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"Really? I could have sworn you were the only one playing, and it was…magical."
"It felt magical," I whispered. "You being here feels magical, too. Why are you here?"
"I wanted to see you. I wanted to see where your road had taken you. How has it been?"
"Everything I dreamed of and more."
"I'm glad. The dream doesn't always match up to reality."
"This one did. I found myself, Kade, and I like this version of me. I'm so happy I took the risk."
"Has Dani been supporting you in your new endeavor?"
"Very much so. We talk almost every day. She sends me reviews of our shows. She's trying to be very supportive."
"And her pregnancy is going well?"
"Yes. She's going to have a son in five weeks, so there will be a lot of change, but all good change. What about you? What have you been doing?"
"Well, I had an amazing show in San Francisco. Then I went down to Los Angeles and created some art by the beach. I made a trip back to New York to see my mom and talk over everything."
"How did she respond?"
"She was okay. She didn’t really want to talk about it."
"Did you see my mom while you were in San Francisco?"
"Yes. Laura came to the show. We went out for a drink afterward. She said you had texted with her a few times. She hoped that someday you'd be able to have a relationship. I don't think she had heard from Dani."
"Dani holds a grudge longer than I do, but she told me tonight that she wished Mom and Rachel a Happy New Year. So, there's progress."
"How is your father doing?"
"He's keeping in touch with us more frequently. He and Vicky seem to be happy again. I think in some ways the ghost of my mom was always hanging over them. Now, that ghost has been exorcised."
"And Rachel?"
"She was staying with my mom for a while, but she realized that she needed to make a life for herself, not just live in limbo or watch what my mother was doing. So, she moved to Seattle and joined a real-estate firm. Apparently, at some point, she got a real-estate license. Rachel and my mom are finally free of the past, and I'm glad about that. They made some big mistakes, especially Rachel, but they also went through some dark times." I paused. "To be honest, I still have conflicted feelings about them, but I'm not letting those feelings derail me. I have my own life to live."
"Yes, you do."
"And that's enough about the past. I was going to take a walk to the Eiffel Tower and then there's a party…any chance you want to join me?"
"I do want to join you—for the walk, for the party…and for whatever else you might want to do." His beautiful dark gaze swept across my face. "And I'm not just talking about a night, Brynn. I want more than that, but I don't know how you feel. It's been some time since we saw each other."
"I wasn't sure you'd ever want to see me again, Kade. My mother's life and your dad's death are tied up together. Can you get past that? Can you see me and not see that?"
"Yes. It was a shock at first, but I've moved past it, and I don't blame you for anything. I like you, Brynn," he said, holding my gaze. "I liked the woman I met in San Francisco, who was just about to stretch her wings and learn to fly. Now, I'd like to get to know the new you. If you'll let me."
"I liked the man I met in San Francisco, too, his passion for his art, his utter confidence in himself, his desire to make his own rules. I don't know if there's a new you or just a new me, but I'd like to find out how we might go together, Kade."
"I've gone through some changes," he admitted. "I defined a lot of my life by my father's death. I've spent the last several months trying to figure out a new definition."
"Were you successful?"
"Still working on it," he admitted with a small smile. "But I'll never change all the way, Brynn. I'm always going to be a free spirit."
"There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's one of the things I like most about you."
