Page 106 of Sweet Escape

She sings about running away, about not knowing what she was looking for, and I’d have to be an idiot not to understand instinctively that this song is about us.

And then she gets to the chorus, and her eyes lock on me, not straying for a moment as she launches into the lyrics.

I’ve been to the mountains, the valleys, the sea

Searching for something that might maybe set me free.

When all of that time all I wanted to be

Was home, home, home in your arms.

Home, home, home is where you are.

She hits another verse, this one about finding a place where she’s known, and a shiver slides through me. I’m almost under a trance.

When she finally sings the chorus again, ending on that last line, the audience erupts in cheers. The people around me must surely know they’ve witnessed an incredible talent. A once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Gigi steps out onto the stage, thanking Vivian and making some announcements about whoever is next. But I don’t hear any of that. All I can hear is the sound of my heart thumping in my ears as she walks off the stage, meeting me where I’m already waiting for her off to the side.

As confident as she was up there, now that she’s on the ground, just a few feet away, I can see the hint of nerves in her eyes as we approach each other.

“Hi, Memphis,” she says, her voice soft.

“You’re here.” I’m unable to hide my smile at that fact.

“I wanted to talk to you. To apologize. To ... see if you’d reconsider what you said about us making this work ...”

I step forward and pull her into my arms, cutting her off midsentence.

Her surprise is evident at first, but barely a beat passes before she melts into me, her mouth opening as I kiss her thoroughly. As I pour out every moment that I’ve missed her over the past month.

“I just really wanted to do that.” I pull back slightly, resting my forehead against hers.

“I had a whole speech planned,” she whispers, her eyes closed and her lips tilted up at the sides. “An apology and an explanation and everything.”

“I don’t need it.”

Vivian laughs, wrapping her arms around my middle and tucking herself snugly into me. It’s like a puzzle piece sliding into place.

God, I love you.

“I still need to say it,” she says, her words coming quiet into my ear. “And you’re a liar if you think you don’t need to hear it.”

I sigh, closing my own eyes and pulling her in even more tightly.

“Maybe I do,” I finally say. “But not right now. Right now, I just want to enjoy that you’re here, in my arms, where you belong.”

She hums, rubbing her hands gently on my back.

“My home,” she whispers.

I kiss her again, not wanting to miss the opportunity.

God, if it’s up to me, I’ll never miss a chance to kiss her again.

And then I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and we wander into the crowd.

Vivian’s body lies on top of mine, her chest heaving, both of us exhausted and thoroughly spent.

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