The words hit deep in my chest.
“And Dean…” Andy went on, leaning forward, resting his arms on the table. “He must love you right back. I saw it in his face when you reached him. I saw it clear as day.”
He gave a little laugh, shook his head again like he still couldn’t believe it. “And hell… who am I to stand in the way of that?”
I felt the smile pull at my lips; I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to as the wave of relief washed over me.
“Andy…” I said, but my voice cracked. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Thank you. You don’t know what that means to me.”
He waved a hand like he was brushing the air. “Harry, c’mon. You’ve always been more than my best friend. You’re family. You always have been.”
I reached across the table and gripped his forearm, hard. He grabbed my wrist right back, then stood up, rounding the table to pull me into a rough, tight hug.
This time there was no slap on the back.
Just a tight, loving embrace.
“Keep him safe. Make him happy,” Andy muttered into my shoulder. “That’s all I ask.”
I nodded against him. “I will. I swear.”
We pulled apart, both of us blinking a little faster than we needed to, and clinked our beer bottles together.
“To family,” I said.
Andy smiled widely this time, nodding. “To family.”
DEAN
The park looked almostpeaceful again. Peaceful and totally fucking trashed.
The stage was half dismantled now, light rigs coming down piece by piece, stacks of black crates lined up like dominoes across the grass. Crew members moved slowly, quieter than they had all week—heads down, voices low, the adrenaline of the show setup long gone, replaced by the steady, tired rhythm of pack-up.
Harry’s truck rolled to a stop along the perimeter fence, tires crunching on the gravel. He killed the engine and sat back, one hand still resting on the steering wheel, the other finding mine where it sat clenched tight in my lap.
“Are you sure you wanna do this today?” he asked softly, squeezing my hand. “It can wait.”
I shook my head, eyes fixed on the half-collapsed skeleton of the stage.
“No. It can’t.” I let out a slow breath. “I’ve already waited too long.”
Harry nodded, his thumb stroking the back of my hand.
We sat there in the pickup for a minute, the only sound the distant clang of metal being loaded onto trucks and the calls of the crew counting off inventory.
My stomach twisted nervously.
God, I didn’t know if I could actually say what I needed to say. Not to Astrid. She’d put so much into my career. I could already see her face, that sharp little frown, the way her jaw clenched when something didn’t go the way she’d planned.
But I couldn’t keep doing it. Not the way I had been.
I felt Harry’s eyes on me, steady and patient.
“You want me to come with you?” he asked. “Stand by your side?”
I turned to him, swallowing hard, my throat thick.
But I shook my head.
