Page 38 of Lost Lyrics

That would be good. We’d had nothing but rain and gray skies for weeks on the island. Summer heat hadn’t hit. We needed some Cali sun.

I snaked my arms around Slip’s waist and rested my head against his shoulder. “I miss your...ourhouse here.”

He combed his fingers through my long hair. “Then let’s stay.”

“Are you sure you’re ready to do that?” I pressed my lips together and met his gaze, searching for signs of doubt, worry, and concern, but found none. He’d been sober for ten months. There had been a change in him recently. When we’d gone to the local restaurant for dinner or headed to the mainland for a night out, he hadn’t had to have a timeout away from people who were drinking. He hadn’t constantly fidgeted with his wedding ring or stress-bead bracelet to keep his mind off the alcohol. I wasn’t naïve—maintaining sobriety was a constant battle—but now it didn’t seem to be as hard as it used to be for him. Damn, I loved my man.

“Yes.” His confidence never cracked. “It’s just an extended visit.”

“I’d love that.” I gave him a quick kiss, then tugged on his shirt. “And I love you.”

Slip always seemed to know what I needed, when I needed it. I’d lost my mom. She’d left a huge gap in my life, and I wanted to fill it with spending more time with friends. Mom may have been very ill for a long time, but she’d lived life to the fullest and had a great group of friends. I had that too. They were my family, and I wanted to be around them more often.

When I returned to work, Slip and I would have to find a balance between my job in Vancouver and our life in LA with our friends and Slip’s music. I was confident we would because we had each other.

Today I may have laid my mom to rest, but she’d given me the greatest gift. I’d been given a new lease on life. A life that was my own. One I could devote to my husband, my friends, and my career. One that I would not waste.

Chapter 10

FLINT

“Flint, are you hanging with us just to avoid more wedding talk?” Cole sat before me in the tiny patch of gritty sand on the stony beach, attempting to make something that resembled a sandcastle for Charlotte. She was farther down the shoreline in front of Slip and Maddy’s house with a bucket in hand, exploring the rocks with Ava, Tia, and Josh.

Lewis, on his hands and knees, patted and smoothed the pebbly mounds Cole had made, trying to make them look like towers. Slip lay beside me, sun baking on the stones.Yeah, this is no Californian Beach.But being here on Bowen Island was nice for a change. The private stretch of the shoreline may have been small, but the water was crystal clear. I could handle mountains and trees and being on an island for a few days. Over the past seven months of our hiatus, the four of us hadn’t had many opportunities to hang out together and just do nothing. We hadn’t sat in the same room and played music as a band.

That sucked.

But chilling was good. This was what I needed.

Bowen Island had turned on the sunshine and warmth for the Fourth of July weekend. We may not have been in the States, but we were here to celebrate.

I leaned back on my beach towel, closed my eyes behind my sunglasses, and turned my face toward the sun. The bright rays warmed my cheeks and heated my skin. The gentle ocean waves teasing the shoreline soothed my racing mind.

“I’m not avoiding wedding talk...I justneeded to get out of the house.” Who was I kidding? Yes, I needed a break. Since I’d proposed three months ago, Sutton had gone wedding mad. Tying the knot was exciting, and I looked forward to our big day, but now every conversation focused on the occasion. It was doing my head in. We’d hired Quill to take care of the details. It should have been stress free. But it wasn’t. So while Sutton and Maddy were at the market, I’d jumped at the chance to spend time with the guys. “And yes. I needed a breather. Our wedding isn’t until May, but Sutton wants everything done now.”

Slip play-punched me in the arm. “Makes getting married in Vegas on the spur-of-the-moment sound better by the day, doesn’t it?”

“Fuck yeah.” I couldn’t argue. He and Maddy may have had the right idea. “You should see my house. Half the living room has turned into a shrine to all things wedding.” Fabric swatches, piles of magazines, and pictures had taken over every surface. Sutton had even bought a carry-on bag full of magazines and folders on this trip to show Maddy.

“What did you expect?” Slip ripped off his shirt, then shaded his sunglass-covered eyes with his arm.I smirked and shook my head. His physique certainly hadn’t suffered during his time off. He was more buff than ever. He could give Cole a run for his money in the abs department. But then...so could I. Slip peered at me from underneath his arm. “Sutton’s been itching to marry you since you moved in together. She’s just excited.”

“I am too.” I drove my hands into the gritty sand and let the tiny stones fall through my fingers. Sutton used to calm the chaos in my mind—now she was causing it. “But I don’t careabout picking colors, decorations, and flower arrangements. It’s more her day than mine. I’m happy to wear what I’m told to, rock up at the set time, and be done with it.”

“You can’t do that.” Lewis cut out windows in the stony towers with a stick. “It’s your fucking wedding, man. You’re only planning on doing this once, so suck it up. Be involved. It’ll make her happy.”

My head wobbled into some form of a nod. “Yeah, I know. It may kill me, but she’s worth it.”

Just thinking about Sutton brought a smile to my face. I’d promised her the wedding of her dreams, so I had to ensure she got that. Rather than dwelling on tasks that didn’t interest me, I’d suck it up, make the process fun, and be infected by her contagious excitement. I’d do whatever she needed me to do. Easy, right?

Fuck! I hope so.

“Sutton is more than worth it.” Cole slammed another bucket of gravelly sand next to his ever-growing castle. It was now two-foot square and getting bigger. “I don’t think we’d be sitting here if it wasn’t for her.”

“She’s helped us through a lot. She’s stuck around, and I don’t plan on letting her go.” A small grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. Sutton had gotten under my skin since the day I’d met her. Now she was tattooed on my soul. I was hers. And I wasn’t afraid to admit that. “Anyone who puts up with my shit is a keeper.”

“We all put up with your shit.” Chuckling, Slip rolled onto his side and propped his head on his hand. “That’s what we do and will always do. But enough about weddings. What else have you been up to?”

I was more than happy to change the subject. I scooped up another handful of gravelly sand and squashed it into a ball. “I’ve been gardening. Cleaning. Cooking. Going to occasionalwork meetings and events with these two idiots.” I jutted my chin toward Lewis and Cole. “...And I’ve been writing.” I carefully placed my ball of sand on top of Charlotte’s castle, but it collapsed.Yep, not sand.“I took your advice, Slip, and considered other projects. When Sutt and I were in New York a couple weeks ago, I met with Everhide. They’ve signed two new artists and asked me to write some songs. I’ve been in my studio, working on new material, but nothing has clicked. It doesn’t feel right. Music isn’t the same without you guys.”

---