Town might have been small, but that meant my family knew everyone. The invitations for this party had stretched far and wide.
Piled on top of that were Royce’s guests, the few members of his family he remained close to, plus the members of his band, A Riot of Roses.
Industry people ran amok.
Sebastian Stone, the owner of our new label, Stone Industries. Dude a legend in his own right. The original singer of Sunder who’d retired from the stage to start his own label.
Yeah, Sunder was there, too. All of them and their wives.
Fucking surreal that we were now surrounded by one of the biggest bands in the world, now a part of their world once we’d struck pay dirt after playing live at the ACB awards two months ago.
I rubbed at the nerves at the back of my neck.
God. That felt like a lifetime ago.
My gaze kept skipping through the faces. Searching for anything that might feel off while simultaneously trying to cool my fucking jets.
Round tables filled the enormous room, each of them decorated in pinks and whites and extravagant floral arrangements.
To the left, there was a dance floor over near the band, and a podium for the toasts was set up in the front.
Royce was currently making his way toward it, my sister’s hand wrapped up in his as he led her that way.
True joy broke their faces in these smiles that would be impossible to deny.
A waiter carrying a tray of champagne was passing by, and I took a flute, drained the entire thing, and grabbed another before he had the chance to walk away.
Anything to dull this disorder that wouldn’t settle.
This feeling that something was off.
Something wicked gathering strength in the distance. Encroaching fast.
The band trailed off when Royce got to the podium, and he lifted his glass to the room. “Have a little something I would like to say.”
That was all it took for the conversations to die out as everyone turned their attention to him.
He cleared his throat. “First off, I want to say thank you to everyone for being here to celebrate with us tonight. I know some of you traveled great distances to be here, and for that, we are grateful. Means more than you could know to look out on this crowd and see the people who are most important to us. Ones who we love, and the ones who love us back.”
A round of cheers went up.
Royce glanced at my sister before he looked back out to the crowd.
“Some of you might have questioned the way I came to know Emily.”
His eyes traveled to meet hers, their hands held tight between them.
Royce glanced around. “But I want everyone to know that what I saw in Emily was instant. I saw greatness. I saw beauty. I saw a talent unmeasured.”
His words thickened. “I fell in love with her when I probably shouldn’t have. But the thing is, not loving this girl would be impossible.”
A shock of joy pressed against the anxiety that gripped me by the throat—for my sister—for the fact she’d gotten free. For the truth of what shone in her eyes. It was the only thing I wanted, happiness for those that I loved. The ones I’d do anything for.
Live and die and destroy for.
“You showed me what it was like to live again, Emily,” he continued. “What it was like to love again. You gave me a second chance when I’d thought I’d hit a dead end. Because of you, there is music in my life. There is hope in my spirit. There is love in my soul. You are my everything, and I cannot wait to spend my life with you.”
Happiness radiating from her, my sister reached out and touched his cheek. “I tried my hardest not to fall in love with you, Royce Reed. It seemed crazy, the way I felt when we met. But the thing was, you were sent to make me remember what it’s like to sing. To remind me what it’s like to truly feel and how to fully trust. You helped me remember who I am and who I want to be. And I can’t wait to be that person with you at my side, raisin’ our children together.”
I thought maybe he’d planned to say more, but he was setting his flute aside, wrapping her up, and kissin’ her in a way that was pretty much inappropriate considering the crowd.
No doubt, my poor great aunt Shirley was going to be scandalized by the way the ominous-looking rocker was feasting on my sister right out in the open.
“Get a room!” This from Rhys, our bassist, who was up close to the front.
Our number one heckler.
Royce pulled himself away with a smug grin on his face. “Already got one. Right upstairs. You know where we’ll be if you can’t find us.”