Page 115 of Claim to Fame

“The whole band is here!” Jackson said, flinging his arms out to the side. “Well, notherehere. It’s only me and Becks and Momherehere. But the whole band’s moving to AB, man. We bought out a whole cul de sac and everything. The houses will be ready when we get back from the first leg of the tour.”

“You’re the one building the new development by the beach?” Ethan asked.

“Midnight Storm,” Jackson confirmed. “We needed a new place to settle down and write the next album. Can’t reinvent yourself if you stay in the same old place.”

“Jackson, we have to go.” A tall man who looked strikingly similar to Jackson save for the abundance of colorful ink peeking out of the collar of his suit jacket appeared behind them.

“Becks, you remember Hannah Banana,” Jackson said, “and this is her guy, Ethan.”

“Merry Christmas,” Beckett said with a tight smile, then, all business again, “Jackson, now.”

Jackson rolled his eyes as his twin brother left. “Always so serious. But it was good to see you!” He pulled Hannah into another hug. “You guys should come to the show on New Year’s Eve! We’re kicking off the tour in Providence. I’ll put your name on the list. Bring your friends!”

“Jackson!” Beckett barked.

And then they were alone again. “Midnight Storm is moving to Aster Bay,” Hannah said, shaking her head and laughing in disbelief.

“Do you think the town’s ready for them?” Ethan asked.

“I don’t think they’re ready for this town.”

“There you guys are! We thought you didn’t make it,” Gavin said as he and Kyla made their way through the crowd.

“Was that Jackson Hayes?” Kyla asked.

“Yeah, it was,” Hannah said.

“Hey, forget about him for a minute. What’s up with your brother?” Ethan asked, tipping his chin towards Caleb.

The priest looked like he’d seen a ghost, his eyes dark and haunted and his hair disheveled as he distractedly made small talk with his congregants.

“I don’t know. He’s been weird all week,” Gavin said.

“Leading a church during Christmas can’t be easy,” Kyla said. “I’m sure he’s just tired.”

“Come on. Everyone’s heading to Lemon and Thyme. They’ll be wondering where we are.” Gavin gestured for them to put on their coats and follow him out the back of the church.

On the front steps of the church, the hum of parishioners wishing each other a merry Christmas behind them and the faint sound of Christmas carols on the winter air ahead of them, Ethan paused, pulling Hannah to the side. In the distance, the bay sparkled in the moonlight. “Let’s walk for a bit,” he said.

“You heard Gavin,” Hannah said. “Everyone’s waiting.”

“They can wait a little longer.”

He linked his hand with hers and led her down the stone steps of the imposing church and across the street to the Town Common. The streetlamps cast halos of light and illuminated the first few flakes of snow as they fell from the sky. At the center of the Common, the white gazebo was strung with Christmas lights and swags of greenery, red velvet bows dotting the railing in a festive display. Ethan led her to the small bench beneath the gazebo’s shelter. She nestled against his side, hooking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder.

He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. They’d been living together for months, and they’d known each other for years. After so much public attention on their relationship in the beginning, he’d thought he’d never be happier than when they settled into the calmer routine of every day. But as the months had gone by, he realized he loved it all—not only the quiet nights at home and waking up with her each morning, but the book signings with Angie and the occasional red carpet in New York when her friends opened a new Broadway show. Every day was magic, because every day was with her.

“You’re happy here, right?” he asked.

“Of course, I am. Why would you ask me that?”

“I want you to love it here as much as I do,” he said. “This town is so much a part of me, of my family…”

“I know,” she said. Her smile was like a lasso around his heart, tugging him towards her. “That’s exactly why I love it here. Well, that and the milkshakes are amazing.”

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple. “And you don’t regret leaving New York?”

“Not for a second.” She paused, thoughtful. “Sometimes I miss performing, being part of a cast and putting on a show, but I never miss the business of it, and I love teaching at St. Anthony’s. It was time for a new start.”

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