She burst out laughing.
“What?”
She gave him a gentle shove. “You totally just lied to me.”
He cracked a grin. Pinching two fingers together, he said, “A little one.”
“You have a treasure trove of ballads, don’t you?”
“How many notebooks full of poems do you have in your closet?”
She probably had a hundred of them. “You seriously have that many?” She couldn’t believe it. “That’s your true calling. That’s the music you should be playing. You, not Van.”
Grabbing his shoulders, she spun him around and marched him back into the lounge. She pushed him onto the couch and thrust the guitar at him. He scowled at her but started strumming anyway, and she sat down beside him.
How?Seriously, how did a melody make you feel so much? There were just some songs that grabbed the wheel and steered your emotions in whichever direction they wanted.
You’re amazing, she mouthed.
He smiled.
With each song he played, she fell a little deeper in…like with this man. It wasn’t just his talent—though that was a glowing, pulsing force within him. It was the way he nailed universal emotions. His kindness, his loyalty, his strength, and his vulnerabilities. She liked every single thing about him.
And right then, she knew she had to show him her words. Springing off the couch, she ran up to her bunk, pulled the notebook out from under her pillow, and brought it back to him.
He was just putting the guitar back in its case. “Oh, I thought I’d driven you away with my sappy drivel.”
“It’s not drivel, you goofball. It’s brilliant and beautiful. It’s magic.”
He tipped his chin to her book. “What’ve you got there?”
All that eagerness shriveled into a wad of fear. “Nothing. It’s stupid. I was just being impulsive.”
“That’s your poetry.” He flicked his fingers in a gimme motion.
“My poems are literally nothing like your lyrics. I have no idea why I wanted to get them.”
“Sure, you do. I was showing you a glimpse of me, and you want to show me you.” He grabbed her arm and tugged, making her drop onto the couch beside him. “Hey, I want to see more than your boobs, okay? Very much.”
She smiled, but the way he looked at her made her restless.
I would quit my job this second just to finally taste that sexy mouth.
With the hunger in his eyes, she knew she hadn’t been wrong last night.
This is real. This is potent.
And you know what? Fuck it.
Screw the money. Screw the job.
I’m going to do it.
I’m going to kiss him.
Because nothing mattered more than finally having the love she’d always dreamed of.
Cupping his jaw, she leaned in so close she could feel the gentle gust of lemonade-scented breath on her skin.
“Hello?” someone called. “Bex?” A swish of fabric came hustling down the hallway.
And then a woman wearing a frothy white wedding dress burst into the lounge. “Surprise. Guess who’s getting married tonight?”