Page 112 of Even Beneath the Stars

I laugh pushing him towards the bathroom. "Then go, dude! Go go go!"

He races down the hall. When he disappears into his room, I pull Maggie into my arms and murmur against her temple. "Thank you."

She looks up at me, her brow wrinkled. "For what?"

"For Finn… persisting. Riding my ass about his bedtime and routines and stuff." I wrap my arms around her. "The way he's feeling tonight… that's because of you."

"You laid the groundwork. I just showed up and tweaked a few things."

Man, this girl is something else.

She and I have been going on our own play dates. Date number four more than made up for the drunken lunch and hedge barfing. Then we went on a fifth. And sixth. Now we've stopped counting. And I could be wrong, but it feels like that's the point where you slip from "dating" territory into "legit couple" territory. Which is scary as hell. Awesome, but still, daunting. Unfamiliar territory, I guess. But things are so different with Maggs than they've been with any other girl before, so I'm focusing on that. And on how much fun I have when I'm with her. The conversations we have; discussions and debates and easy back-and-forths. The outings we do together with Finn, and quiet late nights just the two of us up in the Observatory, stargazing and eating frozen cheesecake with berries and cream soda. Making out on the pile of cushions underneath the stars, then lying side by side, talking in whispers as we stare up at the night sky.

The staff definitely know about us. The knowing looks between Denise and Candice when Maggie and I are in the same room say plenty. And honestly? I don't care. After all the shit the staff has turned a blind eye to over the years—the parties, the girls sneaking out at dawn, that time I flooded the indoor pool—dating Maggie is probably the tamest thing they've had to disregard.

If anything, I think they're relieved. The parties have slowed to a screeching halt. I've been keeping out of trouble. And Finn is like a different kid. Still a handful, but nothing like before. He listens way more now, works on his letters and words in the evenings without throwing his books or backpack across the room. He even goes to bed most nights without World War III breaking out.

So yeah, maybe dating the nanny isn't the most conventional move. But nothing about our family has ever been conventional anyway.

The days move by fast and in a blur. Hockey season finishes, and I spend more time rehearsing with the band. Maggie reaches ten thousand subscribers on her YouTube channel and buys the small compression airbrush gun she's been saving up for.

Then, one night, I show up at Cam’s for rehearsal to find him with a shit-eating grin and news that makes the rest of us hoot and holler so loud, Cam's neighbor comes over to make sure everything's okay.

"Two weeks from now? Are you freakin’ serious?" Tyler’s voice is half-shout, half-laugh as he whips around to Cam, eyes wide.

"Dead serious." Cam grins, arms crossed over his chest like he’s the king of all good news.

Tyler and I whoop in unison, slamming a fist bump so hard it's a miracle neither of us break a knuckle.

"The manager at the Foundry called me this afternoon," Cam continues, basking in the moment. "One of their bands canceled, and he heard we had a new thing going. Asked if we’d be ready."

Liam lets out a breathless laugh, shaking his head. "Dude. For a paid gig at the Foundry, we’llmakeourselves ready."

"No shit," I mutter, running a hand through my hair. It was only a few weeks ago I was at the Foundry for a show, standing in the crowd, thinking there's no way in hell I could ever be up on stage. And now I will be.

"Alright, we gotta celebrate," Liam declares.

"Hooks?" Tyler suggests.

Cam grabs his keys, already moving. "Obviously."

A couple hours later, we’ve already demolished our burgers from Hooks, and even though it's freezing, we build a fire. The flames flicker and pop, sending sparks into the freezing night air.

"I predict," Liam says, kicking a log deeper into the fire, "this is just the beginning. Salt Vein is gonna be huge, man. Two years from now, we'll be playing arenas."

"Bold of you to assume we’ll even make it to any venue outside Sandy Haven," Cam deadpans, stretching out his legs. "With the way you navigate Google Maps, we'll end up at a Waffle House in the desert somewhere asking for directions to Madison Square Garden."

Tyler barks out a laugh, leaning back on his elbows. "Facts."

I take a long sip of my beer, feeling the warmth of the fire on my face, the cold ocean breeze in my hair, the steady hum of anticipation in my chest.

"We should open withLead Bare," Cam muses, staring into the flames.

Tyler snorts. "That song is depressing as hell."

"Yeah, but the good kind of depressing," Cam argues.

Liam tilts his head, considering. "He’s got a point. It’s moody as shit, but it hits."

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