Page 33 of Where the Little Birds Go (Little Bird Duet 1)

It takes her a moment, but she says, “You shouldn’t. I’m a bad person, Ian. The things I’ve done…”

Aaron draws back and holds her face. “We all do things we’re not proud of to find the happiness that’s just out of reach.”

Olivia just stares.

Leaning in, Aaron kisses her cheek. “It was too easy for us, wasn’t it? It’s not supposed to be that way.”

Finally, Olivia says, “No. It’s not.”

When the scene ends, Buchannan goes over and pats Aaron on the back and says something to Olivia that makes her smile. It gives me time to nudge Kinley’s arm, getting her to turn her focus from them to me.

I smile. “I’m proud of you, Little Bird.”

She blinks. “Thanks?”

Chuckling at her confusion, I rest my ankle on my opposite knee and lean back. “You congratulated me a while ago on living my dreams but look at you. Neither of us chose easy career paths, yet we still made it. I can tell how much this means to you.” I gesture around us. “I see the way you mouth along with the lines and try wiping away tears before anyone can see you’re emotional. You deserve to be though. Embrace it.”

She looks away for a moment. “I’m not a fan of people seeing me emotional.”

“Why?”

Her hand forms a fist and squeezes, before loosening her grip. “When you let your feelings be known, you’re vulnerable. People look at you differently when they see you at your weakest. I know because I was there before.”

My brows draw in. “Kinley…”

“Lincoln pities me,” she informs me. “I get why you think they’re on my side, but it’s not like that. They see me as a heartbroken teenager who trusted a boy with big dreams. I decided to channel all those emotions into my work to get where I am. I’m lucky that there’s a distraction for the town to focus on. That doesn’t change how they see me though. I’ll always be seventeen with puffy eyes, waiting for the day that the boy she loves shows back up.”

I hear one thing. Loves. Present tense.

“Like I said. I forgive you, Corbin.”

My eyes open to stare at her.

“I wouldn’t be here without you.” One of her shoulders lift and lowers as her expression turns sullen. “Kind of funny, huh? I made a career for myself because of you. I used to be so angry, but I should be grateful.”

I shake my head, sitting up. “Don’t be grateful for that. We both know I don’t deserve the credit for what you put to paper.”

She slides out of her chair and clicks her tongue. “Yet, here we are.”

I purse my lips. “Yeah. Here we are.”

Before she can walk away, I call out her name again. “You never came to my trailer the other day.”

She hesitates. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

All I can do is smile. “No,” I admit. “But I’ll make it worth it.”

To my surprise, I see the faintest smile tip up the corners of her lips. And that’s how I know there’s hope for us. Because she’ll show up.

Chapter Fourteen

Kinley / Present

The sun is setting by the time I find the courage to walk over to the trailer with Corbin’s name plastered on the door. It’s nothing like I would expect a star’s trailer to look like. It reminds me of my brother’s first single wide that he proudly bought for himself shortly after moving away from home.

Taking a step back, I debate on what to do. I should be going back to the hotel and eating the leftover salad I ordered the night before. My laptop should be out with my current book pulled up to be written so I can submit it to my editor as agreed upon.

What I shouldn’t be doing is this.

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