Whereas the first leg of the tour was filled with indecision, weakness, longing, and fear, this time was the opposite. It was like no other tour he’d been on. After the show in Omaha, Nebraska two days before Thanksgiving, no one left. That never happened. This time the band, along with the people closest to them, sat around a large table in a secluded restaurant sharing stories and reminiscing. When their loved ones flew back home and they took to the road once more, Reid knew it was time to tell Chloe what he wanted. What everyone in the band wanted.
“Hey, can we talk for a second?” Reid asked, threading his fingers through Chloe’s.
She looked up, her brows pinched. “Nothing good ever comes from ‘Can we talk?’ Are you going to try to overthrow me? If so, let me remind you again what happened to Vader.”
Reid laughed and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his face against her neck. “I’m not trying to overthrow you,” he chuckled. “It’s the opposite, actually.”
Chloe raised her brow, her expression colored with confusion. “What are you talking about, crazy man?”
“I know that Tom has given you more than a dozen contracts from various places that want to book you, but—” Reid pulled in a deep breath and leaned forward until his eyes were locked with Chloe’s “—I want you to tell them no.”
“Why would I do that?” Chloe asked, her eyes wide.
“Because I want you to be a part of the band full time. I don’t want this to be just a tour thing. The songs we’ve written, the time we’ve spent together, I never want to lose that. You’ve made me better; you’ve made us better. I want to keep that. I want to keep you. Personally and professionally,” he added with a smirk as he tugged the end of her hair. The way Chloe’s face reddened and her eyes glistened caused Reid’s chest to tighten.
“Are you serious?” she choked.
“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. Be a part of my journey in every way. I want to share everything with you.”
Tears shimmered in Chloe’s eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can’t think of anything in the world I’d love more.”
Resting her head against the bus window, Chloe watched the snow slowly recede with each passing mile. Lifting the pendant hanging from her necklace, she turned it from side to side, smiling as the final rays of the setting sun reflected off the tiny diamonds. Reid had given it to her for Christmas. Unlike Thanksgiving, when the band took a week off for Christmas, everyone went home. Well, everyone except Reid and Chloe. Using the opportunity to have some time alone, they stayed in Denver and rented a cabin for the week. They even bought a tiny tree and decorated it together.
On Christmas morning, with little fanfare, Reid pulled the necklace from his pocket and slipped it over her head with a kiss. Hanging from the bottom was a silver Gemini and Leo unity pendant, the Gemini portion encrusted with diamonds. It was the most perfect gift he could have given her.
Now the tour was coming to an end and she couldn’t help feeling a little sad. So much had changed in her life since the morning she walked into that recording studio in Brooklyn nearly a year ago. If someone had told her that she’d move to the other side of the country, fall in love, and become a full-time member of Reid’s band, she would have laughed in their face. But somehow, that’s exactly what happened.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Greer asked, falling into the seat across from her.
She looked up and smiled. Kicking out her leg, she tapped her foot against his shin. “Nothing. Everything. I can’t believe the tour is over. I can’t believe everything that’s happened.”
Greer nodded and sighed. “Just remember when you do a VH1 special in about thirty years reminiscing sadly about missing your chance to hook up with the supertalented, handsome, and Hall of Fame inductee Greer Lawson that all you need to do is call. I’ll still be willing to rectify that tragic mistake.”
Chloe choked out a laugh just as Reid moved to her side, his face split with a wide smile. “Still hitting on my girl, I see.”
Greer shrugged and winked at Chloe. “I said I’d try to behave. I never claimed I’d be any good at it.”
Chloe grinned as Reid took a seat next to her. “I can’t wait to start recording new stuff with you guys. This is going to be the best time of my life.”
Greer laughed. “Maybe for you. Me and Drew still haven’t figured out how to make Reid fall for us. I can’t imagine why. I’m a fucking catch.”
“There’s a lot of drinking,” Reid chuckled. “As you can see, it’s completely necessary.”
Drew walked behind Greer and grabbed his shoulders. “Is Greer hitting on Chloe again?”
Chloe smirked. “No, right now he’s trying to figure out how to make Reid fall in love with him.”
Drew’s face twisted with confusion, his nose wrinkled like he smelled something foul. “I haven’t had enough to drink for this conversation.”
Reid cocked his brow and threw his arm over Chloe’s shoulders. “See?”