Page 94 of Love You Like This

“Then you’re not tied to a stranger for the rest of your life for starters. But also, a scare like this sometimes helps you understand what you truly want.”

I nod. “True.”

“When are you leaving for Tampa?” The change in subject comes as a relief.

“Fairly soon, I think. I went for a run with Stone, Adam, and Hans this morning, so I don’t know what time it was when we got back, but they had me out there for a while.”

“You went running?” Amusement laces his tone.

“Yeah. Never again.” I pick up the phone and carry it into the bedroom, setting the screen to face the ceiling while I get dressed. “I felt like I was going to have a heart attack, and the three of them barely broke a sweat.”

His rich laughter fills the room. “Why did you even agree to go?”

“Temporary insanity, I guess.” I prop the phone back up now that I’m decent and thread a belt through the loops of my jeans. “Stone is planning a vacation for the band and Darren to his cousin’s ranch in Colorado.”

“Nice. If something falls through, let me know; I’ll have the Aspen staff get the house ready for you. There’s more than enough space there, too.”

“Thanks, I’ll tell him the backup plan.”

“Good.” The bright artificial light of a computer screen hits his face. “I’ll let you go, so you’re not late to the bus.”

“Okay, talk later.”

“Love you, son,” his eyes focus on my face.

“Love you, too. Have fun in Rome.”

As soon as I hang up, I realize I only have about ten minutes to pack and get down to the bus. I make it with only a minute to spare, and I’m the last to arrive. Hazel jumps into my arms before I get two steps in.

“Thank you,” she squeals, squeezing me tight.

I drop my bag and hug her back, lifting her off her feet and swinging her back forth. Stone meets my gaze over her shoulder with a smile of his own.

“Congratulations.” I squeeze her back. “No need to thank me, it’s your work that got you the deal.”

“Yeah, but it’s your dad.”

Stone stands and tugs her away from me like the jealous bastard he is. I release her with a roll of my eyes. If I didn’t love seeing the way she’s brought out the best in him, I’d tell him he was an idiot. But I can deal with my best friend turning into a caveman for her.

“What happened?” Jade asks with a knowing smile.

“Sierra called me this morning to tell me that I have a film adaptation offer for the book.” Hazel looks back and forth between us. “I don’t know which one of you put it on his radar, but it’s from Xan’s dad.”

Jade and I share a smile.

“No clue what you’re talking about,” she says to Hazel.

“Maybe he was curious from all the good press you’re getting,” I add.

“Right,” she says skeptically. “Regardless, I’m so excited.”

“Do you have an attorney to look over the contract before you sign?” Darren asks.

I’m not offended that his first inclination is making sure she’s protected on her end of the deal. If anything, it’s nice to see him protective of her. When he originally suggested bringing her on tour, it was basically using her as a distraction from Stone’s battle with addiction. As he usually is, he was a dick at the beginning to her.

We settle in for the relatively short drive we have between cities. As usual, the girls and Darren take up residence at the table, their various electronics spread all over while they work. Tobias is sleeping in his bunk. Stone and I power the gaming system and start a new role-playing game we haven’t tried before.

Every so often I’ll steal a look at Jade. My stomach flips when her eyes meet mine, and we share a secret smile. It feels so fucking good to finally be here with her like this. Everything is falling into place, even if we’re threading a knife’s edge with the future.