Page 127 of Places I've Never Been

“How long will it take her to convince Piper?” Adam asked.

“Not sure. Piper’s been building up walls for this moment for years, but Della’s a special kind of force.”

It was late, and the crowd had started to thin a little. Most would move on to other parties, but Mattie had a different kind of celebration in mind.

She took Adam’s free hand in hers and pulled him close. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Where to?” His eyes sparked with interest.

Mattie put all the desire and love she felt into the look she gave him. “Is there a waterfall around here?”

“If there isn’t, I’ll make one.”

His wicked grin set her insides on fire.

“Silly. A shower will work fine.” She flashed him a not-so-innocent smile.

He growled under his breath. “Let’s go.”

“Thought you’d never ask.” She let him pull her through the crowd, out the door, and into the night.

They wound up detouring into the first dark corner they found for a kiss that lasted a long, long time.

The shower, when they got to it, lasted even longer.

Mattie relished the sensations that tingled through her body as his hands caressed her wet skin. “You know what?”

Adam smoothed her hair back out of her eyes. “What?”

“I was wrong. I think love lasts forever. Love, and music.”

“And us.”

They sealed the declaration with a very thorough, very long, kiss.

Want more Mattie and Adam?

Tap here to find out how they get engaged!

**If you’re having any trouble tapping on the extra scene, please type

https://melindavan.com/bonus-material-2

into your phone or computer browser.**

Keep reading for a preview ofHe’s The Reason Why…

Piper Bellamy,one-third of the former pop sensation The Bellamy Sisters, leaned toward the camera in her formal living room turned recording studio and beamed at her 150 million streaming followers.

“Good morning! First, I’m so sorry I won’t be able to stick around for the comments today. I know, I know. It’s your favorite part. Mine too. But wait until you hear why.”

She cherished theseWednesday Morning Coffee Chats.Connecting with her fans kept her grounded and sane, especially after her little sister, Della, had turned all their lives upside down by going solo. The people who stuck with her after that weren’t just fans of The Bellamy Sisters, they were Piper Bellamy super fans.

“Today is finally the table read forScorched. Can you believe it?” She put her coffee cup down because her wild gestures were putting it in serious danger of spilling over. “I can’t believe we’re finally moving forward on this. When they cast me, what, almost two years ago now? Wow, time flies. Anyway, I was so excited to get started. That was all thanks to you, by the way. I’ve mentioned it a thousand times but one more can’t hurt…if you hadn’t put up that Twitter campaign, I’d never have been cast. So thank you, thank you, thank you, a million times.

“Then, as you know, there was the writer’s strike, and a problem finding the right leading man. But now, finally,finallywe’re getting started. Today is the first read-through, where we go through the whole script with everybody at one time. Some of us have also spent the past six months practicing some of the big songs, and you know I’ve put some quality time in the studio, but everyone will be there today, from the director, Tamar Shurer, to Paul Lester, the producer, to…wait, am I allowed to say this? I hope so because I’m going to…Blake Ryan!”

She almost squealed his name, she was so excited.

---