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“Ok, honey. We love you.” No child of Sawyer Maddon would doubt that. I certainly don’t.
“Love you guys, too.”
Marcus and I continue all the goodbyes, ending with hugs and kisses as we buckle Harmony in Charlie’s minivan. It’s still crazy to think of my dear friend as a megastar, but she deserves it. I wonder if anyone in the audience realized two real-life rock stars were sitting in the crowd like commoners.
“You really don’t mind her sleeping over? You guys just got off tour. You must be tired.”
“Nonsense, it’s great practice,” Hudson answers in his thick British accent.
“He’s right. Plus, we’ve been back for a week already, so we have the guest room set up and bought all her favorite snacks,” Charlie says, starting the engine.
“We’ve been looking forward to this more than Harmony. I assure you love.”
“Ok. Great. Hope you guys have a great night then,” Marcus says and closes the sliding door.
Everyone in the van echoes their goodbyes, and we all wave goodbye as they drive off. Cole and Lyla wave from Cole’s truck with mom and dad in the back, followed by Willow driving a flashy hot rod, and finally, Nora and Declan zoom past us on a motorcycle. I wobble along the uneven parking lot, the end of my crutch stepping in gum. Gross. His car isn’t far, and when I finally make it to the passenger’s side door, I’m surprised by his hard body pressing me against the door. Marcus growls into my ear.
“So, where would you like me to make you come?”
I gasp at his crass words and feel the heat in my cheeks without needing to look at my reflection. Speechless, I stare at him, but that cocky man just smiles back and helps me into his Hummer. While he’s making his way around to the driver’s side, I take a minute and really think about his question. Where? Anywhere as long as it’s him. The voice inside me that usually says no to any alone time with Marcus is dead silent, leaving me to fight the growing urges on my own.
We’ve been with Harmony most of the day and forced to behave. The man beside me is no help as he jumps in and sets off, pulling onto the main road, and then places a possessive hand on my thigh. I’ve missed his hand’s warmth, and it’s now trailing up the peak of my yoga pants.
“Want to come to my place tonight since the rock stars are having a sleepover?”
“Yeah, sure.” I try to sound casual, but inside I’m an inferno. His sly pinky slides up and nudges my nub.
“Just got one stop to make, and then we can swing by your place and grab whatever you want.”
I nod with excitement, giant moths in my stomach taking flight. Even after all these years, this man excites me like no other. It’s like I’m seventeen again and sneaking off to fool around. It feels both dangerous and thrilling, along with other things I haven’t felt in a very long time.
My chest burns with it. History. But I won’t think about that right now. Tonight feels different somehow. Something all new and full of possibilities. So I clutch onto that thought and ignore the heavy weight of our past. Instead, I watch his ass, clad in black dress pants, full of sexy swagger, as he walks into a liquor store.
* * *
Finally,at his place, I find a giant black recliner and hobble over, leaving my crutches at the door.
“Ok, ready for your surprise?”
I nod eagerly, grinning and wide-eyed like a kid, but I’m shocked when he pulls out a large glass bottle with neon green liquid.
“Oh no, you didn’t.”
“I might have,” he tells me with a devilish grin.
Marcus moves around his kitchen, and I take a moment to look around. What has changed about this man that I don’t know about? The question makes me hungry for the answer, but when my eyes stop scanning the room and fall on a photo hanging on the wall, I’m frozen. My chest constricts, and I swear my heart skips a beat. A large family picture of the three of us is blown up on the wall, framed by more of us over the years. Not just Harmony, but photos of me too.
I bite back a wince as I limp over to the photos for a better look.
“You have pictures of the bonfire?”
That was the first night we met. My question doesn’t surprise him. He calmly comes over to me with an outstretched cocktail glass containing the glowing green elixir.
“I broke into the art department where the yearbook kids had their little meeting, and I knew they’d have the picture.” He shrugs.
“You did what? When?”
“Senior year. I politely asked stuck-up Steven for a copy, but he got on this power trip. Long story short, I popped the lock that night and swiped every copy he had plus the negative. Take that, Steven,” Marcus jokes.
