The buzzing of her phone was relentless. Since only her mother and Deanna had the number, she had to look. She padded barefoot back to her room and sank onto her bed. Dalton’s pillow cradled her head. It smelled like pine trees and pure man, like him.

She looked at the lit screen to see a dozen messages from Deanna all with the subject: Trouble.

Understatement. She pulled up her assistant’s number and pressed call to connect. Deanna answered immediately.

“Oh. My. God. It’s all over the news. Are you okay? Did they arrest him? Sweetie, it’s not your fault.”

“What?”

“The news said you were harboring a criminal.” She heard the tap tap of a keyboard in the background. “Holy smokes. He’s hot.”

“They put his picture up?” She wanted to die right then. Not only had her career ruined her chance at a normal life, it had taken Dalton’s peaceful existence away.

“Are you safe?”

“I was never in danger.” Her stomach twisted from the guilt of cowering from him. The look on his face when she crawled into the corner of the room would slice her to pieces each time she remembered it. “It’s not what it seems.”

Those were his exact words, and she didn’t listen to him. Why would anyone listen to her?

“We’ve got a lot of PR work to do. This is a huge mess. Dave Belton has called at least ten times in the last hour. I’m supposed to tell you you’re in breach of contract. Something about protecting your image.”

“Dave Belton can screw himself. He’s all talk and no action.”

Deanna let out a groan. “He’s acting. He told me for each day you don’t return, he’s firing a member of your team.”

Samantha shook her head to clear it. “How is that supposed to help? Let’s say I come back next week. What do I come back to if my team is gone? Has he fired anyone else but you?”

Her silence was the answer. “Cohen got the ax thirty minutes ago.”

“What?” Cohen was the best sound technician out there. “Hire him and give him a raise.”

Deanna laughed. “Okay, but he doesn’t get as much as me. He only gets ten percent.”

“Fine.” Her life was falling apart. She didn’t need the extra bullshit Dave Belton was dishing out. She knew what his next game would be. He’d tell her how her career image was ruined, but if she stayed with him, he’d turn it all around.

“Are you coming back?”

The smart answer would have been yes, but the honest answer was no. “I can’t. I’m not done here yet.”

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

Saying it out loud made it real. “Yes. He’s not the man they say he is.”

“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. The press rarely gets it right. You want me to put out a statement?”

“Not yet.”

“Poor guy probably only has a parking ticket.”

It wasn’t funny, but Samantha couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling inside her. “No, he killed someone.”

“Okay, so you’re in shock. A statement isn’t probably wise. Have you distanced yourself?”

Samantha stood up and peeked between the cracks of the blinds of her bedroom window. Across the street, the paparazzi lay in wait. Unless she stayed a prisoner in her cabin, she would never get the peace and quiet she craved.

“He free-birded me.”

“What? What does that mean?”

She walked through the house, pulling all the curtains and blinds closed. “Oh you know, that crap about loving someone and setting them free.”

“I’m confused. He’s a killer, but you love him anyway. He loves you, but because you’re a rich, sexy pop star, he let you go?”

“Something like that.” Samantha gave Deanna a shortened version of Dalton’s story.

“Oh …” Deanna’s said with a dreamy voice. “I may be in love with him too.”

“Find your own felon. He’s mine.” She’d come to Aspen Cove to find something. She thought it was clarity, but the only thing she was clear about was how much she loved Dalton Black.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

“I have to go.”

“Wait, is there anything else I can do?”

“Make sure my band and crew know they have jobs. Other than that, keep an eye out about what people are posting. I refuse to let my fame ruin a good man.”

“Got it, Boss.”

On the next round of knocks, Samantha peeked out the peephole to see Sage, Katie, and baby Sahara on her doorstep.

She opened it a crack and disappeared behind the door so the press wouldn’t snap her photo while her friends entered.

“Thanks for coming. I hope I didn’t take you away from anything.”

“You saved me. Doc can deal with that case of hemorrhoids by himself. No one should see that before lunch.” Sage opened her purse and took out candy bar after candy bar. She picked up the peanut butter cups and handed them to Samantha. “These are particularly helpful in a time of crisis.”

Samantha took the candy gratefully. She’d been shaking for the last half an hour. It could have been nerves or low blood sugar. “What about you?” She looked at Katie. “Shouldn’t you be at the bakery?”

Katie walked over to the chair by the couch and sat down. Her diaper bag fell on the floor. She reached inside and took out a box of muffins. “That’s the beauty of owning something. No one can tell you what, when, or how to do anything. Besides, Ben was happy to take over.”

Sage and Samantha took positions on opposite ends of the couch.

Sage leaned in and looked at Samantha closely. “Yep, you’re her. I didn’t recognize you without the blue hair.”

Katie pulled a bottle from her bag to feed Sahara. “I knew right away. Why do you think I saddled her with that song on karaoke night?”

“Which, by the way, you killed,” Sage added. “Every man in that room envied Dalton.”

“Is anyone looking after Dalton?” Samantha knew he was trying to protect her, but who was protecting him?

“He took off on his bike,” Katie said. “He’s a private person. He needed to get away.”

“From me.” That blade of guilt cut deeper, making her hemorrhage inside.

“He’d never leave you unless he thought it was what was best for you.” Katie lifted the baby to her shoulder and patted her back until she released a belch twice as big as she was. “She burps like her daddy.”

“Why does everyone think they know what’s best for me? When do I get to choose for myself?” That fire of fury burned inside her. All her life her choices were taken away. First by an abusive father that kept her mother and her on the run for years. Next it was her manager, who thought he could strong-arm her into submission. Now it was Dalton, who walked out of her life because he thought it best.

“Choose now and choose us.” Sage took the peanut butter cups from Samantha. “If you’re not going to eat these, I will.” She tore open the wrapper and hummed at the first bite.

Samantha threw her hands into the air. “Will life ever be easy?”

Katie passed Sahara to Sage and stood in front of Samantha, where she pulled her T-shirt up to reveal a scar that ran the length of her chest. “Not easy, but worth it.” She flopped back into her seat and told Samantha her story. She covered everything from her illness to her donor heart to Bowie, and then Sahara. “If you want it, you have to fight for it. Sometimes you have to take scary steps to get what you want.”

Samantha wanted to crawl under the couch with the dust bunnies—she felt as useless as one. “I asked him to leave before he explained. He wouldn’t leave. He fought for me.”

“Will you fight for him?” Katie asked.

Would she? “Without a doubt—but then what happens to us? We have such different lives.”

Sage bounced the chubby baby on her knee. “You think Cannon and I were anything alike? Opposites attract, and if you don’t kill each other falling in love, it’s a beautiful thing.”

“I’m such an idiot.”

“Only if you let someone amazing slip away,” Sage said.

“You guys have to go.”

They both looked at her in surprise.

“You want us to leave?” Katie asked.

“I’m texting Dalton. If you want to be here when I ask him to forgive me and take me to bed, then you can stay. If not you should go, but before you do, I want to tell you both how much I value your friendship and advice.” Samantha rolled to her feet and hugged both of them before she herded them toward the door.

The paparazzi snapped pictures right away. This time, Samantha didn’t hide behind the door or her friends. It was time to fight. She stepped out with Sage and Katie, who looked at each other and laughed before they gave the press the bird.

She leaned over the rail and pointed to the only reporter she recognized and told him to come forward. He looked at her with skepticism. Sitting to the side of her house was the deputy sheriff.

She walked to the cruiser and told him she needed to see one particular reporter. He exited his SUV and escorted the man to her.

“What’s up, Indigo?”

“Ray, you’ve always been fair to me. If I give you an exclusive interview, will you continue to be fair to me? Most importantly, you need to be fair to Dalton.”

“You’re going to give me an exclusive?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how famous that will make me?”

“Be careful, fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Can I quote you?”

“Yes.” Wasn’t it time to be honest with herself and everyone around her? Her statement would anger many people. Most would trade their lives for hers. She’d trade everything she had for another night with Dalton. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to talk.”

He fished for a card from his pocket. “I can’t wait.”

“Neither can I.” She wasn’t talking about the interview. She was talking about seeing Dalton again.

She went back inside and picked up her phone to text a message.

Dalton,

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the biggest was letting you walk out that door. Please come home. I miss you. I miss the gray.

With love,

Samantha

She set down the phone and raced to the bathroom so she was showered and ready when he came back. If he came back.