Page 147 of Bad Cowboy, Tennessee

That’swhere Max had gone: to the jukebox, to torment me publicly.

He’d put on a Taylor Swift song. One he knew I loved.

He smiled wide, the corners of his eyes crinkling up as the song started. “I swear, it must have been the ghost cat,” Max said. “I went up to the jukebox and it was already on the Taylor Swift section. Can’t blame me for that.”

It was “I’m Only Me When I’m With You,” and I noticed a couple of other people at the bar who must have recognized the song, too, bobbing their heads along with it.

“You’re going to regret asking me to sing along to this,” I told him.

I took a long swig of whiskey.

As the song went on, I sang more and more of it, louder and prouder.

“Sometimes we don't say a thing, just listen to the crickets sing,” I belted out, watching Max’s smile grow wider. “Everything I need is right here by my side. And I know everything about you.”

When the next part came, I got even louder, not caring that half the bar was looking at me now, smiling.

“I don't wanna live without you,” I sang right at Max, as if I was at a karaoke night.

People caught on quick, clapping along as I sang at the bar. Even Kane emerged from the back, watching me with a grin on his face.

When the song came to an end, somebody had turned up the jukebox and the whole crowd was cheering me along.

“And I'm only me, who I wanna be… I'm only me when I'm with you,” I sang, pointing right at Max.

When the song ended and I leaned in to put a hand on each side of his face and lean in to kiss him, the whole bar went wild.

I pressed my lips to his, and I heard comments from the crowd:

“Got to get me a man like that!”

“Ridethat cowboy, Max!”

“Encore! Encore!”

We’d gotten the place riled up, and more people put on other songs now, singing along with their friends.

“You’re a sap, and I neverknewyou were a sap, and I love it,” Dominic told me.

I was nice and buzzed now, with my arm draped around Max’s shoulders.

“I bring it out in him,” Max said.

“That’s so true,” I agreed.

“I don’t deserve to beserenadedlike that, but I’m never going to stop loving it.”

I let out a long breath, shaking my head. Dominic went off to go play pool with Andrew, and we were left alone for a moment at the bar.

“You’re so wrong, Baby Blue,” I murmured at him. “You deserve it, and you always will.”

“Too nice to me. You just trying to sweet talk me, so I’ll let you fuck me later, huh?”

“Don’t have to butter you up to get that, and you know it.”

“True.”

“I say it because I love you,” I told him, suddenly feeling a wave of emotion well up inside me. “I fucking love you. Every part of you. Every part oflifewith you. I didn’t think I could ever love my life.”

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