by Sierra Hill
“Shhh, shhh. Baby, it’s okay now. You’re okay. Everything will be all right. I promise you. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
The sounds of her silent sobs had his own composure close to shattering. He continued to rock her, even when the paramedics came in and tried to examine the gash on his head. He waved them off, telling them in no uncertain terms that it could wait.
He was fine. His only purpose in that moment was to take care of his girl and make sure she was okay.
“Kenzie, look at me, baby,” he pried, gently lifting her chin with his index finger. Once he locked eyes with hers, he smiled. “I love you so much, Kenzie Daniels. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you from that animal. I thought I was going to lose you, even though I’d already lost you. And I’m so sorry for the way I treated you. There was no excuse for that. Please-”
He couldn’t finish his sentence because he was interrupted by her lips covering his in a kiss. It was gentle and sweet, her lips trembling against his, searching for something. Telling him that they’d be okay now. The kiss continued, echoing in the love they shared. The kiss was forgiveness and trust. It was love and enduring faithfulness.
“Remy, I love you. You’ve protected me and saved me from my past. I forgive you if you’ll forgive me for not being honest with you about everything that was going on. I’m so sorry.”
“My sweet, pixie,” he murmured against her hair. “No more apologies. No more letting our past interfere with our future. You and me, Kenz. It’s us against the world. And I’m never letting you go.”
Their kiss deepened, the unbridled passion shared between once two strangers who became friends, who became roommates, who became writing partners, who then became lovers and in the end (or the future) became stars.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
“Are you ready for this?”
Remy’s hand squeezed Kenzie’s, the gentle assurance and concern laced in his words. She smiled up into his beautiful face, nodding confidently at the amazing man standing next to her.
In just a few short months since the horrific day with Seth that ended with him being arrested for stalking, and attempted murder and a plethora of other charges, she had seen her life turn on a dime.
Luc Martins’ record label and the manager for Demolition Agent had signed a recording contract with the Remy and Kenzie, who were now the hottest new duo out of Nashville. They’d gone back into the studio and recorded a few more songs under their new band name, Diner Coffee. After all, Remy had first fallen for Kenzie’s latte-making skills.
They’d released their first single, One More Minute with You, with Kenzie lending her songbird voice and perfect harmony to the chorus, transforming the song into a hit. It went to number twelve on Billboard’s Top 100 music list and they’d been prepping for their first major U.S. tour for the last four weeks.
Now the time had come and they were ready to step out onto a stage in New York City, albeit a small club venue, but it was perfect for their first official show together.
Kenzie couldn’t believe how truly lucky she was when she found Remy. Or, actually, the way he told it, when he found her, since he was the one who sat in her section of the diner that very first day they met and continually pursued her until he wore her down. And while so much had happened since that day more than six months earlier, she was happier than she’d ever been in her life.
Her father had contacted her when he received a summons to act as a witness in the trial against Seth in Nashville. She’d been so nervous to see him again, but at the first look into his eyes, which were brimming with tears, and his words of apology, she forgave him on the spot.
And Remy had been spending more time with Luc, who was a tremendous help to them in the studio, but also a very loving father to him outside of that. He’d proven to Remy that he was truly sorry for his behavior so many years before and was doing everything he could to make up for it. Remy was naturally skeptical at first and weary of the spotlight that his father’s fame would give them, but he took it all in stride.
In fact, his father had flown in his half-brothers and his current wife, Sophia, and taken them all to Disney World for a family reunion. They’d had so much fun together those few days, and seeing Remy interact and play with his younger siblings made Kenzie’s heart swell with pride and love.
Someday Remy would make a great father. But for now, he was her rock. He was devoted to her, dedicated to their future and loyal in his commitment to their relationship on every level, personal and professional.
Their opening act, a singer/songwriter named Dorsey, stepped off the stage amidst cheers from the crowd from his opening set. Walking toward them, he put out his hand for a fist-bump, man-shake thingee with Remy and smiled at Kenzie.
“You two are gonna kill it tonight. The crowd is ready for you guys. Break a leg.”
“Thanks man,” Remy said, placing his hand on the small of Kenzie’s back, leading her to the stage. “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be.”
Kenzie stopped short of the curtain entrance and turned back to Remy. Her hand moved up to touch his face, the scruffy beard rubbing against her hand, then maneuvered her finger through his thick hair, pulling his head down to meet hers.
“I’m so glad you’re with me, Rem. I couldn’t do this without you. I love you so much.”
He bent low to place a soft kiss on her nose, but she caught his perfect lips with hers, letting him know exactly how she felt in that moment.
Releasing his mouth, she gazed into his gorgeous blue eyes and smiled.
“This moment would mean nothing if I wasn’t sharing it with you. Now let’s go out there and give New York a little taste of Nashville. And then later, you can give me a little taste of something else.” She winked, grabbing his ass with her palm.
“I’m liking the sound of that, Pixie. This tour is going to be off-the-charts hot, in more ways than one.”
And with that, they entered from stage left to the sounds of clapping and cheering, their smiles burning bright and their hearts full.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sierra Hill is a huge alternative music fan and attends as many live concerts as often as possible - even going on the road when her favorite band, Pearl Jam, is on tour. She frequently indulges on what some might consider to be an unhealthy dose of reading, dark chocolate and too much coffee.
Sierra resides in the Seattle area with her husband of nearly twenty years and her crazy, but loveable, rescued German shepherd, Tova. She is currently working on her next book.