Page 94

It’s hard not to.
But they may not love it if I’m with her.
After a few rings, Justine’s face fills my screen, her hair falling loose. When the tour started, her hair was short, maybe below her chin, and now it’s almost to her shoulders. Wherever she is—either her apartment or Keane’s house—there’s a soft glow of Christmas lights twinkling behind her, making it look like she sparkles.
“Merry Christmas,” she says, smiling. “You look exhausted.”
I laugh, running a hand through my hair. “Family will do that to you. Especially when there are five babies involved.”
“Five incredibly cute babies,” Justine corrects. “That picture you sent of you holding Juniper—I might have saved it.”
“You did not,” I tease, but I feel a warmth spread through my chest.
“I did. It was sweet.” She adjusts her position, pulling a blanket around her shoulders. “So, how was the big James-Westbury Christmas extravaganza?”
“Chaos. Absolute chaos,” I say, but I’m smiling. “JD nearly woke all the babies when he arrived, Elle showed up with the twins when no one expected them, and Paige got a car for Christmas.”
“A car? Nice.”
“With conditions,” I add, mimicking Liam’s serious tone.
Justine laughs, the sound filling my quiet room. “Of course. How are you doing with . . . everything else?”
I know exactly what she’s asking. “I told them about Nola.”
“How’d that go?”
“Turns out, my family is full of actors. Apparently, no one liked her.” I shake my head. “Elle practically high-fived me.”
“Yikes,” Justine says, but there’s a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.
“Yeah, well, Elle’s already talking to attorneys about getting Nola’s name off my house.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah, I am,” I say without hesitation. “I’m thinking of selling it anyway. It never really felt like mine, you know?”
Justine nods, understanding in her eyes. “Fresh start?”
“Something like that,” I agree. “What about you? How was Christmas with Keane and Chandler?”
“Nice. Low-key. Chandler gave me matching friendship bracelets.” Justine holds up her wrist to show a braided band ofcolorful threads. “She said she’s trying to get your fans to bring them to the shows so she can swap.”
“That’s sweet,” I say.
We fall into a comfortable silence, just watching each other. I realize how much I’ve missed her, even though it’s only been a few days.
“I wish you were here,” I find myself saying.
Something shifts in Justine’s expression. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I say, more certain now. “I’ve been holding babies all day, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to share it with you, which I suppose sounds odd. Maybe even scary. I don’t know. Ever since that kiss in the dressing room, and then on the bus,” I pause and shake my head. “I really like you, Justine, and I’m afraid people are going to judge me, especially because the world knows I was engaged to Nola, and they don’t know that I’m not anymore. But then I think about how you’ve been by my side, a constant presence from the second we pulled out of that lot to start the tour, and how slowly this thing between us is building. I . . .” I inhale deeply to gather the right words.
“I’m tired of waiting for the ‘right time’ to live my life,” I say. “I spent years with Nola, always waiting for the next step that never came. And now, holding my nephews and niece, seeing my sisters with their families . . . I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“Quinn—”
“I know, I know. We said we’d take it slow. Figure things out when the tour’s over.” I take a deep breath. “But being here made me realize something.”