Page 147 of Starcrossed Colorado

The tip of my nose nudged hers. “Then stay.”

“All you had to do was ask me.”

Epilogue

Ashford, Six Months Later

“Ollie,honey, the cake server is not a sword.” Piper dashed past me, chasing after her son.

Grinning, I left her to it. We weren’t serving cake for another half hour. I had no doubt Ollie would return the server by then. Thankfully it was plastic, so it wouldn’t do any permanent damage.

I only felt atinybit smug that my little angel would never do such a thing.

“Hey, birthday girl and Aunt Ayla,” I said, lifting my phone for a picture. “Smile.”

Maisie looked up from her art project. Ayla leaned in with her arm around her niece. “Cheese,” they both said.

I lowered my phone. “Anyone seen my girlfriend?”

“No, I haven’t seen Emma.” Maisie went back to gluing music notes onto the edges of a picture frame. “You shouldn’t call her a girl though, Daddy. She’s awoman.”

I arched my eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re turning seven, monkey? Or twenty-seven?”

Maisie stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at me. Much better.

It was March, and a fresh layer of snow blanketed the ground outside the Big Blue Monster. Maisie’s birthday party had taken over our entire building. Maisie had been thrilled that her aunt Ayla could make it in between studio recording sessions. And because our connection to the superstar was old news at this point, no reporters bothered to show. She could even walk down Main Street without drawing a crowd. Any tourists who tried to film her were gently, but firmly, scolded by Silver Ridge locals.

Ayla was one of ours now, and we took care of our own.

Grace stopped me, her party hat askew on her head. “I think I saw Emma go into the kitchenette.”

“Thanks.”

I left the training room and headed down the hall, though partygoers kept stopping me to chat. Then my phone rang, and I took a detour into the office to answer it.

It was Dane. My best friend from the Army.

“You calling to wish Maisie a happy birthday?” I asked.

“Of course I am! It’s her birthday again? Didn’t that just happen?”

I snorted. “Exactly how I feel.”

“Sorry for bugging you on her birthday.”

“No worries. I would’ve invited you to the party, but you’d probably parachute here off a private jet or something equally obnoxious. Emma might decide she likes you better than me. And then I’d have to kill you.”

Dane barked a laugh. “How’s Emma doing, man? How’s everything?”

“Good,” I said sincerely. “She’s pretty damn amazing.”

The past six months had been the happiest of my life. Our business was booming. Emma had a slew of music students, including Maisie, who was now learning violin. I’d hired a coupleof new teachers. We’d accepted Dixie’s new rent terms, and we had extra every month to go into a piggy bank toward…something. We hadn’t decided yet.

I had ideas, though. Maybe a special trip. Nervous energy had me shifting from foot to foot as I thought about it.

“I didn’t just call to catch up,” Dane said. “I have an ulterior motive. You know we’re always looking for new investments. I’ve been looking into opportunities around Silver Ridge.”

“Here?”

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