“Don’t worry, Maddie isn’t coming.” Avery uncrosses her legs and leans over the table. She rests her elbow on the linen and uses her fist to prop up her chin. “She and I had a great talk this morning, and she graciously offered me this reservation.”
Her lips twist into a wicked grin that’s terrifying and absolutely enthralling. I nearly forget myself and the circumstances of why I’m here.
“Your server will be with you shortly,” the hostess says, fidgeting and visibly uncomfortable to be caught in the crossfire of this moment.
“Actually, could you do something for me?” Avery asks.
“Of course,” she eagerly agrees, from the shine of familiarity in her eye she recognizes us but is trying not to show it.
Avery slips a hand into her bag. When she pulls it out again, multiple hundred-dollar bills are folded between her slender fingers. “Hold off on seating anyone else here for a minute. And don’t worry, I’ll tip enough for the entire section.”
Without hesitation, the hostess grabs the cash from Avery, tucks it into her pocket, and leaves the way we came.
I take the chair across from Avery. “What are you doing?”
“What I should have done years ago. It’s taken care of.” Her voice is unyielding.
“And that’s why you have bribe money?”
“You mean my pocket change?” she challenges, brows raised. But then her expression softens. “I didn’t bribe Maddie. I beat her at her own game. I investigated the articles that came out eleven years ago and they all led back to her. Kendal helped me establish a paper trail and Garrett helped me with this.” She reaches into her bag again, pulling out a stack of papers. “She’s waived all previous rights to your work. She won’t make anotherpenny off you. I’ve already sent a copy to Garrett so he can process it.”
“This…” I start to flip through the pages, catching snippets of legal language that I don’t completely understand, but from what I pick out Avery is right. “I can’t believe this is real.”
I had reached a state of acceptance that Maddie would always hold on to not only a part of me, but to the best years of my life. I knew that if I mentioned Fool’s Gambit in an interview or played a song at a show, she’d inevitably benefit. It lived in the back of my mind when all I wanted to do was enjoy music and people I cared about.
And now? Because of the brilliant woman sitting across from me, I don’t have to worry any more. Avery was the first person to give me music, and now she’s done it again, helping me reclaim ownership of what was taken from me. After a decade, I get to celebrate the music I love, the time I spent with the band without it being tainted.
Joy. That’s what she’s given me.
“There’s a chance she retaliates and leaks the truth about our wedding,” Avery says. “But I don’t care. The truth is you were there for me when I needed you, and for years after we both held on to each other no matter what.”
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
“You didn’t. I want to be there for you and make your life easier when I can. I much prefer fighting for you than fighting with you.”
I look down at the contract again.
A piece of myself I thought I’d lost forever.
Returned, at long last.
34
Avery
February 2026
“As you all know, tonight is bittersweet, the start of something new. I’ve been up on stage for over half my life. Making music and memories with the man next to me,” I start, and as I speak, I remind myself to take it in for the last time, scanning the crowd and drinking in how impossible it feels for so many people to care about the songs we make.
For days counting down to now, I waited for the regret to sink in, to run to Lydia and tell her I changed my mind and I’m not ready to let go. Instead, there’s been a sharp clarity to every moment as I press them into my memory.
“Thank you,” I continue. “Because without you, this dream wouldn’t have been possible.”
There’s a clatter of applause, and in the front row I smile softly at the handful of mascara-streaked faces looking up at us. I understand them. The artists from my CDs were my only friends before I met Wes. They spoke to something in me that needed to be witnessed. These people have grown up with us, cried with us through heartache, laughed with the windows down.
“There are a few other people who were with us along the way, and it didn’t feel right to end things without them here with us. So, if you can give a warm welcome to our special guests and people who have changed our lives.”
Wes and I step aside as they walk on the stage, the brilliant beams of spotlights tracking their movements. Jared, Drew, and then Garrett and Evelyn, who walk hand-in-hand. Each holds a mic and waves.
