As he drove, we sang along to a few of our favorite songs, making up the words like we used to, and laughing so hard my belly ached, which was a great way to pass the time.

  Chauncy pulled up to our spot and left the truck idling as he stared out at the abandoned runway, the small terminal building in the distance. “This is where I came the night of my accident.” It took him a little while to look at me. “I think those deer running out in front of me was the universe trying to tell me something.”

  I had no words. I didn’t need any to offer him my understanding. I, myself, had driven out here many times, wishing for him to return, crying and hating him for leaving, saying goodbye hurt. But I also found a peace I never felt anywhere else. Maybe it was because this was where I always felt close to him, could relive every memory made here.

  “Hey, none of that. Tonight’s going to be a good night.” He squeezed my hand and then hopped out of the truck, only to appear at my side, holding the door open. I took his offered hand and slid from the seat.

  Sandwiched between the side of the truck and Chauncy’s taut body, I could feel his heat, smell his clean scent, and see a pool of lust, love, and hope in those blues of his. There’d be no goodbyes tonight. We’d concentrate on the moment and make the best of whatever time we had left.

  “You know I’m going to get you in nothing but these pink boots, right?” He brushed his knuckles along the side of my cheek.

  “Why do you think I wore them?”

  “I need to kiss you.”

  “I’ve been waiting.” I smirked.

  I loved taunting him.

  “And I love this little sassy side you’ve acquired. Gone is the reserved girl I knew.” He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck.

  “She’s still there.” I licked my lips. “I just love getting a reaction out of you.”

  “Yeah, well, let’s see how you react to this.”

  I didn’t get a chance to one-up him because he crashed his mouth against mine, my back bumping the side of the truck. My jaw slacked, allowing his tongue to slip into my mouth, tasting me with deep sweeping strokes. It was fucking hot, and I’d never get enough of him.

  My hands roamed, his hips pressed forward, and I smiled. Once we got started, it didn’t take long for things to get hot and heavy. Knowing him, we’d make love under the stars and spend the rest of the night cuddled in each other’s arms.

  He must have read my thoughts because he broke the kiss and dropped his forehead to mine.

  “I can’t resist you.” His voice was low and gravelly, sending tingles up my spine.

  “No one is telling you to.”

  Chauncy took my hand and led me to the back of the truck and dropped the tailgate. A laugh broke past my lips because I should have known he’d have something like this stashed back here.

  Tucked in one corner was a small cooler, two foam mattresses, a blanket, and a couple of pillows.

  I eyed him. “This is why you needed Aaron’s truck.”

  “Guilty.” He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me onto the tailgate, then made himself comfortable between my thighs. “We wouldn’t be comfortable in the back of your Jeep.”

  “How very thoughtful of you,” I whispered against his lips.

  Once everything was laid out, we sat with our backs pressed against the cab, and Chauncy reached into the cooler and pulled out a bottle of strawberry wine. I couldn’t stop my smile even if I tried.

  Back when we were in high school, he’d always find a way to get a bottle of the cheap wine, and even though my family owned a vineyard, this was still my favorite.

  I held the two plastic cups as he twisted the cap off the bottle and filled each one. I handed him a cup, and he held it gazing deep into my eyes. “I never thought we’d be here again—I mean, I’m glad we are, but . . .” He shrugged.

  “Me too,” I whispered for fear of the moment disappearing.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Saying those words might have been reckless, but it was honest. No matter where life led us, I truly believed Chauncy and I would always hold on to our love.

  He tapped his cup to mine, and we both took a drink and memory after memory flooded my mind.

  “I haven’t had this in years. I think my parents would disown me if they found me drinking it.”

  “We’ll make sure to never tell them.” He winked and then looked at the sky. “I wasn’t sure if there would be many stars out tonight, but look.”

  My eyes followed his finger, pointing at the brightest star in the sky. Everything about tonight made me feel nostalgic and happy.

  “Thank you for recreating all of this. It’s perfect.”

  “I wish I could create a lot more memories with you, that our time wasn’t cut short again.”

  A moment later, “Moonbeam” played from his phone’s speaker. I was stunned as I listened to the tune and wondered how in the heck this was even possible. I never knew there was a recording of Chauncy and I singing our song.

  “How?” I whispered, lost to the past, my heart feeling shaky. It had been a long time since I heard our voices together, singing of promises I wish we had kept.

  “Remember that demo we did?”

  I nodded, taking in each word as tears rolled down my cheeks.

  “I snuck in a favor that day and asked if we could record ‘Moonbeam.’ I was going to surprise you with it for your birthday, but . . .”

  He took off a couple of weeks later.

  “I had no idea. But why? This was your song—”

  “Our song,” he corrected. “I will never sound the way I do without you.”

  I recoiled. “How can you say that? Your voice is amazing.”

  “My voice is nothing without yours.”

  I felt the exact same way. Individually, we were good—to some, we might even be great, but together, we were magic. We had a unique sound that breathed life into words and gave them meaning through melodies.

  “Don’t move.” He hopped over the side of the truck and grabbed something from the backseat—something I never expected to see again.

  At the foot of the tailgate, Chauncy stood, holding his guitar.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, nerves running wild through my veins.

  “What does it look like?”

  “If I had to guess, it looks like you’re going to play for me?”

  “And you’re going to sing with me.”

  “Chauncy . . .” I sighed. “I can’t.”

  As much as I loved the sound of us together, I couldn’t. It would kill me to sing alongside him, knowing tonight was all we’d have. Did he not know how much my heart would want this to be real, a second chance for the dream we once shared? He was leaving tomorrow and would probably be gone for another eight years.

  “Please?” he pushed gently.

  I squeezed my hands together to keep them from shaking. Part of me said to go for it, but the other part was gripped with fear.

  “One song?” He gently bit his lip, holding still in expectation. “One song, and if it’s too much, we stop.”

  Oh, it’s going to be too much, all right.

  But after a short war of wills, the part of me that wanted to hear him sing again won. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath before nodding. Chauncy and I were about to make music again.

  A rush of excitement overtook my nerves, and Chauncy’s eyes gleamed against the moonlight, telling me how excited he was to be doing this.

  He hopped up on the tailgate, and I moved to sit next to him. He did a little fine-tuning and then looked at me. “So, what do you want to sing?”

  I shrugged. “You choose.”

  He chuckled. “I knew you’d say that. It’s a good thing I already had a few songs in mind.”

  “Yeah, so what did you choose?”

  Rather than answering, he started strumming. A few chords in, I knew exactly what song he had in mind. A Kings of Leon ballad we had first heard at a music festival when we were fifteen.

  The intonation of rasp and lust in the lead singer’s voice was close to identical in Chauncy’s, and even though our sound was geared more toward country, we had a wide range of taste in music. We’d never limit ourselves to any one genre. If a song spoke to us, we sang it—or we tried to, at least.

  I joined in at the chorus, and my heart soared.

  We were singing again.

  Me and Chauncy—us.

  He worked his guitar with such ease that I had to wonder if what he said earlier about not finding the time to play since he left was even true. How could someone not practice his craft for eight years and still sound like that?

  Embracing the high, we sang another four or five songs while polishing off the second bottle of wine, not bothering with the cups after the first drink. It felt good—no, amazing to be with him again at our favorite spot, sharing something we both had an undying love for.

  As the last riff faded into the night sky, I inhaled a breath, feeling lighter than I’d felt in years. Chauncy had his eyes closed, looking handsome and at peace.

  The last time he had this was some years ago, and it wasn’t hard to guess how he was feeling.

  He opened his eyes and gave me his truth. “I miss this—us, playing, singing our hearts out.”

  “Me too,” I admitted.

  He hugged the guitar to his chest. “Then why don’t you try again?”

  “Chauncy,” I warned.

  “What? You’re amazing, and I wish you never gave it up. Who knows where you’d be right now. Probably accepting your hundredth CMA award.” He chuckled. “And trashing hotel rooms in celebration.”

  “I wish.” I coughed a humorless giggle and then clarified, “The award, not trashing hotel rooms.”

  “You don’t need to wish for it to happen, Kietra. Everyone would love you if you gave them a chance to hear you. Anyone with ears would fall in love with your voice.”

  “Let’s not go there tonight.” I hopped off the tailgate and crossed my arms over my chest, wandering a few feet away. I didn’t want to talk about this, and I definitely didn’t want to talk about it with him.

  Pursuing a career as a musician was not a topic I wanted to dig up and hash out. It was done. That part of us was done. Our chance at having our names on billboards and in bright lights had passed, and I never had any interest in a solo career.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized, snaking his arms around me from behind and resting his chin on top of my head. The protective feel of his arms eased some of the ache. “I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that I hate that you gave it up because I left. You’re amazing. How can you not know that?”

  I pried his fingers open and walked back to the truck. I couldn’t say my piece while in the comfort of his arms, not with how raw I was feeling.

  Not being able to face him, the words just fell from my lips. “Singing was never an option without you. It doesn’t matter how good you or anyone else thinks I am. It was something we were going to do together, not on our own. Navigating that crazy life wouldn’t be the same without you.” I looked to the sky, anywhere but at the man breaking and healing my heart at the same time. Then, I lowered my voice, “Besides, my dreams have changed.”

  His warmth was at my back, and my body warred with my mind wanting to gravitate toward him, but I gripped the tailgate instead, holding on as our worlds collided.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t want a career as a musician.” I stalled for a bit, debating if I was ready to spill my secret. And then I did. “I’ve been writing—music. I want to be the one who pours their heart and soul out to bleed onto paper for the real musicians to sing my songs. It’s the best of both worlds.” I shrugged, worried he’d fight me on this. I knew I was good—so was he, but like I just said, the dream no longer existed without him.

  He rubbed the back of his neck and came to sit next to me on the tailgate as we stared at each other, quietly deciphering what to say next.

  He spoke first. “Are you sure? I mean—you’d really give it all up for someone else to gain all the praise and glory? You’d be a double threat as a singer-songwriter—”

  I laid my hand on his forearm. “It was never about the glory, and you know it. And I’m sure. That’s what I want, and I’ve already been in contact with an agency, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  His surprise was tangible. “Wow. So, you’re serious?”

  “Of course, I’m serious. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought it was an idea you were toying with. I didn’t know you were already in the process of making it happen.”

  “You’re the only one who knows, so can you please keep it to yourself? I’m not sure how it’ll turn out, and I’m not ready to tell anyone yet.”

  “Hey, your secret is safe with me.”

  And I believed him.

  I also knew this conversation was over when Chauncy scooted back and lay his head on one of the pillows, holding his arms open in invitation. I went eagerly, fitting perfectly into his side. I placed my arm across his chest, looking at the sky.

  The moon was bright, but not enough to drown out the stars. He kissed my temple and my hair while I played with the hem of his shirt, my fingers grazing the stiff muscles of his stomach, wanting to remove the damn thing altogether.

  He grabbed my wrist and then kissed it, and when his eyes met mine, he whispered, “I wish I’d come back sooner. Maybe things could be different.”

  “I’m sure they would be.”

  Chauncy made slow and sweet love to me, kissing my neck, my cheek, and my lips, whispering how much he adored me.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  * * *

  CHAUNCY

  “Maybe coming here was a bad idea,” I whispered into Kietra’s ear after my mom excused herself from the dining room to take the dishes to the kitchen.

  Kietra looked at me with a pretty scowl on her face.

  “What?” I cracked a smile, my eyes darting to the living room where my dad had retired with a beer and his newspaper. Aaron had left just minutes ago, giving us some story about how he had to check on a horse.

  “You better be nice,” Kietra warned and pinched my thigh.

  “Ouch,” I hissed. “What was that for?” I rubbed at the stinging feeling.

  “Be nice,” she whispered harshly just as my mom entered the dining room.

  “Would either of you like some coffee?”

  “No, thank you. I’m stuffed.” Kietra touched her belly and smiled.

  I hated saying bye to my parents, but in actuality, this was going to be the easy part. What the hell was I going to do when morning rolled around and I had to say those same damn words to the woman I had fallen back in love with?

  The woman I wanted in my life but couldn’t quite figure out how to make that happen.

  “Actually, I think we should head out. I still need to pack,” I lied to my mom, hoping I’d be forgiven. If not, we’d be here for another two hours trying to plan our escape.

  “Everything was delicious, Lizzie. Thank you so much for inviting me,” Kietra thanked my mom as we both stood.

  “I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon.” Mom sounded heartbroken. “But it is getting late.” She sighed before turning to lead us to the front door.

  We said good night to my dad and had one of the drawn-out goodbyes with my mom at the front door. She hugged me, then Kietra, and then me again, all the while trying to hide the sniffles that were causing a sinking feeling in my stomach.

  “I’ll visit soon,” I whispered the promise in her ear. And I would. Once the season ended, I’d make sure to spend most of my downtime in Merlot, more so now that Kietra and I had reconnected.

  “You better.” She hugged me tightly. “Make sure you call when you land and let us know how things are going. Keep up with your therapy and don’t overdo it—”

  I had to cut her off. If not, she’d never let us leave.

  “I love you, Mom.” I kissed her cheek and headed out the door.

  “I love you too.”

  The entire car ride to Kietra’s place was quiet, but the noise in my head was deafening. I’d be gone soon and just wasn’t ready to leave her again.

  Maybe I can ask her to come with me.

  Kietra pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. We met at the hood of her car and linked hands. She tried her best to act unaffected, but the way her eyes refused to meet mine and how she was walking a few steps ahead of me even with her hand in mine, told me she was struggling as much as I was.

  Once inside, Kietra threw her keys onto the counter, let go of my hand, and headed for her room. I reached for her wrist, and when she turned to face me, I slammed my mouth on hers, needing her taste on my tongue. I shoved my hands in her hair, holding on for dear life. Tonight, we’d let go.

  “Fuck, I need you.” I didn’t have the patience to take this slow. “Tell me this is okay.”

  “Please don’t stop,” she pleaded, fisting the front of my shirt. “Please don’t ever stop.”

  We were in a frenzy, racing to tear each other’s clothes off, stumbling to the couch along the way. I have never been this hard for any woman in my life.

  I dropped to the couch as Kietra stood before me. There was a wild look in her eyes that mirrored my own. She grabbed my thighs then lowered to her knees.

  Fucking anticipation ripped right through me at the sight of her kneeling.

  “Babe?” I questioned, but she licked her lips as she grazed her nails over my hot skin, making my dick jump.

  “It’s been too long since I had a taste of you.”

  “Oh, fuck,” breezed past my lips as my head fell back. Once her warm wet mouth closed over my aching cock, I’d be done. Obliterated.

  Kietra took me in her hands, stroking slowly. She dragged her tongue from the base to the top before licking the tip. I reached for her breast and pulled her nipple, and her eyes closed as her head fell back. Gorgeous.

  “I love it when you touch me,” she breathed, still stroking me, her motions gaining slight momentum, and when her eyes met mine again, they were smoldering. “But I love touching you more,” she whispered just as she closed her mouth around me.