“You okay, buddy?”

Quinn’s low voice tickled her ear and she nodded.

She was as okay as she could be, given the situation. But it was more her career decision that had her feeling just a tiny bit better than she had an hour ago.

She’d done all she could do for Sub-Zero and it was time to move on. Quinn spun her in a slow circle as she blinked back tears. It had been a hell of a ride and she loved these boys, but all rides had to end sometime.

Despite the pain of the evening, she was glad she’d come. It had given her a chance to see Rory again and made her realize she didn’t have it in her to do it again. Not day to day. So she was going to give her band her notice first thing in the morning. Then she was going to move far away.

Because seeing him, especially with other women?

Made her want to curl up and die.

They were in great hands now with Ava at the helm, and she could leave with a clear conscience.

And a shattered heart.

She managed to hold her tears in because she knew she’d become tabloid material if she didn’t. The headlines would read; Crazy Ex Crashes Wedding And Loses Her Shit.

Yeah, no thanks.

But that meant she had to break out, ASAP, because her composure was slipping more every minute.

The music kicked up a notch to something fast-paced and Quinn released her. She spun around in a circle, snapping her fingers. Maybe, if she kept up the energy, it would be easier to continue pretending as if she was having a grand old time, when in reality it felt like she was being stabbed in the heart over and over again.

When she turned back to Quinn, though, she jerked back in shock as she looked up into Rory’s solemn face.

No way.

No frigging way.

“I’m not dancing with you,” she managed to choke out. She so wasn’t doing this in front of all these people and photographers. She twisted on her feet, prepared to flee, but he grabbed her arm and he pulled her close.

The music cut out for a split second as the track changed from hip-hop to a slow, rock jam that was all too familiar to Gina. The mood of the room shifted instantly.

Slow Your Gravity. Her favorite song by Sub-Zero. A slow, somber tune about love and commitment that wrenched her heart even on a good day.

And today so was not a good day.

She blinked fast, trying to keep the tears at bay, but they were on their way and there was no way she was going to be able to stop them. As she continued to wage a mortal eye battle with Rory, she cursed herself for not leaving five minutes before.

It was like torture. He smelled of applewood and cinnamon, and his touch around her waist felt like she was in the safest place in the world. She knew she should go but she couldn’t muster the strength.

Why couldn’t he just let it be a clean break instead of dragging the inevitable out?

Her heart raced faster and faster, pounding against her rib cage. She needed to escape. She twisted slightly on her heel, ready to bolt, but his gaze held hers captive.

“Don’t go.”

Two simple words that stopped her world on its axis.

He pressed closer to her and dipped his face close to her ear.

“I can’t sleep, Gina. I can’t eat, I can’t write or play.” His voice was a husky growl full of emotion that sent the butterflies in her stomach fluttering like mad. “I don’t just like you, or want you. I need you. I love you.”

Her throat was so tight she couldn’t get a word out if she tried, but that didn’t matter because what was there to say?

She loved him too. Everything he’d said was the same for her. And it still didn’t matter.

“Rory, the band—”

“Has survived worse,” he cut in sharply. “Do you love me?”

She froze in his arms and realized he’d given up even pretending they were dancing now. The crowd around them had seemed to notice and she could hear their low murmurs.

“Keep moving. We don’t want to make a scene,” she whispered.

“Fuck that, Gina. I do want to make a scene. Maybe then you’ll listen to me.” He pulled back, eyes blazing with fear as he dropped down to one knee.

Was this seriously happening right now?

Gina didn’t have time to process the scene in front of her before camera bulbs began popping like crazy, lighting the scene in hues of flashes of blue. The crowd stirred, igniting into excited chatters and then just as quickly, went dead silent as the music dropped out.

Gina choked on her own breath, stomach pitching wildly while staring wide-eyed at Rory, still on his knee.

“I’m sorry for hijacking the room and the wedding, but let’s face it, everyone thinks Peter is an asshole and probably just came for the free booze and food anyway.”

The crowd erupted in laughter and Gina caught sight of Peter a few yards behind Rory. He wasn’t amused, but Daphne, standing beside him, burst into laughter.

“As for you,” he continued, his eyes boring into Gina’s soul.

Gina swallowed the knot lodged in her throat as she tried to gain control of herself. It was like she was sucking all of the oxygen out of the room and it still wasn’t enough.

“I don’t care if I have to play music in my basement from this moment on. I don’t care what the world thinks, but I do want the world to know exactly how I feel…” He exhaled, looking nervous for the first time since he got down onto one knee. “Gina Saldano, I fucking love you. And I’m down here on one knee asking you to marry me. If you say yes, I promise I’ll get you a ring with a big fat rock and spend my life trying to make you the happiest woman in the world.”

Bulbs continued to flash all around them but she ignored them. She tugged at his hands, trying to get him to stand to no avail. A second later, to the delight of the crowd, she got down on her knees beside him. She leaned in close to him and whispered, “All that work that we’ve done… What about Ava? Jesus, Rory. She’s going to kill us both if we do this…”

He cupped her chin gently, his gaze probing hers. “Do you love me? That’s all I need to know.”

“I…” she stammered, flicking her tongue over her dry lips. If she was going to pass the fuck out, now was going to be the time. Her heart pounded against her ribs and she could feel all eyes aimed squarely on her. But the only ones that mattered were Rory’s. She couldn’t lie to him.

Not anymore.

* * *

“Yes. I do. I love you, Rory Galveston.”

Rory swept her up into his arms, taking her by surprise. She let out a squeal and threw one arm around his neck, holding on for dear life as he marched them towards the exit.

Rory cocked his head over his shoulder and shouted, “Quinn, do me a solid and get my date home!”

Quinn nodded in the near distance and then looked over to see Wendy standing wide-eyed and grinning as she waved them off.

The crowd exploded in cheers as Rory carried Gina out the double doors at the front of the venue and down the long hallway leading to the exterior of the luxurious hotel.

He didn’t stop until they reached a luxurious black town car as the flashes continued to pop. The chauffeur held open the door for them, and Rory let Gina down onto her feet and watched her climb into the back of the car.

He was only halfway there. She hadn’t agreed to marry him, but she hadn’t refused either.

And she loves you, man. Dev was right.

He tried not to let the knowledge overwhelm him as he climbed in and closed the door behind him. He knew how stubborn she was, and that he still had work ahead of him. He rapped his knuckles on the partition between him and the driver.

“Central Park.”

“Anything you want, sir.” The driver slid the tinted partition closed again.

“Rory—”

He took Gina’s hand and squeezed it. “Can you give me a minute to talk and then you can say whatever you want to say, all right?”

Her lean throat worked as she swallowed hard and nodded.

“Right.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, not right away. He wasn’t used to being vulnerable, but in his mind, she needed to understand exactly where he was coming from. “I didn’t have the greatest childhood.”

“I know that.” She bowed her head, almost sheepishly. “I wasn’t trying to be nosy, but you said a few things and then Cheri had mentioned in the past that things were very difficult.”

His heart ached when he thought of the things his poor sister had seen and he wished he’d been able to shield her from it all. But she didn’t know the half of it.

“Then you know that my father was an alcoholic and he was abusive. And I thank God every day that he didn’t treat my little sister the way he treated me, because I wouldn’t be able to handle that. I probably would have snapped and killed him with my bare hands. But for me? I was able to handle it for a long time. Some nights, he would beat me bad enough to where I couldn’t walk. The broken bones hurt. You know what hurt worse, though?”

He couldn’t look at her but sensed her shaking her head beside him.

“My mother. She knew it was happening. Could hear it…see the bruises…even cleaned up the blood. And she did nothing about it.” He let out a bitter laugh. “Him, I knew he didn’t know what love was. He was sick and twisted. Her on the other hand, there had been a time where I remembered her stroking my hair and singing to me before bedtime. I remembered being loved. Then it was just gone. And every day rolled into the next and I had nothing good in my life but Bug. Dev came along eventually, and we got into music. It was my whole life. For a long time, it was enough.” He cocked his head to her and held her gaze. Looked her dead straight in the eyes, like they were communicating for the first time. “Now it’s not anymore. That was the part I should’ve told you before. I don’t want an escape anymore. I want to live my life to the fullest. The band is important but as long as I can make music, I don’t care where it takes me, as long as I have you to share it with. I have enough money that we could live on it for the rest of our lives if we decide to. So, Gina Saldano, I’m going to ask you again.”

Shit, this part was terrifying. But, no guts, no glory. Fear wasn’t something that should have power over him. He had spent enough of his life being afraid and he wasn’t going to let fear rule his life anymore. Back when he and the boys decided to make the jump, decided to try and make it big, they were all scared. But Rory woke up everyday so damn thankful that they took that risk.

Throw the grenade, bro.

“Will you marry me?”

Gina’s eyes filled with tears and she let out a broken laugh. “Oh, Rory. I am so sorry for all that you suffered. I can’t imagine how terrible that must have been for you. And you were right when you said I was being a chicken, that I’m afraid of getting hurt. I’m straight up fucking terrified.” She pushed herself closer, snuggling against his chest. “I didn’t want to ruin your chances at huge success and have you resent me, almost as much as I didn’t want you to break my heart. But if you’re sure…”

“I’m fucking sure, Gina. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”

“Then, yes,” she said simply, pulling back to gaze into his eyes. “I’ll marry you.”

He had no idea how he got this lucky, but he wasn’t about to question the hands of fate. Especially not when her smooth hands trailed down his shoulders and over his back to hold him close.

He slanted his mouth over hers, groaning against her lips as he tasted the salt of her tears.

Tough talking Gina was crying and it made his chest ache knowing they were happy tears.

“I can’t wait to be your wife,” she murmured, sniffling. “Do you think the guys will understand?”

“Are you kidding me? Dev was half the reason I got my head out of my ass and tried to convince you again. They’re going to be fine. We always land on our feet, love.”

Just when he dropped his head once more to kiss her, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket at the exact same time her phone began to ring from her clutch laying on the floor.

He tried to ignore the phones, but they just kept on buzzing.

Gina pulled back and grinned, swiping at her still teary eyes.

“I’m sure it’s work, and I’m still your PR person, so…”

He blew out a sigh, but nodded, too pumped to be irritated about much of anything at the moment. He reached down and grabbed his phone from his pocket.

Gina, too, retrieved her phone, her eyes popping wide as she began swiping through the notifications.

Rory couldn’t help but to let out a raucous laugh as the headlines filled his own screen. His proposal was all over the television, the blogs, and the tabloids; Access Hollywood, TMZ, New York Scandal.

“Oh my God,” Gina blurted out and shoved her phone into Rory’s hands. “Look at this message I just got from Ava.”

“She thinks it was a ruse.” Gina almost choked on fresh tears, although these were from laughing so hard. She held her phone close to her chest as she leaned back against the leather seat and continued to laugh.

Rory joined her at her side, shaking his head in disbelief. There was no going back to a simple life now, but no matter how rough the road ahead was, he was determined more than ever to make it work. He had finally found something—someone—worth risking it all for and there was no way he was ever going back.

He looked at her once more and grinned. He was the luckiest guy in the world. Or maybe it wasn’t luck, after all. Maybe it was just fate.

Either way, he was all in.

Haven’t read Dev and Cheri’s story yet? Flip the page to read Hard Lesson!!! Already read Hard Lesson? Head to the table of contents for a list of SPECIAL BONUS READS also included with this novel!