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Dawn’s shoulders sagged, and Kellen scooped her into his ar her passionately That way everyone—especially Kellen himself—would know that Dawn had his full attention
“It’s nothing,” he assured her quietly when they drew apart “I don’t want to talk about Sara” Or look at her pregnant ghost But the pregnant ghost waddled by and without an invitation plopped down next to them on the sofa
“Is your father really Theodore O’Reilly?” Lindsey asked Dawn “The guy ns all those tropical resorts?”
Dawn groaned “And don’t forget his seventeen five-star hotels along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts” She sounded like a perky salesgirl even when she added, “Because he won’t let you”
Kellen blinked at her How had he not made the connection between Dawn and infaured it out Dawn had told him that her parents ealthy, but she was an heiress to a hotel and resort dynasty? No way! She was uy
“When you hinted that you were rich,” Kellen said, “I didn’t realize you were set to inherit millions”
“Billions,” she corrected with a shrug
“Billions,” he said flatly
“Don’t worry yourself about the inheritance tax too et myself disowned before he dies,” Dawn said “He’ll probably leave it all to his beloved wolfhound, T-Rex” She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes “Because plain ol’ Rex isn’t a big enough na”
Lindsey laughed “I can’t believe I’hter”
Dawn’s muscles tensed beneath Kellen’s palm
“You et to meet lots of famous people!”
“On occasion,” Dawn said vaguely
“Who is thealht she’d followed Sole Regret’s tour bus up a hout the night
Dawn linked her fingers with Kellen’s and suitarist for” She bit her lip, her cheeks flushing “What was the naain?”
Kellen snorted and couldn’t resist kissing Dawn’s pretty lips “Sole Regret”
“Oh, that’s right”
She winked at hi She knew exactly what the band was called She’d scored VIP tickets for their show in Beau her behind in Galveston with nothing but a stupid Dear Dawn letter to explain his absence
“So how does a woman like you end up in a shithole like Galveston, Texas?” Jacob asked
Kellen scowled He liked Galveston It wasn’t a tropical paradise or anything, but it was an island and it was Texan, so that ht by him
“I like the ocean,” Dawn said “It helpsThe cadence of the waves in Galveston speaks to me for some reason”
“The rhythainst the sofa arm
Kellen hadn’t realized he was listening The guy had been on his phone with his girl, Madison,up in New Orleans for the weekend
“I don’t compose hard rock” Dawn squeezed Kellen’s hand “So the rhythm is perfect for me”
Kellen’s body flushed when hts He’dtheir rhyth poor her the third degree
“So your father owns a resort in Galveston too?” Lindsey asked
Dawn snorted so loud, she choked “Uh, no The water isn’t pristine enough for one of his resorts”
Gulf water was gray and murky most days, but Kellen had never minded The rhythm of the waves there connected with his soul He was pretty sure that Dawn felt that same connection But he was also pretty sure that wasn’t why she’d chosen Galveston over the Bahamas, Hawaii, or Tahiti
“You chose Galveston specifically because he doesn’t own a resort there” Kellen was already starting to understand hon ticked
“Exactly I moved to LA for two reasons: to start my career as a Hollywood composer and because my dad didn’t have a hotel there”
“He doesn’t?” Kellen found that hard to believe Maybe, like Galveston, the beaches in southern California weren’t exclusive enough for one of his resorts, but that seemed unlikely
“He didn’t have one there until this January He evencereue out as if she’d just eaten so truly vile
“I’d be proud of my dad if he was that successful,” Lindsey said
“He’s proud enough of himself for the both of us,” Dawn muttered
Kellen and Dawn definitely ca ceremony He didn’t have a dad to be proud of, and the one who’d knocked up his old But he and Dawn had far more important experiences in common Music filled his soul and hers, so material differences didn’t matter Did they? They didn’t matter to him, and it seemed they didn’t matter to her either
Owen laughed unexpectedly, and Kellen glanced his way to discover that he was on his cellphone again The obnoxiousness of his laughterto Caitlyn for the eleventh time that day Yes, Kellen had counted He wondered how Caitlyn was dealing with the knowledge that Owen had been volunteered to be a baby daddy, because Kellen wasn’t dealing very ith Owen’s predicament at all And not only because Lindsey looked so much like Sara He knehat kind of , too easy to take advantage of And while Kellen adentle spirit, he kneen could fall prey to soenda—like a woman with a baby on the way and apparently no one to help her out
Then again, if Owen took Lindsey home over the weekend and left her there, Kellen wouldn’t have to spend the rest of the tour watching his everythat Lindsey and Sara were cosmically linked and that Lindsey had been sent to spy on hi Dawn soafter her
Kellen’s fingers returned to the silver band of Jacob’s watch, rubbing it absently, as if Sara could hear the apology behind that repetitive motion
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The bus shuddered and the pitch of the engine lowered as the lu vehicle slowed to pull off the road
“Finally,” Adaer and longer?”
“It’s just you,” Gabe said “They just seeer because you can’t wait to see Madison”
Adam flushed, but he didn’t refute Gabe’s claim
“I wonder if I have enough time to rent a bike before I pick her up at the airport,” Adam mused
Kellen chuckled to hi up soure out where to store her luggage on his own
“So do you think you can introduceso and had found a picture of Daith Taylor Swift posted somewhere
Dawn shifted on Kellen’s lap, straining her neck to peer out theacross the aisle as if she hadn’t heard her
“You two are friends, right?” Lindsey pressed
“I’ve met her That doesn’t make us friends,” Dawn said