“Daddy!” Quinn squeals when she sees me, running into my arms.
I scoop her up and spin her around, careful not to bend her wings.
“You look amazing,” I tell her.
“It’s ah-most ow tun,” Quinn says before letting go and running to catch up with Henry.
“You look amazing too,” I say to Summer as she approaches me.
“I mean, it’s no concert tee, but there are also no mediocre performers here, so…”
“Funny.”
She wraps her arms around my neck. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I pull back, staring into her eyes. That two-letter word holds so much meaning… I missed you; I need you; Iloveyou.
I still haven’t wrapped my head around how much we’ll be apart starting tomorrow. We spent last Sunday night together before I hadto head back to Nashville for the week. While I was gone, Summer signed a six-month lease on an apartment of her own. Julia helped her move into her new place, and my parents watched Quinn.
“You made it,” she says, sounding relieved.
“I put it in my rider.”
She leans back, arms straightening and linking at the wrists. “I didn’t know you could do such a thing.”
I kiss her, taking my time to savor it. It’s been a long week apart with far too many more ahead than I care to acknowledge.
“Can you put that in your rider too?” she whispers against my lips.
I shake my head. It might not be our time to move in together, but it doesn’t mean I can’t ask for this. “Won’t need to.”
“And why is that?”
“I’m hoping my girlfriend will come visit me on tour.”
She leans her head to the side. “Your girlfriend, huh? Do people in their thirties still call it that?”
I draw her in by the waist so she’s flush against my body. “I sure hope so. I like it.”
I want to be calling her more than that, but I can’t get ahead of myself. She might not know it yet, but Summer and I are inevitable.
I’m not expecting it when her playful smirk softens to a serious expression.
“I love you, Everett.”
Words I’ve beenwaitingto hear.
“I think I’ve known it for a while now, but I’ve been too scared to admit it to myself. In part, because falling for someone in a matter of weeks didn’t work out well for me in the past. But mostly, because I knew once I acknowledged my feelings for you, I’d have an even harder time letting you go. I hate the thought of you and Quinn living miles away from me.”
“Good,” I interrupt.
“That’s… good?”
I nod. “We’ll hate it too.”
She laughs. “You know I’ll be there to watch you sing onstage whenever I can. I intend to spend this next chapter, however long it might be, loving you and Quinn every chance I get.”
“Damn, I like the sound of that,” I say, finally showing her how much her words mean to me with my lips. Maybe a little too intimately with the sound of a throat clearing beside us.
