“All right, enough of the loved-up shit. Can we jam?” Hux asks.
Dingo chuckles and slaps Hux across the head. “You’re just jealous ’cause you have no one to love.”
Hux rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” Hux walks off to the music room.
I look up at Colt, and he screws up his nose. “That arsehole needs a damn girlfriend.”
We all laugh before we head to the music room.
“Hey, Dingo, where’s Mama Sia?” Anna asks, holding Johnny’s hand.
“She was chucking her guts up this morning, so she’s at home. Mum’s over there watching her. Doubt I’ll stay long tonight. I should probably go home and, you know, do the whole supportive husband thing,” he says, and we all nod in agreement.
When we reach the music room, Hux is already seated with his guitar, fingers moving over the strings in a steady rhythm, but his expression is off.
Something’s bothering him.
I make a mental note to ask Colt about it later. Now’s not the time, especially if it’s personal. There’s no need to put him on the spot.
Anna and I release our men and settle onto the lounge suite at the front of the room. While the guys talk shop—riffing on melodies and throwing out lyrics—Anna and I lean in close, swapping more wedding ideas. It’s easy, light, and for the first time in a long time, everything feelsright.
Then the music starts.
Colt’s voice wraps around the room, raw and magnetic, the band slipping back into their rhythm like no time has passed at all. I sink deeper into the cushions, letting the sound wash over me, watching him command the room like only he can.
My smile grows. God, I’ve missed this.
Them.
Together, on stage or off, it’s where they all belong.
Once the final note fades and the day winds down, the others eventually say their goodbyes, one by one, the house quiets.
Colt doesn’t say a word as he takes my hand and leads me upstairs.
And true to his word, he makes up for lost time.
Over.
And over.
And over again.
Chapter Eighteen
DEE
Three Weeks Later
Life’s been a whirlwind lately. The guys are tied up with interviews and small shows nearly every day, while Anna, a very sick Sia, and I handle the finer, final details for the wedding in a little over a week.
Mummy and Dad have visited a lot, and we even had dinner with Colt’s mum, where I got to meet her properly. She’s lovely, and it’s a shame we don’t see her often, but I decide that needs to change with more family dinners.
Mummy is over, and so is Anna. We are discussing the bachelorette party. I don’t want anything massive, but, of course, they have other ideas.
“Dee, you have to have a stripper,” Anna declares dramatically, tossing her hair like she’s starring in a reality show. “It’s a rite of passage into married life. It’s the last time you can have a naked man grinding in your face without judgment. It’s a socially acceptable sin. Once you’re married, babe? Strippers are out of bounds.”
I laugh, leaning back into the sofa, eyeing her over my coffee mug. “Oh yeah, because Colt’s definitely gonna be cool with some random dude wagging his junk inches from my face. That’ll go downreal well.”
