Best Friend's Ex Box Set

“You’ll see,” he retorted playfully.

We quickly toweled off and walked to the bedroom together, falling into the bed with a sigh. He gathered me in his arms and pulled me against him, his warmth enveloping me. “I’m beat,” he said, his breath ruffling my wet hair. “Do you think we can stay in bed all day tomorrow?”

“We can do that, but I can’t guarantee that we would sleep,” I said with a laugh, linking our fingers together. “Is that the something you need to do?” I was deliriously happy at the moment, barely believing this was my life, that all of this could be real.

“Actually, it’s part of it.”

“What’s the rest?”

“Falling asleep with you in my arms,” he said with a yawn, placing a soft, warm kiss to my temple. “We have to make up for lost time.”

“We certainly have a lot to make up for,” I replied with a flirtatious smile.

He turned me over and brushed the hair out of my face, his eyes full of tenderness. “You know I'd give the world to keep you happy, Nalia. You're everything to me, absolutely everything.”

I traced a finger gently down the side of his face. “I don’t need the world, Owen. I just need you.”

“I can make that happen.”

“Though, a new piano wouldn't hurt my feelings, either.”

He laughed, leaned in, and pressed his lips against mine, pleasure exploding through me as we began a long, deep, passionate kiss.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Owen

I sat before the guys who, for the better part of twenty years, had shared my life. Guys who probably knew more about me than I knew about myself most days. It had been a few months since we had wrapped up the tour. A tour that had been the most successful and well-received tour we'd ever done. Social media had been all abuzz with fans talking about how well we'd played, album sales had shot through the roof, and rock magazines were calling it the comeback of the decade. It would be crazy to call it quits now that we were on this high, but the reality was that all good things had to come to an end.

“I appreciate you guys making it over today. I know everyone is busy, so I’ll try to keep it quick. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, and I know when we first decided to go on tour that it was supposed to be a long-term commitment,” I started, clasping my hands loosely in front of me.

“But, as I know you all are aware, some things have changed. And while being with you guys and jamming out these songs has been the best fucking experience of my life, I...I just feel like it’s time to take a step back and reevaluate some things. I want to turn my attention to my future, which is the record company and Nalia, of course, but I figured you guys already knew that.”

Nalia and I had been inseparable since the last concert of the tour. I would have never guessed how happy it would make me to wake up every morning and see her lying beside me with that gorgeous smile spread across her beautiful face. I was a lucky man. I loved her more than I thought was possible to love anyone, and I could not wait to make her officially mine.

“So you’re pulling out?” Jeremiah asked softly, no expression on his face.

“Yes and no. I'm saying we won’t be doing any touring. And since we're at the top, what better time for me to pull out? Better to do it now than to fade into obscurity and start putting out a string of lackluster albums because my heart isn’t in it. No, I think that now is the right time to make this move. So yeah, as amazing as it's been, it’s time for me to start a new chapter in my life.”

“Well,” Talon said, slapping his hands against his knees. “I don't know if I agree with you fully on this, bro, but I can un

derstand why you're doing it. Touring is hard on the body and the mind, and, I never thought I'd say this, but I for one am looking forward to some downtime.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Jeremiah agreed with a shrug. “I want to do some real traveling, not the kind followed by having to do gigs every night. You know, like those guys on TV who go to the craziest places on earth. See the world before I’m too old to get out of the chair.”

“Man, I’ve been wanting to focus on writing more,” Jay added. “Having the tour be a success just puts me in a better position to do that.”

“So, you’re not all disappointed?” I asked, surprised by their responses. I had been expecting some resistance and maybe even a little resentment at least. We had poured our heart and souls into this tour—it had been a year in the making with a lot riding on its success. And a great success it had been. Naturally, I had assumed they would all want to press on and continue riding the wave of that high.

They all looked around at each other and then shook their heads, Talon giving me a grin. “Nah, man, it's been real, it's been amazing, but for now, we're good. I mean, shit, it was only a matter of time, anyway. We're all getting older. It’s time to move on to greener pastures, even though where we are right now is pretty damn comfy.

“I've been thinking of spending a year or two in Europe, actually. Maybe I’ll play some jazz. I'd like to explore the scene there and just have a bit of a change in my life. You know, see a new place, meet new people, play a different kind of music.”

“That sounds really cool, Talon,” Jeremiah remarked.

“Well, I guess that’s it then,” I announced, standing. “You’re all more than welcome to use the studio whenever you want if you want to record anything new. My studio is your studio, and you guys all know that. I've always got time for you guys, always. We're brothers, through and through, and we always will be, whether Bleeding Heart is going or not.”

Talon shot me a knowing look. “Brothers or not, before I drop by the house, I’ll make sure to call first.”