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Jackie: Yeah, I did. I saw him fall for you the first time he saw you.
Killian: You knew?
Jackie: Of course, I knew. Are you kidding? I know everything. Most of the time, before you do.
I chuckled.
Killian: Thanks, darlin’.
Jackie: You did not just darlin’ me. Go get your man. He’s hopeless without you.
Killian: That makes two of us.
I stared down at the phone, itching to call or text him. But she was right. I bet his phone wasn’t even charged. He was doing everything he could to stay out of the limelight and hide in his self-sacrificing way. So instead of calling or texting, I did the next best thing. I called my sister-in-law Clara.
“Hey, Killian, what’s up? You know I’m just down at the house, right?”
“Yeah. Hey, listen, do you have a cat carrier?”
Twenty-four hours later, I was standing outside the gated entrance to the address Jackie had given me. Cat carrier in one hand, suitcase in the other. I didn’t wait for him to let me in or even notice I was standing there. I simply keyed in the code and strolled my happy ass all the way up the long winding driveway.
Scoot yowled, annoyed he was still locked up in his prison.
“Oh, come on. It wasn’t even that long. You’re fine. Quit your whining,” I muttered.
When I reached the front door of the secluded, sprawling house, I knocked, then rang the bell, but nobody answered. I heaved a long-suffering sigh.
“Just our luck, buddy. He’s not home.”
But then I heard the familiar strains of one of our songs coming from around the back of his house. My heart rate picked up as I made my way around the house. He was there, with his back to me, sitting in front of an infinity pool, the view of the city stunning as the sunset cast him in a warm glow.
I had to take a steadying breath before I could speak. “Damn, whoever wrote that song really deserves an award. It’s really good.”
He stopped, his back stiffening, shoulders going tight. And then he stood and turned to look at me, anguish on his face.
“Killian? What are you doing here?”
“What do you think I’m doing here, you handsome idiot? Not letting you leave me.”
“I can’t be the reason—”
“You can’t be the reason, what? I’m happier than I’ve ever been. In love for the first fucking time. Take your pick.”
“In love…with me?”
“Yeah. With you. And I’m so mad at you. You didn’t even give me a choice. You just left.”
Jamie took a step toward me. “I didn’t do it to hurt you. I was trying to help you.”
“You’re not my caretaker. You’re not my daddy. You’re my partner in everything. Making music, making love, and everything in between.”
“I just thought you wouldn’t make the right choice. That you’d be too worried about my feelings to get back with your band.”
“I’m not getting back with the band.”
“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
Frustration tightened my chest. “Yeah, but it’s not because of you. It’s because we’ve all grown apart. They’ll be fine, and we’re going to repair our friendship. But nothing with them will be the same, not after what happened. There were a lot more issues to work out than just me misreading the vibe. I realized that after some long conversations with all of them. We grew apart even before I was Killian Wilde, and it’s okay.”
