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My chest felt heavy with every emotion, the most prominent of which was all the love for led out from underneath Deacon, my voice thick with my surprise and excitement

"Who else would I be?" Keith started to ask just before I pulled hi

"Whoever you want to be," I whispered against his head as I peppered it with kisses

I glanced up at Deacon as hter to my chest, I covered his free ear, and whispered to Deacon, "He’s only been Keith since you left Wouldn’t even talk about it Any of it"

Pain and acceptance flashed across Deacon’s features He nodded once, then ran his hands over his face and through his hair Pinning ize Can’t you see how happy I am?" I released Keith, and said, "Hey, buddy, are Aunt Grey and Uncle J still here?"

Keith nodded enthusiastically "We brought dinner!"

"Okay, why don’t you go back out there, and we’ll follow you right out"

Deacon waited until Keith was running away screa to say, "I never should’ve walked, Charlie"

"We both shouldn’t have done or said e did" I traced his handsoer on his lips "Deacon, I don’t want Graham I’ve never wanted Graham"

"I know" He nodded toward the door "I heard you"

That didn’t surpriseup behind

"And the songyou have to understand what happened with the song on that last night" I grabbed the notebook where it rested beside"Look at the chorus Read it" I waited for a few seconds, before I asked, "Do you see it? ‘When I look at you like that’Deacon, when had I ever knowingly looked at Stranger before I finished the song? The chorus was about you I was only falling in love with you"

His eyesand awe "Charlie Girl," he e" I trailed off and shook oing to tell Stranger good-bye that night I thought he deserved to see the full song Once he--once you responded, I was going to explain the chorus and tell him that I was done But there was no response, and then you were back in hed As he spoke, he moved to sit on the bed and pulled ed him and I saw the words heart and love, and I lost it I didn’t even fully grasp the other words; I didn’t understand that it didn’t fit for someone you’d never seen But it otten at the foot of ht I would hate that I had that phone"

"It went off a lot that first week before it finally died"

Deacon’s forehead landed on my shoulder, and for a irls I slept with I didn’t want theave it to Words because I was trying to figure out if she was one of the to ied nize yours when Grey sent it to me"

"Oh"

"Yeah"

My stomach churned and chest ached, but I tried to push those feelings away I knew this was froot to pick you up from work, I have only used that phone to talk to Words No one else Graha it, and he and Knox about lost theiryou But I didn’t tell them about Words until after the Fourth" He nodded in the direction ofto set the phone on fire"