In the morning, I followed Logan out to the garage to make sure the Shelby would start. A wistful smile curved my lips once the tarp came off.

“Candy apple red, and sexy as fuck, just like you.”

Rhenn’s voice receded quickly, leaving only a warm glow. No mind-numbing pain.

Logan knelt to check the undercarriage and cocked his head at my license plate. My cheeks ignited. “It’s because of my nickname,” I said of the “Beauty” vanity plates.

He nodded, then ducked his head and peered under the bumper. “Yeah … ‘Belle,’ I get it.”

I laughed. “You mean ‘Beauty.’”

Pushing to his feet, he wiped his hands on his jeans, glancing at the plate again. “That’s what I said. And I’m sure nobody’ll disagree once I’m behind the wheel.”

Slanting my gaze to his smiling face, I arched a brow. “You think you’re prettier than me, don’t you?”

He shrugged, and I tried to pull away in mock indignation, but he hauled me against his chest and said seriously, “Nobody’s prettier than you, Victoria.” Lifting me off my feet with lightning speed, he hoisted me to eye level. “Nobody.”

Pushing the hair out of his face, my gaze traveled over all his fine features. Despite my teasing, I wasn’t far off the mark. He was prettier than me. I traced a tiny scar right above his left brow. “What’s this from?”

That familiar frost touched his eyes, and I could tell he was fighting to keep his smile. Cursing my stupidity, I blurted, “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

“I did a swan dive off the kitchen table when I was four.” He rubbed the tip of his nose over mine. “Not everything in my life was tragic, princess.”

He brushed a kiss to my lips, and his breath became my air. Sweet and hot and necessary. Before he could dive in for another kiss, I rested my forehead against his. “I’m having an early supper with my parents if you want to meet me there.” When he blinked at me, I slowly tried to shake off the bear trap I’d stepped in to. “I thought you might like a home-cooked meal. No worries if you’re not down.”

One corner of his lips pulled into a half smile. “What time?”

“You’re going to laugh.” He shook his head even as his grin widened. “Four.”

“Four?”

I sighed. “My dad used to work this weird shift where he got off at three, so my mom started serving supper at four. I’d skip lunch and dine with the fam. Then I’d eat my real dinner around nine. You can put me down now.”

He tightened his grip. “What other weird habits are you hiding?”

I thought about it. “I put salt on my watermelon.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Ugh. That’s—”

“Delicious. And I’ll order a melon from the grocery store and prove it.”

Pulling a face, he eased me onto my feet. “You order your groceries? Why?”

I laughed. “Because I hate getting cornered in frozen foods while I’m trying to find my favorite ice cream.”

He swept a curl behind my ear. “What is your favorite ice cream?”

“Blue Bell.”

That half smile was back. “What flavor?”

“It’s Blue Bell. Does it matter? Tell me your favorite, and I’ll order some.”

Dipping his head, he slicked his tongue over my bottom lip. “I don’t care. As long as it goes well with cookies.”

Sean’s ringtone pierced the air for the fourth or fifth time, and I bit my tongue to keep from asking any questions. The lines were all blurry. If it were band stuff, didn’t I need to know?

Logan’s hand cruised through his hair as he took a step back. The loss of his proximity bothered me more than I liked to admit. “I’m going to take off so I can get finished by four.”

Nodding, I pressed my lips together. “I’ll text you my parents’ address. Don’t worry if you can’t make it, though.”

One beat turned in to two. And then five. “How long have you known me?” His tone held the frost he usually carried in his eyes when he was irritated. “A year and a half?”

I crossed my arms over my chest to ward off the cold. “Your point?”

This time when he pulled me close it was rough. His gaze snagged mine and held. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. And if I say I’m going to be somewhere, I’m there.”

My teeth grazed my bottom lip. “I’m—”

“Giving me an out. I know.” His features softened. “Am I that much of a dick?”

My gaze dropped to the polished floor. “No.”

“Then what is it?”

Someday when this was over, Logan and I would still be friends. I’d still be his manager. So keeping my inner thoughts to myself was probably the best plan. But then his hand was in my hair, his thumb nudging my chin to meet his eyes.

“When I was eighteen, there was this girl who worked as a wardrobe consultant on our first tour. We used to talk. But then she sold a story about me to the tabloids. After that happened a couple more times I stopped being friendly with everyone, and I think I lost something. Because now I tend to order people around. I’m trying to get better.”

His thumb skated over the column of my throat. “It’s kind of cute that you think you can order me around, but … no. If I don’t want to do something, I won’t do it. I won’t even offer. So four o’clock?”

His words should’ve put me at ease, but they didn’t. Because inside, I knew they were true. When Logan was done, he’d be done. And where did that leave me?

“Yep.”

I managed a smile when he pulled away and strode to my car without a care in the world.

Balance.

He had it.

Shielding my eyes from the sun when the garage door slid open, I stayed rooted to my spot until he was gone. As I turned to walk back into the house, my gaze coasted to the other side of the garage, where another vehicle sat that no one would ever drive. I shuffled over and pulled the tarp back, revealing the bumper of Rhenn’s Ford F150 Lightning.

Plopping down on my ass, I brought my knees to my chest and traced the letters on the vanity plate—Beast.

You’re the Beauty to my Beast.

When I felt the clouds roll in, I pushed to my feet. On my way to the door, I spotted an empty box just sitting by itself in the corner. I didn’t know why it was there, or where it had come from. Glancing over my shoulder at the truck, a knot formed in my throat.

“Thank you, baby,” I whispered to no one but him.

Then I grabbed the box and headed upstairs, past the second floor to the studio.

“Belle?”

I nearly fell off my step stool when Taryn’s voice rose up behind me. Whipping my head around, I found her hovering at the door to the studio, looking around at the mess I’d made.

I hadn’t actually packed anything, which was discouraging, but many of Rhenn’s personal belongings were now in piles.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice quivering with emotion. “I thought you were going to meet me at the office?”

For all Taryn’s talk about me moving on, now that she was faced with the possibility, uncertainty etched her features. And sadness. So much sadness.

“Hey, babe,” I said gently as I found my footing on the carpet. “Sorry, I lost track of time. Come in.”

Taryn blinked at me as I moved slowly toward the couch. Normally, she’d have me in a hug by now, but she just continued to watch me with a wounded gaze.

“It’s okay,” I soothed as I sat down, patting the cushion beside me. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She licked her lips and stepped inside, glancing around like she expected Rhenn’s ghost to jump out.

“What are you doing?” she repeated as she eased herself down next to me.

I’d often thought of how this would go, what it would be like to finally move forward. And in every scenario, I pictured Taryn pushing me. But if I were honest, this was better.

“Just packing some stuff.” I smiled. “Are you going to give me a hug?” She scooted closer, banding her arms around me tight when I pulled her into an embrace. “Don’t be sad, Panda Bear.”

Shuddering involuntarily at the name Rhenn used to call her, she sniffled. “Why now?”

I stroked her hair. “Because it’s time.”

The rest we’d get to. In a minute, or an hour, or a day. At some point I’d tell my best friend about Logan. But not until she was ready.

Pulling away, she wiped her soggy cheeks with the back of her hand and sighed. “So where do we start?”

For two hours we worked, sorting through the piles, but I only managed to pack one box. The carton I found in the garage. Taryn knelt beside me as I laid Rhenn’s shirt on a stack of old sheet music.

“Here’s some tape,” she said, brows drawn together as she glanced over the treasures. At the last minute, she grabbed my arm, frantic blue eyes catching mine. “Are you sure you want to pack that shirt?”

I sank back onto my heels. “I don’t want to pack any of it.” Tears blurred my vision, and I pressed my lips together to keep my chin from wobbling. “Remember when my mom used to talk about miracles?” Taryn nodded. “I prayed for one. Every day, I prayed and prayed that he’d come back.” I looked around at the pieces of Rhenn scattered throughout the room. “But he’s gone. And this is just stuff. I don’t need stuff to remind me of him, T-Rex. He’s with me.” Pressing my fist over my heart, I smiled. “Right here.”

By the time I got around to sealing the box, my hand wouldn’t cooperate, so Taryn did the honors. Flinching at the snap of the tape as she dragged the spool over the cardboard, I reclaimed my seat on the couch.

A moment later she joined me, her eyes clear and focused. “Are you going to tell me why you’re here? Is it Logan? Did he do something?”

He did a lot of things. Most of which I couldn’t share.

“Logan’s … with me.”

We were so in tuned, I expected Taryn to catch on. She didn’t. “Oh, God.” Her face fell. “Is it Laurel? Is that why he came with you?”

“No. No. Laurel’s fine.”

I think.

Logan said he had to take care of some stuff, but I wasn’t sure what that entailed.

Taryn cocked her head. “Then why is he here? And why are you here?” Confusion threaded her tone, along with panic. That was there too. So telling her not to freak out was a moot point.

“Logan and me … we’re … seeing each other.” I hated the way that sounded. So formal. So wrong. “We’re together,” I amended. “For now.”

Sinking against the cushions, her mouth hung open. “Together?” Her eyes slowly scanned the room. “Is that why—”

“No.” Technically it was true. But I couldn’t say that having Logan sleep one floor below while I kept a shrine to my dead husband didn’t play into my decision to box up some stuff. “It’s time for me to move on.”

“With Logan Cage?” She spit out his last name like it left a sour taste. “He’s our client.”

Anger bubbled up. And indignation. For me. For Logan.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I dug my fingers into my sides. “You’re going to marry Cameron’s brother,” I bit out. “Who happens to be our partner. And you were engaged to Beckett for years. So crossing lines doesn’t seem to be a problem for you. And I’m guessing that if it were Dylan I was sleeping with, you wouldn’t have an issue with it.”

“You’re sleeping with him?” she spluttered. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“The way you told me about Harper Rush?” Taryn blinked, her jaw coming unhinged. “That’s why I’m home. Because Dylan’s little fuck buddy showed up at the Central Park gig. With Mac. We can skip the part where you’ve kept this from me for a year and tell me how much trouble we’re in.”

The column of her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “How did you find out about Harper?”

I sighed. “You signed her to our company. And yes, she has an NDA. She showed it to me when I paid her a visit in California. Obviously, she didn’t think that applied to me.”

Taryn shuddered. “Did you see it? The tape?”

I snorted. “No … why would I …?” Something about how she was looking at me was way off. “What’s on the tape, Taryn?” The longer the silence stretched, the deeper my feeling of dread. “Did Dylan … do something to her? Or did she do something to him? What are we talking about?”

Picturing Harper in some dungeon strapped to the ceiling, or worse yet, Dylan up there, I braced myself while Taryn struggled to find her voice.

“He said your name.” Guilty eyes found mine. “During … when they were … He said your name.”

My name.

My. Name.

Anxiety churned in my belly. For years, even when Rhenn was alive, we’d laughed off rumors about the nature of my relationship with Dylan. The way he looked at me. Smiled at me.

“That’s why you signed Harper? Because of the tape?”

Taryn looked down at her hands. “I couldn’t tell you, Belle. Dylan … he was out of his mind with worry. He just wanted it to go away. So I made it happen.”

I nodded. “I get it.” I really did. Not that I agreed with the cover-up. “What are the chances that Mac doesn’t know?”

She peered up at me through a fringe of heavy lashes. “Zero.”

All the air left my body. A bargaining chip. Now I just had to wait for Mac to cash it in.

“It’s a good thing I was there, then.” I tried to reclaim my breath with little luck. “We need to get ahead of this thing, T-Rex. Set up a meeting with Trevor for tomorrow.”