She shook her head like she was shaking away the memory, then she leaned down and gave me a tender kiss. “It’s all right.” She kissed me again. “Just ask next time, Sucker Thief.”

Happy that she was letting my mistake go, and loving her playful nickname, I gave her a huge grin as I returned the sucker to its rightful place—my mouth. She was smiling and laughing as she walked away from me, and I was grateful for the opportunity to amuse her. Anything I could do to make her happy, to make her forget the…darker parts of our relationship.

A little later, I was watching Kiera chatting with Kate, probably telling her about her first day back at school, when a sudden noise got my attention. The front doors had burst open. Matt strode through them, a look of pure excitement on his face as he immediately looked my way. When he spotted me, the look on his face grew even more exuberant. In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen him look so excited. I had no idea what could possibly make him so…buoyant.

He sped-walked his way to the table, zipping around chairs in his way. As he rapidly approached, Griffin and Evan entered the bar. They also looked like they were bursting at the seams as they hurried my way. They all looked so thrilled, but for some reason, my chest clenched with dread. What was going on?

“Kell…you’re never going to believe what just happened,” Matt said, when he got close enough. Frowning, I looked from him to Evan and Griffin. Shit…what happened? Matt sat down beside me, and Evan and Griffin quickly joined him. They all leaned into me, crowding my personal space, and all of them started talking at once in their excitement.

“That band I’ve been talking to—Avoiding Redemption—I just got off the phone with their lead singer, Justin…”

“He saw us play at Bumbershoot, dude—”

“He wants us on his tour!”

“Yeah, he invited us along! Our first real tour!”

My eyes drifted between the guys, as their words started sinking in. “Tour? Like a concert tour? Seriously?”

“Yeah!” Matt said. “Justin said they’re heading out with a half-dozen other bands soon, and they want us to go with them. Us, man! We’d be at the bottom of the lineup, ‘cause it’s a last-minute thing, but who the fuck cares. We’re going on tour!”

My heart thudded inside my chest, and I felt ill. Tour…away from here…away from Kiera… “How long?” The words were practically a whisper as they left my lips.

“Six months! Can you believe that shit! This is it, Kell! Our shot to make it!” Griffin exclaimed.

Matt nodded. “It’s a coast-to-coast tour. I already told Justin yes. First part of November, dude, then we’re gone!”