Page 80 of A Love Song for Dreamers

His hand finds my waist, and I fit my palm inhis.

He asks me about options, and I tell him what contacts I have, the timing that was planned and how we could make it up. He suggests some paths I hadn’t thought of andlistens.

By the time we’re done, the song has changed twice, but we’re stillmoving.

“I always saw the dark side of this business,” he says. “But you find ways to make it brighter, to make it better from the inside out. It’s easy to want to be a part of that. Hell, I wouldn’t have started this label if it wasn’t for you. What you’ve done made me rethink the industry. I realized I have more to contribute, and I can make it better instead of living under what itis.”

The gentleness in his tone, the compassion, makes the backs of my eyes burn. “You meanit?”

Dad nods. “Our children have a way of being better than we are in ways we couldn’t have imagined. When you have kids, you’ll see ittoo.”

He glances down at our feet. “You’re pretty good at thisdancing.”

My lips curve. “I had to take so many classes. I felt like I wasdrowning.”

“You never looked like it onstage.”

Surprise works through me. “When did you seeme?”

“Any time I could. Opening night. At the holidays. On your birthday.” My fingers dig into his shoulders, and I force them torelax.

“But you didn’t sayanything.”

“I knew I’d fucked up, and I didn’t know how to fix it. You went through so much as a kid, and I always wanted to keep you from hurting more, so I tried to protect you. To insulate you. Instead, I made itworse.”

The words come out stilted, as if he’s confessing something he’s held in for too long. I study his face in the half light. This is hard for him, harder than taking Tyler’s advice on his new artist. Maybe even harder than starting alabel.

It means that much more because it’shard.

“You didn’t make it worse, Dad. I wouldn’t be who I am if you hadn’t been who you were. I remember going to one of your shows when I was a kid. We had front-row seats, and I was the only person under the age of sixteen. I was buzzing from the second the lights went down, and when you came out on stage, the way you looked…” I sigh. “I wanted to be that. I wanted to be you. I used to think it was because everyone loved you. But now, I think it was because even before I found out you were my dad… some part of meknew.”

In this moment, I forgive him for all of it, because I know he’s fighting to do the right thing, just like Iam.

Even if he doesn’t get it all the time…none of usdo.

But a relationship isn’t forged in a moment, and it isn’t demolished in one, either. There’s always something to be saved, if you want to saveit.

“I love you, Dad,” I say softly. “And I know I’m lucky to have you in mylife.”

His eyes shine, and if Jax Jamieson starts crying right now, I’m going to loseit.

“I love you too, kid. You get yours,” he says gruffly. “This time, I’ll be in the frontrow.”

18

The morning after the party,I wake up to the sound of my phone buzzing. I shift out of bed, taking a second to admire Annie next to me, her red hair splayed over the hotelpillow.

Last night, we got back from the partylate.

I know it’s been a lot for her meeting her birth mom and the pressure of finishing her show. I’m so damned proud of her even as I admire her for doing what she needs to even when she’safraid.

It’s one more thing I love abouther.

I tug on boxer briefs and head out to the balcony to answer the call from myrealtor.

“What’s up?” I say by way of ananswer.

“That property you wanted is a go. You ready to make an offer? If you don’t, it’ll go on the market, and there’s no way you’ll get another shot atit.”

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