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He runs a hand over head and closes his eyes. “My dad called and asked him to erase all the video recordings from today right after he called the police.”

“I knew it. He’s hiding something. But why?”

Noah’s head snaps up. “What the fuck did she want? Your woman? Is she a journalist or some shit?” His voice is angry, but not at all as forceful as it had been when he answered the door.

“No. We came here looking for answers about her father’s death. Your mother knew him, and we thought she could shed some light on his final days.”

He frowns and cocks his head. “My mother knewherfather?”

“That’s an understatement. Yes, she spent a year plus in England with him when you were a kid.”

“I think I’d remember if my mom lived in England for a whole fucking year.”

“Do you remember? You were maybe eight or nine when she was there.”

“No, she spent a year taking care of her mother in Mexico when I was kid.”

I laugh without any humor. “Double-check that story, too, maybe.”

“I don’t know what is going on, but if you can give me a few days, I’ll find out.”

“We’ll be here for another week. You know how to reach me.”

CHAPTER 42

CHAMPIONS

Jules

The week flewby in lazy days spent reading and swimming and eating. I’ve soaked up every second of it, and the only thing I’ve missed about London is our cat.

“I’m so sad you’re leaving,” Kal, Remi’s wife, shouts in my ear to be heard over the woman at the karaoke machine on the stage at the front of the restaurant where we’re having dinner.

As much as I love the vibe of this place, it’s the people who have really made me fall for it. “Me too. I love it here. I hope I’ll be back.”

She squeezes my hand and pats it reassuringly. “You will be. That man of yours will make sure of it.”

I smile and nod, but I don’t know how. We’ve spent a lot of time with them and Tyson and his wife this week. And we made fast friends. This is the existence I used to dream of. Friends, a community, love, home. It’s even sweeter than I thought it would be.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” Omar says from my other side where he, Remi, his younger brother Tyson, and his wife Dina are having a spirited argument about basketball. He presses a kiss to my cheek, and I reach out to grab his hand. “Where are you going?”

“Be right back,” he responds and drops a kiss on my nose.

I have butterflies in my stomach because this man who’s as faithful as the sunrise loves me so much that I could swim in it. But every day we’ve spent here with his family and friends, in that amazing house that feels like home, I’ve grown more and more guilty that he’s coming with me.

I’ll do everything I know how to make sure he never regrets it.

“This song is dedicated to my heartbeat. My Crown Jewel.” I whip around to look at the stage and scream in surprise to see him standing there holding the microphone. But as soon as our eyes find each other, my heart skips a beat, and when it starts again, we’re alone. On that same sea where he first kissed me and where we made ourselves.

“You’re a winner because what they tried to break is blooming. I love you, Beat. Nothing can dim your light. Pity the fool who tries.”

I blow him a kiss, and he catches it in his palm and flicks his fingers at the crowd like he’s spraying water from them. “Sharing the love. You’ve just been blessed. Now fucking clap for me or I’ll be annoyed.”

The jazzy piano intro plays, but I don’t realize what song he’s singing until the guitar strums a few chords in. And I’m crying before he gets to the second line of “We are the Champions” by Queen. I laugh in delight, and the tears pooling in my eyes spill down my cheeks now, but they are the happiest tears I’ve ever cried.

He’s really not a dancer or a singer, but it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. He sings to me and nobody else, and I’m mesmerized and humbled because every word could have been from my heart.

He knows it completely and always gives it exactly what it needs.