Page 59 of Lost in You (Flirting with Forever 1)

She didn’t need to tell me, I could feel Shawn’s eyes on me. I inhale and let out a happy sigh. “I think I’m in love with him.”

Hadleigh’s eyes go wide. “Wow. That was fast. I totally thought you all were just fucking.”

Coke spews out of Piper’s mouth and dribbles down her chin, and at that, we all break into giggles. I shake my head with a grin, as my eyes search out Shawn’s again. “Nope. It’s so much more than that.”

Shawn sits down on a stool onstage and takes a minute to tune his guitar. After making a few minor adjustments, the soothing sound of his playing begins to fill the room. It’s the same tune he’d been playing while we were away together, only now the sound is fuller, and he’s more confident in it. He’s been practicing, and he hums along at first, which is enough to melt my panties. I’m content just to sit back and listen to him like this all night.

He pauses for a second, putting his hand over the strings, and clears his throat before speaking. “This is going to be a little rough, and it’s not quite done, but I thought maybe there was someone out there who needed to hear it.”

Sophia catches my eye from across the table and winks, and then I’m further distracted for a moment by Zoey asking her if Heath plays, too.

When the first notes of Shawn’s deep voice whisper out into the mic, I sit up and take notice, my lips parting involuntarily as my eyes seek out his again.

He’s put words to what he’d been working on during our trip, and from the first line, my heart gives a little lurch and skips, missing a beat or maybe three. Oh, man, does he have a way with words. He has half the audience fully swooning already. The song is so very clearly about us, the lyrics are so beautiful. Oh God, he’s singing about how I’m wound around his heart, how he can’t live without me now because his heart has found its home.

As I listen, a miniature storm builds inside of me, making it hard to breathe or think. All I can do is feel the way he loves me through his song.

When it comes to an end, I stare at him, hearing the clapping around me when he stops. All the sound in the room seems like it’s been sucked into a tunnel, and I’m standing on the outside, straining to hear. My chest clenches tight as tears slip down my cheeks unchecked at the simple sweetness of his lyrics.

Without a thought as to what I’m doing, I get up from my seat and weave my way through the chairs and stand in front of him at the edge of the stage. Behind me, I hear the rumble of curiosity move through the crowd, but I pay it no mind. The only person I’m interested in is right in front of me.

In a flash, Shawn has set his guitar down on the chair behind him and steps off the stage. He sweeps me up in his arms and holds me tightly for a second before his mouth finds mine for a soul-stealing kiss. I faintly hear catcalls somewhere in the back of my mind, but I’m far too distracted by the movement of Shawn’s lips on mine, his heart pounding against my chest.

When we finally break the kiss, he holds my head between his big hands and swipes his thumbs along my cheekbones. It’s like we’re still in our own little world. I have eyes for no one but him.

“That was beautiful, Shawn.” My hand presses to my chest where my heart continues to flutter.

“I hope you understood what I was trying to tell you.”

I give a little nod, but I can’t help but want him to say the words. This feels like one of those moments when every single thing I’ve ever wanted has the potential to be realized—or crushed. Did I understand him? I think I did. I think he wants us to be real. I think he wants there to be an us. I think he wants me to be the place where his heart lives. Forever.

Before I can even open my mouth, he leans in, his forehead touching mine. His raspy voice winds its way right around my heart when he stares into my eyes and murmurs, “I’m lost in you—so hopelessly in love with you, Madison.”

Happy tears well in my eyes again. “I think my heart is going to hop right out of my chest and take the leap into your hands.”

“You’re not still pretending, are you?”

I shake my head. “If you feel about me the same way I feel about you, I never want us to have to pretend again. I love you, too, Shawn. So much.”

“Madi, you never have to worry ever again. Everything I feel for you is completely real. No more fake boyfriends. Just me.” He gives me a sweet smile, making my heart melt. “If you’ll have me, that is.”

I bite my lip as my eyes flicker up to his, connecting with his gaze. I don’t know if he knows just how lost I am to him, too. “You’ll always have something to write a song about because I’m bound to give you plenty of material.”

“Funny how love does that.”

Hope surges through me as the reality of what he feels for me finally reaches all the tender parts of my heart. He loves me.

Shawn reaches out, cups my cheek, and strokes his fingertips over the newly discovered birthmark. “So, you’ve helped me realize how I can be happy. Tell me what dream can I help you chase, Butterfly.”

“You.” My voice hitches. “Just you. You’re my dream, Shawn.”

His gaze softens as he gathers me in his arms and feathers a kiss over my lips. “Baby, I have no problem making that one come true.”

Epilogue

Hadleigh

I’ve got to hand it to Sophia. Her idea to head on over to Shawn’s bar after book club had been a good one. I feel the need to cut loose and have some fun. Shawn has finally gotten karaoke equipment, and it sure is drawing a crowd. Maybe I’ll have to get up there and give it a go later.

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