Page 42 of The Lyrics of Love

“I wish we would’ve known,” Jackson said. “I love to listen to live music. I have all your music downloaded—and I want you to know that the men will win tonight. Just saying.”

Ainsley punched Jackson in the arm and then told everyone, “Since Jackson and I won that last Game Night, which was pretty long ago, I brought the dessert my husband thought the men would want. Triple chocolate cheesecake bars. It’s a brownie crust layered with chocolate cheesecake, topped with chocolate ganache.”

Everyone sighed at the description, as Gage said, “Thanks for going chocolate for me, Jackson.”

Rylie turned to Nash. “Gage may be the biggest chocoholic on the planet.”

“You look like a mean, lean, fighting machine,” Nash pointed out. “And you do chocolate?”

“I eat clean most of the time. My reward is a piece of dark chocolate after dinner each night,” Gage said. “Game Night desserts are the only time I succumb to temptation. Ainsley could beat the Devil Himself and tempt anyone to eat her creations.”

“We’re ready for dinner,” Carter announced. He indicated the island. “Everything’s lined up so we can buffet style.”

Tenley had opened the wine and asked who wanted a glass. Rylie noted that Nash passed and even shook his head no when Gage held up a beer to him.

“Can I address the elephant in the room?” he asked. “I got a DUI several months ago. I was drinking pretty heavily because of some things in my personal life which drinking didn’t solve. I don’t think I’m an alcoholic, but I haven’t had a drop since that night. Please go ahead and drink what you have. I’ll be sticking with water. And no, it doesn’t bother me to be around beer and wine.”

He looked to Rylie and caught her hand in his. “Alcohol never made me as happy as I am right now, being with this woman and her good friends.”

Carter retrieved a bottled water from the refrigerator and handed it to Nash. He held up his beer and toasted, saying, “To Nash. For seeing the light and coming to the Cove—and for seeing how amazing our Rylie is.”

“To Nash!” the group called out.

Nash squeezed Rylie’s fingers. Warmth flooded her.

Yes, tonight would definitely be the night.

CHAPTER 15

Nash enjoyed the dinner Carter Clark prepared, but he enjoyed the conversation even more. Rylie’s group of friends were all quick-witted and knowledgeable on a variety of topics. Conversation jumped from books people were reading, to who would win the World Series, to the best desserts to pair with vanilla ice cream. An easy camaraderie blanketed this group. He couldn’t tell whether they had been friends a long time or only a short while, but he had no difficulty fitting in.

He glanced to Rylie, who smiled at him. She grew more beautiful every time he looked at her. And Nash wanted her. Badly. But he would not blow it with her. She knew he was interested in her. He was giving her the power now, allowing her to set the pace in their relationship.

He only hoped she wanted him as much as he did her.

They all helped clear the table, with Ainsley bringing the Tupperware container into the large den and removing the lid.

“I’ve already sliced up the cheesecake bars,” she said, lifting one at a time from the container and placing them on a paper plate Tenley provided before passing dessert around until everyone had a plate.

They played a game called 60 Second Slam, where pairs went up against one another, trying to come up with a word for each letter of the alphabet in a single minute. Nash lucked out, getting the topic US Cities. With his touring experience, he crushed Willow.

“I spent too much time in Europe,” she complained. “My last US Geography class was probably in middle school.”

“I’ll admit I had an advantage,” he conceded. “With my touring schedule, I’ve been to all lower forty-eight states and played everything from clubs that seated two dozen people to arenas seating twenty thousand.”

“Wasn’t your last tour strictly stadiums?” Carter asked.

“It was,” he said. “No venue less than fifty thousand.”

“Which do you prefer playing?” asked Jackson.

“I just like performing. I don’t care what size the audience is. While having seventy thousand screaming fans is a real rush, I enjoyed playing on the square the other night to a few hundred, having them sing along to my songs.”

“Why did you come to the Cove?” Tenley asked. “I thought I read you lived in Tennessee.”

“I do have a farm there. Pops—my grandfather—lives there and handles the variety of animals. My drummer grew up in Salty Point, though. Billy Brown.”

“I know Billy,” Jackson said. “We played ball together. He’s a great guy.”

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