Page 43 of Among the Stars
Ash sighed. “Life ain’t always easy, And it isn’t always fair, Finding the girl you were meant to find, Is precious and it’s rare, To lose her once you’ve found her, Takes a special kind of fool, I can’t believe I get a second chance, To spend my life with you.”
Veronica absorbed the words, waiting for the twinge of regret that her ex-husband was waxing poetic about another woman. But that twinge never came. Nor did the gut-eating jealousy she’d been wallowing in since Halloween.
“I wouldn’t change a word,” she said, and meant it. “That’s beautiful.”
“You think so?” He stared at the words with a total lack of confidence.
She rolled her chair up to his and made him look up. “You could sing her the alphabet, and Jesse would love it. The day is going to be perfect, and you two are going to live happily ever after. Relax. You’ve got this, buddy.”
“Thank you.” Taking Veronica’s hand, he kissed her knuckles. Something he did often. “I’m sorry about all the craziness. This isn’t too weird for you, is it? I just couldn’t imagine doing it without you.”
Going for honesty, she said, “There is a certain amount of weirdness involved in helping my ex-husband marry another woman, but I want you to be happy. If marrying Jesse makes you happy, then I’m with you every step of the way.” She leaned back in her chair. “I take that back. I’ll help you throw this wedding, but you’re on your own for the honeymoon.”
“Yeah,” he laughed, “I think I’ve got that part.”
Taking a breath, Veronica felt a shift. Like a gear falling back into place. This was the way it was always supposed to be—Ash and Jesse together. Their story started long before he met Veronica, and she would be lucky to watch the rest of it play out. “I’m happy for you, bud.”
“I’m happy for you, too,” Ash replied. “Cam seems like a nice guy.”
Veronica didn’t know where things were going with the new man in her life. Their relationship had escalated quickly, to say the least, but it could burn out just as fast. She hoped not, but Cam wasn’t an easy man to figure out. He was complicated, guarded, and more damaged than any guy she’d ever dated. But she’d made him smile, and with Cam, that alone was a victory.
Her sister’s words about nice guys came back to her and Veronica said, “Nice isn’t the word I would use.”
Ash went on alert. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing bad,” she assured him. “Cam is just… different.”
“Different?”
“Yeah.” Veronica struggled to explain. “He’s serious and strong, but then not at the same time.”
“He sounds like a riddle,” Ash said with a chuckle.
Leave it to the songwriter to find the right word. “Yes. Cam is a riddle. A riddle I’m still trying to figure out.”
Rising from his chair, he tucked the pencil behind his ear. “I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not.”
Neither could she. “It’s been good so far.” An understatement if there ever was one.
“Then I hope it stays that way. What do you say we record this and see how it sounds?”
“We can do that.”
Ash left the notepad on his chair and crossed to the far wall to pick out a guitar. The man had a collection that would make any avid musician jealous. She slid her chair in front of the small control board and felt the phone buzz against her leg. Checking the screen, she found the message she’d been hoping for.
I can’t stop thinking about you.
Heat warmed her cheeks as she contemplated a response.
Thinking about me doing what?
Seconds passed before an answer came.
Sucking me dry.
And we have sexting. She knew he’d be good at this. Wanting more, she went with another question.
You liked that?