Page 207 of Deliverance

Shifting in her spot, she slips her hands to the back of my neck and starts fiddling with the collar as if I’m wearing a tux and not a leather jacket and need to look presentable in front of the masses.

“But you’ve met him before. Ashby? Right?” Her question sounds more like a statement.

“Yeah, we’ve done some festivals in the past.” I nod. “He’s a great guy.”

Truth is, I’m nervous, not because I’m going to share a stage with Thunderstorm tonight, but because I’ll be playing “Hang On Another Day.”

It’s just one song, but it’s the song that matters most. Not only to me or to Leo, but to Drew, to Sienna Webster, and to all the people who made this record happen.

In the end, the delay was worth it. Even the label was in shock when the single broke Billboard’s Top Forty ten days after its release. It’s been steadily climbing the charts this past month, warming up the crowd for the album drop scheduled for next week.

Leo checked out of rehab in April. He called me that same morning when I was with Drew in New York for her showcase.

“Hey, man, I’m ready to rock’n’roll. Let’s track this baby,” he said to me on the phone, his voice oddly fresh, full of enthusiasm.

Two days later, I took a plane back to L.A. and we spent nearly forty-eight hours in his home studio. Pizza and Red Bull were our fuel and his couch served as a place to sleep. Then we sent the material to Luca, and I returned to New York to play my role of a clingy boyfriend, sometimes bodyguard.

Contrary to my expectations, Drew didn’t mind me being there at all.

I hung out on the back row during the Q&As, pretending to be one of the guests, holding the brochure depicting some of the pieces fromScars, watching her discussing her process in front of people, watching her being absolutely mesmerizing.

And after every panel, we tried a new restaurant.

“You’ll do great.” Her soft whisper pulls me out of my thoughts and I’m transported to the back of the limo in L.A.

“Thanks.”

“I’m very proud of you,” she adds. “For making this happen. Cash would have loved what you did with the cover.”

I don’t have anything to say to that. Death isn’t a topic I like to discuss. It rattles me. It taunts my doubts. It reminds me how I let my best friend die years ago, knowing he needed help and choosing not to do anything about it. Working with Leo brought all those forgotten emotions to the surface and ravaged old wounds.

And then I look at Drew and remember why I’m here—to make her happy, to undo everything done to her, and to give her the life she deserves.

“Why are you so quiet today?” she asks, studying our fingers, laced together and resting on my thigh.

I shake my head once, then reach for the ring she’s wearing and touch the diamond as if I need reassurance it’s real. “Do you want another one? I can get you something different.”

“What? Why?” Her eyes widen in shock.

“You don’t think about that night when you look at it…” My tongue stumbles over itself.

“No, Zander. No.” Drew cups my face. “And I don’t want a new ring. I like this one a lot.”

“Okay then.” Relief washes through me and I pull her closer to my chest.

To avoid the chaos of the red carpet, we enter the building through the back, where Ian is already waiting for us. He’s in the company of a young PR girl armed with an iPad.

“Zander?” she says as if she’s not sure who I am, although I look exactly the way I did ten years ago. Her gaze drops to the guest list on the screen for a second. “We have you doing an on-camera interview withRewiredin twenty minutes in one of the upstairs dressing rooms.” She pauses abruptly and shifts her attention to Drew.

“Ms. Kadence isn’t doing any press,” Ian cuts in.

“Oh.” The PR girl seems confused. “Okay.” She separates two pink strips from a stack secured at her hip and quickly wraps one around my wrist.

Drew’s hand trembles midair and I snatch the other band from the girl and say, “I got it. Thank you.”

After I put it on Drew’s wrist, we walk down the corridor, leaving the security guard and the check-in behind.

A little farther ahead, I see a group of people engaged in a heated discussion, their excited voices carrying over the music pouring from the front lobby.

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