His voice drove deep again, slowing as he hit the second verse.
Never knew you were strewn Right there with them Burning bright and healing life Starshine in my eyes Now I'm blinded
Starshine.
I blinked around the tears that filled my eyes, unable to hold them back as this beautiful man’s powerful voice reverberated through the auditorium.
Written in the skies Bleeding stars and broken hearts Scattered wishes and shattered dreams
Questions and uncertainty threaded into the passion of his song as he again slowed, the sound coming from the piano growing quiet as his voice tilted into a raspy plea.
You say there’s nothing to fear But it’s not that easy When fear’s the only thing you’ve got Take a chance, take a chance And it’s killing me the only chance I want Is the one I don’t know how to take
For a moment the song completely blinked out, and a bated silence held fast to the atmosphere.
My breath was hitched in my lungs.
Desperate in this anticipation that threaded through my spirit.
Then he drove back into the song as a medley of voices suddenly joined him.
But now I’m blinded Starshine in my eyes Bleeding Stars and mended hearts
One by one, they walked out onto the stage. Baz, Austin, Lyrik, and Ash, all dressed alike. Tamar, Edie, Shea, and Willow, who had changed into gowns.
Each of them were singing as they crossed the stage to stand at Zee’s side.
A part of him.
His support.
His family.
I could do nothing but rise to my feet.
Overwhelmed.
Overcome by this beauty.
And my heart, it beat wildly with his song, a confession that stitched together to become a part of me.
And it’s you
Starshine in my eyes Bleeding stars and mended hearts They’re falling for you
They all sang, some in tenor, baritone, and bass. Shea’s sweet voice lifted above them for a few moments in a perfect harmony.
Catch me when I fall Are you gonna catch me when I fall
Then they all slowed and quieted, the piano barely a trickle of sound as Zee once again began to sing alone. His mouth was right at the mic, and his vulnerable, perfect heart was on display.
Starshine in my eyes And I’m falling for you This mended heart It’s falling for you Catch me when I fall.
Starshine
Are you gonna catch me when I fall
He heaved out a breath, his eyes closed for a moment before he opened them and peered directly at me. “I know my life is complicated, Alexis. That I have a kid who’s been through more than any kid ever should. That he’s gonna need me every second of every day. But the truth of the matter is, I need you, too. Need your light. Your music. Your song. Take a chance on me, Alexis. No fear. Just life.”
And there was no hesitation.
No question.
I was running down the aisle.
Toward this brilliant, unforgettable man.
No fear. Just life.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Zee
That space between us had come alive. The way it always did when she was near. Though this time—this time it throbbed with devotion. With something that sang with permanence and loyalty. The kind of hope I’d been too terrified to allow myself to feel.
I stood from my seat at the piano with my family standing around me.
There with their unwavering support.
My head spun.
My heart a goddamned riot when I saw Alexis running down the aisle.
Coming for me.
I moved to the end of the stage and jumped off just as she reached the end.
I swept her up and she wrapped her arms around my neck.
God, how could anything feel so good?
So perfect.
Overcome, I swung her round and round while I held her against me.
That sweetness filled my senses like a drug.
Good and pure.
Slowly, I let her slide down my body. I cupped the side of her face, and my thumb brushed beneath the hollow of her eye.
My heart forever in her hands. “Starshine.”
I stared down at her through the pale light that drifted in through the windows that overlooked the city. Right after the concert, I’d brought her here.
Needing her alone.
To feel her.
Touch her.
Make her all the promises only my body could say.
My strokes were slow and unhurried as I filled her.
Devout as I worshiped her in the shadows of my loft.
My hand was on her face and the other was twisted in her hair.
Her mouth parted as she clung to me.
We both came.
Silently.
Reverently.
For a few moments we both lay there gasping.
Our minds catching up to the moment our hearts had been racing for all along.
Slowly, I edged back, my thumb brushing the angle of her cheek. “I love you, Alexis Kensington.”
It was the first time I’d told her, and I was sure I’d never spoken a greater truth.
Love shined back at me, those deep blue eyes filled with faith. With the undying belief that had restored what had been lacking in me.
Fingertips fluttered up to caress my face. A whisper. A promise. “And I will always love you, Zachary Kennedy. Thank you for taking a chance on me. For trusting me to be around him.”
Shifting us both to our sides, I ran the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. “It was never that I didn’t trust you, Alexis. It’s that I had to find a way to trust to myself. I had to finally come to the place where I was able to accept that I have something good to give, too. I’d been living in my own exile for so long, I’d thought it’d be some kind of sin for me to break out of it. But you…you showed me that life is for living.”
She lightly scratched her fingertips over the beard on my jaw. “And now you’re ready to live.”
“I’m so ready to live.”
Her voice softened in wonder and encouragement, that potent gaze searching my face. “What’s it like, having him with you now? How does it feel to be a dad?”
An affectionate sigh rippled into the dimness. “Realized I always knew something was missing, and I just didn’t know what it was. It feels like I finally found it—both Liam and you.”
She blinked, her tone deep with significance. “We can take it as slow as you need us to, Zee. I promise I won’t barge into his life.”
Liam had been all too happy when I’d asked him if it was okay if he spent the night at Baz and Shea’s tonight. I’d needed this time with Alexis. Time for us to talk. To lay it all out.
I was ready. No more questions.
I dipped down and brushed my lips over hers. “Not sure I know how to take things slow with you.”
She giggled. It traveled through me like a song. A song that rang with joy. With peace. “We aren’t very good with slow, are we?”
“Nah. Think it was our hearts that knew all along, pushing us toward where we belonged.”
Her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip. “I think I knew the first time I saw you.”