Page 59 of Reckless

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Miles had been called into one meeting after the next when he’d arrived at the venue that afternoon, so he’d missed Above Me’s soundcheck.

Then he’d gone to get changed for their own soundcheck and meet and greet with fans and missed Harlow again. It wasn’t like they weren’t going back to the townhouse together or anything. He saw her every day, slept with her every night. He’d even been with her that morning. It was silly to be wistful when it had only been a few hours.

And still, as he stood in their empty dressing room, he could smell her on the air. Her ebook reader sat on top of her ever-present notebook with a pen clipped on it. He recognized her well-worn cardigan that she always brought with her even in the summer because backstage areas and hotels got cold.

He picked it up and smelled it before putting it back and heading out. At the very least, he could watch their show. That’s when he saw the banana with a bright pink post it. Sitting where he’d see it if he came in.

Miles, eat a piece of fruit and drink something that isn’t soda. Xox, Harlow

She did that. They’d just be going about their day, and she’d pull two apples from her bag and hand him one with orders to eat it becauseyou can’t live on bacon and potato chips alone. And he loved soda. Drank it all day long but she started bringing two water bottles to the venue instead of just one. She usually went through several refills each time, and because she encouraged—and nagged a little—him to drink more water, he’d probably tripled his regular water intake and had cut back on the soda too.

Just little things that meant a lot.

Miles couldn’t have been too far behind them because he recognized one of the songs Above Me usually played during the first half of their set.

Pleased he hadn’t missed the part of their show when they played a cover, he found himself a spot to watch after finishing the banana and tossing the peel into the trash.

The song ended and Harlow paused to drink some water. “Hey, Madison Square Garden. So we do a thing in our shows where we play a cover. Sometimes we decide ahead of time but it’s also fun to get suggestions from the crowd. We love music and there are so many great songs we forget about them all. If we know it, we’ll give it a whirl.”

Shouts came from the audience for songs from across genres of music and Miles knew she’d be delighted by that. But what he heard more than once were Earthquakes songs.

Brian went and spoke in Harlow’s ear, and she shook her head. Nora joined them. Shortly after that, Harlow said to the crowd, “I love “Can’t Shake I” too, but we don’t know all the chords.”

Miles found himself walking out, totally surprising Harlow, who grinned at him, filling him with relief because he realized too late that she might not want him out there.

“I don’t know the bassline,” Brian said in his ear.

“I know the chords,” he said to Harlow. “As long as Brian is cool with it.” Brian shrugged and nodded.

“This guy’s name is Miles. He says he knows the chords,” she told the crowd.

Nora did a few drum rolls.

In the background, the crowd had gone wild, chanting the name of the song over and over. Brian, laughing, bowed. Suddenly Miles’s guitar tech thrust his bass into his hands and backed off.

“You okay with this?” he asked them.

“Don’t expect us to pay you your regular rates,” Harlow said. “We’re on a budget here. And I’m singing it.”

“I think I can work with a payment plan.” He waggled his eyebrows, gave her a sexy look, and she giggled, shaking her head at him. “As for you singing? Yeah, I’d dig that.”

She began playing the opening to a song Miles had written about addiction and obsession and he came right in behind her. Not singing the song was a totally new experience, but holy shit he loved Harlow’s vocals and the direction she took the song in. Growly, low snarls, whispers, and desperate explanations. It was like hearing the music from the perspective of the audience.

It filled him with pride and also humility that he’d come through a wild and dark phase in his life and was stronger for it. Proud that he’d opened himself up that way and poured it all into a song he loved even more at that point.

Harlow took care of his words. Took care of the song that had come from that dark, healing part of himself. It was astonishingly intimate.

The audience sang along with her, letting her lead them through it, through the pause at the end of the first two choruses, down to the depth of pain near the end and then brought everyone up, higher and on solid ground at the end.

When it was over and everyone cheered—including Miles—he looked her way and blew her a kiss before he left the stage on slightly rubbery legs.

Because an unassailable truth had punched him in the gut. He was absolutely, positively in love with Harlow Martin. No morefallingin love. He was there.

By the time they’d come off stage, Harlow was buzzing with energy and excitement. Not just because had been such a great show, but because Miles had come out and they’d played music together. It had been so ridiculously wonderful she was a little bit drunk with it.

“Wow. You two were like, combustible out there.” Nora put her arm through Harlow’s as they headed away from the stage and back to the dressing room area.

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