“It’s good to be home again after being away for months. We’re going to have to work hard to top Above Me tonight.”

  The fans cheered at that.

  “We’ve been lucky to have them opening for us this tour. And we got bonus Richie Martin. Score,” Miles said.

  People in the crowd started to shout Harlow’s name and Miles just grinned at them all. “Well, she’s my bonus too,” was all he said.

  And then Maddie started the opening to “Collide”, a song Omar had written for her to sing.

  The rest of the show had been a blur. They’d synched in with one another and had run with it. They’d already decided on the setlist the afternoon before, and it seemed to click with the audience in a magical way.

  They sang every word. They cheered and were so loud before the second encore it had echoed into his gut.

  And then it was time for the double whammy of a final encore as another drum kit and several more mic stands were placed.

  Ezra, Vaughan, Damien and Paddy Hurley waited, Maddie next to them as they all got their monitors set.

  Adrian caught up to them and tipped his chin at his son and they went out to the stage, first just Earthquakes. “This is a special place for me to play. It was the first time I’d ever played for a crowd other than for jazz band in high school.”

  There was laughter and Miles grinned at the memory. “The first time I was here, I played this one.” He began the bassline to Radiohead’s, “Creep.” The first song he’d ever learned to play with his dad.

  Then Adrian came out and began to play and Miles had to force his smile away so he could sing.

  “This one’s for Harlow,” he said and then sang, “I want you to notice, when I’m not around. You’re so fuckin’ special.”

  At his side, Adrian Brown kicked ass and played the fuck out of his guitar and Miles had never been happier the entirety of his pretty damned happy life.

  And right on the heels of that Maddie started the open to “Show the Way” as Hurleys filled the stage and hooked into one of Earthquakes most popular songs like they played it every night.

  During the break, Miles stepped back and let the guitars take over as he caught sight of Silas drumming like his life depended on it right next to his personal idol Damien Hurley.

  Ezra began to sing, and the audience began to say his name, leaning into the Z sound and Maddie’s smile seemed to light her whole being up. Her dad and her uncles had showed up and showed out.

  Miles’s father rocked alongside them, part of his journey as he’d been from the moment he’d learned of Miles’s existence.

  They all sang the last chorus together, backing Ezra’s lead vocals and as the last notes died, Miles caught Harlow’s movements, hands up in the air, singing along with them, Poppy at her side, doing the same.

  For a reckless move, he’d sure gotten lucky.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-TWO

  After what had been the best night of her entire life, Harlow wasn’t ready for what it looked like when all their friends and family had joined up for the most massive family gathering she’d ever been to.

  “Jesus, Miles,” Harlow said as they stood on the covered porch of the massive house many of them were staying in. Just beyond the house the yard was absolutely awash in musical legends.

  He laughed, putting an arm around her shoulder. “I know. I’m with these people regularly and yet I still find myself stunned by all their talent and energy. I nearly combusted on stage last night at one point.”

  “Speaking of last night.”

  He laughed again, kissing the top of her head. “Yes, my beauty?”

  She hadn’t said anything about the call outs to her he’d made during the previous night’s show. Or the way the crowd had reacted by chanting her name.

  “I’m your bonus?”

  He turned so he could give her a real hug. “They said your name. They know who you are and what we are together. As for the bit in Creep? Like I said, everyone already knows we’re together, so I get to shout it from the rooftops. It’s not a secret. Plus you liked it.”

  He spun her and then pulled her back to his side.

  “How do you know that?” she demanded, trying to stay stern but failing.

  He bent to speak quietly into her ear. “Because I wouldn’t have put my cock anywhere near that sweet mouth if you’d been snarly.”

  Blushing at the memory of their hushed coupling the night before when they’d returned home. With the house being full of family and friends, they’d had to keep it down. Which had added to the experience.

  “I see Ezra over at the drinks area.” Miles nudged her. “Go on. He’s alone.”

  “It’s weird!” she whispered back.

  “If you were him and someone said they loved something you wrote, would you think it was weird?” Miles asked and had Harlow moving over there like an adult. Which she was. Mostly.

  Waving in a hopefully nonweird way, she smiled as she approached him. “Hi, Ezra.”

  “Hey, Harlow. Y’all were fantastic last night. Congratulations. I’m biased, but the song you played with Maddie? I really dug it.”

  Omigod! Did he just really compliment her songwriting? When he was…well, that’s what she was there to tell him.

  “Wow, thank you. That means more than you can know. You’re sort of a personal icon for me. Um. All your songs are favorites, but the songs you wrote on Sometimes We Forget are lyrical perfection. The depth of emotion kills me. It’s so timely but also timeless. It’s a beautiful album.”

  His easy grin fell and remade itself into a smile that made him a thousand times hotter. And he already had that silver fox thing going on to start with.

  “Thank you. Wow. I’m very touched that you think so and that you’d tell me. It was a horrible time in my life, but I’m really proud of those songs. Sometimes you turn your pain into something better.”

  “Songwriting as therapy. Absolutely.”

  Fortunately, she managed to avoid an embarrassing incident and excused herself a few minutes later, absolutely glowing with pleasure.

  The morning activities were done, and everyone had gathered on the large back lawn of the house one or another of them owned. Her dad had Ryder on his hip as he listened to something Adrian was telling him. Marcella and Cherry sat with Jenna and Elise, Brody’s wife, the four of them had settled at a table, chatting like they’d been friends forever. Maddie had her mom on one side of her and her dad on the other as her sister—also ridiculously gorgeous—told them all something that had them laughing.

  There was enough food to feed an army, or the assembled group of creatives, weirdos, goddesses, demigods and randoms that made up this large and colorful crowd.

  Miles was in his element, loving up on everyone, reconnecting with a hug or a grin. Every few minutes though, he’d look up from whatever he was doing and search her out, only relaxing once he caught sight of her.

  She figured she only had a few minutes left of solitude. He’d frowned when he’d caught sight of her tucked away in a gazebo at the edge of the garden. Harlow had waved a hand at him to mind his own and have a good time. She wasn’t hiding! Just watching the ebb and flow of the group had filled her with happiness and several lyrical snippets she’d had to get in her phone before she forgot them.

  In the end it was her dad who’d come to find her. He sat next to her and looked out on the party beyond.

  “Hey, Punky. Great party, huh?” He put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to his side a moment.

  “It really is. Seeing everyone with their family makes me so happy.” She put her head on his shoulder a moment. It wasn’t that she couldn’t make do otherwise. She would have. There were plenty of people there she liked and would have enjoyed spending the day with. But none of them were her dad.

  “Ryder has been talking incessantly about seeing you,” he told her. “And naturally I can’t ever pass up some time with you. And I get to know Miles a little better through his people.”

  “Hang on one second,” she told him as she jumped up to grab them both a beer and some food and returned with it.

  “Uh oh. You must be planning on telling me something difficult,” he teased, but his eyes were serious.

  She clinked her bottle to his and took several long pulls. “I met with my attorney. My new attorney. Whatever. She’s the badass who is going to take Gloria on. “She had some stuff to say that helped me put this in perspective.”

  “Like what?”

  She took a deep breath and a few more drinks while they ate yummy meatballs.

  “I like this Bella already,” her dad said.

  “I think you would. She’s great. But I should warn you, she’s not worried about this hurting Luis and Hector. She says they’re either with me or against me and I fought that for a few weeks. Miles was pissed at me for taking so long to see the truth.”

  “He should be pissed at me then,” her dad muttered.

  “He was in his own way. At first. But he knows you love me, and he knows you did your best. He’s the one who told me that right off. You made the best choices you could at that time given your options. They weren’t perfect. But no one is perfect. You kept growing and learning and I hope I do the same. I’m not mad at you. But if I have to protect myself from her and it hurts them because they refuse to accept the truth that’s on them. You’re their dad so I know it’s different for you. But I wanted you to know up front that it might happen.”

  “I regret—deeply—that I’m not close with your brothers. They’re my sons and I love them. Nothing will change that. But it doesn’t mean I don’t see the situation for what it is. And I’m choosing you, Harlow. Because you’ve been so hurt, and no one chose you. Fuck that.”

  The tears in her dad’s voice brought her own in response.

  “I’ve spent the last two weeks really thinking about everything. What my part in it is. What your part is. How what she’s said and done has shaped me even though I didn’t live with her for most of my life. Miles said some stuff to me the day you and I talked about everything. He asked me how long I was going to let Gloria make me feel like I wasn’t good enough to be loved.”

  “Ouch,” he murmured.

  “Right? He’s cute and all, but he knows stuff. And he was correct. I’m working through all that. Hooked up with a therapist I can connect with online. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about that part, but it’s been good. Helped me put things in perspective. It’s going to take me a while to reject everything I know is wrong, but I’m trying. Because I’m worth it and healthy relationships are worth it.”

  “You are, Punky and I’m so happy to hear you’re rising above all this bullshit to keep being the amazing woman you are. Do whatever you need to shut Gloria down. I’ll help however I can. I tried to connect with Hector and Luis but neither will take my calls. I don’t want them to hear the story from Gloria about the custody situation. I want to explain it.”

  “You can’t if they won’t listen. Dad, they know she’s cruel and petty and they think it’ll never turn on them. And maybe it never will. I’ll always have love for them, but from a distance. Maybe that’s the only way it’s possible. I’ve had some limited texts back and forth with Mindy. She sees this for what it is. Knows what Gloria is. But Gloria is her mother-in-law so it’s a lot of pressure on her marriage. I don’t know how that’ll work out. I hope he chooses his wife and kids. But.” Harlow shrugged. “I’m sorry for it. She’s in a tough spot. But maybe you can check in with her? Just a note that you want to talk. It might go nowhere. But if anyone can get him to listen it’ll be her.”

  Her dad sighed, sadness in the sound.

  She turned to him, putting one of her legs up on the seat. “I’m great,” she said. “I’m in love. I’m experiencing more success than ever. My friendships are strong and important. I have a loving and involved father who I adore and who adores me. Aside from this Gloria drama, things are a-okay.”

  They watched Ryder run and play but when she caught sight of them, her entire being lit up and she ran toward them, her arms wide open.

  “That’s the prime example of what a great dad you are,” Harlow told him as she stood and grabbed her sister, pulling her up and into her arms for a hug.

  “Are you going to be okay now that this tour is over, and Earthquakes will be in Europe for the next six weeks?” he asked as Ryder played with Harlow’s hair.

  “I’ll miss him. But I was fine before he came along, and I’ll be fine when he’s away for work. I have my own work too. Our first festival date is in four days. He and the rest of his band leave day after tomorrow for Spain. He and I will call and text and if we can’t make it work, I guess it’s better to know now. But I think it’ll be fine.”

  “Backstage can be a horror movie for anyone worried about their partner straying,” her dad said.

  “Truth. But I’m not worried about it. I can’t be. If he wants to be with someone else, he will be. I can’t be with him every moment to make sure he never gets the chance to mess around. It’s what you do when you’re not being watched that counts, right? He’s not messy like that. If he wanted out, he’d do the respectful thing and say so before he stepped out.” And if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be the man she loved anymore.

  “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I don’t think you need to be concerned. But I do think it’s good to know what you’re facing,” he said, grinning at Ryder, who started singing her ABCs.

  They wandered back to the heart of the party. Harlow filled a plate with the things Ryder pointed at and then they found seats at one of the many tables set up around the yard.

  After four bites, Ryder caught sight of her mom and ran off to tell her all the things. Harlow snorted and pulled the plate over. Waste not want not.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  She looked up at Brody Brown. Harlow waved at the empty chairs. “Have a seat.”

  “Having a good time?” he asked.

  “I am. Gillian and Mary did a great job setting this whole thing up. It’s nice to be able to celebrate with people you love when you finish a tour.”

  Brody nodded. Harlow didn’t know him very well. But what she did know was Brody was instrumental in the man Miles was.

  “When you’re done with your summer and fall dates and Miles is finished, Elise and I would love to have you over for the weekend. I’ll fire up the barbecue and we’ll hang out and get to know you. It’s hard in a setting like this. Too many expectations and people watching.”

  “Expectations?”

  He laughed and she saw Miles in the movements and his expression. Saw Adrian too. This man—Erin and Adrian’s older brother—had dropped everything to step in and raise his siblings after their parents had died. They all spoke of him with a sort of reverence. At the same time, he was flesh and blood like anyone else. And yet he radiated an effortless calm and sense of competency few others could.

  “We’ve never seen Miles in love before. Oh yes, there was the interviewer, but he didn’t bring her around. For the best, as we’d have seen her for what she was sooner. While you’re making a mistake, sometimes you do all you can not to see what a mistake you’re making. You know on some level, so you hide from anyone who’d tell you otherwise. He learned.”

  “She’s awful. I mean, she’s very pretty and I can see she’d be fun at parties. But scratch the surface and she’s totally about herself. And she ran through your lives with scissors. I’m so sorry about that interview. I didn’t know who she was until toward the end and then it was too late. I never meant to have your family get hurt.”

  He patted her hand briefly and stole a chip off her plate. She understood now where Miles got that too.

  “She’s no threat to us. The world already knows Erin has two husbands. Frankly, you’ve met her, do you think one mere human could manage that?”

  Harlow nearly choked on her surprised laugh, and he winked at her.

  “Sophie never cared about who Miles was beyond his status. She encouraged his most self-destructive behavior, but he did those things himself. Miles kept telling me he wasn’t looking for love or forever. And I said forever didn’t care. And then you popped up and he understood what I meant. You see him. Not just the rockstar part. Not just the jetset life. You see his family and his heart. You understand he’s so much more than those few hours he’s on stage. He deserves to be loved by someone and I’m glad it’s you.”

  The men at this party were bound and determined to make her cry that day apparently.

  She tried not to make a big deal out of her sniffles but he handed her a napkin so she must have failed. “Sorry.”

  “For what? Loving Miles so much you’re touched when someone who loves him too says they appreciate you?” Brody asked. “Life’s too fucking short, kid. Look. Miles is a great guy and I’m not just saying that because he’s my nephew. You survived a legit Brown/Keenan/Copeland swarm like a champ. Even when Ben fucked things up.” Brody snorted. “He’s a kind man who loves his family. I’m glad you worked it out. Takes guts to give someone a second chance.”

  “Well, for heaven’s sake, he didn’t mean to be anything but kind. I wasn’t mad. He and I both had too many sore spots. But he was kind and he helped me. Doesn’t take guts. Just compassion. Anyway, it was more Miles than Ben. And Miles and I worked that out too,” Harlow told him. “Mainly. Your nephew is very bossy. He’s a work in progress.”

  He grinned at her. “See, this is why I think you and Miles are perfect for one another. You don’t take any of his bossy or controlling shit.”

  “Well, not all of it. It’s sort of impossible to stop Miles from being bossy. It’s part of who he is. I don’t want to change him, but sometimes he needs to be told no in a very firm voice. He loves me very well. He wants to protect me from everything and everyone. I’m told he and his father get it from you.”

  His surprised laughter caught attention and soon enough, Miles wandered over.

  “He wants to keep an eye on us both,” Brody said with a wink.