Drawn To Dark

by Emma Tharp

  His voice is smooth and soothing. I’m transfixed. His words wrap around me and touch my heart, warming me from the inside. I’m powerless to stop the tears that begin to fall. I try to sing along past the lump in my throat but I’m only ruining the song, so I stop.

  When the song is over, he sets his guitar down and drags his thumb under my eyes, drying my tears. “I guess you figured out that I wrote it for you. The crowd went nuts when I played it.”

  “Thank you. It’s beautiful.” Leaning in, I place my lips on his and pour all my longing and desire into the kiss. I reach up to touch the skin of his jaw and love the feel of his scruff against my palms. Warmth pools low in my belly and I can’t wait to connect with him again.

  “I missed you so much. I lived on autopilot when I couldn’t see you or talk to you,” Kingston says gazing at me with his sapphire blues.

  “I was in rough shape all week as well. Can we agree we won’t do that anymore?”

  He pulls me into his arms and squeezes me close. “I’m never going to let you go again. Want to know why?”

  “Why?”

  He threads his fingers through my hair and pulls me toward him so that our lips are almost touching. “It’s because I love you.” And his mouth is back on mine, melting me with his tongue and his admission.

  The last thing I want to do is pull away, but I can’t wait another second to tell him how I feel. “I love you too, Kingston.”

  “That’s music to my ears, sweet girl.”

  And this time, my tongue moves along his in a kiss that’s a promise of what’s to come. It’s togetherness and our future. It’s him and me standing next to each other when times get tough. It doesn’t matter to me that he has a troubled past. Together we have the strength to make it through any darkness.

  Epilogue

  Kingston

  Getting home from the tour today has got me more amped up than normal. Thankfully, our schedule has lightened up significantly. We go out for a week at a time and only during the summer months. We’re in the studio or at local gigs on and off during our time away from the road. It’s what we all agreed to now that most of us are married, Cam and I for a year now, and some of us have families.

  Pulling into my driveway, I see that the yard is already decorated with pink and blue streamers hanging from the trees. Tables are set up with centerpieces of flowers and balloons that say “Baby” on them. And there seems to be an endless supply of food already out.

  My wife, Cam, comes waddling out to my truck with her arms outstretched. She’s in a gorgeous blue dress that highlights her beautiful pregnant figure.

  Pulling her into my arms, I say, “I’m home, sweet girl. Looks like you guys have got everything set up.”

  “Yup. We’re ready. Was your plane delayed? I expected you here over an hour ago. The guests are going to start arriving soon.” A buzz of nervous energy rolls off her in waves.

  “I’m sorry, we were delayed. I tried texting you, but the service was spotty. I also called on my way here, but you didn’t answer.”

  “Oh, I haven’t seen my phone in a while. We’ve been too busy setting up.” She waves her arms around our yard.

  I kiss her and grab her belly. “How’s our baby doing today?”

  “Great. Can’t wait to find out the gender. I almost cut the cake without you earlier. The suspense is killing me.” Her voice hitches up a few notches. She’s been so excited to find out the sex of our baby. I’m shocked she’s held out and waited this long.

  “Hey, big brother. Go inside and give Rick a hand, he needs help carrying out the food.” Dee walks toward me, dressed in a beautiful sun dress; her skin is tanned and it looks like she’s put on a couple of pounds since the last time I saw her. Married life is treating her well and I see Rick is doing his job by putting some meat on her bones. She gives me a quick hug before she shoos me off to the kitchen.

  I told Cam that we could do this in a hall and invite as many people as she wanted. That way she wouldn’t have to do any work and neither would Rick, but she insisted that she wanted to do it at home with close friends and family only. Rick, the best chef we know and owner of his new Italian restaurant, was happy to oblige and highlight some of the food on his menu for the event.

  Once inside Rick tells me that he’s got everything under control and I can go clean up before our guests start to arrive. I jump on the opportunity to change out of my clothes and shower. After a quick lather and rinse, I get out, dry off, and throw on the clothes Cam has laid out for me on our bed.

  When I come downstairs, I’m surprised to hear a man’s voice I recognize, but haven’t heard for a long time. It calls me back to a time long ago. Turning the corner into the kitchen, my jaw drops when I see Richie from my mom’s old band standing there talking to Cam like they’re long-lost buddies. “Richie.” My voice cracks with emotion when I say his name.

  Richie turns toward me and walks over to me, reaching out his hand for me to shake. “Kingston. It’s been a long time. You look great.”

  “Come here,” I say, ignoring his hand and pulling him in for a hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever. How are you?”

  He’s gained a few pounds since I saw him all those years ago and his hair is peppered with white now instead of the dark brown it once was, but his eyes are still warm and kind.

  “I’ve been well, thank you. And I see you have been too.” He points toward Cam and her stomach.

  I give him a nod and a confused smile. “Not that I’m not grateful to see you, Richie, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not surprised that you’re standing in my kitchen right now, chatting it up with my wife.”

  Cam cuts into the conversation now. She’s been quiet up until this point, content to stand there and watch us. “I decided to reach out to Richie and see if he’d be interested in coming to our baby shower today. You always had such fond memories of him and he was tickled when I emailed him and asked him to come.”

  Wow. My wife is amazing. I hit the lottery when I won her over. Putting my arm around her shoulders, I say, “That’s great, sweet girl. Such a thoughtful thing to do. It’ll be nice to catch up.”

  “I don’t mean to cut it short, now,” she says, “but I need my husband to come with me so we can go out and greet our guests. We can hang out after the party and catch up some more. I’ve heard all of Kingston’s stories about you two fishing in the Adirondacks, but I can’t wait to hear any stories you might have from when Kingston was little.”

  Richie gives my wife a conspiratorial smile and says, “Oh, trust me, I have quite a few. Now you two go out and say hi to your guests.”

  As Cam and I walk toward the door, I kiss the top of her head. “Thank you. It’s nice to see him again.”

  She stops short to look up at me and put her arms around my waist. I thread my fingers through her hair and bring her lips to mine. “I’m so happy you aren’t mad. I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, but he seems like the closest thing you’ve got to a relative.”

  “Well, I did always call him Uncle Richie,” I say.

  “I don’t know if this is the right time to bring this up, but I think you look quite a bit like him. You have the exact same eyes. And lips. And the shape of your face.”

  “Okay, maybe we do look alike. What are you trying to say?” She couldn’t possibly think that we are actually related.

  “You did tell me that he was always hanging around with your mother.” One of her eyebrows angles up and she bites on her bottom lip.

  This is way too much to process now. Could Richie be my father? Did he know about it? It’s probably just a coincidence. “I can’t think about this now. How about we revisit this after our baby shower?”

  “You’re right. Let’s go out there and cut the cake.” She wanders off ahead of me.

  “We have to wait for everyone to get here,” I call out after her

  She glances down at her watch. “Nope, it’s two o’clock. If you’re late to the party, you miss the reveal
.”

  We walk outside and our yard is filled with people. Davies and Penny are sitting at a table holding hands and staring at each other intently, the new ring on her finger sparkles in the sunlight. Holt and Syd are here, each of them carrying one of their twins. They’re six months old, a boy and a girl. I couldn’t be happier for them. Our friends and family are all here to celebrate our new baby who will be here in three short months. My heart swells with pride.

  Cam clears her throat and clinks a glass with a fork. “Excuse me, everyone. It’s time for the gender reveal. I’ve waited this long, I can’t wait anymore.” Cam looks in my sister’s direction. “Dee, can you video this for us?”

  Dee reaches in her pocket and pulls out her phone. “Of course. Whenever you’re ready.”

  I stand next to my wife and she hands me a knife. “We’re going to do this on the count of three, okay?”

  “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  She nods and we cut into the large white frosted cake that’s shaped like a onesie and says baby on it. I watch Cam as she cuts her slice, waiting to see her reaction. It doesn’t matter to me if we have a boy or a girl. All I can hope for is that they turn out like their mom, with her kind heart and warm soul.

  “It’s a boy,” Cam says as she lifts the piece of blue cake up, crumbs falling in all directions. Tears fall down her cheeks.

  Kissing her, I lift her up off her feet. “We’re having a boy,” I whisper into her hair. “You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet. I can’t wait to meet our little boy.”

  She cries into my neck.

  “Are those happy tears?” I ask.

  She pulls back and looks at me with her eyes sparkling nearly all green today in the sunshine. “You make me so happy, Kingston. I can’t wait to be our son’s mother.”

  With our guests clapping and watching us celebrate, all feels right in our world. All the darkness is gone and only a bright future lies ahead.

  Acknowledgments

  As I sit here typing away, my husband and partner in crime is next to me, doing work of his own on his laptop. It’s like our life. Side by side whether it’s work or play. It never gets old. Thank you, Sam for walking beside me and supporting me through all of this.

  To my editor, you and your editing skills amaze me. I love how you help improve and enrich my stories! Thank you! My cover designer, Francessca at Francessa’s Romance Reviews, your work is beautiful and this cover shows it. I mean, this guy is Kingston. My proofreader, Julie Deaton at Deaton Author Services, thank you for being the last set of eyes to look at my work. You catch so much! You’re awesome. To Nicole Andrews More and all the lovely ladies in Love Kissed, you are awesome! Every day I learn something new. To my CPs, I love you girls. For always taking the first look at my stories and helping them become so much better, you’re the best. Thank you to all the book bloggers that help get the word out about our stories. A heartfelt thank you to all of you!

  To my family and friends, my first fans, I am forever in your emotional debt. You encouraged me the most when I wasn’t sure I would ever hit the publish button. Thanks for continuing to be by my side, cheering me on through all of this.

  My fans! I love you all. If I could hug each and every one of you, I would. Thank you for buying my books, posting reviews, emailing me and showing me love. You are the best!

  About the Author

  Emma Tharp is the author of The Bluff Harbor Series, Keeping It Casual and the McLoughlin Brother Series. She was raised in upstate New York. Being an only child, she spent a great deal of time alone, dreaming up characters who would keep her company on long family road trips. Putting her writing on the back burner, she went to college and became a chiropractor. After spending twelve years healing patients, Emma decided—with the help of her amazingly supportive husband—to use the creative side of her brain and let her characters come to the page.

  If she’s not writing, Emma can be found at the gym, one of her kids sporting events, Starbucks, or a live music event.

  A perfect day for Emma would be spent at her lake house with her husband, two ginger-haired children, and Vizsla, reading a book and drinking a large cup of coffee (or wine) with music playing in the background.

  Contact Emma Tharp at:

  www.emmatharp.com

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  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16305423.Emma_Tharp

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  https://www.amazon.com/Emma-Tharp/e/B06XDTHG3Z

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  Other books by Emma Tharp:

  What About Her (Book One of the Bluff Harbor Series)

  What About Us (Book Two of the Bluff Harbor Series)

  Keeping It Casual