That made me smile. Deep down, I knew Kiera would treat her well. And she would treat Kiera well too. “It just seems a shame for her to sit in a driveway while you argue with Anna over who gets that P.O.S. Honda.” I paused to run my fingers through Kiera’s hair, to drink her in. “I want you to be able to get to…wherever you need to go while I’m gone.”

Her eyes were moist as she tucked the keys into her pocket. What felt like a lifetime of memories flashed through my mind as I stared at the keys I could no longer see. Finding the car, fixing her up, driving her home to Seattle, Kiera’s face when she saw her, driving Kiera to school, fighting in the rain…stolen moments, loving moments, painful moments. There was a lot of Kiera tied up in my car now, and parting with it made the ache of parting with her even more pronounced.

Needing air, I finally said goodbye to my baby, and opened the door.

Kiera followed as I grabbed my guitar from the backseat, then my bag from the trunk. Holding Kiera’s hand, I started heading over to where Matt and Evan were talking with some of the guys from Avoiding Redemption. Kiera suddenly seized up and stopped walking with me. Confused, I looked back at her.

She shook her head like she thought I was crazy. “Don’t you know who they are?” She whispered that, even though we were way too far away for them to hear us.

“Yeah, they’re sort of the reason we’re on this tour. I was going to go say hello and thank them.” By the horrified look on her face, you’d think I’d just suggested we go skinny-dipping with Griffin. “I’ve heard you sing their stuff. Don’t you want to meet them?” I asked.

She shook her head so hard, I worried she’d hurt herself. Amused at her refusal, I started pulling her toward the band. If this was really going to be my life, then she’d need to get used to it. Might as well start now. “They’re just people, Kiera. They started out as nobodies just like me.” Stopping, I yanked her into my side and cocked an eyebrow at her. “And you don’t seem to have a problem talking to me.”

Letting out a nervous giggle, she let me lead her toward the guys. She was shaking when we stepped up to them though; even I could feel that. Wanting to relax her, I whispered in her ear, “You’re trembling just like some of my fans do…I’m a little jealous. I’ll try not to be offended that I don’t make you…quiver.”