Page 130 of Hope & Harmony

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s try this again.” Clasping my hand, he shook it. “I’m Curtis Ward. Uni student and drummer for the 2Bit Princes.”

A tremulous smile spread across my face. “Hi, Curtis. I’m Jaxon Messier, previously known as Jay Bowman. Former member of US boy band Morningside, and potential future songwriter.”

His smile matched mine. “Songwriter, huh?”

I shrugged as casually as I could. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

“We will.”

CHAPTER 7

CURTIS

“I don’t get your obsession with cucumber sandwiches. Tell him, Neil.” Eyeing Jaxon’s phone screen with a sigh, I glanced from Joe’s smirking face to Jaxon’s dad, Neil, who was shaking his head.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve never had one either. A chip butty, though—you can’t go wrong with that.”

Joe’s brows lifted. “What the fuck is a chip butty?”

Arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and then Jaxon’s cheek pressed up against mine as he grinned at his phone. “You’ll find out if you ever come and visit us.”

“Can your weather compete with Cali?” Joe panned his camera to show a view of golden sand and crashing waves.

“That doesn’t count. You’re on vacation. New York—where you actually live—has more rain than London, so try another argument.” Jaxon gave a mock sigh, tilting his head to press a kiss to the side of my jaw. “He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”

“Guess what? The joke’s on you because I have a flight confirmation on my phone that says I’ll be arriving at Heathrow next month for a five-day visit to see you and meet Curtis in person. You gonna be there to meet me?” Joe’s smiledisappeared when Jaxon cleared his throat uncertainly. “I’ll do what I can to stay under the radar, but maybe we should forget you meeting me and have our reunion somewhere private.”

Neil waved at the screen to get our attention. “I need to show my face in the London office sooner or later. It’s been a while. Give Jax the details and I’ll meet you inside the airport. The boys can wait in the car. Does that sound good to everyone?”

We were all in agreement, and after a few more minutes of conversation, Jaxon ended the video call.

“How do you feel about seeing Joe again? Are you worried about publicity?” I asked as Jaxon released me, crossing the lounge to his guitar. Picking it up, he sank down onto the sofa. After quickly tuning it, he began gently strumming the strings, humming under his breath. In the two months we’d been officially back together, I’d noticed him doing this when he wanted to think something through.

Eventually, his fingers came to a halt, and he carefully placed the guitar down, leaning it against the wall, and then slid down into a reclining position, stretching out across the full length of the sofa. He held out his arms, and I went to him, letting him pull me on top of his body, with my head on his chest and our legs entwined.

“I’ve made my peace with it, mostly. Yeah, there probably will be photographers somewhere, especially because Joe’s still in the limelight, but I’m not interesting anymore.”

I kissed his throat. “You’re very interesting to me.”

He laughed against me, stroking his hand down my back. “I’m glad to hear it. You’re very interesting to me, too. You know that, right?”

Raising my head, I nodded. He reminded me enough. Okay, it was a little daunting to know that he’d been a famous pop star in the past, but I knew he liked me for me. I knewhim. And the upside of getting to know him without the knowledge ofMorningside, back when I’d thought he was just another tourist in London, was that I’d had no preconceptions about him. He knew I liked him for him, too, not because of his status.

“Good.” His fingers traced circles across my shoulders before sliding up into my hair. “Realistically, I know there will be some interest, because of who I was, and there’s also the fact I haven’t been seen in public for so long. Joe told me his new publicist has some contacts in London, and it might be good to get something set up with them. Let PR handle it all.” He smiled. “I’m honestly not worried, though. I feel stronger now. Much more sure of myself and of who I am. And I can handle anything, as long as I have you by my side.”

“I’ll be with you, Jax. Whatever you need to do, I’ll support you through it.”

“Did I ever tell you how fucking incredible you are?”

Shifting forward, I tugged his lip between my teeth. When I released it, I watched with satisfaction as his eyes darkened, his tongue swiping across the place I’d just bitten, leaving his lips looking shiny and so kissable. “Once or twice, but if you want to give me a physical reminder, I wouldn’t say no.”

He pulled my head back down to his, speaking against my mouth. “Mmm, it’s like you read my mind.”

Our mouths met, and then it was a blur of lips and teeth and hands, and bodies sliding together. When we were both sated, still wrapped in each other’s arms, with sweat cooling on overheated skin and our heart rates slowing, Jaxon looked at me, his expression so serious, but so soft it made me melt inside.

“I love you, Curtis.”

My breath caught in my throat as I stared back at him, seeing the truth shining from his eyes. It took me a minute to reply, but when I did, I meant the words with everything I had.

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