and I looked up just in time to stop myself from crashing into a wall.
Oh, hell. It wasn’t just a wall. It was a wall holding a framed Hush Note poster, and there I was, in the center. My hair was thrown back as I pounded on the drums. Jonas was singing into a microphone while Nixon riffed on his guitar.
It was the poster our label had made for tour promo last year, and the airport had embellished it with a banner strung over the top.
Welcome to Bozeman.
Home of Quinn Montgomery, Hush Note’s Grammy Award-Winning Drummer.
Graham paused and looked back, likely wondering what was taking me so long. When he spotted the poster, he shot it a glare that might have incinerated the paper had it not been protected behind glass. Then he marched through the door, his strides even faster.
I jogged to keep up but was too far away to stop him from throwing my suitcase into the bed of a truck—an actual throw far more damaging than I’d ever seen from airline personnel.
“Get in.” He jerked his chin to the passenger door.
“Okay.” I bit my tongue.
Since my rental car was out, my new plan was to survive this ride to the hotel. Graham was upset, and I’d let it blow over. Ten minutes, fifteen tops, and we’d go our separate ways. I was here this week for Nan and causing drama with Graham would have upset her.
So I climbed in his truck and took a deep breath.
Graham’s scent surrounded me. As a boy, he’d smelled fresh and clean. It was still there, familiar and heartbreaking, but with a spicy undercurrent of musk and cologne and man. The heady, intoxicating smell wasn’t going to make this trip to the hotel any easier.
Before I had my seat belt buckled, Graham was behind the wheel and racing away from the curb.
I swallowed and braved conversation. “So, um . . . how have you been?”
His jaw ticked in response, but thankfully the radio filled the silence.
The Sirius XM Countdown continues with “Sweetness” by Hush Note. A song that’s been number one on our countdown for—
Graham stabbed the off button with his finger.
I faced the window.
So Graham wasn’t just upset. He was furious. Clearly nine years apart hadn’t turned me into a fond memory.
“I have a reservation at the Hilton Garden Inn. If you wouldn’t mind dropping me—”
“You’re going home.”
Right. End of discussion. Graham was doing a favor for my mother since my family would be busy on a Sunday morning. He’d been sent to retrieve me before I could disappear to my hotel.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to leave the East Coast.
The drive through Bozeman was tense. I kept my gaze fixed outside, taking in the new buildings. The town had boomed over the years. Where there had once been open fields, there were now office complexes, shopping centers and restaurants.
It wasn’t until we approached downtown that the streets became more familiar and I was able to anticipate Graham’s turns. When we reached my childhood neighborhood, I marveled at the homes. Had they always been this small?
Then we were parked in front of my parents’ home. My home.
Finally, something that hadn’t changed. Slate-blue siding, white trim, black shutters and Mom’s red geraniums planted in a whiskey barrel by the front door.
“Thanks for dropping me off,” I told Graham, risking a glance his way. “Just like old times.”
He’d always insisted on dropping me off at my house even though he lived next door.
Except back then, he would have smiled and kissed me goodbye.
But that was before.
Before I’d broken his heart.
Before he’d shattered mine.
PREORDER NOW
The Hush Note Series
BOOK ONE: LIES AND LULLABIES
By Sarina Bowen
BOOK TWO: RIFTS AND REFRAINS
By Devney Perry
BOOK THREE: MUSES AND MELODIES
By Rebecca Yarros
Also by Rebecca Yarros
The Flight and Glory Series
Full Measures
Eyes Turned Skyward
Beyond What is Given
Hallowed Ground
The Reality of Everything
Legacy
Point of Origin
Ignite
Standalones
The Last Letter
Great and Precious Things
Coming Soon
The Things We Leave Unfinished
About the Author
Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and incurable coffee addict. She is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen novels, and the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.
Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for eighteen years. She’s the mom of six kids, ranging from kindergarten to law school, and when she’s not writing, you can find her watching her sons at the hockey rink, or sneaking in some guitar time. She lives in Colorado with her family, their stubborn English bulldogs, a feisty chinchilla, and a Maine Coon kitten who rules them all. Having fostered and adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.
Want to know about Rebecca’s next release? Join her Mailing List or check out www.rebeccayarros.com!