Page 213 of Fame & Rhythm

I let out a soft breath. “Well… that’s good to know.”

He huffs out a quiet laugh against me. “I can’t get the look on your face out of my head,” he admits. “The second you realized… it nearly killed me.”

I tighten my arms around him, holding on like if I let go, everything might unravel again.

“I can’t lose you,” I whisper, pulling back just enough to look at him. “You know that, right?”

His gaze softens instantly. “You won’t,” he says, without hesitation. “I promise you that.” He leans down and kisses me, soft and quick, before pulling back with a small smirk.

“Now go brush your teeth so I can kiss you properly.”

A small laugh escapes me, the first real one since everything happened.

“Thank you,” I say quietly.

He tilts his head. “For what?”

“For loving me.”

His expression shifts, something deeper settling in his eyes. “I’ve always loved you, Annie,” he says. “And I always will.” He brushes a stray tear from my cheek, his thumb lingering there.

“You’re my constant,” he continues softly. “You keep me grounded. You keep me sane. And I don’t take that for granted… not for a second. I cherish you. All of you.”

My chest warms, the heaviness from earlier easing a little as something steadier takes its place.

Aston is my anchor.

Everything feels… lighter with him. Brighter. Even after a day like today.

The fear, the doubt, the spiral—it all fades when he looks at me like that.

Like I matter.

Like I am enough.

And maybe… just maybe… I can finally believe that I am.

I don’t have to fight it anymore.

I can just let him love me.

And love him right back.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Annie

Aston and I spend the night curled up in bed. Since we missed dinner, we ordered room service and ate in the hotel room instead. Neither of us was really in the mood to go anywhere after everything that happened.

It’s a day I don’t want to relive.

Finding out all that stuff about Loretta, hearing her say she loves me… it shook something deep inside me to my foundations. And then Amber showing up, pregnant? That shit pushed me right over the edge.

I guess I don’t handle stress as well as I like to think.

But Aston was there through all of it.

After our shower, he barely let me out of his sight. He hovered, fussed, held me, reminded me over and over how much I meant to him.