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“Are you willing to meet me halfway?” Bea took a deep breath, and Bunny noticed the slight tremble in her lips.

God, how she wanted to trap those lips with her own once more. To kiss her and never stop. There was no way to deny it, not to herself and not to anyone else. Not anymore. She’d been such a fool to think she had ever been anything but falling head over heels in love with Bea.

“Halfway?” Bunny hoped she was reading this situation correctly. It’d take a long time before she ever trusted her instincts when it came to relationships. No wonder she had always leaned into the business and ignored the personal. That was a world with rules she understood and ones that she embraced willingly.

Bea skimmed her hand down Bunny’s arm, twining their fingers together. “Are we still able to use your modified lyrics?”

“Which ones?” Bunny’s heart rate picked up, her ribs feeling more like a cage pressing against her organs, trying to stop her from letting her feelings or her true self out.

“That’s your choice, but maybe we can sing it together? I think I understand now. There is more than one way to live authentically, and I wasn’t kind assuming you weren’t living your authenticity simply because it looks different from mine.” Bea’s lips were so close. If Bunny turned just slightly, she’d be able to press their mouths together.

“We’re on in thirty seconds,” Jo squealed in delight as she raced toward them, her hand in Piper’s and their cheeks flushed.

“Bunny?” Bea asked, her eyes filled with so many things that staring into them was like staring into an entire galaxy of stars. Bunny was so ready to jump in and fall into everything that Bea was willing to give her in this moment. Into what she knewwould be a journey of moving boundaries and change, into what she knew would be more conflict and arguments, but also so much more than that.

Touches.

Kisses.

Love.

“Sing with me.” Bunny was pleased at how strong her voice came out this time. When had she finally decided that this was the direction she wanted to go? Bunny squeezed Bea’s fingers as they called Jo’s name on the stage and Jo pranced up the stairs, her arms waving. Bunny couldn’t look away from Bea’s blue eyes, from the perfection of brokenness that stood right in front of her, because that was exactly what they were together. “I promise I’ll meet you in the middle.”

The look they shared electrified every atom in Bunny’s body, from her eyes right to the tips of her toes. Which were currently squeezed into boots with a small square heel on the back. A heel that was entirely unnecessary in Bunny’s thinking, despite how small it was, though it would help her stomp out the beat during that fourth number they were singing.

“Piper!” The name boomed and the audience roared.

Piper ran up the stairs, leaving Bea and Bunny alone. Her name was next. Bunny swallowed the lump in her throat, lifting her hand and cupping Bea’s cheek. Bea’s eyes fluttered shut as the breeze picked up. The chill was sudden, and without warning, flakes of snow gently fell from the sky, kissing Bea’s skin and landing in her eyelashes and in her hair.

Bunny’s eyes teared up, but she couldn’t cry now. Not when she had to get on that stage and perform.

“Bea, I—”

“Bunny!”

“You’ll be amazing.” Bea wrapped her arms around Bunny’s waist and gave her a tight squeeze. “Now get on that stage before they start booing because you’re not there.”

“Bea.” Bunny’s voice cracked, and she had to clear her throat. Was Bea going to sing with them or not? Or was it just the one song she’d requested at the end? Either way, Bunny was ready for it to happen. She didn’t want to avoid this any longer.

Grinning, Bea stepped away from Bunny. “They’re waiting for you.”

“Bunny!” Siena shouted sharply from the side of the stage. “Get up here already.”

“Bea…” Bunny trailed off. She wasn’t ready for this. She needed more time.

“Go on, Bunny. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Bunny locked her eyes on Bea’s once again and nodded sharply. Before she could stop herself, the words were out of her mouth. “I love you.”

Bea grinned broadly, her entire body lighting up and relaxing. Bunny didn’t have a chance to wait around as Siena dragged her up the steps and onto the stage. Bunny threw two looks over her shoulder until she could no longer see Bea standing on the ground below.

She had a performance to give.

But she couldn’t get her mind off the fact that Bea was right there, standing and waiting for her. That she would be there when she stepped off to let Jo and Piper have their moment, and that Bunny wasn’t going to give Bea a second to breathe during those breaks.

When the crowd calmed again, Bunny grabbed her microphone and prepared to introduce the first song and get the crowd riled up as the concert began. But before she could say anything else, Allegra said into the microphone, “I’d like to introduce our last singer to you tonight. The second half of SoleSisters, and big sister to none other than Jo. Let’s give a shout-out for Bea!”

Bunny froze, her eyes wide as she stared at the stairs.