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I try to draw back to allow some distance between us, but Phoenix only tightens his grip on me. “I don’t give a fuck what you call me, so stop trying to get away from me. Now relax.”
Obeying, I lean against his chest, happy to hide here for a while. With my eyes closed, I let the music wash over me and soothe my pounding heart.
“Will you play this for me at home?”
His words are a whisper against my hair, and my hand stills against his shoulder blade. I didn’t even realize I’d been moving my fingers alongto the music.
“Connie always talked about how much she loved watching you play. That nothing in this world could ever be as beautiful or as pure as when you sit down, put your hands on the keys, and allow yourself to be one with the music. She said the entire world deserves to hear your magic.”
Tears prick my eyes, but I don’t let them fall.
I want to smack his chest for choosing this moment to tell me something like this. But at the same time, I want to kiss him for sharing this with me. And he’s right; Connie always was my biggest cheerleader. She pursued our dad’s career, not only because she genuinely loved the business, but also because she knew it would allow me to live out my dreams.
And then it was all for nothing anyway.
No, none of that right now. I want to enjoy this moment with Phoenix and happy memories of my sister. I deserve that sliver of peace.
He rests his head on top of mine. “Just know that I’m ready whenever you’re ready.”
We stay on the dance floor for four more songs, and I never move out of his embrace. His heartbeat is steady under my ear, quickly turning into my favorite sound. Out of nowhere, a melody pops into my head, accompanying his heartbeat in the most beautiful way, and I can’t contain the small gasp that bubbles up my throat. I haven’t heard music in my head in so long, the pressure in the backs of my eyes comes back tenfold.
This entire time, I thought the silence was good, that it was exactly what I needed to heal, that it was better to forget the pain, but maybe I was wrong.
Maybe it was the silence that kept me from healing allthese years.
Maybe the silence was the price I paid for my wrongdoings, and now that Phoenix is back in my life and he knows the truth, we can heal together.
The melody flutters around in my mind like a loving caress, and I wonder if it could be my salvation.
Something urges me to look at Phoenix, to reallylookat him.
I know we’re both playing a part tonight, but the man staring back at me right now ismyPhoenix. The same one who told me none of the guys at school were good enough for me, and then tried to get me to promise I wouldn’t date anyone until I was at least thirty. The guy who found me whenever there was a thunderstorm because he knew I loved them.
His eyes are kind and tender, even as he gazes down at me. So contrary to the steel that promised violence when he waltzed into the room at my birthday party what feels like an eternity ago.
“Thank you.” I push onto my toes and press my lips gently against his. I don’t move them; I don’t open them.
This kiss isn’t about lust.
This kiss isn’t about pretense.
This kiss is about gratitude.
I was stuck in this cloud of darkness, and he just gave me back a piece I thought I’d lost forever.
This is a kiss about hope.
Chapter 29
Phoenix
“Shit, man.” Holden cackles next to me like I just told him the funniest joke ever.
Sometimes, I’m worried about him.
“What’s so funny?” Even though I’m talking to him, my gaze stays glued on Eve.
She’s only a few feet away from us with her friends, which is too far for my taste. I promised Eve I wouldn’t leave her side, but when her friends showed up, she gave me a pleading look, and I folded like a house of cards.