Page 126 of Perfect Composition

“It was a pretty big hurdle, Paige,” I allow.

“And I should have learned how to leap over them before trying to run away from the track.”

“Are we still talking about the social media post?” I can’t help but tease.

She thwacks me on the chest. “I can’t apologize enough for blindly believing something I likely would never have given credence to had we not been involved. But never say I can’t learn.”

“God, love, let’s hope there isn’t another one of these.” I shudder at the thought.

“For a man who is mentioned on average in forty-seven different blogs, social media channels, and news outlets a week, who has not one but fifteen separate hashtags, somehow I don’t think they’re going away.”

“I think with the show, the coverage is going to…wait. Why do you know all that?” I ask suspiciously.

Paige lowers her lashes until I can catch just a hint of green. “Didn’t you once say you thought my knowledge was sexy?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, I’m taking the advanced course in Beckett U.”

“What the hell is Beckett U?”

“Master’s crash courses on how to handle the media and online relations taught by Carys and Angie. We decided Austyn should attend so she doesn’t make the same mistakes her father made. Carys says she has visual aids.”

I groan. “Christ. This is going to be a nightmare.”

A wicked grin crosses Paige’s lips that I’m dying to kiss away. “Angie says she’s never sure who is going to trend more in the mornings—you or Ward. I can’t wait to learn more about what that means.”

“Stop. You’re killing me.”

“What’s a LikLok?” Paige frowns in confusion.

“It’s TikTok, and it’s nothing you need to worry about.” I immediately decide everyone at LLF thought they knew what work was before they should brace. Just wait. I’m going to make their lives hell.

Paige straddles me before leaning down and brushing her nose against mine. “Gotcha.”

“What do you mean, ‘gotcha’?” I ask suspiciously.

“Beckett, your daughter has one of the highest-streaming TikTok channels. You really should check it out,” she informs me haughtily.

I flip her over onto her back. With a mock glare, I ask, “And the rest?”

Shyly, she dances her fingers over my new tattoo. “I’ll just come home and ask.”

I close my eyes and bask in the emotions washing over me. “I feel like I could compose a thousand songs right now. I feel…everything.”

Paige lifts her head, and our lips touch. And in that instance, we whirl through time. I know years from now, her lips will meet mine just like this, and I’ll still see her face the first time she kissed me amid the dusty fields of Texas when the only music I imagined making was making her heart sing.

I’ve sung for thousands, possibly millions. I’ve touched the souls of people whose names I’ll never know or never remember, but hers is still the only one that matters. When our lips part, her eyes glow up at me. “Now, we do have one problem we might need some help with.”

I frown. “It shouldn’t be food. I prepared for that.”

“That’s good, but no. This is serious.”

I roll to the side, tugging her against my body. “What’s that?”

“I still don’t want anything to impact Austyn’s career, Becks. She’s so determined to make it on her own. Plus, it’s not like she’s not going to be seen with you. What do we do?”

I chew on my lip for just a moment. Then my whole face smiles when the perfect idea hits.