"No. It's the right move for me professionally. It wasn't the best time to tell her, but I needed to make a decision by tomorrow, so I made it. It was probably crazy to say yes to the job with everything going on with my mom. But she did wake up earlier today, and I think she's going to recover, so…"

"You need to move on with your life," he finished.

"I do." I paused. "To be honest, Kade, you helped me make up my mind, too, when you pushed me to make some new music. I hadn't done that in a long time. It opened my mind back up, not just to this new job, but to other possibilities. You're so free. You do what you want, live where you want. I want to feel like that, like I'm in control."

"You should feel like that. You should live like that, Brynn."

"Do you ever feel like you're being selfish?"

"No, but I don't have a twin that I'm in business with," he said with a smile.

"That's fair."

"But you only get one life to live. This is your life. You have to make the most of it."

"You're right. I just don't know what path to take."

"That’s what makes life exciting. I feel the most alive when things are uncomfortable, when they're hard, when I'm out of my element. It's so much better than boring."

"I can barely remember what boring feels like."

He smiled. "That's good, Brynn."

"Is it good?" I asked, completely captivated by the glittering look in his eyes.

"It means you're living, not just existing."

"Am I living or am I running?"

"Does it matter? Your blood is pumping. You're taking action and making decisions. That's what counts."

"I could have died last night," I reminded him.

His smile faded. "I'm very aware of that. I'm not saying that you don't have to take precautions right now, because you're in danger and that comes with some limitations. But later, when all of this is resolved, you should live your life on your own terms."

"I don't know if I'm going to have a later," I said. "Which is why I don't want to wait, because if I wait, I might miss out on something amazing."

His gaze darkened. "What are you afraid of missing out on?"

I licked my lips. "I'm…I'm not sure," I lied, losing my courage at the last second. I'd never been good at asking for what I wanted or just taking it.

"You're sure, Brynn. Go for it. Ask for what you want."

Kade wasn't making it easy. He knew what I wanted, but he was forcing me to choose, to act, to own it. And I was ready to do that. "What if the answer is no?"

"That's the risk you have to take. Is what you want worth the risk?"