Beneath the Stars (Falling Stars 4)

He was having a hard time letting go.

The fact I seemed to be a magnet for disaster didn’t help things.

“And then your goddamned condo caught fire…” he gruffed out.

You know, like that.

“I wasn’t even home, and I’m completely fine,” I finished for him.

I beat back the guilt for leaving out the rest.

The sense I’d gotten that it hadn’t been an accident when I’d gotten back to my complex and had found a fleet of firetrucks and ambulances in front of my building.

The fact I’d thought someone might have been in my car earlier, searching for something I made sure no one could find.

But that was the problem when you’d lived most of your life in fear. Paranoia took hold, and you no longer could discern when that danger was real or conjured in the darkest places of your mind.

So, I shoved it all back down into that bottomless pit where it belonged. Refused to remain a prisoner to it.

I would no longer be chained by my past.

Emily touched Royce’s arm. “And since we’re lookin’ at the bright side…let’s remember that means Maggie is spending the summer with us and we have someone we can fully trust to take care of Amelia. Love her the way we do.”

She glanced back at me, her blonde braid swishing over her shoulder, her sweet face filled with the adoration she had for me.

Love pulsed.

I couldn’t be more grateful that after what I’d cost Royce earlier in his life that he’d found this…

The greatest joy.

A wife filled with grace and strength and loyalty.

A new baby girl.

He was also reconnecting and establishing a relationship with his older daughter who he’d lost years ago.

Not to mention the fact he’d reunited with his band.

“I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my summer than with all of you…watching Amelia…spending time with the rest of the band and their families. They’ve all become that to me…family,” I told them.

The original plan had been that I would spend the summer in LA at my own place. Continue working. Continue figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.

But the fire had displaced me, so I’d asked to come along. Offered to watch Amelia in exchange for a place to stay.

It wasn’t like Royce would leave me homeless, anyway. But I was tired of him having to rescue me.

A tender smile pulled at the edge of Emily’s mouth, her joy full and real. I inhaled it, held onto the hope of it.

“Then maybe this was exactly the way it was supposed to be.” She reached out so she could squeeze my hand.

Before she had a chance to glimpse at what was on my screen, I flipped my phone over. The last thing I wanted was for her to discover my little obsession with the bassist of her band.

I reached for her and squeezed back. “I think you’re right.”

Royce grunted. “Just stay away from handsy assholes, yeah?”

“You mean that as in one particular asshole?” I pushed.

He shrugged. “If it fits.”

“Says the guy who has his whole wild, unruly band comin’ to record with us in a couple weeks?” Emily asked, a tease lilting her voice.

So A Riot of Roses was known as being exactly that—a riot. Royce’s three oldest friends were untamed and a little unhinged.

But I’d never gotten a malicious vibe from them.

They were good guys who’d done some dumb things.

“Awesome. Now you’re really tryin’ to give me a heart attack,” he said with a feigned scowl.

“Just tellin’ it like it is.”

“And let’s not forget that I’m not twelve,” I told him, not sure if I wanted to laugh or if I was actually annoyed.

But that was the thing when you were twenty and had never even been kissed.

Your naivety and vulnerability showed.

My heart lurched as the memory assaulted me. Rhys so close. Those big, big hands on my body. His mouth a breath away. His spirit surrounding me. His need palpable.

I’d been sure.

So sure.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

Royce smirked. “You might not be twelve anymore, but you’ll always be my baby sister.”

“You know, I will meet a man one day.” No harm in taunting my overprotective big brother a little.

“And he’ll meet all the criteria.” Royce lifted a hand in the air and started ticking off his fingers. “One, he’s gotta be a nerd. The awkward type. Pose no threat. Two…he needs to be smart. A professor or a doctor or some shit like that. Three…he’s never been in trouble—not even a ticket. Slow and safe. Four…he has to love his mama.” He lifted his thumb on the last. “Oh…and a virgin. Let’s not forget that.”

I rolled my eyes. “I am quite sure that man does not exist.”

Besides, he wasn’t the man. The man who made me shiver and shake. The one who currently had my insides twisted in a fist. At least he had one thing going for him—there was no question he loved his mama.