Page 91 of A Love Song for Dreamers

Tyler nods to the pianist in the corner, who plays the arrangement. The song moves through me, the accompaniment to the song I spent this summerwriting.

Tyler sings the first part of the duet, and I melt into thefloor.

I can’tmove.

Can’tthink.

Can’tbreathe.

Can’tlive.

Except I am living, and his voice, his presence, is the only thing responsible forit.

Music is a language that makes sense when all the others don’t. And right now, there’s no greater expression of life’s promise than what’s happening around me, insideme.

Hearing Tyler as the dreamer makes my heart explode. I almost miss jumping in at the female lead’s part, but once I do, I focus on the song and match him tone for tone, measure for measure, phrase forphrase.

Every verse and chorus I’m vibrating, caught between the stage and the words and the man in front ofme.

When we finish, the final notes of our voices and the piano fading, Jeffrey, Miranda and Elle are all standingsilently.

They don’t need to say it wasgood.

Because it wasn’tgood.

It wasright.

It waseverything.

Jeffrey’s the first to move, nodding. “Tyler. You understand we’re looking to do previews in three months, then move it to off-Broadway with an initial twelve-monthrun.”

“I have other commitments, but I can fit them aroundthis.”

I’m still trying to catch up. “You’d have to move back to New York. You hate NewYork.”

“I can’t hate it. It has you.” My heartexpands.

“Good. We have a show,” Jeffreysays.

“I have a condition,” Tyler interjects. “Annie has to do it withme.”

I can barely breathe through the tightness in my throat. “It’s our show. It always has been. But I’ve been trying to find the right people to play the leads so I didn’t have to be in it. So I could be in LA withyou.”

His forehead presses to mine, and I reach up to tug on his hair, at a loss forwords.

“If it’s our story, it seems fair we should do it. At least for the initialrun.”

I shake my head. “But what about your record deal? The house inLA?”

“I withdrew the offer. And I’ve pulled some strings with the label to give me moreflexibility.”

“You really want to do this,” Iwhisper.

“I really do. Just tell me one thing—why’d you give them thisending?”

“Because if I got to create my own world... we’d be together in it. Every singletime.”

My gaze falls to his mouth, his full lips, and I need them onme.

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