He shook his head and looked up at me. “He doesn’t know Cole moved out. We got his stuff after the team left this afternoon.”
I couldn’t imagine how Patrick would take that. He’d be messed up enough knowing they didn’t get to say goodbye. “Probably best he doesn’t know right now.”
Adam nodded. “He didn’t want to hurt his game. That wouldn’t be fair.”
I ran my hand over his wet hair and wiped it off his face. I needed to see his green eyes. “Is this the end?”
“I hope not. I think they just need some time apart. He’s supposed to go with us when we leave San Francisco. Don’t know what’s going to happen there.”
I squeezed him a little tighter and kissed his head. “Come on, babe. I need to sleep. I start my new job tomorrow and I need to look my best.”
Adam turned off the water, then glared at me as he reached for our towels. “Why, so you can flirt with everyone all the way to San Francisco?”
I grinned as he handed me a towel. “I don’t flirt with everyone. Most people flirt with me first. You’ve seen it with your own eyes. But I’m only planning to flirt on purpose with you. It’s our love language, you know.”
He glared at me and shook his head as he hung his towel over the towel bar next to mine, making me smile. There was a time when I would have been picking that up off the floor.
“What am I going to do with you?” he asked, padding naked toward the bed.
I had an idea. “How about you promise to love me for the rest of your life?”
My rockstar gave me the same smile I’d fallen for a long time ago. “That I can do, He-Man. That I can do.”
EPILOGUE - ADAM
I looked out over the audience as I sangWhen You Walked Away. Usually, I sang backup vocals on this one and Cole belted it out. But since he and Patrick had split up, we couldn’t get through rehearsal without him breaking down. So now it was mine to sing.
I used to hate this song, but now I saw it as the stepping stone to everything good in my life. It brought me to Michael, who, in turn, gave me my father. And this life that still felt like a dream some days.
When I sang the last line, the crowd erupted into cheers.
“Thank you, Los Angeles!” I shouted into the microphone.
As they quieted, the roadies brought out two stools onto the stage. This was the moment I’d been waiting for the entire show.
“We have something special for you tonight,” I said into the microphone. “See, back in December, I found my biological father. And as it turned out he’s a musician, too.”
The crowd erupted again in cheers. “So tonight, we’re going to play for you—together. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my father, Liam Perry.”
My dad came out onto the stage carrying his acoustic guitar, along with mine. When he reached me, I gave him a big hug as the crowd cheered. I tried not to get caught up in the emotion, but really who was I kidding. That had become an impossibility for me.
He let go and waved to the crowd. Leaning into the mic, he spoke with practiced ease. “Thank you, Los Angeles. What do you think of my son and Fallen Angel?”
While the crowd roared again, he leaned over and whispered to me. “I swear Grant thought Jayden was going to pee on himself when they got here.”
I laughed, breaking the stranglehold my emotions held on me. He knew me well enough to know I needed that. An that almost had me about to cry again.
When I sat down and strummed my guitar, the crowd quieted down. “We’re going to play a song that has come to mean a lot to us. We hope you like it. It’s calledPhotographby one Mr. Ed Sheeran. Maybe you’ve heard of him?”
I started us off, focusing on the moment. I sang lead vocals, but my dad took the lead on the chorus. I almost lost it until I looked over at Michael to help center me. He stood with Jayden, who was dancing off-stage, wearing a hilarious shirt that appeared to have both of our faces on it. I’d never been more thankful for that kid.
It felt like the song had been written about my life. My dad looked at me when he sang, ‘You can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans, holding me closer until our eyes meet. You won’t ever be alone.’
When the song ended, the crowd erupted into the loudest applause yet. I stood and hugged my dad.
“I love you, Dad,” I whispered into his ear.
I felt his smile along my cheek. “I love you more, son.”
