true. You’ve already got some experience with that, after all.” He’s referring to Golden Enigma. This was sort of the path that we took, though we relied on ticket sales rather than sales of albums or singles. We didn’t have the connections Colt does to get professionally produced recordings.
But with Brendan on board and Colt running things, all I have to do is keep writing songs. At least for now.
“How’s that going?” Jonathan asks, his voice soft. Like he’s not just asking about how performing with Colt is going. “Trying to go solo,” he clarifies, confirming my suspicions, his green eyes steady as they hold mine, inviting trust.
I blink and look away, though, giving another shrug. “Oh, you know,” I say, trying for an airy, dismissive note. “It’s different.”
“I do know,” he says solemnly, and I realize that more than anyone else in this room, he does. He performed for years with his brothers, then took the stage as a solo act. I know he had Colt and Brendan join him for a while during his first tour. I always assumed it was a business decision, a way to transition fans of theirs into dedicated fans of his as well. But maybe it was more than that. Did he miss performing with his brothers? Did he miss the camaraderie of being in a band versus working as a soloist? But of course, Gabby, his wife, is also his songwriting partner.
It’s not the same, though. I can attest to that. Working with Colt is great, but it’s not the same.
I have to swallow down the lump in my throat. “I miss them. Mia and Katie. I wish …” I have to stop, looking down at my glass. Colt’s fingers squeeze mine, and I chance glancing at him. His blue eyes are full of sympathy and affection.
Sucking in a deep breath, I force a smile. “It’s definitely different. And things ended …”
“It’s hard when it’s unexpected and so publicly bad,” Lauren offers, her voice full of sympathy. She gestures around the room. “We all get that to one degree or another. The bad press. The prying. The way things don’t go as planned or the way we want them to.”
My smile at her is more genuine. “Yeah. It is hard. But”—I force brightness into my tone, hoping it doesn’t sound false—“now I’m here with all of you, and that’s not a bad place to be.”
Brendan gets up to put the food on the grill, and Jonathan goes with him. Lauren and Gabby drift into the kitchen, chatting together like old friends. Colt wraps his arm around me, pulling me back against his chest and dropping a kiss on my head. “I know it’s not what you planned,” he says, his voice rumbling against my back, “but I’m glad you’re here.”
Tilting my head back, I look up at him, mesmerized by his liquid blue eyes. “Me too,” I murmur. And when he kisses me, it feels like a promise.
“So how’d meeting the parents go? I never heard.” Lauren asks me as I help take the dishes to the kitchen after dinner—grilled chicken and vegetables with homemade brownies for dessert. I shouldn’t have eaten as much as I did, but it was all so good, and they made it impossible to say no when they offered me more.
I glance at her in surprise and shake my head. “It didn’t. I mean, I haven’t.”
She exchanges a look with Gabby, and they both settle onto bar stools. Lauren refills their wine glasses plus one more that she slides across to me. “Sit. Talk. There’s definitely a story there, and I need to hear it.” She glances at Gabby, who’s nodding along. “I don’t know if I should be concerned or jealous that she hasn’t met Shannon yet.”
“Jealous,” Gabby declares. “Definitely jealous.”
Lauren waves a hand like she’s brushing away Gabby’s words. “That’s only because you got it the worst of everyone.” Her face brightens like something just occurred to her. “Holy shit. That’s exactly what happened.” She points at each of us in turn. “Worst, bad, best. Is that a sign that Shannon’s getting better?”
Gabby shakes her head immediately. “Nope.” She pops the P and takes a sip of her wine. “You and Brendan learned from what happened with Jonathan and me. And you didn’t even bother trying to suck up to her after seeing how well that didn’t go for me. There was no point trying. So you survived relatively unscathed.” Gabby turns a speculative gaze