along, I never thought it would be that successful. But again, he’s Carter Hills. People would probably buy tickets to watch him flip burgers on a grill dressed in a panda suit.”

“Wait until I suggest to April to organize backyard shows. Sure, she’d like having a crowd watching them eat dinner in animal costumes.”

Riley tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I’m glad you two became friends. I knew you’d get along fine. She reminds me of ya. In many ways. You both fight hard for your happy ending. You deserve the best.”

He kissed my forehead.

“Thanks. Don’t downplay the role you played in mine, though, Riley Burns.”

We kissed as the lights dimmed, the show about to start.

Carter walked onstage, and the crowd erupted in wolf-whistles and cheers.

It’d been ages since I went to a concert. When Riley asked if I’d prefer to watch from the side of the stage or the audience, I picked the latter to immerse myself in the real experience.

Carter crooned a few words to the overenthusiastic crowd and strummed the first chords of a song I didn’t recognize. In the last three months I’d been with Riley, I’d listened to every song of every one of his artists. Because they mattered to him. And he mattered to me. And I loved his music world. More than I ever expected to.

“This song is dedicated to my friend, Devon. Ry can’t sing for shit, so he asked me to do him the honors. Devon, I know you’re here tonight, and I want you to know you rock, girl. You’re strong and fierce. And Ry is crazy about ya. You are the best thing that ever happened to him. Now he can’t stop smiling like an idiot, but it suits him. It was about damn time. This song is truly special. So here it goes…”

I blinked a dozen times.

Did I hear him right?

Did Carter Hills just dedicate a song to me?