“This is starting to scare me.”
“Me too.”
“Let’s talk about it later,” Lila said. “I don’t want the kids to pick up on anything.”
The bonfire was blazing. The kids were scattered around it—some on logs, others on blankets. Tyler was playing guitar, his fingers moving easily over the strings. The girls were roasting marshmallows. Madison sat next to her brother Robbie, who appeared to be teaching her the proper roasting technique.
Margot sat between Bella and Mia, looking at one, then the other, with clear adoration. And she was smiling—that pinched look around her mouth finally gone. Just another one of the kids.
Margot glanced up and saw us. For a second, her expression wavered, as if she were afraid I’d be mad at her. I waved, smiling. She looked at me a few seconds longer, shoulders hunched. Why would she think I’d be angry?
I walked over and knelt beside her. “You having fun?”
She nodded. “Is it okay?”
“For sure. I’m having fun too,” I said.
“Margot’s a really good marshmallow maker,” Mia said.
“I always burn mine because I’m too impatient,” Bella said. “And I tell my brother I like them that way. Otherwise he bosses me around.”
Margot giggled. I kissed the top of her head and let them be. But as I headed back to Lila, I heard Mia say, “When we’re real sisters, I won’t boss you around.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Margot said.
Tyler strummed a new song, slow and sweet. Grace started singing along, her voice clear and lovely, giving me goosebumps.
I took Lila’s hand and we wandered down the beach a ways, until Grace’s singing grew fainter. We walked in comfortable silence, the sound of waves filling the space between us. When we were far enough away that the bonfire was just a distant glow, Lila stopped. She turned to face me, and, in the moonlight, she looked ethereal.
I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her waist. She looked up at me, her eyes reflecting the moonlight.
“Thanks for being here tonight.”
“Your friends are great,” I said. “Thank you for inviting us.”
“Kenzie’s ruined it for me. The show was a dream come true, but it’s becoming a nightmare—Beau, Kenzie, the stalking. I don’t know how much more I can take.”
“Then quit,” I said. “Walk away.”
“I can’t. The contract?—“
“We’ll fight it. Together. I’ll hire the best lawyer. We’ll get you out of this.”
She looked up at me. “You’d do that? Even though it would be messy and expensive?”
“For you? For us? Absolutely.” I cupped her face. “I’m not going to let these people hurt you. Or use you. We’ll find a way out.”
“I don’t know. Let’s think about it some more,” Lila said. “I can talk to Carol.”
“Whatever you want to do, I support you.”
“Oh, Vance, you’re so good to me. I didn’t even know how lonely I was until you came into my life. Having you by my side makes everything seem okay.”
I pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “To think—you were here all along and I didn’t know.”
“Tonight, I want to do more than sleep.”
I gulped down a yelp of surprise. “I’m in.” I kissed her then—soft and slow, tasting champagne and ocean salt on her lips. She melted into me, her hands sliding up to link behind my neck.
