Campbell pushed through his admirers to find me and threw his sweaty arms around me. I laughed and hugged him back.
“Congratulations! I cannot believe that you’re about to go out on tour and I won’t see you for months.”
Campbell grinned. “We’ll miss you, Gibson. But I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh?”
He dropped a CD case into my hand. “Signed by the whole band.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered as I stared down at my photograph under the plastic case. “I’m definitely getting this framed.”
He laughed. “You made it happen.”
“We made it happen,” I told him.
He winked at me and then dove back into the fray.
Julian returned a minute later to my side. “Ready to go home?”
“I’m so jittery. I can’t believe this all happened. And look what Campbell gave me.”
Julian looked at it. “You’re such a fangirl.”
“I so am.”
He laughed and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Oh, sultry voice,” I teased. “Someone has a lot of energy.”
“You just said you’re jittery.”
But he took my hand and tugged me out of the back entrance to the barn. We waved at Jordan and Annie as we passed. Piper was standing against a wall, and Hollin was saying something that made her back stiffen. She looked like she always did when he talked to her, like she was this close to stabbing him with something sharp. Blaire wasn’t here at all. She’d already bailed with no explanation. Though I had an idea as to why.
But best of all, Julian’s mom had come for the show. She’d been let out of the hospital the next day when her vitals were back on track. Then she’d spent months doing chemo with a fuzzy mind and a desperate look about her. She’d turned a corner at Christmas, and she was back to her bubbly self. Still wearing a head scarf and promising to find a new man for herself. Annie and I were more into it than the boys, of course.
“Milli or Cornelia?” Julian asked as we approached the car.
With the money from the cover album shoot and the selling of my latest portrait session, I’d finally given up on Bertha. And like I’d suggested to Julian all those months ago, I’d named my new car Cornelia. She wasn’t anything fancy like Milli—a VW Jetta instead of a Jaguar—but I loved her all the same.
“Cornelia,” I said. “Obviously.”
He laughed and let me drive him home. I’d left food out for the cats so that I could stay the night. I’d been doing that a lot lately. Though I wasn’t quite ready to move in. Maybe when my lease was up. We’d been talking about it, but he was okay with waiting. Especially since we both knew Avocado might kill us if we moved her again.
I pulled up to Julian’s house, and he rushed around to help me out of the car. He shouldered my photography backpack and then dropped a kiss on my lips.
“So, you know how Campbell surprised you with the CD?”
“Yeah?” I asked as he walked backward in front of me toward the house.
“He’s an asshole. I planned a surprise first.”
I snorted. “He didn’t know that, did he?”
“No.”
“Then how is he an asshole?”
“Go with me on this one.”
“Okay. What’s my surprise?”
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” he said with a glint in his eyes. We reached the front door. “Close your eyes.”
“What? Seriously?”
“Seriously, Jen. Close them. Cover them with your hands. No peeking.”
I sighed and did what he’d said. I couldn’t see his hand as it passed in front of my face, but the dark got darker, so I knew he was doing it.
“I can’t see you!” I grumbled.
He laughed and unlocked the door, helping me over the first step inside and depositing me in the living room. He disappeared for a minute and then finally said, “Okay, now, open.”
I opened my eyes, blinking at the bright lights. Then I gasped.
“Oh my God, Julian, what did you do?”
On the floor in front of us was the cutest, smallest, most adorable little white kitten I’d ever seen in my life.
“I got us a kitten.”
“But I don’t like cats,” I said with a wink.
He laughed boisterously and then knelt in front of the cat. I dropped to my knees next to him, playing with the tiny thing, running my finger down her belly, letting her gnaw on my finger.
“She’s so cute. Gah! What’s her name?”
“All yours, Dreamsicle,” he joked.
I shook my head. “You and that nickname.”
“Hey, you earned it.”
“Well, little one, what do you think your name is?” I asked the kitten. “Probably something to go with your two older sisters, yes?”
“Definitely. Avocado, Bacon, and…”
“Tortilla.”
“Tortilla!” Julian roared, rolling over to laugh. “Oh my God, yes!”
“We can call her Tilla.”
“Cado, Bakey, and Tilla. You have a full dinner now.”
“Together, they make some kind of taco,” I said with a shrug. “What do you think, Tilla?”