Pushing into him, she said, “Let go meet them backstage.”

“That was f**king amazing.”

Reese grinned. “It was all Claire.”

He made the gesture like something was blowing out of the side of his head before saying, “Mind blowing.”

“I agree,” she said. She started following him towards the backstage, but someone took hold of her arm from the opposite side that Phillip was on. When she turned, she took in a sharp breath as she stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart jumped in her throat, all the air rushed out of her, and her head started to spin as she locked eyes with a set of big, brown eyes she used to be very familiar with. In love with actually.

Kevin Edds.

He looked exactly the same way he had when she left him what seemed like eons ago. His long, blond hair still dusted his shoulders. He had more hair on his face, and all it did was make him hotter. He wore a sleeveless shirt, showing off his toned, gorgeous arms. His legs just as toned in a pair of long shorts that came to his knees. His grin was unstoppable, his white teeth shining as his eyes ran up and down Reese’s body, making her crazy uncomfortable. Before she could say anything, he said, “Easy to say that song brings back some pretty great memories, huh?”

She couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think, as she stayed locked in his gaze. She felt like a fish out of water, gasping for air, trying to figure out what to do next.

“You look amazing, Reese, so beautiful. You haven’t changed at all,” he said, his voice soft and smooth, making her skin break out in gooseflesh.

Her heart hammered against her chest. She couldn’t catch her breath, and she couldn’t trust herself to speak.

He scoffed as he reached out, trying to cup her face, but she backed away some, causing him to smile. “Say something, ReeRee. You’re freaking me out.”

She took in a deep breath and couldn’t believe he had brought out his old nickname for her. Her eyes moved into slits as she took a step towards him, and he smiled. In that very moment, she hated him. How dare he act like he hadn’t ruined her life! Act as if taking his love away from her wasn’t like taking her next breath. How dare he! Her body shook with anger, her heart jackhammering, as her fists clenched and her fingernails bit into her palms. This was the man that ruined her, and she always dreamed of what she would say when she saw him again. She imagined herself kicking him in the gut and telling him to f**k off, that she was better without him, but that wasn’t the case. She didn’t expect to feel like he had pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the chest. She didn’t expect to feel the way she had when she watched him walk away. She hated the way he made her feel, and rage ran through her veins. She wanted to slap him, beat him even, but then she remembered where she was. There were eyes everywhere. People knew her, knew him, and this could not happen. No matter how much she wished for it, she couldn’t risk it. He had chased her from her dreams before, but she would not allow him to ruin her career.

So very quietly, she took another step towards him and whispered, “Fuck you.”

Claire was grinning and coming out of a tight hug from Brian when she turned to look at him. Pride was pouring out of Phillip’s skin as he wrapped her up tightly in his arm, hugging the crap out of her. He had never seen anything so beautiful. Her solo was a masterpiece, but there was something about watching her move with a partner that made her even better. Phillip may not like the kid, but he made Claire a superstar. Kissing her temple, he pulled back and smiled down into her gorgeous, but wearing too much makeup, face. She reminded him so much of his sister that his eyes started to sting. He hoped that in Heaven his mother and sister were watching this moment, the moment when Claire f**king shined, but at the same time, he was mad. They should be here, all of them should be, but because they couldn’t, Phillip was going to make sure this girl knew she was amazing.

“I’m so proud of you.”

She smiled, her cheeks darkening with color as she said, “Thank you.”

“So proud,” he whispered, emotion choking him as he wrapped her back up in a tight hug. He missed his sister and mom so much, but he was thankful to still have Claire within reach. They would always have each other. “I love you so much.”

He felt her freeze in his arms, and then she whispered, “I love you too.”

He closed his eyes tight, hugging her the way she needed to be hugged as he took in a deep breath. His heart was exploding with love, and he didn’t know how to handle his emotion. In one hand, he wanted to cry like a little baby but, since he knew that it might get back to the guys, he went with the other hand, which was to just hold her and bask in this moment. He had been waiting since the first moment she came back into his life for her to accept his love, and he couldn’t believe that this was finally happening.

Could life get any better?

Claire parted from him, and he smiled as she moved out of his arms. “It was great, huh?”

He nodded. “Yeah, it was beautiful and even though you don’t have a shirt on, you did good, guy,” he said, directing it to Brian.

Brian smiled as he cocked his head towards Claire. “It’s all her. She’s spectacular.”

Claire beamed up at him as Phillip glared, but still he said, “Yes, she is.”

“Are you sure we did good?” Claire said, a worried expression on her face as she looked past him.

“Ugh yeah, mind blowing, why?” He laughed as Brian looked towards the direction Claire was.