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Cupping his jaw, she said, “I will.”

Then he stood back and watched her roll her suitcases through the doors of LAX and it was like watching a piece of his heart leave.

He’d never been an emotional guy; not like this.

As he’d pulled away from the airport, he swore he was going to be fine.

And dammit, he hated how he wasn’t.

Now, as he stared up at the star filled sky, he knew he had to do something to get out of this funk before he did something stupid.

“I am not going to charter a plane...I am not going to charter a plane...I am not going to charter a plane...”

Fortunately, the universe was on his side and his phone rang. Seeing Riley’s name on the screen, Mick practically sagged with relief.

“Hey, Riley, what’s up?”

“Hey, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Just a pity party,” he said with a small laugh.

“Uh-oh...”

And because Riley was a good friend, he knew he could share what was going on—including how pathetic he was feeling.

“Okay, for starters, not pathetic. You had an intense few weeks and you’re eager to start the next phase of your lives.”

“Exactly!”

“What you need is a distraction.”

“I thought work would be a distraction, but so far, no such luck.”

“Well, I’m hoping to change that.”

“Ry, if you and the guys started working on new music...”

“Nope,” Riley quickly interrupted. “This isn’t about me or the band.”

“O-kay...”

“I’m going to forward you a link to some videos. Savannah saw them first over on TikTok, some guitarist. At first I wasn’t sure what the big deal was, but the kid’s got hundreds of thousands of views and I think you should check him out.”

“You know I never mind looking, but...I’m really not interested in new talent right now. I met with Simon and all, but that was a favor.”

“Mick, trust me. Watch the videos and tell me he doesn’t remind you of a young Jett Henley. It’s wild. I swear, when I watched the video, it was like watching Jett when he was younger. The kid’s really captured his look and sound.”

“Cover bands really aren’t my thing...”

Riley sighed loudly. “No one’s asking you to do anything other than watch the videos, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” It wasn’t like he had anything else to do tonight.

“Anyway, are you going to be okay? Want to come for dinner tomorrow night and hang out?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine. It just all feels a little weird, you know?” Then he laughed quietly again. “Who would’ve thought, huh? Me of all people, feeling this way.”

“It happens to the best of us,” Riley said with a laugh of his own. “And remember, if you get tired of your own company, we’re here for you. The kids would love to see you. They love their Uncle Mick.”