She nestled herself in my embrace. “You better get going. You don’t want to be late getting to Atlanta. Traffic will be nuts.” I knew she was right, but it was the last thing I wanted to do. I longed for the day we would never have to part ways again.
“I know.” I sighed. She walked back outside with me, and I pulled her into my arms, inhaling her citrusy scent one more time. “I’ll call you and FaceTime you every day.”
“Shit or get off the pot, man! Kiss her already, for fuck’s sake!” Luca’s voice called out. I could hear Cash, Dallas, and Derek laughing in the background as we turned to see the guys crowded around the cracked bus windows.
“Seriously,” Antoni yelled. “Kiss that girl, dammit. Kiss her!”
“You heard them. Are you gonna kiss me or not?” She raised her brow at me and bit her lip. My fingers were in her hair and my hand on the back of her neck as I pulled her to me. I grazed her lips lightly at first, tasting the warmth of her breath. I kissed her slow and deep, savoring every second. I’d have forgotten all about the guys on the bus if they hadn’t burst into cheers and applause, causing us both to laugh.
She turned toward the bus with a little curtsey, making them cheer even more. When she turned back to me, she pulled my face down to hers for another kiss. “Let me know when you make it to Atlanta.”
“I will,” I promised.
With one last squeeze of her hand, I started down the walk. When I reached the door of the bus, I heard her call out to me. ”Turn around!” A grin spread across my face as I turned to see her running toward me. She didn’t stop until she jumped into my arms, planting a kiss firmly on my mouth. “I love you, Jaxon Slade.”
“I love you, Olivia Sinclair.”
Chapter 25
Liv
After I returned and debriefed Ella over lattes, I was thrown right back into my normal life. The bakery was in full swing with holiday orders, which made the time fly by. I loved being back with Ella, Grace, and Katie, but I also felt like a large piece of me was missing.
I missed Jax fiercely, and I was surprised to realize how much I also missed the rest of the guys. I missed precious Dallas and his goofy sense of humor, though he made sure to send me a ‘Hey Cupcake’ or ‘Miss you, Cupcake’ text every day. I missed Derek’s calming presence and Cash’s steady friendship. I even missed Luca’s wildcard charm and sweet Antoni, whom I now exchanged calls and texts with all the time.
I missed being on the road, or maybe it was that I missed what that meant: being with Jax and writing music. Being around Jax was like getting drunk on inspiration. Even back when I wrote music all those years ago, I’d never been as inspired as I was now.
While I was at work, my fingers longed to have my guitar back in my hands again. Finally, a couple of nights before Jax was scheduled to return, I had some time to sit on the couch and pick up my guitar. I sat with the notebook Jax and I had been writing in splayed out on the coffee table and started playing around with a melody that had been buzzing in my mind all day. I tried to get in my groove, but I was unsettled and distracted. Something was missing or more accurately—someone.
Mama perched herself on top of the sofa, silently judging me through squinted eyes.
“I know it sucks, Mama. You don’t even have to tell me.”
She meowed disapprovingly as I ran my fingers through my hair.
I turned out all the lights and lit the candle we’d been burning the day the power went out. Then, I rummaged through the kitchen and found one last package of strawberry Pop-Tarts lingering in the pantry. I opened a bottle of wine and poured myself a glass, bringing it back to the living room along with my Pop-Tarts.
Finally, I trudged to the closet and found exactly what I was looking for. I ripped my shirt over my head, discarding it on the floor. I pulled Jax’s shirt on. It was the one he’d insisted I keep the day we got caught in the rain. It hung a bit off my shoulder, and it still smelled like him. I inhaled deeply, taking in his scent, smiling to myself as I padded back into the living room and returned to the couch.
Mama side-eyed me when I picked the guitar up again and began to play. I sang through some of the lyrics that had been dying to pour out of me for days.
My phone rang from the coffee table with a FaceTime call from Jax. I swiped to answer the call, and his face illuminated the screen. “Hi, baby.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He looked tired and a little dejected.
“Hey, handsome,” I said softly. “Are you okay? You look exhausted.”
“Yeah. I can’t seem to remember how to sleep without you anymore.”
“Aw, babe.” I frowned. “I’m sorry. I miss you.”
He sighed. “I miss you too. It’s killing me.” He squinted at me as though he was inspecting something, then broke into a wide grin. “Are you wearing my shirt?”
“Yeah.” I smiled sheepishly and nodded. “I wanted to write tonight, but it wasn’t the same without you, so I decided to try to channel you.” I flipped the camera around so he could see the candle along with the wine and Pop-Tarts on the table. I panned over to Mama who stood from her perch, turning so her butt faced the camera. I giggled and flipped the phone back to my face.
“She clearly misses me too.” Jax laughed. “And it would appear that great minds think alike.” He pulled the phone away from his face and panned down a little so I could see that he was wearing the shirt I’d given him. “When we stopped to fuel up, I went into the gas station and got some Pop-Tarts. Now all I need is you.”
“You’ve got me,” I promised. “Always.” His gaze flickered downward. “Is everything else okay? You seem a little down.”
“I heard from the private investigator earlier today.” He sighed. “Still no leads on my mom.”
“I’m so sorry, honey.” I longed to reach out and comfort him.
“The more time that passes, the more I think I may never find her.” He shook his head. “I don’t even know her, but I can’t stop thinking that I may never get to know her. We’re strangers to each other. I know she did what she had to do, and everything turned out the way it was supposed to, but it’s a hard truth to swallow.”
“I wish I could hold you, Jax.” I knew there was nothing I could say that would take his hurt away, and it crushed me.
“Me too, baby.” His eyes softened as he gazed at me through the screen. “I swear, I’m never going to let you go.” I sank back into the couch and wished I could crawl into the screen with him, curl up against his chest, and listen to his heartbeat whisper to me promises of a beautiful future together. He scrubbed down his face with his hand and gazed at me through sleepy eyes. “Will you play what you were working on for me? Hearing you sing always makes me feel better.”
“Sure, but it’s nowhere near finished yet.” I propped the phone on the coffee table and settled the guitar in my lap. I closed my eyes as I began to strum the soft, sweet melody. “Sun peeks through the window. Baby, please don’t let me go. Cause it turns out I was living half a life, but with your love I’m whole.” I changed chords as I shifted into what would be the chorus. “I thought home was a place, till I found you. Getting drunk by candlelight…”
A loving smile crept onto his face. “Is that about us?”
I nodded and chewed my lip.
“It’s beautiful, Liv. Hold on a second. Play that chorus again.” I started the song from the chorus, singing the first two lines when Jax jumped in with his voice full of feeling. “Getting drunk by candlelight, with a hell of a view.” I felt a flush sweep across my face, and I smiled. “Well, you are a hell of a view.”
“So are you,” I murmured.
“Start from the top again,” he urged. “I’ve had something in my head ever since you left, and I think it could be perfect for the other verse.”
“Okay.” Just like that, we were making music together thousands of miles apart
.
Chapter 26
Jax
The last days of the tour were impossibly long. Anytime I wasn’t on stage or doing press, all I wanted to do was talk to Liv. Talking to the private investigator hadn’t helped my mood, but it did have me thinking more about the future. I’d spent so much of my life being angry that I didn’t have someone I belonged to. As disappointed as I was that there was still no information on my mom, I couldn’t find room in my heart for anything but happiness for my future with Liv.
A little after dark, Brady dropped me off in front of Liv’s house with my suitcases and a dozen tequila sunrise roses, and I could barely contain myself when she ran down the walk to greet me. I dropped my bag as she jumped into my arms, and I was enveloped in a cloud of orange blossoms. I kissed her soundly, wrapping her in my arms. I handed her the bouquet and returned her to her feet. “For my sweet tequila sunrise.”
She closed her eyes and breathed in their fragrance, her creamy skin glowing in the night sky.
Liv had cleared out some space in her closet and dresser so I wouldn’t be living out of suitcases for the next several weeks. Her house already felt like home, but I knew anywhere with her would feel that way.
We spent our first night back together in her living room working on the song we’d started a couple nights before. Mama jumped on top of the coffee table and watched us. I wondered if she would be annoyed that I’d encroached on her territory again until I saw that she’d drifted off to sleep to the sound of our voices.
“I think we have an amazing song here,” Liv said, setting down the guitar so we could take a break. “This one feels extra special for some reason.”
“This is your song,” I reminded her. “You were the one that started it.”
“This is our song.” She raised her brow at me. “I couldn’t have written it without you.”
“I think we should sing it for everybody on Thanksgiving and update them on what we’ve been working on.”
“You think so?”
“I do.” I nodded. “It’s damn near perfect, and I know Cash is chomping at the bit to hear some more of our stuff.”
She shrugged. “Sure. We can do that.”
I glanced over at Mama who still slept soundly on the table. “You know, I think I’m growing on her.”
“You’re good at that,” Liv whispered, crawling onto my lap and kissing the tip of my nose. “Welcome home, Jax.”
Home. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest as I crushed my lips to hers. With Liv, I no longer felt I was missing something. Instead, I felt like I’d found the place my heart belonged. I was finally home.
The days leading up to Thanksgiving flew by. I helped Liv at the bakery as much as I could. I watched as she and Katie fulfilled order after order, and I became an expert at boxing up their creations. I never went to the front of the store, though, unless there were no customers. The last thing we wanted was to cause a scene and have paparazzi hanging out.
Dallas got moved into his new place, and he spent the last couple of days before the holiday at the store with us. He helped me box up the cakes, and he even answered the phone from the back when Ella and Liv were busy out front with customers.
“Livvie Cakes Bakery and Cupcakery, this is Dallas speaking,” he’d chirped into the phone. “How may I help you?” Katie snorted in the background, bursting into a fit of giggles. He slid next to her and bumped her hip with his. “Yes, ma’am. Like Dallas, Texas. No, it’s not too early to place an order for Christmas. What can we do for you?”
After we wrapped up at the store each night, Liv and I worked on new music and resumed our kitchen dance parties as we made dinner. I always picked at least one slow song so I had an excuse to hold her close.
On Thanksgiving, Liv got up early and set to work preparing what we’d need to make the big dinner later. “Okay, I need to make the dressing, the green bean casserole, and the macaroni and cheese. I’ve got to get the turkey put in the oven in about an hour.” She ticked off her mental list, running her hands through her hair. “Ella and Grace are bringing the rolls. I already made the cranberry sauce last night.” I sidled up behind her and slid her hair to the side so I could kiss her neck. “I feel like I’m forgetting to do something.”
“The dessert,” I whispered between kisses.
“That’s not it.” She waved me off. “We brought that home yesterday, remember?”
“I donut believe that’s the dessert I was referring to,” I murmured in her ear.
“Oh?” She turned to look up at me, biting her bottom lip. “What dessert were you referring to exactly?”
“The kind where we have dessert for breakfast in bed.” I waggled my eyebrows at her.
“I only have a few minutes to make myself look presentable before I have to get the turkey in the oven and get started on this stuff before everyone gets here. And I still have to take a shower.”
“As it happens, I need a shower too.” I gently pressed her against the kitchen counter. “You ever heard the saying ‘two birds one stone?’”
That afternoon, the house was alight with laughter as everyone crowded between the living room and kitchen. Cash was talking to Grace about her school play and answering questions she asked him about his experience in the music business. Luca and Derek were watching a football game on tv while Dallas and Katie chatted animatedly. Antoni and Ella talked circles around each other as they helped me and Liv in the kitchen.
Dinner was perfect, and I could see many Thanksgivings in the future with all of us together much like this one, laughing and telling stories. After dinner, I started a fire in the firepit, and we all moved the party outside with our drinks and Liv’s guitar.
“Everything was amazing.” Dallas sighed, stretching out on one of the couches between Derek and Katie. “I’m properly stuffed.”
“Until ten minutes pass and you’re ready for more pie.” Katie poked him in the side.
“Constantly with the food,” Luca shook his head as he warmed his hands by the fire.
“What’s with the guitar?” Antoni asked excitedly, taking his seat on the other side of Liv. “Are we going to have a little campfire sing-a-long? If so, I request some Backstreet Boys.”
“I hope this means what I think it means,” Cash spoke up as Ella and Grace joined him on one of the couches.
“We want to show you guys something we’ve been working on and get your thoughts.” I cleared my throat as Liv took the guitar in her hands.
“Oooh,” Antoni purred. “A private concert? Yes, please.”
Liv looked over at me with bright eyes. “Ready?”
I leaned over and kissed her softly. “Ready.”
Chapter 27
Liv
“Shut up!” Antoni cried, dabbing at the corners of his eyes. “How dare you make me cry on Thanksgiving.”
Ella sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. “That was beautiful.”
“So romantic,” Grace agreed.
“Wow.” Cash looked over at us with wide eyes. “That was incredible.”
“I think we just heard Jax & Liv’s first single.” Dallas nodded, settling back into his seat.
“I think so too.” Derek took a swig of his beer. “Seriously, that was incredible.”
“And I don’t want to put a bunch of pressure on you…” Cash trailed off.
“Why do I feel like the next words out of your mouth are going to be nothing but pressure?” I laughed.
Cash chuckled as he stood and paced before us. “Well, I haven’t even had the chance to tell you guys yet, but the band has been asked to headline the big New Year’s Eve show here in Nashville. The press got wind of Dallas moving here, and I guess that makes the band local enough for them. Anyway, it’s a pretty big deal, and it’s televised nationally. What if we use that as an opportunity to show
the world Jax & Liv for the first time?”
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head in disbelief. “It sounds like you’re saying we should perform this song on a national stage.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Cash said, stopping in front of me. “It’s kind of the perfect opportunity, and nothing gains hype like a big reveal on a national stage. You’re a Nashville girl, and the band is at least partially local now, so there would already be major local interest.”
“It is worth mentioning that this puts your relationship in the public eye.” Dallas folded his arms across his chest. “That’s something you have to really be ready for.”
“I think it’s something we can handle.” Jax squeezed my hand. “But I don’t want to do anything you’re not ready for.”
I took a deep breath and looked around at the expectant faces around me. Finally, my eyes settled on Jax who gazed back at me with a hopeful expression.
This was a big deal, and Dallas was right. Was this something I was ready for?
I loved Jax, and I knew I saw a future with him in it. I knew there was nobody I would rather do this with than him, but I also wasn’t sure I was ready for everything that came along with this choice.
Sensing my hesitation, Ella spoke up. “People are going to love you, Liv, and I think they’re going to really respond to your love for each other. It comes across in your music, and people will feel it. You guys have a story that deserves to be heard. You’re ready for this.”
My stomach felt like it was doing backflips as I looked from Ella to Jax. The way his smile reached his eyes, I knew without even asking that he was ready for this. Finally, I turned my gaze to Cash who was waiting patiently for my answer. “Can I think about it?”
“Sure,” he replied. “Take the weekend to think it over. I’ll need to let them know so we can start building some hype. That is, if you want to go through with it.”
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