Page 78

“Holy mother of—“
“Is this real?”
“Nate, you beautiful genius!”
The high-fives and hugs start flying. Vince actually picks Nate up and spins him around while Sam and Emily do their version of a victory dance. Cass’s got Kendrick in his arms, both of themlaughing.
I hang back, watching their joy, until Luke turns, and his eyes find mine. The smile on his face is blinding. Before I can react, he’s crossing the room in three long strides.
“This is it!” He sweeps me into his arms, lifting me clear off the ground. “This covers the balloon payment. We can save the company!”
His jubilant kiss takes me by surprise—firm and sweet and tasting of pure joy. When he pulls back, his eyes are dancing. “We did it, beautiful. We actually did it.”
The room has gone quiet. I’m suddenly aware that everyone’s watching us, and heat floods my cheeks. But Luke just grins, completely unabashed, still holding me close.
“Well, well,” Vince drawls. “Guess that answers the question about you two.”
“About damn time,” Sam mutters.
Cass is watching us with a knowing smirk while Kendrick elbows him, trying to hide her smile. Emily’s not even trying to hide hers.
“Oh, shut up,” Luke tells them all, but he’s laughing. His arms still around me, solid and warm and safe. “I need to call my dad. This is a game changer.”
The excitement builds again as everyone starts making plans. Talk of celebrations and parties fills the air, but I’m stuck on the way Luke is looking at me, like I’m somehow part of this miracle.
“You did this,” I tell him softly. “You made this possible.”
He shakes his head. “Nate did this. We just trusted him enough to invest.”
“Very smart.”
“Smart enough to know what truly matters.” His thumb brushes my cheek. “Let’s have a private celebration. We should probably talk about... this.” He gestures between us.
“This?” I raise an eyebrow, trying to ignore how my heart is racing.
“Yeah, this thing where I can’t seem to stop kissing you in front of all my friends.”
As if to prove his point, he dips his head and captures my lips again, softer this time but no less devastating. Someone—probably Vince—lets out a wolf whistle.
“Get a room!” Samcalls out.
Luke breaks the kiss but keeps me close. “Ignore them. They’re just jealous.”
“Damn right we are,” Vince agrees. “When do we hear the story of how you two ended up together?”
“When you learn some manners,” Luke shoots back.
I hide my face against his chest, overwhelmed by the teasing, the joy, and the sheer rightness of being in his arms. His hand strokes down my back, and I can feel him chuckling.
“Come on,” he murmurs in my ear. “Let’s get out of here before they start asking for details.”
As he leads me toward the door, Emily calls out, “Don’t forget we have practice again tomorrow!”
“I’ll be there,” Luke answers, his hand warm on my lower back, but he doesn’t slow down.
As I take a quick glance around at the people who mean so much to him—his band, his family—I can’t help but feel like I’m part of something bigger, something extraordinary.
We step into the hallway, leaving behind the sounds of celebration. Luke pulls me to a stop, pressing me gently into his arms.