Page 57 of Wes

He opens and closes his mouth a couple of times before shrugging. “I don’t know.”

I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I think you do, as do I.” I pause to rack my brain for the best way to translate my feelings without hurting his. “Two weeks ago, talking about my past stirred a lot of emotions in both of us. Reliving those moments wrecked me. Learning them was excruciating for you,” I suggest.

He nods and whispers, “Fucking gut-wrenching.”

“I bet that also raised questions for you about us. You must be wondering where this relationship is heading, now that you know I can’t have kids.”

I hate the way my voice breaks when I say that, but I can’t help it.

He wraps his fingers around my chin to pin me with a flaming stare. “Please don’t do that to yourself, hon. I told you then and I’ll repeat as many times as you need me to until you believe me. That’s not an issue for me.”

I bite the inside of my mouth to keep in a pained moan. I want to believe him, with all my heart. But the silly, battered organ is exhausted.

Reading me like a book, Wes huffs, then crushes his mouth on mine. His kiss is intense, one step removed from punishing. His lips sear mine with their raw passion. I take in, glad I can feel something other than the dull ache in my chest.

I whimper.

He snaps his head up, arching a perfect eyebrow.

“I know you believe nothing has changed,” I concede. “But we haven’t evaluated our feelings.”

“I have and they remain the same.”

“So why do you act different when we have sex?” I cover his mouth with my hand. “Please, don’t lie to yourself. We’ve just gone over that. You think you’ll break me if you do it a little rougher. You’re a passionate man. We won’t last if we have to pretend to be people different than our true selves.”

“My love for you is the real deal,” his raspy murmur cuts me. “You’ve got to believe this.”

I squeeze my eyes shut for a beat to hide from the anguish in his expression. Opening them up again. “I know it because I feel the same way. But I think we need to stop now, reevaluate our needs and goals, and regroup later. Ignoring who we really are will only makes us grow apart.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

I stroke his jaw with my palms. “Deep down, I dread the idea that your fiery libido will lead you to stray, now that you see me as a fragile partner.”

“No way in hell,” he interrupts me.

I smile because I didn’t expect anything different. I go on, “We’ve been tiptoeing around the more difficult issues instead of tackling them. We’ve been together almost twenty-four seven since that conversation. First, because we were still touring. Back home, because we’re organizing the charity concert. I really believe we need to–”

When I take a deep breath to suggest we take a break to think more clearly about things, he puts his fingers on my lips.

“Please, don’t finish that thought. At least, not tonight. The concert to raise money for Welcoming Hills is tomorrow. I promise I’ll go back to this topic after that. Please?”

His anxiety pierces me. I hug him tight and whisper, “How can I say no to you?”

* * *

After the concert, we head out to a French restaurant in Richmond where Kim set up an intimate after-party just for the band members, their significant others, and a handful of staff.

A hostess takes us to a private dining room with a long table set for a dozen people. Buckets of ice, with champagne bottles sticking out, have been placed at regular intervals between the seats.

Wes pulls a chair for me at the end of the table nearest the door. He drapes the jacket I gave him on the back of the seat beside me and sinks into it. Opposite us, Logan and Ally sit on a leather sofa running along the length of the table. But, before we know it, she ends up astride the bassist’s lap.

Erik, sitting on the other end of the table, raises a glass of champagne. “Here’s to the talented, kind, and generous Ally Howard.”

We lift our flutes of bubbly and cheer.

I take a long swig and swallow it before addressing the group, “Ally stole the show with reason.” People nod and mumble their agreement. I hold my friend’s gaze. “I mean, you made thousands of fans, as well as the band and all of us backstage, applaud you until our hands got numb.”

She blows me a kiss and I grin back at her. But Logan distracts her when he nuzzles her neck.

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