Page 164 of Drawn to You
He smirks. “My dirty girl.”
The evening winds down, and we say our goodbyes. We see each other nearly every day, though. Ellie is still living in our apartment, and the band officially hired her as their marketing manager. We were worried she and Travis wouldn’t work well together after everything, but they seem to be managing as friends well.
Penn tucks me next to him in bed, and I run my fingers along his bare chest and the new ink along his collarbone. It’s a line from the song he wrote about me. It’s one of my favorites because, well, obviously, but his best one, in my opinion, is the one he wrote about his dad. It’s raw and authentic. It’s one of their most popular songs now. It was hard for him to do, but I think it’s been good for him to let it out.
“Thank you for today.”
“You deserve it,” I say honestly. I can’t think of a person more deserving of everything and anything.
PENN
If you had toldtwenty-year-old me where he’d be today, he wouldn’t have believed you, and not just because of the band. We’ve found our own brand of success, and though we’re far from being the next Rolling Stones, we’re happy and making music we love. That’s all we ever wanted to do.
What I wouldn’t have believed was having the girl. She’s the fucking blood keeping the organ in my chest pumping. The oxygen that keeps me breathing. She brought the light back into my soul. When I was afraid I might never see it again, might never feel it again.
I used to think I couldn’t love anything more than I loved music. After losing my dad, I was hollow. I knew how to love, sure. I love my mom and my sister, but I had no fucking desire to put myself through the pain of losing anyone else—until her. As much as I love making music, I’d set my guitar on fire without hesitation if it meant I could keep her.
The lights, the crowd, being on stage with my best friends, and the rush that comes with it all...that’s something, but she’severything.
I open the velvet box, a little habit I’ve formed over the past few months, making sure the ring is still there. I bought it while we were touring and have been holding onto it ever since. I knew it was too soon for her, but once I saw it, I had to have it.
I dug into the last bit of savings my dad left and bought a one-carat princess-cut diamond ring. The band is rose gold, and the center stone is surrounded by little pink diamonds. Something that seemed fitting for my girl.
“Penn? I’m home.” Olivia’s voice floats through the apartment, and I snap the box closed, then toss it in the back of my drawer under my socks.
She’s sitting on the couch, her feet propped up on the table, and a roll of yarn already in her lap.
I lean over and kiss her head before dropping down beside her. “How’d it go?”
“Fine. He still doesn’t want me to use the money in my trust to pay for it. He wants to gift it to me, but I declined. Again.” She starts moving the hook in and out, weaving something—I have no idea what, though, because she just started.
Olivia’s online business has been doing well, and she’s ready to take the next step and open her boutique. Her father’s been very supportive. He released her trust fund to her about six months after she graduated, when he realized she was sticking to her guns, despite her mother’s protests.
She hasn’t used it. She’s been holding onto it for the purpose of opening her own store.
I’ve met them a couple of times over the last year. Her father and I get along surprisingly well, but her mother still hasn’t warmed up to me. Too fucking bad. I’m not going anywhere. She’s been trying to repair her shitty relationship with her daughter, though, and that’s all I care about.
“I’m proud as fuck of you,” I tell her, and she stops what she’s doing to look at me.
Her honey eyes are shining with love, and I can fucking feel it. Always.
We’re going to be busy as shit for the next year, so we’re soaking up as much alone time as we can get. The band is going on our first headline tour soon. We’ll be gone for nearly four months. We have a legit bus now, too, and I’d love to take my girl with me, but she’s staying to start the process of opening her business.
Once she found the perfect spot—which just happens to be a ten-minute drive downtown—everything started moving fast. Her dad has been involved, guiding her in the whole process, which I think has made them closer. I can tell she’s happy about it.
I’m dreading leaving her again, but these last few months at home have been good to us. Still can’t fucking believe I got her, but I don’t plan on ever letting her go.
Nah, she’s mine forever.
