Page 171 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

I’m yours

And you’re mine.

There was absolute silence when she finished her song. But it didn’t make her nervous. She wasn’t writing for the fans of Lorelei Calloway. She was writing to understand herself and to fulfill her creative spirit.

She was about to get up, unsure if she wanted to share more songs with them, when someone shouted, “Holy shit.” And then, the audience broke into thunderous applause.

Her heart could barely contain the joy of knowing how much they loved her new material. But that wasn’t it, was it? That wasn’t the source of the joy.

The source was knowing her heart. Knowing she was a woman who could handle anything life threw at her and come out better, stronger, and more enlightened. It was knowing she’d found the one man—the only man—in the world for her.

She felt his presence as if he stood offstage, smiling at her, proud of her. She couldn’t help scanning the crowd for him, moving across faces with bright eyes and giddy smiles. But she didn’t see him.

That was okay. They’d find their way back to each other.

There was no doubt about that.

Just when she was ready to start her next song, her gaze snagged on a familiar face.

Landon. The child on his shoulders fisted and pulled his hair, his features red from a tantrum. Another child struggled to break out of his arms. Her ex looked haggard, and where the lowering sun glanced off the top of his head, she thought she saw a bald patch. Beside him, a very pregnant Cissy—her hair greasy and lank—shouted in his ear, her mouth in a snarl. He jerked away from her, but she yanked him back, pointing to her pregnant belly.

They looked miserable.

And really, who brought babies to a rock concert?

It was none of her business, so she went back to the piano and shared her heart with a couple thousand fans.

* * *

Turns out, therewasa code for the gate. Only four people knew it, though.

Lorelei, Beau, Margot…

And now Booker, because Beau had given it to him.

He drove through, smiling like a fool. Ever since leaving town all those years ago, he’d been on a mission to prove himself worthy, to make his friends regret forgetting about him.

He’d accomplished everything he’d wanted. He had success, money…

Yeah, that was about it. Success and money.

What he didn’t have was friendships. Love. The good stuff, that was all here in Calamity.

But I’m back now.And finally, his head aligned with his heart.

He didn’t even know if Hellcat was back from the amphitheater yet. He’d caught her performance at the music festival, but he wasn’t sure if she’d hang around to see the next act.

If she wasn’t home yet, that was okay. He’d wait.

He had the rest of his life to win her back. And he’d do it. He’d never give up.

Their love was worth it.

When he reached the rise in the road, he noticed something new.

A white picket fence enclosed her home. That made no sense. When had she done that? He’d been gone a total of two days.

Moments later, he parked and got out of the rental car. Breathing in the pine-scented air, he headed up the walkway and rang the bell. Excitement had his heart spinning wheelies. He couldn’t wait to see her. More than anything, he wanted her to throw herself into his arms. He wanted to see her features light up, to feel the relief in her hug. He wanted her to welcome him home.

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