Page 68 of A Love Song for Dreamers

“What were you talking about?” Annie asks, and my chest tightens as I think about thehouse.

“Ah… nothing. You wanna see Jax’s newartist?”

I lead them to the studio where Shay’s getting set. I nod at her tostart.

Through the glass, Rae watches intently. She and Annie are both looking for different things than I would—I can tell from the way they watch, the way they listen. It’s the beautiful thing about music—everyone gets something different fromit.

Rae folds her arms over her chest. “She any good in front of acrowd?”

“She’s playing tonight,” I say. “You should come. Both ofyou.”

When Annie and her friend take off, I hold her back for a moment in the hallway to kiss her until she melts under myhands.

“Mmm,” she murmurs when I pull back. “What was thatfor?”

“Your dad texted to give me the green light on Shay. Funny how that happened when he was completely opposed to ityesterday.”

Her eyes sparkle. “Soweird.”

It means she and her dad are talking, and Jax is holding up his end of ourbargain.

I kiss her again, hard, before letting her go. “Thanks.”

Annie tosses me a look over her shoulder as she heads for the door. “Anytime.”

Since New York, things between us have feltgood.

We haven’t had a “where is this headed” conversation, which doesn’t feel right given we’re finally spending time togetheragain.

But even though I don’t know the specific answer, I know I don’t want to loseher.

After I finish working with Shay, I open my email to find a brutal realitycheck.

The note from Zeke’s office is brief but outlines expectations of my contract once I’m back in LA—which I’m supposed to be in another week. There are a dozen attachments. I only open the first two—a schedule for studio time, tens of thousands of dollars’ worth, plus an invitation to aparty.

The last few weeks, I have been checked out. I needed thetime.

I need moretime.

My guttwists.

The email is a reminder this is all temporary, that I’m heading back to LA soon—not just for my surgery, but for mylife.

I’m heading across the parking lot when Annie’s voice from across the fence stops me. “Where are yougoing?”

“Home for a shower and to change before Shay’s show.” I cross to where she’s standing, slide a hand between the fence posts, and wrap my arm around herwaist.

Her lips curve. “I got some good writing donetoday.”

“Sing forme?”

Annie laughs. “You listened to musicians all daylong.”

“None I wanted tofuck.”

Her gaze drops down my body. “You have a change of clothes in the office? You could have dinner with us at the house. Showerafter.”

Twenty minutes later, we’re arranged around the table in Jax’s dining room. Sophie’s devouring chicken fingers while the rest of us have grilledsalmon.

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