Three months later...

The day after our last gig, Will took me down to the police station, and we both lodged our statements.

I told them everything from the beginning. The day Jason had come home and told me about his cheating, his assault, and the slander that had followed. Even Dee came and gave his statement, though he hadn’t been a direct witness. They said without substantial evidence, there wasn’t much they could do to pursue a charge for the earlier assault, but they could seek a conviction for the previous night. With the statements from Will and the bouncer from the bar and some CCTV footage, they were able to pin a charge. It went to court a few weeks later, but he got off with a caution and a mild good behavior bond.

It wasn’t ideal, but hopefully, it would serve as a deterrent. He had a record of sorts, so next time, he wouldn’t get off so easily. To top it all off, I now had a freshly stamped and sealed restraining order. Unfortunately, reality didn’t always see the bad guys going to jail.

It took a week before the bruise on my hand went down so I could play guitar again, but the one on my face took a little more time to fade.

In the two weeks before The Stabs went off to Europe, Will spent every moment with me outside of rehearsals. He was true to his word and stuck by my side. He made everything brighter in the wake of such drama.

He didn’t hear from Mish again, and I hoped it was for good. And to date, there hadn’t been a peep out of Jason, either.

For the two and a half months he was away, Will sent me messages and emails, updating me on everything that was going on and all the things he wanted to do with me when he got back. It was lonely without him, but the time apart had done us the world of good like I’d hoped. It gave us both time to readjust and get our heads on straight. And when the skies cleared, both our worlds were still full of each other. I still hadn’t told him that I was in love with him. That was one declaration I was saving for a face-to-face encounter because tomorrow he was coming home.

Right now, Dee was hovering inside the front door of my apartment, jumping from foot to foot like an impatient child.

“Zoe, if you don’t hurry up, I’m going to drag you out to the taxi over my shoulder, caveman style,” he exclaimed. “The meter’s running.”

“Bloody hell,” I cried, scooping up my keys and sunnies. “You’re such a tight ass, Scrooge.”

We were off to the radio station Absolute for an interview. They’d picked up our record as album of the week, which meant they were playing all the songs from it at least five times a day. Massive exposure. We’d even been in the week before and recorded little sound bites explaining the meaning behind each track they played before each went to air.

The station was located just outside the CBD in Melbourne, so we decided to get a taxi straight there, and that way we didn’t have to worry about parking the rusted heap of junk Dee liked to call a car.

Hurrying me along, he bundled me into the taxi, and he was way too amped for a little radio interview.

“What’s going on?” I asked as the driver pulled out into traffic.

“We’re gonna be late,” Dee replied.

“Since when do you care about being on time?”

“I’ve always cared about being on time.”

“Dylan, I’ve known you since you were twelve, and you’ve never cared about punctuality.”

“Damn it, Zoe!” he exclaimed. “Don’t call me that. Now you’ve ruined my mystique with the taxi driver.”

“I don’t think he cares,” I said, catching the driver’s eye in the mirror, and he only shook his head with a small chuckle. “See?”

“You’re going to the airport tomorrow?” Dee asked, blatantly changing the subject.

“Yes, of course,” I scoffed. “I can’t wait another day.”

“Blech.” Dee pretended to throw up. “I was gonna offer to come with, but if you’re gonna be all Sucky McSuck Face, then I’ll stay home.”

“Don’t be such a child.” I laughed at his reaction, knowing he was just being dramatic.

“I love you, Zo,” he said with a wicked grin.

Scowling playfully at him, I said, “I know you’re playing games with me, Dee, and I’ll let it slide this time. But if you’re playing some kind of prank, know that I have a mean right hook.”

“Oh man.” He groaned, throwing his head against the seat back. “I really don’t think my mystique can take a black eye from a girl.”

I burst out laughing, and even the taxi driver stifled one of his own.

We were dropped outside the front door of the building where Absolute had its offices and studios, and when we exited the elevator, we were greeted by a representative who guided us through the security entrance into the office space.

When we walked past the reception area, Frank was waiting along with Simone and Chris, who’d become inseparable since they’d hooked up on tour. They looked perfect together and were beyond happy. Everything had worked out in the end, and I hoped it would stay that way. I couldn’t think of two more deserving people than those guys.

Dee guided me through the office, trailing behind the lady who’d greeted us at the door. I hadn’t been on this side of the radio station before, and it was all very laid back with bright graffiti art spray-painted on the walls, posters everywhere, and all the staff were in casual clothes. Toward the back of the floor were the studios, floor-to-ceiling soundproof glass pimped out with all kinds of sound equipment and street art plastered all over the walls.

When we approached the studio right at the back, the red light was on over the door, signaling they were currently on air, but when I saw who was sitting behind the mic, headphones on his head and guitar in hand, I almost had a heart attack.

“What the hell, Dee!” I slapped him on the arm, and he jumped back with a laugh.

“You know me, Zo. Always meddling.”

“Always devising little stratagems.” I rolled my eyes.

Turning back to the studio, I shook my head in disbelief as the one and only Will Strickland winked and made a kissy face at me. Pete sat next to him, and with a sly smile, gave me a small wave. They weren’t meant to be back until tomorrow.

“They got back last night,” Dee said in my ear.

“And what’s going on?” I asked, gesturing to the studio. “I thought—”

“Shoosh, hot legs. They’re back on.”

We couldn’t hear them through the glass, but a speaker was positioned outside, amplifying to the entire office what was currently being broadcast. The announcer was Hugo, the guy who’d interviewed Frank and me all that time ago on the day we found out that we were touring with The Stabs.

“You’re listening to Absolute, and that track you heard right there was ‘Luck Now’ from a band out of Melbourne called Big Scary. Hey. I’m Hugo taking you right through to five. We’ve got a special surprise for you right now. I know you were all expecting the guys from The Devil’s Tattoo in for a chat, but we’ve been hijacked by a couple of guys you might know from a band called The Stabs. Will and Pete, how are you guys going?”

“Great, thanks, Hugo,” Will replied, eyeing me through the glass.

“So you guys have come in this arvo and just wormed your way into the studio. Totally unannounced, I might add. I understand you’ve got something special lined up for our listeners? Care to explain?”

“Well, we just got back from our tour in Europe. Last night, in fact, and we have this song we’d like to play,” Pete said, amusement in his voice.

“A new song?”

“This one is actually a collaboration,” Will replied. “I helped a beautiful, tattooed, rock goddess write this one night on our last Australian tour.”

“You’re not talking about Zoe from The Devil’s Tattoo are you?” Hugo asked with a laugh. “Because she’s standing right outside this studio looking at you like you’re mad.”

“The one and only.”

“Well, I’m dying to hear it now. What’s the story behind it?”

“Well, Zoe and I didn’t get off to the greatest start. So one night, I managed to corner her and convince her to let me help with a song she was writing. It was the first time I knew I wanted her forever. I mean, I knew I wanted her the first moment I laid eyes on her, but that was the first time I wanted it to be forever. I hope she doesn’t mind, but I made up a couple of words to go with it.”

“Ohhh, a love story in the making.” Hugo laughed, looking out at me with a wink.

Grimacing, I shrugged.

“We’d like to play it for you today, and I’d especially like to play it for Zoe.”

I recognized the song immediately. After all, it had been rolling around my head for days before we wrote it that night. With the two acoustic guitars, it was more haunting than I remembered. At some point, he must have worked further on it because I heard little nuances that weren’t there before.

When Will started singing instead of Pete, my breath caught in my throat, and I swore my heart stopped beating.

As soon as the song finished, Will ripped off his headphones and pushed his guitar into Pete’s surprised grasp. I was too stunned to move as he pushed through the studio door and swept me up into his arms, spinning me around and planting a kiss right on my lips in front of everyone.

“I love you, Will Strickland.”

His face split into a wide grin. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

I smiled in return and couldn’t help it in the slightest when I said breathlessly, “It’s undeniable.”

* * *