Page 90 of Love is a Lyric
Ben didn’t take his eyes from the screen as he hit play. “It’s magic.” That’s the only way he could describe the feeling of standing on that very stage next to Piper, of hearing her sing for the first time.
After a moment, a familiar figure stepped up onto the stage and sat at the piano.
“I didn’t know she played piano.” Conner’s voice held a note of awe.
Quinn released a breath. “My mom used to play. She taught us both.”
Ben tore his eyes from the screen to stare at Quinn for a moment. “You play?”
“I used to. Not since my parents died. But Piper, she’s made of music.”
He hadn’t known that either, not before their trip back to Ohio. How could she keep such an integral part of her hidden? Why did she want to?
Piper leaned into the mic, and her voice soared straight through Ben. He’d heard it in his mind over the weeks, but the reality was better.
“This song is calledLooking for You.”
Quinn sucked in a harsh breath, but none of them moved as they sat enthralled by the woman who’d once been a part of them. WasFatewhole without her?
As she began the first verse, he knew the answer to his question.Fatemight be whole, but Ben Evans definitely was not. Quinn reached over to thread her fingers through his, her grip tightening.
Some days,
I wonder if you’re there.
But wishes are only memories.
On and on the lyrics went in their heartbreaking melody. It was the kind of song that broke and healed and everything in between.
Emotion packed each word, seeping out from the girl swaying at the piano, her face obscured.
As the song drew to a close, Tommy appeared on screen again. “Told you.”
The video cut to black, but still, Ben couldn’t move. An icon at the bottom told him the video had been viewed over a million times.
Conner took his phone out of Ben’s grip. “Did we know she could do that?”
Quinn shook her head, tears dancing in her eyes.
“I did.” Ben couldn’t get out more than a whisper as the words of her song rolled back through his mind. There was something he couldn’t put his finger on.
A familiarity.
As if on auto-pilot, he stood and crossed the open room to the island counter separating the kitchen. His eyes found the messy pile of papers they’d left there, songs Quinn had finished that needed Ben’s music.
He leafed through the papers until his eyes landed on the title that could change everything. It made no sense.
Looking for You
A song Quinn wrote last week. “Quinn.” He didn’t turn to face her. “I thought you’d barely talked to Piper this week.”
Quinn stepped up beside him, her entire body going still as her gaze found the page he held. “I haven’t.”
She reached for the song, the diamond ring he’d been forced to give her reflecting the lights hanging over the counter.
“Yet you’re sending her our songs?” It made no sense. He didn’t think Piper would want anything to do withFateanymore. That small knowledge she was still interested in their music gave him a spark of hope.
A spark that diminished too quickly. “Oh, crap.” The video had over a million hits. “What was she thinking?”Fatecouldn’t release the song now. He dropped the music to the counter and paced across the living room before turning and walking back. “Piper knows this business.” He didn’t want to think she’d done this to purposefully hurt him. “Please, Quinn, tell me she wouldn’t do this.” For what? To get back at him? He thought of the silence coming from his family. Had they known? Approved? Was stealing one ofFate’s better songs from this new album payback for the engagement?
