Page 116 of My Rock Star Neighbor
and how that makes me want to kiss her and distract her.
Thinking of how she carries supplies and surprises in her bag.
Prepared for anything.
But there’s no Band-Aid that’s going to cure my broken heart.
There’s only one for me.
Maybe someday I’ll be whole again.
She’s my woman.
My eyes tear.I kiss him again when he finishes.“I love you.You’re the only one for me too.I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’m so happyThe Carrier Pigeonrecognized your worth and hired you,” he says.
“I also wrote an article where I tell everybody how much I love you and miss you.I sent it to Tristan to see if he will publish it.”
“You wrote that in an article?”
“It helps me to write out my feelings, and I wanted to fight for us.”
I open my draft on my phone and show it to Nick, and he reads it, his eyes watering.
“I’m framing this,” he says.
I hug him again because I missed him so much.
“Your Valentine’s Day gift also arrived after we’d broken up.”I give him a personalized wood box with four wooden guitar picks.I love you, Nick.Love, Maddieis engraved on the first one.And then the next three haveI pick you forever.M & Nengraved on them.
“I love it,” he says.“And I pick you, Maddie Hughes.”
Chapter thirty-seven
Nick
ThecrowdroarsasI sing the last lines of “My Woman: The Only One,” and the spotlight centers on Maddie walking out onto the stage.Her gaze never wavers from mine as I serenade her.I love her so much, and I want the world to know it.When she reaches me, I hold her hand and take a bow with her.The whole band joins us up front, and we all take a bow.It’s our second encore.
“Kiss, kiss!”yells the crowd.
“Thanks much,” Maddie says to me, and she pulls my head down for a kiss.The roar of the crowd fades into the background as I savor the promise of this life with Maddie.I pick her up, not breaking our kiss, and head backstage.I missed her so much.
I only put her down once we arrive in the green room.But I don’t let her go.
She kisses me again and says, “I love you.”
“I love you,” I say.
“And you were okay with the public version?”I ask.“I know you don’t want to be the story.”
Maddie cradles my cheeks.“I’m happy to be the story if that happily ever after includes you.I also realized that being a journalist is not necessarily behind the scenes.Twyla is not behind the scenes, and I’m getting used to that.”
This woman.I will never get enough of her.I kiss her tenderly again.When we remember that we don’t have all night, she adds, “I like all the versions, but the private concert made me cry because I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get back together and I was so happy.”
A knock sounds on the door.“Can we come in?”
“Come in,” I yell.
