His voice was so soulful, so melodic. No matter how much she loved him, she didn’t listen to Preload unless one of the guys played it at the studio. But this, she could listen to all day. As Dred continued to sing through a chorus that reflected on exactly how much he loved her, she was struck by the fact that this was the first time he’d played especially for her. Yes, he sang around the house, but this was a song about them, a song he was singing to her. And in that moment, she knew she was truly his.
When the heart wants what it wants
Does the heart get what it needs
When you reach rock bottom
I’ll be the savior that you need
I think I’m in love
I think I’m in love with you
I think I’m in love
I think I’m in love with you
Without saying a word, he placed his guitar on the floor and pulled her across his lap. She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him soundly.
“I know we’ve got hurdles ahead of us. Being separated while I tour, and all that. And I know we need paperwork for me to be here, or you to be in Canada permanently. But I love you, Pix. I need to know this is leading to forever.”
“I don’t have words or a song,” she said quietly, taking his hand and placing it on her chest. “But my heart understands yours in ways I don’t think I’ll ever quite comprehend.”
Dred led out a deep breath. “I think that’s the beauty of it, Snowflake. We’re not meant to. All we can do is embrace it. And nurture it. And build something together. We had shitty role models to show us what that looks like.”
“So we build our own version of it. It’ll be perfect,” she said.
Slipping his fingers under her T-shirt, he brushed his lips against hers. “Just like you.”
Acknowledgments
As always, writing the acknowledgments reminds me how lucky I am to have people so willing to help me write the stories that I do.
Huge thanks as always to my lovely editor, Lizzie Poteet, at St. Martin’s Press. I hope readers agree with your feelings about Pixie and Dred’s story. Thank you for continuing to challenge me to write the very best book I possibly can, and for your continued faith that when I do that, readers will want to read it. Oh, and remember that time we were double RITA finalists.
My very dear Beth Phelan—thank you for being the most awesome agent with mad agenty skills. I love your audacity and tenacity. Thank you for taking my call from the wilds of wherever you were and taking a chance on me.
To my wonderful team at St. Martin’s Press . . . Amy, Marissa, Jordan, and all the other folks who help with everything from editing to covers. I’m truly grateful for your relentless efforts.
I have the best critique partner in the world. Violetta Rand is all kinds of awesome. Thank you, my lovely. Here’s hoping all your predictions come true!
An author can be a solitary occupation at times, and I am very fortunate to have a wonderful group of writers that I call friends. Sidney Halston—I love you and your stories. And a huge thank-you goes out to the wonderful De Wolfe ladies and our fearless leader, Kathryn Le Veque—you ladies offer great counsel and laughter in equal measure.
I need to thank Brett and Heather Dawson for helping me understand what life in a group home can be like. The world needs people like you who actively care for young people who find themselves alone for whatever reason. Thank you for helping me understand their stories, and thank you for helping them every day.
Thank you to medical practitioners Denise Clarke (Neonatal Nurse Practitioner) and Joanne Unsworth (midwife) for their guidance on the topic of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. I don’t want to provide spoilers in the acknowledgments, but I am grateful to you for helping me shape this story.
Thanks to Dawn Vickers and Pat Egan Fordyce for doing early reads and making sure I was on the right track.
Tanya Baikie—I owe you one massive Canadian vote of thanks for all the amazing teasers and videos you have made. You have such crazy talent.
To my fearless street team . . . Scarlett’s Stars. We may be small but we are mighty! Thanks to all of you, especially Tanya, Julie, Pat, Dawn, and Cole and Stacey (aka Laverne and Shirley), for your constant support.
As always, my girlfriends Amanda, Michelle, and Gina deserve a shout-out for keeping me sane. But especially so with this book because Amanda and Michelle convinced me (perhaps after a third bottle of wine) to combine their names to create Amanda Veitch’s name. I told you it wasn’t going to be pretty, ladies.
Dear Lollipop and Finner . . . I love you, and yes, I am going to write your name in every book, and yes, I am going to tell you just how much I love you over and over . . . even when you think you are too cool for it.