Page 126 of From Us, Forever

They both sighed but agreed.

“Katy, have you chosen the theme for your baby shower?” I asked as I dug around my bag and pulled out my laptop. I was so used to tagging along with Jay that I had my own routine going along when he wasn’t around.

Her face warmed up with a smile. “No, I don’t think I want any. I want to keep it simple,” she replied quietly.

“Never thought I’d hear that.” Lily lifted a brow.

Neither did I—the one who was obsessed with extravagance, wasn’t anymore. I guessed priorities changed when life became easier.

Soon we were buried with our work.

The spark fired in me as I started typing away and the words just flowed like a stream from the vision in my head. I let my characters speak instead of strictly sticking to my plot and it turned out so much better than I had expected. I was already ninety thousand words in and was finishing up the last part and that just got my blood pumping.

The instant gratification of seeing my words transform into scenes and characters made my mood instantly brighten as I got lost in the process.

I had no idea how my book was performing and honestly, I didn’t want to get caught up in that. A few of the early readers praised it offering me valuable feedback and that was enough for me. My mental sanity and creativity were more important to me while Angela took care of the rest.

She was already excited for the next book, having read the premise. I even roped Jo into the process who was no longer my boss but a friend. This wouldn’t have been possible without her bringing Angela into my life.

It was well over an hour, when I closed my laptop, wanting a break. Lily was busy sketching something intensely for some new anime and Katy…well, she was knitting a sweater for her baby.

Everything she did these days shocked me to the core, it was almost as if she birthed a new laid-back Katy out of nowhere.

Just then, the doors dashed open, and the boys walked in, all sweaty and juiced up, bursting with excitement. They still hada whole show to perform and a launch party after that. I had no idea where they got the energy from; it was truly marvelous to watch.

But I knew it was going to be a long night for me.

“You sure you’ll be fine?” I asked, hugging Jay tight as I crushed my lips to his in a tingling kiss.

“Yes,” he murmured, his lips still on mine. “I rehearsed for this remember.”

This was the first show he was performing since the surgery and he recovered fast but I was still worried.

“Don’t go rocking too hard,” I whispered, molding my forehead to his as my hand caressed his cheek.

“The stage? I won’t.” He grinned. “You know there is only one person I would love to rock hard.”

Heat licked my skin and I was pretty sure my cheeks were painted red. “Rude.”

He laughed, giving me one more long hard kiss before running off to the stage.

The spotlights hit them and they transformed—the energy in the air shifted while they did what they did best. Make music.

The crowds roared as Jay opened with an older single, their deafening cheers filled the air while Katy, Lily, and I stood by the sidelines, our eyes fixed on them.

“God, they’re so cool,” Lily whispered.

I agreed. I never got tired of watching them perform live.

I was so proud of how far they’d come, no longer the inexperienced boys playing gigs for a small crowd, fighting for a chance. Now, they were headliners playing sold-out stadiums.

Halfway through the show, Jay lost his jacket, Mikey lost his shirt and the girls in the crowd lost their minds and went wild, screaming their throats out.

My eyes never strayed far from my man, the lights dancing across his face, the sweat glistening on his skin as his honey-dipped sultry voice floated through the air. Singing like he was meant to do this, singing like there was no one else better than him.

Even far, his presence affected every being of my soul.

As if sensing my eyes on him, his gaze dropped to me, and a smirk sneaked his lips as he continued to crush his guitar in a heavy riff and I blushed, my heart speeding.

---