Page 22

Xander

A fter dinner and some more conversation, I notice the bar’s gotten even busier. The lights shift, and the stage is suddenly lit up with instruments.

I shoot Rain a confused look. “What’s going on? I thought tonight was karaoke?”

She grins wide, her gray eyes sparkling with excitement. “Yeah. We’re still doing karaoke. But since Merlin’s in town, we decided to play a song first.”

My eyes go wide. “Fuck yes. I get to see my badass girlfriend on the drums.”

Rain giggles, and I kiss her before she stands.

“We’ll be back in a bit,” she says as all the MacAllister siblings rise and make their way to the stage.

As the crowd realizes what’s happening, cheers and catcalls break out across the bar.

Gio slides into the seat next to me, giving me the perfect chance to talk to him.

“Hey, man, how’s it going?” I ask, pulling him into a half-hug.

“Good, good. Enjoying tonight?”

I nod, grinning. “I’m excited to see Rain.” I tilt my head toward the stage.

Gio chuckles as his eyes lock on his wife. She’s adjusting the mic stand whileMiles and River tune their guitars. Merlin runs a few warm-up notes on his violin, but I only have eyes for one person.

My girl.

Rain’s perched on a small stool behind the drum set. She’s wearing her signature Doc Martens, cutoff jean shorts, and a black tank top. Her hair’s tied back in a ponytail, and her tattoo sleeves are fully on display.

She’s pure magic.

“Hello, everyone,” Ruin says into the mic, earning a roar of cheers.

From the corner of my eye, I see Gio take out his phone to record. I shake myself from my Rain-induced stupor and do the same.

“We know tonight is karaoke night,” Ruin continues, “and everyone is excited to take a turn on the mic, but since our baby brother is home, we couldn’t pass up the chance to play together.”

She points toward Merlin, and he lets loose a few upbeat notes on the violin. Applause explodes across the room.

“This song,” Ruin adds, glancing my way, “is for my sister’s beau.”

The first few notes play, and I freeze.

I look at Rain. Her eyes are shining with emotion.

Holy shit. They’re playing a song for me.

Then Ruin sings softly:

“But you rescued me from reachin’ for the bottom,

and brought me back from being too far gone…”

My chest tightens. Emotion barrels through me, and I mouth the words to Rain: I love you.

She smiles and keeps the beat, her drumsticks steady, her voice joining the chorus:

“You’re as smooth as Tennessee Whiskey…”

I stand up and whistle, loud and proud.

Rain throws her head back, laughing, but doesn’t miss a single beat on the drums.

The song builds. Ruin’s voice carries across the bar while my eyes remain glued to Rain’s.

When they hit the final chorus, the whole place erupts—cheers, whistles, claps, hoots.

I howl as loud as I can.

Rain doubles over laughing, waving her drumsticks high.

I rush to the stage. Ruin and Merlin step aside, making space for me as I reach the drumset.

Rain jumps into my arms. I catch her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist. I kiss her hard. The hollers get louder, but I don’t care. She’s mine. I love this woman—and I know she loves me back.

When we finally come up for air, I whisper against her lips, “Is that your way of telling me you love me?”

She smirks, presses her mouth to mine, and whispers, “Yes. I love you, Xander.”

I kiss her again, unable to find words big enough for what I feel. So I let my lips say it all.

“Well,” Ruin says into the mic, “if anyone in this town still had doubts about who Rain’s beau is, I think it’s clear now.”

The crowd whistles and claps, and Rain hops off me, grabbing the mic nearby.

“That’s right, people,” she says. “This is my man. Taken. Off the market. Not available. Sold out. Limited edition.”

Laughter erupts, echoing around us.

I grin like a fool. I fucking love being claimed by her.

“That was absolutely amazing. I’m glad I got it on video. Now I can rewatch it every single day,” I tell her.

We make our way back to the table, and a fresh round of drinks is waiting for us.

Rain rolls her eyes playfully. “Don’t let it go to your head, Hotshot.”

I take a big gulp of water before replying, “Too late. You just gave me the best declaration of love in history. Fuck, now what am I going to do to show you how much I love you?”

She laughs, warm and genuine. “You’ve already shown me.” She wraps her arms around my shoulders. “The way you held me the other day… the way you listened. I don’t need anything else.”

She kisses me quickly, and we take our seats. I can feel the stares. Everyone at the table is watching us, probably because Rain hasn’t dated anyone seriously in a long time. But I don’t care. All I see is her.

That is, until someone starts singing.

We all turn toward the stage to see the brave soul kicking off karaoke night. It’s a girl I haven’t seen before, singing a Taylor Swift song. Her voice isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as Ruin’s.

Rain taps my arm, and when I look at her, she jerks her chin toward River. His mouth is ajar, eyes wide.

Is he even breathing?

“Do you know who she is?” I whisper.

Rain shakes her head, a mischievous grin on her face. “I have never seen her before, but something tells me my brother’s finally going to get into some good trouble.”

I chuckle and lift her hand to my lips, kissing each knuckle one by one.

The girl finishes her song, and we all clap—but River stands out, hooting and hollering louder than anyone else.

“Are you okay there, brother?” Miles asks, side-eyeing him.

River blinks, snapping back to his usual stoic self. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just thought she did a good job.”

The table snickers, and River downs the rest of his beer in one long gulp.

“It’s been fun, but I’m out.” He stands, looking at Merlin. “Are you sticking around?”

Merlin nods.

“Good, I’ll see you around then.” River drops some cash in front of Miles and heads for the door.

“Oops,” Ruin murmurs. “I guess we shouldn’t have called him out.”

Rain smirks. “We totally should’ve. That was the first time I’ve seen him gape at a girl. This is good for him.”

Everyone at the table nods in agreement.

Miles rises with his beer in hand. “Excuse me, everyone. It’s time for me to do some recon. I never thought I’d have the chance to be a wingman for River.”

Laughter follows him as Ruin and Gio stand too.

“I guess we will be on our way too. This was great, everyone,” Ruin says, hugging each sibling in turn.

I hug her, and she whispers, “I’m so happy for you both.”

I squeeze her tighter for a second, then nod.

Rain is talking to Merlin. He nods at something she says, then hugs her goodbye.

When she turns to me, there’s a saucy look on her face.

“Let’s go, Hotshot. Time for us to hit the hay.”

I’m on my feet before she’s done talking. She chuckles, amused by my enthusiasm.

“Let me go pay the bill, and we’ll be on our way.”

I head to the bar, ready to cover everyone’s tab, but the bartender waves me off.

“Sorry, man. Mr. Gio already paid.”

I chuckle and slip my black card back into my wallet. Of course he did. It’s easy to forget he’s a billionaire when he acts like a regular guy.

“Ready?” I ask, returning to Rain’s side.

She’s watching her brothers, now talking animatedly with a group of girls—River’s mystery girl included.

She stands and laces her fingers with mine as we walk toward the exit.

“What about your brothers? Do they need a ride?”

She glances back,waving. They wave in return.

“No, Merlin drove. They’re good.”

I nod, guiding her to my SUV.

I guess my karaoke debut will have to wait.