Anna’s eyes were a deep, calm green as she stared at me. Her lips were so full and luscious, it was physically difficult to not lean down and suck on one. “You will, Griffin. I know you will.”
Onnika grabbed my shirt and I kissed her head as I squeezed her tight. She smelled so good, like her mom, but even sweeter. Gibson was still clinging to my leg, refusing to let go, while Anna stared up at me with unabashed longing in her eyes. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed my family, I needed my wife.
Releasing one hand from Onnika, I wrapped it around Anna. “Come here,” I murmured, pulling her into me. Our lips instinctively found each other’s, and she breathed a sigh of relief as we connected. I knew this wouldn’t fix everything, but I felt like it was a start, and as our mouths softly moved together, I felt the massive hole in my body, a hole that had been growing larger every day she’d been gone, slowly begin to fill.
When we broke apart, I cupped her cheek. “I love you, so much,” I told her, surprised at how much easier it was to admit that. Anna’s smile was glorious. It made me wish I’d been telling her how much I loved her from the beginning. “You’re everything to me,” I added, meaning every word. I felt like I’d learned that the hard way, and I also felt like that experience had made the words so much more powerful to me. I’d earned them.
“I love you too,” she murmured, her eyes filling again. “Good luck in there. We’ll be here when you get out.” By the way she said it, I got the feeling she meant, Regardless of the outcome, we’ll be waiting for you. I still wanted to win, to prove myself to the guys and the world, but if I lost…I’d be okay with it, because I’d still won her. And that was worth more than all the rock bands in the world.
When I walked back into the waiting room, I felt invincible. The best people in the world loved me for me, and were supporting me, no matter what. There was power in that knowledge, and I held my head high as I took my seat.
Liam wasn’t feeling nearly as confident. Shaking in his chair, he looked over at me with wide eyes. “Dude, I thought you left. I totally thought you gave up and left.”
For a second, I wondered if he’d been hoping I had. I pushed the feeling aside immediately after I had it though. Liam wouldn’t think that. We were family, we had each other’s backs. Feeling completely at ease, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Liam, do you know what you’re missing? That final ingredient to being one of the world’s biggest rock stars?”
Liam tilted his head as he considered. “A tattoo,” he murmured, glancing at some of mine that were visible.
I shook my head. “No. Well…actually, yes, I can’t believe you’re still a virgin at your age…it’s embarrassing, really.” He frowned, and I quickly got my motivational speech back on track. “The only thing you’re lacking is confidence. You need to realize that you’ve got talent, and that the world is your playground. You need to own this shit. You’re about to be a fucking rock star, after all.”
Liam gave me a slow smile, and I felt my own confidence bolstering. How had I forgotten how awesome I was? I was so worried about impressing the guys and getting my job back, but really it was always mine. I just needed to reach out and take it…which was exactly what I was going to do.
Liam nodded, like he was having the same thoughts. Then he frowned. “But what if I don’t make the cut.”
I smacked him across the back of the head. “Rock stars don’t fucking worry about making the cut. Rock stars don’t worry about anything. When you’re onstage, you’re a god and nothing can touch you. Understand me?”
I held his gaze until he nodded and gave me a smile worthy of the name Hancock. Oh yeah, we had this in the bag.
The killer smile on Liam’s face faltered some when his name was called. Mine didn’t though, I knew he would make it. I gave him a thumbs-up, then helped shove him out of his seat before his nerves made him permanently a part of the chair. He looked like he was about to throw up as he stepped through the doors. I wouldn’t know his fate until after my turn. The group waiting wasn’t allowed to know who had made the cut and who hadn’t. The winners went somewhere else, the losers too. So, when I was the last man standing in the room, I was completely clueless as to whether or not the twenty yeses had already happened, and my confident smile faltered some.
As I bounced my knees and picked at a callus on my hand, I ignored my own advice and began to worry. What if the guys were still mad about how I’d left and they held me back out of spite? No, Matt had said they’d give me a fair shake. That meant no advantage over anyone else, but no disadvantage too. And I was good at my job. That much, I’d never doubted.
I shifted my thoughts to Anna and the girls—my rocks. I still couldn’t believe they were here. It felt like a dream, knowing they were right in the next room. A part of me wanted to open the door and kiss Anna again, maybe sneak her inside so she could wait with me, but I didn’t want to do anything that might disqualify me. I settled on texting her instead. I tried to think of something sweet and flowery, something Kellan would send Kiera. That shit didn’t come easy to me though. Mainly, I thought that crap was ridiculous. But I knew Anna would like it, and I wanted to please her, so I did my best.
Hey, babe. Thank you for being here. Seeing you and the girls made my night. I feel like I can lose now, and I’ll still win. I was proud of myself when I hit send. See, I can do sappy, I thought.