Page 252 of My Three Billionaire Rockstars

And despite everything, she looks lighter, less afraid.

The difference is subtle. I notice the way she doesn’t tense every time someone nearby lifts a phone anymore. The way she smiles at locals instead of shrinking from the attention. The way she moves through the square. She belongs here again instead of feeling hunted.

That matters to me more than I expected. More than it should.

“Your staring is becoming professionally concerning.”

Julian appears beside me holding two coffees and approximately zero respect for personal boundaries.

“I’m assessing.”

“You’re yearning.”

“I hate that phrase.”

“Because it’s accurate.”

I take the coffee from him anyway.

Across the square, Xander finally emerges from one of the black SUVs, and the atmosphere changes.

People notice him instinctively. Cameras shift direction. Conversations lower.

Power has a frequency.

Xander’s always carried it naturally. Today, though, there’s more underneath it.

Relief.

The tension that’s lived under his skin for years whenever Dylan’s name came up is gone.

He spots Willow across the crowd. His expression softens around the edges before he walks toward us, hands shoved loosely into the pockets of his black coat.

“You ready?” I ask once he reaches us.

His gaze flicks briefly toward the stage setup. “Yeah.”

I study him carefully for another second.

Emotionally, Xander’s always been easiest to read in what he doesn’t say.

And right now, he’s calm, which means whatever happened with Dylan in New York changed more than just business.

Interesting.

“Where is he?” Julian asks.

Xander’s mouth twitches. “Late.”

“Ah.” Julian nods sagely. “So, the reunion really is authentic.”

Willow laughs softly beside him. Xander’s eyes slide toward her again.

That look passes between them now so easily it’s almost dangerous to witness up close. It still surprises me sometimes how completely she altered all of us.

Not intentionally.

That’s the thing about Willow. Nothing about her is calculated. Which is probably why she worked her way past every defense we had.