Page 81 of Roaring Fork Rockstar

“Quite an engineering feat,” I said, settling beside them.

“We could sleep here tonight,” Luna suggested, eyes bright.

My father shrugged. “My spine says no, but don’t let that stop you two.”

“We’ll see,” I hedged. The floor’s appeal had diminished significantly after weeks of hospital chair sleeping. Not to mention, I had every intention of holding my body close to Holt’s tonight, and not even my beloved daughter’s pleading could get me to abandon that plan.

We spent the evening in that cloth cave, my father recounting embarrassing stories from my childhood that made Luna demand more. I had to wonder how many were actually true. Laughter filled our house again, something I’d feared might be a long time coming.

By the timeHolt texted he was on his way over, I’d already carried my sleeping daughter up the stairs and put her to sleep in her bed.

“Hey,” I said, opening the door to let him in.

My father stretched his arms over his head. “Calling it a night. These old bones weren’t meant for floor sitting.” He clasped Holt’s shoulder as he passed. “Good night.”

“Night,” we echoed.

Alone finally, Holt eliminated the space between us. “About the song…”

“It was perfect,” I said, reaching up to trace the line of his jaw. “She’ll love hearing it.”

His hands found my waist, drawing me closer. “I wrote it for both of you.”

I rose on tiptoe, pressing my mouth to his. When we separated, I rested against him, listening to the rhythm of his heart.

“Let’s go upstairs,” I whispered.

“Holt, there’s something I need to tell you.”

While he looked like he was about to drift to sleep, his eyes opened wide.

“I, um, well, the thing is…” I stammered.

He put his fingertip on my lips. “Let me go first.”

“Okay.”

“I love you, Keltie.”

My eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Holt.”

22

HOLT

Keltie’s words washed over me, releasing the tension I’d been carrying for the last couple of weeks. I pulled her closer, burying my face in her wild curls as her arms tightened around me. The weight of everything I’d watched her go through—Luna’s diagnosis, the treatments, the bone marrow search—seemed to lift, if only for this moment.

“Say it again,” I whispered against her ear.

Her amber eyes met mine in the dim light of her bedroom. “I love you.”

I claimed her mouth with mine, my hands sliding beneath her sweater to find the warm skin beneath. She moved against me with an urgency that matched my own, her fingers working the buttons of my shirt with trembling hands.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked, breaking the kiss long enough to search her face.

“More sure than I’ve been about anything in a long time,” she replied.

Once we were both naked, I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out the only condom I carried with me, hoping itwould still work. When I opened the packet, then rolled it on, I breathed a sigh of relief.

---