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“I’m just processing the day.”

“Have you come to any conclusions?”

“Yeah. Love sucks.”

He chuckled but then took a deep breath. As he swiped hair off my brow, he softened his tone. “I hate seeing you like this.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He clipped my head. Ow! “I’ve let you wallow, cry, and mope around for long enough. I hoped this would’ve passed by now, but it hasn’t. Lewis is the same. Clearly being apart isn’t working. So here’s a mad idea. Try being together. Call him. Sort your shit out.” Fuck. Cole was Sutton on repeat.

“There’s nothing to work out.”

“Tee, you’ve always gone after what you’ve wanted. You chased your acting and stunt career. You pursued endless excitement and thrills. You put others first. But...you’ve never fought for love. Why not?”

“It hurts too much.”

“I know it does. I’ve been there. I was gutted when Priah left. I fought with every breath to get her to stay, but too many other factors pulled us apart. There is nothing standing in the way of you and Lewis being together.” He rubbed my arm and gave me a little squeeze. “I never meant for our stupid dibs rule to hurt you or for you to be afraid of being with someone you loved. Stop worrying about the band. The guys and I will continually have our ups and downs, but we’ll always work through them. Stop worrying about your leg, and your job, and what the headlines will say. No matter what happens, I’ll be here for you. So if you love Lewis, fight for him. Life is too short. Don’t waste another fucking second.”

My breath shuddered in my chest. “What if it doesn’t last?”

“What if it does?”

“What about the backlash we’d cause in the media?”

“Tee, you’re a Flintlock. It comes with the territory. You’ve survived worse than anything they’ll publish about you being with Lewis. Gay man gone bisexual—isn’t that scandalous. Rather than covering up your relationship with some bullshit, just be honest and admit you’re dating. The majority of the population won’t care. They’ll be happy for you. For those who aren’t, fuck ’em. We know the truth, and we’ll stick together.”

“I have so many doubts.”

“We all do. No relationship is perfect. Learn from your past breakups and put your energy into making the next one better. You have to decide if the way you feel for him is strong enough to push those concerns aside so you can give each other a real shot. Only you can answer that. Does he treat you well and make you happy? Does he make you feel invincible? Does he make you forget all the bullshit going on around you and love you for being you?”

Sniffling and nodding, I sat upright and nudged him on the knee. “For someone who’s messed up too, you’re pretty amazing.”

“I try to be.”

“You are. You look out for everyone. I love that about you.” I rubbed and patted his thigh. He cared about his friends and family and took the weight of the world onto his shoulders when things didn’t go right. Like most of us, he wanted to avoid being hurt again. “I’m sorry I hurt you too. I never meant to lie about being with Lewis.”

“I know.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’re my baby sister. I love you no matter what. But it’s time to stop hiding and stop being afraid. I want you to be happy. Lewis did that. So fix it. Oh...and one more thing...” He leaned back on the sofa and hooked his arm behind me. “When you get back from the festival circuit with Duke, please come and work with us. You’re family. You belong with the band. Go back to school, study online, do what’s right for you. But you have more experience under your belt than some of our current stagehands. You have stepped up and helped us with audio whenever we’ve asked without question. Lewis was right—you shine pressing our buttons. Our crew wouldn’t be complete without you. If you hate working for us, you can leave. I won’t stop you. But think of the wicked fun we’d have if you came on the tour?”

Tears prickled my eyes as I gave him a half-hearted nod and another sniffle. “Let me think about that, okay?”

“No.” He shook his head. “You’ve done enough of that. It’s time for action. I’m officially kicking your butt. You love Lewis. Don’t let him go. I’m here for you if it doesn’t work out. But I’ll be your biggest supporter if it does. I promise.”

“I do love him.” My shoulders slumped. “But I hurt him so much. He’ll never forgive me.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. “I hear there’s a wedding on and the invite was for ‘Lewis plus one.’”

My heartbeat quickened. “I can’t go to Ohio.”

“Why not? The wedding is tomorrow afternoon. You’d easily make it in time.”

“What if he turns me down?”

“Give him a reason not to.”

Fuck.

What was the one thing that made our love better than anything we’d ever experienced before? What would help us put all our hurt behind us and look forward to the future?