Page 45 of Roaring Fork Rockstar

Inside, the house felt cold and still, as if it too had missed us during our absence. I turned up the thermostat while Luna eagerly grabbed Holt’s hand.

“Come see my room,” she insisted, tugging him toward the hallway. “I need to show you where Sparkles is going to live.”

Holt glanced at me, eyebrows raised in question.

“Go ahead,” I said, smiling at Luna’s enthusiasm. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”

As they disappeared up the stairs, Luna’s excited voice explaining the importance of proper unicorn housing, I busied myself in the kitchen. The familiar routine of measuring coffee grounds and filling the water reservoir calmed my nerves, which had inexplicably tangled at the thought of Holt in my home,seeing my life up close, the small, ordinary details I shared with no one but Luna.

The coffee had finished brewing when Holt walked into the kitchen, minus Luna.

“She’s arranging all her new toys,” he explained, leaning against the counter. “Told me she needed to get everything perfect before I could see the final result.”

I smiled, pouring coffee into two mugs. “She’s very particular about her space. Gets that from me, I’m afraid.”

“Nothing wrong with knowing how you want things,” he replied, accepting the mug I offered.

Our fingers brushed during the exchange, and for a moment, I was transported to the previous night—his arms around me, his lips on mine, the heat that had built between us before common sense prevailed.

“About last night,” I began, then faltered, unsure what I wanted to say.

Holt took a sip of his coffee, those blue eyes watching me over the rim of his mug. “Last night was nice.”

“It was,” I agreed, feeling my cheeks warm. “But there are things you should know. Things I should have told you before…”

He set his mug down and moved closer. “I’m listening.”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for a conversation I’d avoided for years. “You figured out I worked for CB Rice as a sound engineer.”

“Ben mentioned it.”

“And you probably figured out that Luna’s father is?—”

“Remi Gilbert,” he finished quietly. “Yeah, I put that together.”

Relief and anxiety tangled in my chest at having it out in the open. “It happened during the European tour five years ago when I was twenty-two. I was young, flattered by his attention, and thought I was in love.”

Holt remained silent, giving me space to continue.

“We were together for three months. When I told him I was pregnant, he denied the baby was his and had me replaced on the tour that same day.”

“Jesus,” Holt muttered, his jaw tightening. “I knew he was an asshole, but that’s beyond?—”

“I flew home to my dad’s place in New Mexico and stayed with him until Luna was born,” I continued, pushing past the old hurt. “I haven’t seen Remi since, and as far as I know, he has no idea Luna exists.”

“You saw him on your street the other day,” Holt observed softly.

I closed my eyes briefly, the panic of that moment washing over me again. “I never thought he’d be here, in Crested Butte, of all places. God, what if he sees Luna? Puts two and two together?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Holt said with unexpected fierceness. “I won’t let it.”

“You can’t promise that,” I whispered, though his certainty was oddly comforting.

“I can.” He took my hands in his, our coffee forgotten. “Keltie, I know we haven’t known each other long, but I care about you, and I care about Luna. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

The intensity in his eyes made my breath catch. “Why? Why would you take this on?”

“Because from the moment I met Luna, I knew she was special. And from the moment I met you…” He paused, his thumbs tracing circles on my hands. “I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for you.”

---