Page 66 of Lost Lyrics

“I know. But write the soppy ones from memory, not reality this time.” Cole jabbed a finger at me. “Just promise me you won’t fuck things up with Sutton. We don’t want to see either of you hurt, or for you to fall into the depths of depression and hit the bottle again. Or have to write another album totally about her.”

Grinning, I bobbed my head. The guys and I had been through so much shit together, but we’d survived. We were stronger. I was better. “We won’t...not the whole album anyway. I’m in a good place. Sutt is my one. I’m ready to take on the world again. Are you?”

“Fuck yeah.” Cole twirled his sticks around his fingers, then tapped them against his books. His energy filled the room, a clear sign he was itching to write and play.

Shards of silver light shimmered across Lewis’s eyes. His electric vibe was as contagious as Cole’s. “The album has to tell a story. The story of us. That after hard times, there is good. After heartache, there’s love. Hope. A bright future. Our friendship has been key.” He straightened and slapped his thighs. “So let’s do this. Let’s write an album.”

“Yes, please.” Slip strummed the strings on his guitar and jutted his chin toward me. “We always come up with the best songs when we just jam and follow a beat, or you get all fucking emotional. Have you worked on anything good recently? We gotta start somewhere, so what have you got for us?”

“I have so many bits and pieces to show you.” I shuffled through some books. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Same.” Lewis scrolled and clicked on his laptop. “I’ve got some great ideas. Let me see if I can find one.”

“Actually...” I drew my shoulders back and rubbed my hands up and down my thighs. “I know where to start.” This day was what I’d been living for. I wanted to capture it. Capture our feelings, our thoughts, our goals. I grabbed my laptop, opened it, and turned it on. Damn thing took forever to load. “Gemma told me to do this years ago, and I never have. So you’re gonna suck this up and go with the flow. It’s a quick activity for us to understand each other. I want everyone to say why you’re here. Why do you want this? Or why the fuck you can’t breathe without music? Or what’s driving you to make this album, getback on stage, and follow this dream?”

“That’s a no-brainer.” Cole leaned back on the sofa and stretched out his legs.

“Good.” I opened Google Docs and a new file, ready to type. “I’m gonna wing this and write shit that comes into my head. You first, Cole.”

“Fine.” He rolled his sticks against his leg. “I’m here because my life is better with the three of you. Drumming and you guys are my world...Ava and the kids are my everything. Taking care of my family is my priority. I want to give them the best life possible, travel with them, and be the best father and partner I can be.”

I rolled my hand through the air, coaxing him to give me more. “Can you give me a moment, or a time when something happened when you knew you couldn’t live without Ava and the kids?”

His gaze softened. “Yeah. It’s been right since our last tour. But a couple months ago, we were in bed. It was early. We’d just finished fucking when the kids came charging into our room and jumped all over us. We had to quickly get dressed, but then the four of us just lay on the bed and talked, hugged, and goofed around. It was the day Ava agreed to move in. Every day since then just keeps getting better and better. That’s the day we truly became a family.”

I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to picture him fucking Ava, but I’d sensed they’d been truly happy the past few months since they’d lived together. I’d felt that way when Sutton had moved in with me. Words and feelings tumbled around in my head. My fingers glided across the keyboard as I typed. Tunes and words formed in my head, then the lines rolled off my tongue:

The sun . . . woke us

Sweet kisses . . . Hot love

Knotted sheets . . . Soft touches

Your smile . . . perfect

My heart . . . surrendered

This life . . . with you

Is all . . . so new

Our family . . . has grown

Let’s see . . . where this goes

Bold steps . . . A home

Our love’s . . . so strong

We can’t . . . be wrong

This is . . . so right

I’m yours . . . You’re mine

Every day . . . and night

I’m yours . . . You’re mine

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