Page 74 of Unraveling Rain
She smiles and keeps the beat, her drumsticks steady, her voice joining the chorus:
“You’re as smooth as Tennessee Whiskey…”
I stand up and whistle, loud and proud.
Rain throws her head back, laughing, but doesn’t miss a single beat on the drums.
The song builds. Ruin’s voice carries across the bar while my eyes remain glued to Rain’s.
When they hit the final chorus, the whole place erupts—cheers, whistles, claps, hoots.
I howl as loud as I can.
Rain doubles over laughing, waving her drumsticks high.
I rush to the stage. Ruin and Merlin step aside, making space for me as I reach the drumset.
Rain jumps into my arms. I catch her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist. I kiss her hard. The hollers get louder, but I don’t care. She’s mine. I love this woman—and I know she loves me back.
When we finally come up for air, I whisper against her lips, “Is that your way of telling me you love me?”
She smirks, presses her mouth to mine, and whispers, “Yes. I love you, Xander.”
I kiss her again, unable to find words big enough for what I feel. So I let my lips say it all.
“Well,” Ruin says into the mic, “if anyone in this town still had doubts about who Rain’s beau is, I think it’s clear now.”
The crowd whistles and claps, and Rain hops off me, grabbing the mic nearby.
“That’s right, people,” she says. “This ismyman. Taken. Off the market. Not available. Sold out. Limited edition.”
Laughter erupts, echoing around us.
I grin like a fool. I fucking love being claimed by her.
“That was absolutely amazing. I’m glad I got it on video. Now I can rewatch it every single day,” I tell her.
We make our way back to the table, and a fresh round of drinks is waiting for us.
Rain rolls her eyes playfully. “Don’t let it go to your head, Hotshot.”
I take a big gulp of water before replying, “Too late. You just gave me the best declaration of love in history. Fuck, now what am I going to do to show you how much I love you?”
She laughs, warm and genuine. “You’ve already shown me.” She wraps her arms around my shoulders. “The way you held me the other day… the way you listened. I don’t need anything else.”
She kisses me quickly, and we take our seats. I can feel the stares. Everyone at the table is watching us, probably because Rain hasn’t dated anyone seriously in a long time. But I don’t care. All I see is her.
That is, until someone starts singing.
We all turn toward the stage to see the brave soul kicking off karaoke night. It’s a girl I haven’t seen before, singing a Taylor Swift song. Her voice isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as Ruin’s.
Rain taps my arm, and when I look at her, she jerks her chin toward River. His mouth is ajar, eyes wide.
Is he even breathing?
“Do you know who she is?” I whisper.
Rain shakes her head, a mischievous grin on her face. “I have never seen her before, but something tells me my brother’s finally going to get into some good trouble.”
