Even Cas.
Even me.
Gabe appears with a spoon every so often like he’s part of the band, and I catch Mike at the door doing a full dance routine when he thinks no one’s watching. And for a moment, it all feels easy.
Normal.
Safe.
I’m smiling to myself as I mix another drink when suddenly warm, strong, tattooed arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me back into something even steadier.
“Hello, Tinker.”
I turn into him without thinking, like it’s instinct now, like my body knows him before my mind catches up, and the butterflies are there instantly, wild and familiar in my stomach, something I never thought I’d feel again.
This light.
This safe.
This happy.
“What are you singing for me tonight?” he murmurs against my ear, his voice low enough to send a shiver down my spine.
I shrug, trying to keep it casual even if nothing about him ever feels casual. “You’ll see.”
His lips curve as his nose brushes mine, soft and grounding, and when Stephen calls out, “Get a room, will you!” the laughter around us barely registers because Dex doesn’t look away from me as he flips him off, his mouth finding mine in a quick kiss that still manages to undo me completely.
“Let’s give it up for Dex Hawthorne!” the DJ calls, and I blink, my head snapping toward the stage.
“You’re singing?”
He just smiles like this was always coming, like he’s been waiting for this moment, and walks away before I can say anything else.
And then his eyes find mine.
Across the room.
And don’t let go.
He takes the mic, but the crowd might as well not exist, because the way he looks at me makes everything else fade into background noise.
“I wanna dedicate this one to my Tinker,” he says, his voice steady and easy, and the bar erupts in whistles and cheers, but I barely hear them because my chest is already tightening. “Because I don’t ever want to imagine a life without her by my side.”
Something inside me shifts.
“I never thought I could quiet the chaos in my head… then you walked into my life and it all made sense. No more noise. No more confusion. I know what I want now… and it’syou. Just you.”
The room quiets without being told to, like people feel it, feel that this isn’t just another song.
“And though I’m not perfect, and I know you probably want to strangle me at least three times a day…”
A ripple of laughter moves through the crowd, but it fades quickly, because he doesn’t look away from me, not even for a second.
“Tinker…” His voice softens just enough to land deeper. “I never believed my father when he said Hawthorne men fall hard, fast, and never look back when they find their one…”
My breath catches.
“But damn it… he was right.”
