It was their last show.

Milwaukee, baby. So close to home. And to Emelia.

She still wasn’t answering his calls or his texts. Where ever she was, she didn’t want to hear from him. That was clear. He was slowly dying inside, gutted from the longing to make things right.

If she were still in Chicago, would she come tonight, to their last show?

He’d given her space, time to think. It wasn’t much, but the longer he waited, the more she may decide he wasn’t worth the trouble. If she was going to walk away from him, he wanted to at least be able to tell her that he loved her. That he understood. That he’d fight for her but that he’d let her go if that’s what she really wanted. Emelia was the only one he wanted, and he wasn’t about to let her slip through his fingers.

He had to set things right with her. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate, and his performance would suffer tonight if she wasn’t back by his side, cheering for him in the audience.

Trevor knocked on Roman’s hotel room door. He was sweating with anxious energy. He ran a hand through his hair. His lips were dry. No one on earth could talk him out of his plan.

Roman opened the door and stared at Trevor expectantly. “Hey man,” Roman nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. “What are you doing here so early in the morning?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Trevor admitted. He didn’t have time for small talk. “I’m going to find Emelia.”

Roman’s brow furrowed with puzzlement. “Right now?” He glanced down the hallway. “We have a show tonight.”

“I’m aware.” Trevor rolled his eyes.

“But Chloe said Emelia was in Chicago...” Roman trailed off.

“It’s only a couple hours from here. I’ll be there and back before the show.”

Roman scoffed. “You’re insane. What if you don’t make it back?”

“Then you’ll have to sing.” Trevor scowled. “She means the world to me. I have to see her.”

“Jesus Christ, Trevor, you’re going to put me in an early grave.”

Trevor smiled and slapped his best friend on the shoulder. “Thanks for understanding, man.”

“Just so you know, I’m not agreeing to this!” Roman called out, but Trevor was already hustling down the hallway, and within seconds, had disappeared.

His phone buzzed as he slipped into the Escalade, alone. No driver. He let it go to voicemail. A few seconds later, a text message popped up from Asher.

We can’t hold a show tonight without our lead singer.

Great. So Roman had gotten to the rest of the band. Another text came through a minute later — this time, from Lucas.

Don’t do it, man. Girls aren’t worth the trouble.

Trevor sighed and leaned back in his seat. He was fully aware of his responsibilities and obligations. He didn’t need his fellow band members to remind him of that fact. Finding Emelia and making things right with her was just something he had to do.

It was as if some unstoppable force from the universe was pulling him like a magnet. He was a fish, swimming against the current, on his way to a brighter future that included Emelia. It was true that the show had to go on, but he couldn’t imagine how rocky it would be without her.

He sped onto the interstate and put the pedal down. He’d go as fast as he could, each mile bringing him closer to her. He dialed, then put his phone on speaker. Chloe picked up on the second ring.

“Look, I’m on the interstate and fully prepared to miss my own concert tonight for the chance to talk to her. Where is she? Where’s Emelia?”

“You’re going to miss your last show?”

“If I have to. Yes. I’ll keep looking for her. It might go a little better if you just tell me where she is.”

“She doesn’t want you to know.”

Prying information from Chloe might only make things worse. He didn’t want to throw a wrench in the spinning wheel of their future, and he wanted to make it up to her. He wanted to prove to her how much he cared about her and her happiness.

The tour was wrapping up. They were coming full circle, ending it close to where they began. It didn’t seem complete without her. All he wanted to do was talk to her and try his best to convince her that they belonged together.

Trevor cleared his throat, but he couldn’t hold back emotion welling there.

“Please, Chloe.”

She let out a breath. “Fine. She’s going to kill me, but fine. I’ll text you the address.” With that, she hung up.

His phone was already going nuts with texts from his bandmates, but he ignored them. Only when he saw Chloe’s number pop up from the corner of his eye did he pay attention. At a stoplight, he opened the message and popped the address into his GPS.

He prayed she was still there.