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“Raz,” he said, exasperation coating the word. “I was there. I’ve been there for all of you.”
For a beat, no one spoke.
“And that’s why we’re here,” Mitch said and clapped him on the shoulder. “We owe you, and we can’t imagine having to hang out with your wife without you being around to run defense.”
“She’s terrifying, mate. I know she’s a musician, but she’d kill it in the ring,” Raz teased, but his expression grew earnest. “All kidding aside. We know one thing for sure. You and Harper are meant to be together, and we’re here to help.”
Who would have thought that the nerd, the hothead, the beefcake, and the heartthrob would go from being not-friends friends to the men who had each other’s backs?
He nodded to the guys. “Thank you.”
“All right, Uncle Landy, you love Aunt Harper,” Aria mused as she paced across the stage. “What could you do that would make her cry happy tears like when I gave her the tickets to Italy? What’s something she really wants with all her heart? Here,” she said, removing the piano eraser from her pocket and handing it to him. “This will help you use your brave heart muscles.”
He stared at the tiny thing.
“We should start thinking of ideas,” Phoebe announced.
The space exploded with overlapping voices.
Everyone here was ready to help him.
A deep sense of gratitude washed over him as an idea sparked.
He scanned the space.
Mr. Luxe chatted with the New Beats students and Barbie, but Mrs. Luxe had stepped away to take a call.
He took a step back and concentrated on the piano—the same piano Harper had played during the second challenge when they’d come up with the romance scale of devotion tune. He could hear her voice.
“But it’s not things that she really needs. It’s the unspoken promise, the tender deeds that show her what she really means, baby, on the romance scale of devotion.”
He knew how to show her what she meant to him.
She’d double-dog dared him to prove he was the man for her.
And that’s what he was going to do.
Years ago, when his sister had looked at the Scrabble board and called out the wordsheartthrobandwarfare, she’d said heartthrob warfare meant going to war to fight for what made your heart sing.
He was ready to fight for love.
He was prepared to face his fears and embrace his truth. And if that also allowed him to get revenge on the man who’d stolen his beloved wife’s music—that was the icing on the ceiling cake.
“I’ve got it,” he whispered as the plan came together, but the others didn’t hear him. “It’s not a thing. It’s a double-dog dare,” he cried at the top of his lungs.
The conversations stopped as all eyes fell on him.
“Do you have an idea, Uncle Landy? Can we go see Aunt Harper now?” Aria asked.
He shook his head. “Not quite yet.” He crossed the stage. “Mr. Luxe, the third challenge is still on, right?”
“Yes, but we’ll have to deal with the accusations regarding Vance right after.”
“What if I had a plan to expose Vance, grab blockbuster ratings for LookyLoo, and help me win my wife back?” he offered.
“This plan sounds awfully theatrical,” Warren Luxe answered with a curious twist to his lips.
Good! The guy was intrigued.
