Page 83 of Hideaway Heart

Well, damn.

Performing the opening number at the Music City Awards would be amazing—bucket list amazing—and I wanted to jump at it. But filling in for Rebecca Rose on “Back Where We Started” would mean performing a romantic duet about a second chance at love with Duke. Could I stomach it? He was tricky and manipulative. What if he was dangling this opportunity with strings attached?

Phone in one hand, I picked up the cup of coffee Xander had brought me with the other and wandered out to the kitchen. After warming it up in the microwave, I sat at the counter and watched him scramble eggs and flip bacon. He had a kitchen towel tossed over one shoulder, and his hair was a mess.

“Are you going to make breakfast for your wife and three kids?” I asked.

“All the time,” he said, adjusting the heat under the eggs. “It’s the most important meal of the day.” Then he turned around and noticed my expression. “What’s wrong? More photos?”

“No.” I exhaled. “It’s Duke.”

Xander’s face darkened. “What about him?”

I told him about the offer to fill in for Rebecca Rose at the awards show. “It would be really hard to say no. Like, twelve-year-old me used to dream about this every night.”

“So say yes.”

“You think I should?”

He shrugged. “Do you want to sing on that stage?”

“Yes. With all my heart.”

“Then don’t let anyone stop you.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“Because it is.” He put some eggs and two strips of bacon on a plate and set it in front of me. “If something will make you happy, I think you should go after it. I used to have this argument with Austin all the time.”

“Oh yeah?”

He put the rest of the eggs and bacon on his plate and came around the peninsula to sit next to me. “Yes. There’s always going to be a reason why you shouldn’t—and sometimes the reason is completely valid. But I believe in going after what you want. I think fortune favors the bold.”

“Is that why you did things like jump off garages into baby pools and try to prove you could fly?”

“No. That was just ego.” He ate half a strip of bacon in one bite. “But this isn’t about ego, and it’s not about Duke. It’s about Kelly Jo Sullivan.”

I sucked in my breath. “Xander! You’re right!”

He held his arms out wide.

Laughing, I grabbed onto one. “I’m going to ask to perform not as Pixie Hart, but as Kelly Jo Sullivan! No gimmicky sets, no crazy costumes, no glittery makeup. No made-up, manufacturedcharacter. I just want to be me up there and sing from the heart.”

“Then do it.”

“I will.” Sliding off the stool, I planted a kiss on his temple. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to call Duke.”

Xander picked up his coffee cup, but he didn’t say anything.

* * *

Back in the bedroom, I sat on the edge of the bed and made the call.

“Hey, honey. How’s my Pixie girl?”

I cringed. “I’m fine.”

“You get my message?”