Page 18 of Sweet Music (Sugarville Grove #7)

CASH

C ash watched after Bella as she hurried away, his heart still pounding in his ears.

She had taken advantage of him being distracted to blurt out that she was going down to Bean Counters for a cup of tea and then she had left him with a gaggle of fans.

He took a couple of selfies with them and felt grateful afterwards when they moved on right away. Only in Vermont did fans have the good sense to at least feel ashamed for taking up a lot of your time.

All he wanted was to head after Bella, but he couldn’t just leave Cody waiting.

When he got back to the ice cream shop, Cash could see through the big window that Annika was chatting with another girl by the counter, and he was glad that he’d hurried back. This was a fantastic chance for him to have a necessary talk with the boy.

“Hey,” he said, sitting down across from Cody. “Your aunt went to grab a cup of tea. ”

“Okay,” Cody said, looking relieved.

“Listen,” Cash said, quickly retrieving a credit card from his pocket. “Your aunt doesn’t want me helping out financially yet, and I want to respect that.”

Cody nodded.

“But it doesn’t feel right for you two not to have access to help in an emergency,” Cash said slipping the boy the black card he’d had overnighted the night he arrived. “I want you to take this and use it if you really need it, okay?”

“Thanks,” Cody said, staring at the card in his hand.

“But only if you need it, okay?” Cash said. “I’m not worried about the money, but I really don’t want to do anything your aunt doesn’t want. We have to respect her wishes. So this is just for needs, not for wants.”

“I get it,” Cody said, holding the card back out to Cash. “I don’t really want anything anyway, and I have what I need.”

“Just keep it, for my sake,” Cash told him. “So I don’t worry. You never know what will happen—a pipe bursts and you suddenly need a hotel, and then you try to practice a new trick to add to a performance and accidentally end up setting your guitar, and the hotel curtains on fire…”

Cody looked horrified, and Cash didn’t want to admit that he was speaking from experience on that last part.

“Okay,” Cody said, slipping it into his pocket just as Charlotte returned to the table carrying two chocolate creemees.

“Oh wow, I haven’t had one of these in years,” Cash said when she handed him one of the classic Vermont treats and then gave the other to Cody.

Of course you could get soft-serve ice cream just about anywhere, but it just wasn’t the same, and only a flatlander would dare to confuse the two.

Annika was right behind her with a maple creemee for herself and a vanilla one for Bella.

“Enjoy, guys,” Charlotte said as she hurried back to the counter.

“Chocolate is the best,” Cody proclaimed.

“A fellow man of culture, I see,” Cash said, earning him a big smile from the boy.

Before he’d even taken his first taste, Bella came back in with a steaming paper cup of tea, looking her usual calm self, and Cash felt the tension start to drain from his own chest. A moment later, they were all smiling and humming over the thick, heavenly goodness.

Later that evening, they stood in the park for the annual tree lighting.

The snow had slowed back down to a gentle flurry, and the whole place was coated in a layer of fresh powder that reflected the twinkling lights from the surrounding decorations. The church choir was singing in the pavilion, their voices so sweet, it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Cash spent most of his free time these days trying to come up with new music—fresh guitar riffs, drum rhythms that weren’t overused, and lyrics that were unlike the thousands of songs his fans had heard before.

Yet here was music that was older than anyone listening, sung without instruments or ornamentation. And it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Well… almost the most beautiful thing.

His eyes kept being drawn down to the woman by his side. Bella’s dark hair lifted in the breeze, and her eyes were locked on the choir, a dreamy expression on her face.

She wasn’t anything like the women he had spent time with in the past. Bella was beautiful in a way that hid itself until you really looked at her. But once you saw the light in her eyes when she spoke with Cody, and the quiet strength that radiated from her, it was unmistakable.

And there was something about her that felt almost familiar , but he couldn’t place it.

Maybe it’s fate. Maybe that’s the feeling I get when she’s near. I don’t know her well yet, but I think I’m supposed to get to know her.

It was hard not to let himself imagine what it would be like to let himself fall for Bella Wood, and share a life with her and with his son.

Maybe he could tour less. Maybe the music he swore was bubbling up inside him again would really come out as soon he was back home permanently again, back around people who cared about him for something other than the fame and the money.

Or maybe the music was supposed to come from Cody now .

He snuck a glance at his son, who was still standing beside the Corbin girl.

They both wore expressions of childlike wonder as they listened to the sweet music floating across the park, and Cash felt secretly happy that the boy wasn’t growing up too fast. It was good that he would finish up his young adulthood here in the country where he wouldn’t be rushed.

The mayor came to the podium and began to speak, introducing the town’s Christmas Star of the year, and talking about the donations that would be brought up to the tree, but Cash barely heard a word of it. He was too busy dreaming up a million possible futures.

He came back to himself at the end, as the whole town counted down from ten, and then the big evergreen came to life with the light of a thousand tiny bulbs winking among the dusting of fresh snow.

Everyone sighed at the sight, and Cash found himself reaching for Bella’s hand again.

At first she seemed to freeze, but then he felt it, the sweet pressure of her fingers wrapping around his and squeezing back as they both gazed up at the beautiful tree.

This is it. This is everything.