Page 139 of Perfect Satisfaction
Beckett Miller hooks an arm around his wife and daughter—holy shit, I mean I knew but seeing the three of them together has me in awe—before drawling, “I’m not just another pretty face, Ronan.”
Sula drawls, “Ahh, Becks. But what a face it is. You madeSexy and Social’s Sexiest Man Alive cover. Again.”
And much to my surprise, the superstar’s face turns bright red. When he wags his finger at her in such a perfect fatherly gesture, I have to make a conscious effort to not spit my beer on the floor. “That’s enough sass out of you, young lady.”
She cocks a hip, daring him to contradict her.
Just as it looks like he’s about to, lights start flashing, and The Killers blare through the speakers. Brendan hops up from the couch. “And there’s our cue.” He kisses his kids before placing a more lingering kiss on Dani’s lips.
Beckett does the same to his family.
They both come to stand in front of me and Sula. I’m shaking hands with Beckett when I catch the expression on Sula’s face as Brendan takes her into his arms. It’s the same overwhelming joy that someone captured in a brief moment after her graduation.
Family. For Sula, nothing matters more than family. Quickly I lift my phone and take the shot.
Beckett murmurs, “She’ll love having that memory.”
“That’s what I thought as well.”
Just as Beckett’s about to say more, Brendan calls out, “You two ready?”
I spin around, looking for someone I might have missed. There’s no one behind me.
That’s when Sula grabs my hand. “Come on. I know where the best seats in this place are, but you’re going to need these,” she says and hands me a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
We follow behind Brendan and Beckett, who slide in earpieces and do a quick mic test.
Every crew member we pass by gives a thumbs up.
The stadium lights go dark.
The audience starts screaming.
A pencil-thin light guides Brendan and Beckett up a set of stairs.
Sula drags me up to follow.
They head directly onto the stage. Smith stops us just out of sight.
We’re feet away from where the magic happens when “Bloodlines” is released to the world.
It’s a roaring success.
I’m not certain anything tops Sula trusting me enough to share this with me—the big moments like “Bloodlines” debut and the small ones when Brendan winks to her off stage before singing his newest single rocking the charts titled “Little Sister.”
But when she leans into my body and her arm snakes around my waist, I realize I have it all.
I don’t need anything but this.
Just her.
CHAPTERSEVENTY-ONE
Let’s hear it for framily!
Classified as a portmanteau, framily is defined as people who are not just important to you but are as close as family. As we all know, you can’t always choose your family.
—StellaNova
