Things That Shine

by Bria Quinlan

  My heart pounded so loud in my ears, I was sure I heard him wrong until I looked up into his lush green eyes and saw it there…the same thing I felt.

  Love.

  I sucked in a breath, and with it, a sense of peace I’d never had in my life. I looked at this amazing man offering me everything, and knew—just knew—that without him my life might as well stop growing now.

  “Sage?” I could hear the shaky uncertainty in my voice, knowing it came from a fear of not being enough for him, but being willing to try.

  “You’re my picture.” I couldn’t help but smile back as the slow, almost cocky grin spread across his face. “When the light is magic and the timing is serendipity, and I’m there and…snap. A moment so true caught that I can’t even explain the goose bumps it gives me when I look at it. And to think, I’m there, just on the other side of it—somehow secretly part of it.

  “When I look at you, I know I’m part of it because…” I sucked in another breath and he laughed, shaking his head.

  “It’s not a death sentence, gorgeous.”

  “Right. Not for me. But what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “I’m—I’m not exactly a winning bet. I have no family and no background and no education. I’m still figuring out life.” The fear rushed back up, and I knew what had been holding me back this entire time—from the beginning. “What if I’m not what you need?”

  What if I’m not good enough?

  ”Emily, we’ll figure it out together.” He took my hand again. “And, because none of that is true. You’ve found your family. You’ve found your passion. Educations aren’t certificates. And, because, without you, there’s no music.”

  “I love you!” I blurted it out like there was no going back. Then, softer, “I love you.”

  His arm came around me, pulling me to him. “Most beautiful words from the most beautiful girl.”

  I let myself sink into his kisses, knowing that this was the best place, the picture snapped, the music made—the love found.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  I glanced at the used RV and couldn’t believe I was moving out of my dining-bedroom and into that. It might actually be smaller. But, it had a kitchen.

  Well, kind of.

  Of course, it looked even smaller than it was when lined up next to the five tour buses beyond it.

  “Second thoughts?” Sage snuck up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, letting his chin rest on my head.

  “Well…” I grinned, hidden as I was, and laughed when he tickled me in retaliation.

  “No chance for that now. We’re hitting the road, and there’s no looking back.”

  I glanced up at him, that big, happy grin shaping his mouth in a way that meant I had to kiss him.

  “That’s enough of that!” Blake’s voice shouted down the row at us. “What do you think you are, happily married or something?”

  Sage just shook his head and kissed me again. It wasn’t like we were going to escape these guys now that we’d be on the road with them for the next five months. But, the fact that we both worked for the DBS machine meant we were going together.

  And, yes—I married him.

  Of course, first I had to let Zelda’s parents adopt me because she was sure we really were soul sisters, and I had to have her last name for a week before the incredibly small ceremony at Sage’s parents’ place.

  I leaned back into the warmth that was Sage, happy with the picture I’d just taken of the back of our new home decorated with giant letters spelling out just married and knew that I wasn’t alone—and I never would be.

  “Okay, this isn’t a vacation. Where is Sway?” Luke stormed by, followed by their new assistant manager, Fox Murphy. “What time are we supposed to leave? McNabb, everything’s a go for setup for Connecticut?”

  “Yup.” Sage stayed, as always, cool under pressure, a character trait I was learning made life simple, easy, and happy.

  I grinned up at him as he took my hand and led me toward the door of the RV. Just as we got there, he swung me up into his arms and turned sideways to step onto the slightly worn blue rug.

  “How many honeymooners get to travel with rock stars?”

  “Not rock stars.” I gave him a last kiss before we buckled in. “Family.”

  Best honeymoon ever.

  Also by Bria & Heidi

  BREW HA HA Books

  The Last Single Girl

  Worth the Fall

  The Catching Kind

  Bria’s YA set RVHS Secrets

  Secret Girlfriend

  Secret Life

  And YA Standalone

  Wreckless

  Other titles by Heidi Hutchinson

  Double Blind Study Series:

  Learn to Fly

  In Your Honor

  Tectonic

  Deepest Blues

  The Hope That Starts

  Brand New Sky

  Into the Night We Shine

  Soaring Bird Series:

  Like the Back of My Halo

  In Cold Mud Series:

  Stubborn Hearts

  About Bria Quinlan

  RWA RITA award finalist and USA Today Best Seller Bria Quinlan writes Diet-Coke-Snort-Worthy Rom Coms about what it's like to be a girl and deal with crap and still look for love. She also writes books for teens that take hard topics and make you laugh through your tears. Some people call them issue books. Some people call them romantic comedies. Bria calls them what-life-looks-like.

  Her stories remind you that life is an adventure not to be ignored.

  Check her out:

  @briaquinlan

  bria.quinlan

  briaquinlan.com/

  About Heidi Hutchinson

  Heidi Hutchinson was born in South Dakota and raised the exact right distance away from the Black Hills. She had an overactive imagination very early on, and wasted no time in getting most of her friends in trouble due to her unrealistic and completely ridiculous ideas. Seeing as she was so lazy and also afraid people would think she was bonkers, she didn't write down any of the story lines that played out in her daydreams.

  During her teens, she took pen to paper and filled more notebooks than she is proud of with angsty, depressing, self-deprecating poetry. This led to her writing down more things: notes, ideas, character bios, plot twists that had no plot yet to twist. After years of cleaning up her own scraps of imagination with nothing solid to hold on to, she sat down and wrote the story that had been in her head the longest. Fueled by coffee and her unwavering and perfectly normal devotion to Dave Grohl, she discovered a writer living inside her.

  She still lives in the Midwest, though not as close to the Black Hills as she would prefer, with her alarmingly handsome husband, their fearless child, and rather large and spoiled dog.

  Where her fuel is still predominantly Dave Grohl and coffee. And a whole lotta love.

  Check her out:

  @ChosenbyFaith

  heidirhutchinson

  heidih.net

  heidih.writer@gmail.com