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She shrugged “I wasn’t interested in dating anyone, so it was a cover-up forwith honesty “You’re the only one I’ve ever been with that way, Collin Wholly and intimately”

Bloay by her adht, he reached for Raevynn and pulled her across his lap He hugged her close to his chest, wondering if she could feel the steady beat of his heart that had been, and still was, directly linked to her He’d loved her back then, and he loved her now

She cuddled against hi the side of his neck and down to his chest in a tender caress “I wish I could stay right here with you,”

she whispered “Forever”

God, he wished that, too But staying sequestered fro him was inevitable

Chapter 14

The followingwith inspiration and her mind clearer than it had been for years in terms of her life, her future, and her career

With Collin still deep asleep beside her, and not wanting to wake hiot ready for the day ahead She put on one of the co her teeth, she looked into the bathroorinned as she took in her short hair, which still looked great—sexy and tousled and all she needed to do was run her fingers through the strands and the soft waves did their own thing She loved it

Out in the kitchen, she , she eyed the prepaid phone that she hadn’t touched since sending her o She turned it back on and wasn’t surprised when the device pinged at least a dozen ties All fro her she had upco week Not to n so that preparations for the neorld tour could co with production

One of the last , had been thespoiled and selfish and only thinking of herself

A week ago, a hurtful couilt-ridden and devastated, which her mother knew Today, it was a stark reminder of how manipulative her parent was And how Raevynn had spent the past seven years being so easily influenced by her mother’s words and actions, to the point that she’d lost her true identity, and her own voice and opinions, along the way

It had taken running aith the one ive her the fortitude to cos she knew had to change

She sent a quick text back to her mother I’ll be back at the Plaza Hotel this afternoon And then she disconnected the phone once again It was all her mother needed to know, and for the next few hours, she wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet and the time she had left with Collin

Surprised that she wasn’t es, she returned to her coffee and stirred in French vanilla creah the kitchen drawers, she found a notepad and pen and took those ite out to the deck She sat in one of the comfortable chairs and meditated for a fewthe war sunshine on her face and the sense of calm around her

As she relaxed, the creative side to her brain engaged, a song fully for in her h her It had been a while since lyrics had come to her with such clarity, and she picked up the pad of paper and pen and let the words flow For well over an hour, she wrote the verse, chorus, and bridge and huuitar with her, feverishly jotting down notes for various chords and riffs to add in later