“I’m glad she’s happy,” I managed, passing the phone back to Ash.
“She showed her face,” Brogan pointed out.
“I noticed.”
“She never shows her face,” Oren added.
“Well, good for fucking her,” I snapped.
They blinked at my outburst. For the first time in weeks, a flicker of anger emerged, but I knew it would be dashed by hurt all over again.
“Aspen,” Ash called. “When do we get another break?”
She flipped through her phone. “Not for a while. And the ones you do have are small and filled with promo.”
“Maybe we can find one of those promos for Parker to miss.”
“Why?” I asked.
“So you can go get her.”
“It won’t change anything,” I muttered.
He watched me—studied me until I wanted to squirm and demand he leave me the fuck alone.
“Then at least go for closure,” he said softly. “All the times she left, you never got to say goodbye.”
Just when I thought I’d experienced the lowest, something proved me wrong. Goodbye. The finality of it kicked the chair out from under me and left me flat on my back.
Fuck. Fuck.
I clutched my chest. I didn’t know how I would make it through the night.
“Holy. Fucking. Shit,” Oren said slowly. His eyes were as wide as his dropped jaw, glued to something outside as we pulled up to the event.
“What?” Brogan asked, shoving Oren out of the way.
Oren pushed him back and rolled down the window, which had Aspen slapping his arm and telling him to roll it back up. But it was too late, Oren leaned halfway out, his dropped jaw shifting to a wide-ass smile.
“Supernova,” he shouted. My heart jumped up into my throat, and I froze. “You beautiful, crazy-ass, bitch. Look at you, standing there like fire.”
“Ow, ow,” Brogan shouted, leaning behind him.
I sat frozen to my seat, wondering if each revelation was really a mirage of insanity and none of this was real.
“Dude,” Ash said, looking out the tinted windows from his seat. He slapped my shoulder and shook me, a real smile on his face.
The guys didn’t feel Nova’s loss like I did, but they did feel it. We were friends—a family, and she didn’t leave just me.
They all jumped at the chance to believe, and I didn’t know how it could be real.
“Parker!” Ash smacked my head. “Are you going to fucking sit there all night?”
Oren and Brogan scrambled out with Aspen gracefully behind them. Ash scooted down the bench seat toward the door and looked at me like I’d lost my damn mind. I kind of thought I did. If I got out, and she wasn’t there, I’d crumble. Then I’d pick myself up, just to climb back in the car and copy her.
I’d run. Everyone else be damned.
With a deep breath, I scooted to the door and closed my eyes, trying to prepare for whatever waited for me.
The sun shined and blinded me a second from the dark interior. I blinked, and like a dream, the guys parted, and there she was—like a miracle, more done up than I’d ever seen. She was stunning.
My heart pounded like a freight train, and my muscles ached to run to her. She wrung her hands and chewed on her pink, glossy lips.
“Wow,” I breathed.
I looked her up and down, from the full, black, silky skirt to the pale strip of skin bared between the skirt waist and the white tuxedo-like top that looked like it got cut right under her chest. And her eyes—I never wanted to look away. They shined like emeralds hidden in the smoky shadow of her makeup.
“Hi,” she greeted, taking a hesitant step forward.
Her eyes glossed over, and she looked away when I didn’t move. Ungluing my feet from the pavement, I closed the gap but stuffed my hands into my pockets to keep from gripping her to me.
“What are y—” I tried to ask but choked off.
“I said I’d be here.”
“Nova, you don’t have to—”
Her eyes shot up with determination. “I don’t want to miss another moment of you achieving your dream. I don’t want to miss another moment of you.”
“Nova…” I blinked, trying to process what it all meant—trying to adjust from the other side of the pendulum I’d been on in the limo.
“Dammit,” she hissed. “I didn’t plan how much I’d want to run into your arms. I just wanted to be here.”
She blinked back her tears and gave a hesitant smile, and it hit me. I’d let go of the pendulum and landed on my feet with her in front of me. The words sank in, and I smiled back.
“Fuck it,” she muttered.
It was the only warning I got before she closed the last foot and threw her arms around my neck. I caught her and buried my face into her soft hair, inhaling as deep as I could to make up for every second I hadn’t been able to have her. I held her to me like I wanted to make us one, and she could never leave again.