her blue eyes dancing the way they have been all night. With so much happiness it’s radiating from her. She’s glowing. So radiant, so goddamn beautiful she takes my breath away. As she always has.
Tonight was a big night. For her. For us as a band. For everything.
One hand hits my chest, the hand with my ring on it, the other holding her Grammy. I wrap my arm around her waist and hoist up on my own statue, leaning in and kissing my girl on the cheek because I don’t think I could be prouder of her if I tried.
More flashes of light as they take our pictures, calling out question after question.
This isn’t Eden’s first Grammy. She won her first for our album she produced when we were in Hawaii. Jasper, for all his bullshit about slowing down and taking time off, did that for about eight months. Then he got itchy and wanted to go back into the studio.
He had also been writing like a madman.
Adalyn having taken to school better than anyone expected helped. Now she’s in second grade and none of us can believe the progress she’s made. She has support. Speech, occupational therapy, a para, and other special education teachers. But she’s reading. She’s writing stories. She’s keeping up with her math and everything else.
She’s kicking ass and taking names, just the way we knew she would.
She’s also singing and writing music. Like her father.
“So when’s the big day?” a woman who’s face is stuck behind the lens of her camera asks. “You’ve all been very tight lipped. Can’t you give us something?”
Eden just smiles, gazing up at me with a mischievous glint. “What do you think? Should we tell the world when we’re getting married?” She bites into her glossy lip and I know exactly what she’s thinking.
“Tonight,” I say back to the press. “Tonight’s the big night.” I wink at them, laughing as they give us a series of annoyed boos and scowls. They’ve been hounding us for months for a date, since Eden was spotted with a large diamond on her finger. “Have a good night everyone.” We both wave and head out, rounding the corner, and spotting the two large SUVs waiting for us. “You ready?”
“I’m ready.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too. I’m so glad we’re doing it like this. It’s absolutely perfect.”
I lean in and press my lips to the corner of her mouth, our security escorting us back along the red carpet and away from the theater. We’re immediately flanked by Jasper, Viola, Gus, Naomi, Keith, Maia, Lyric, and Jameson.
“Well, that was a fun night,” Lyric states, her smile huge as she rubs her pregnant belly, about four months out from delivering their second child. “Turn Records and their artists scored fifteen Grammys tonight. Now this to finish it off.” She looks over to Jameson. “Yeah. Tonight’s a good night.”
“The best,” he agrees. “And it’s only just getting started.”
All of us climb into the waiting SUVs and then we’re off, speeding out into the night. My hand hasn’t left Eden’s. My eyes either. My girl is stunning in her purple gown that hugs and accentuates every perfect curve. Her now black hair is piled up on top of her head, revealing the tattoo on the back of her neck.
My favorite tattoo on her.
I lean in, unable to resist, my teeth grazing her diamond studded earlobe. “I can’t wait to get this off you.”
She shudders, her hand squeezing mine. Twisting in her seat, her nose glides along mine. “Have I told you how hot you look in this tux?” Her lips capture mine, but they don’t linger. Not yet. That will come later. She wipes her thumb along my bottom lip, removing the smear of her cherry gloss. My teeth jut out, capturing her thumb and nibbling on the pad.
“Okay. That’s enough you two,” Maia playfully chimes in. Tonight she’s the one wearing white. A sparkling white gown loaded with sequins.
“Yeah. No kissing the bride before she says I do,” Keith growls. “And definitely no talking about how you want to undress my baby sister.”
I snicker. “Then maybe you should have gone in the other car.”
He flips me off, but he’s smiling. We all are.
We’re not doing this the traditional way. That’s not really our style. I wasn’t lying when I told the paparazzi we’re getting married tonight. It was actually Viola’s genius plan. We couldn’t come up with a date that would stay a secret. We wanted our wedding