Page 85 of Fractured Frets

“Wow.” Maddy turned in a circle as we walked into our enormous master suite with exposed stone walls, a long gas fireplace, dark wooden furniture, and a king bed covered in beige linen. She opened the double doors and stepped onto the balcony that overlooked the manicured vineyards. As she turned her face toward the sun, she inhaled the fresh country air. “I could live somewhere like this.”

From behind, I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on her shoulder. “Italy? A vineyard? Or the country?”

“Somewhere quiet. Green. Out of the city. But I do like my view of the water in Vancouver.”

“Yeah. That is nice.” I’d only been to her condo in Vancouver a few times. The view from her place was gorgeous. The one of her, even better. “We could buy something like this too. We could get a place out of the city for the times we’re both not working. Have our own little piece of paradise.”

She curled her hands around my forearms, running her fingernails through my arm hair. Mmmm. I loved her touch. “I’m not sure we’d spend a lot of time there.”

“We’d make time.” I kissed the rim of her shoulder. “So where? The States? Canada? Here? Australia?”

“Australia?” She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “God no. That’s too far to travel.”

“I agree.” Yep, thirteen-plus hours flying in any direction was too far. I’d endured too many long-haul flights in my time. I’d happily avoid them if I could. “So where?”

She rested her head against mine and sighed. “An island. Near Vancouver. It’s so beautiful along the coastline.”

“Let’s do it.”

She puffed air through her nose and shook her head. “We have to stop daydreaming. We have too many other things to sort out before buying a house together. And the reality is...you need to be in LA, and I have to be in Vancouver.”

Living away from the guys would be hard. We’d barely spent any time apart since we were nine. I wasn’t sure I could handle not being around them.

Wait . . .

Could I?

I’d always said I’d do anything for Maddy. So how serious was I? Could I walk away from the band to be with her? Was I prepared to break the endless loop of only seeing her for a few days or a couple of weeks at a time?

Fuck.

My heart stumbled against my ribs. My head ached. But what hit even harder was the fact that ‘yes’ flared in the back of my mind.

I softened my tone. “Things can change, Mads.”

“They certainly can.” She turned and flattened her hands against her stomach. “But let’s talk later. Right now, I’m freaking out over meeting your family.”

I swept my hand over her silky hair and kissed her forehead. “You’ll be fine. They’ll be loud and over-the-top. They’ll be judgmental and grumpy that they weren’t at our wedding. But once the shit dies down, and they get to know you, they’ll love you like I do.”

Was I kidding myself?

Probably.

My family’s meeting with Maddy could go either way.

Tonight was going to be a shit show or sensational.

There was only one way to find out.

“Let’s get this fucking party over and done with.”

Chapter 25

SLIP

After Sloane and Riley brought our luggage upstairs, Maddy and I got ready for the party. That involved me going down on her in the shower and fucking her until she called out my name. We had a lot of catching up to do after being apart for weeks, and I was damn well making sure we did.

As I shaved at the sink, Maddy took over the bathroom to do her hair and makeup, covering the vanity counter in her cosmetic bags, blow-dryer, and flat iron. I raked my eyes over her gorgeous long legs, stomach, and breasts as she slipped on a floaty long, yellow dress with short sleeves. But worry inched through my mind. In the weeks since I’d last seen her, more ribs protruded beneath her flesh. Her curves had shrunk. Her spine, more obvious.

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