“I was just as frightened with your father,” her mother said as she stroked Mia’s hair. “I was afraid to let myself love him all the way just in case something went wrong and tore us apart. The truth is, honey, things go wrong all the time, but they go right, too. Finally, I realized that there was no one I’d rather share all those right and wrong times with.”

Claudia’s arms had come around her, and Mia was glad to let herself be held. “I don’t know why I didn’t talk to you about this before now. I should have told you what happened between us five years ago, but I worked so hard to keep it from everyone.”

“If you ask me, it’s perfectly natural that when we feel so much, when our entire world begins to revolve around someone else, that’s when we turn the most into ourselves. We’re sure that no one else can possibly understand what it’s like to love so deeply, aren’t we?”

Over the past few days, Mia had been coming closer and closer to accepting that what she was feeling for Ford was real. And that it could last.

Tonight, she decided, she would finally tell him everything that was in her heart. And she wouldn’t let herself be afraid anymore of the rights and the wrongs, the good and the bad, as long as she had her best friend beside her.

“He needs a family.” Mia’s heart broke all over again when she thought about the man and woman she’d met the day before who were too stupid to know what an amazing son they had in Ford. “He hasn’t been as lucky as I am to have all of you. I so want that for him.” She reached for her mother, needing her to know how much she appreciated the support, the encouragement, and the unconditional love that Claudia had given her since the day she was born. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too, honey. And while Ford might not have had a great family to grow up with, he is still a very lucky man.”

“You mean because of his success?”

“No.” Her mother’s eyes were soft with emotion for her youngest. “Because he has not only your friendship, but your love, too. All that’s left is to give him your trust.”

Yes, Mia thought as her mother’s words rang true. Watching him with her family felt like putting the final puzzle piece into place. One that had been an obvious fit all along, but had eluded her until tonight.

Because if she could trust him with her secrets, with her body, and with her family, then she knew she could now trust him with her heart, too.

* * *

Even after the wedding in Napa the previous weekend, where Ford had seen how close the Sullivans were, this family dinner with Mia’s parents and two of her brothers was a revelation. It was all so normal, so easy—from the colorful plates, to the table and chairs Max had built himself, to the gray-muzzled dog snoring on the cushion in the corner. He could see where Mia came by her decorating prowess, particularly when it came to color and family photos on every table and wall. Ford especially loved the pictures of Mia growing up, from a beautiful baby to a cute little girl with pigtails and missing teeth to a knockout teen all dressed up for the prom. He’d already been on the road by the time his own prom had rolled around, and he hadn’t given it a single thought. Now he wondered, what would it have been like to go with a girl like Mia Sullivan on his arm?

But he already knew how great it would have been to be the luckiest guy on the planet...because it was exactly how he felt now, every single second they were together.

Most of all, it struck him just how comfortable the Sullivans were with each other. All throughout dinner there had been so much laughter, friendly debate, and support. In many ways it reminded Ford of the way his crew and band were together while they were touring for months on end.

Struck by the thought, he paused. All this time, he’d thought he didn’t have a family. But had he made one for himself out of other musicians? Only, while he’d shared plenty of beers and nights around the poker table backstage, he’d never truly trusted any of them the way Mia had taught him this week that you trusted a friend.

“You spend a lot of time on the road, don’t you?” Adam asked, the second the door closed behind Mia and her mother.

Ford turned his focus back to Mia’s brother. Nodding, he said, “I’ve spent most of the past decade on the road.”

“How long until you head back out?” Adam had thawed a little during dinner, but he was clearly still prepared to go to the mat for his sister.

“I’ve got plenty to do for the kids’ music camp I’m starting up here in town. I’m not planning to tour again anytime soon.” But he knew what Adam thought, that Ford was just toying with Mia while he was in town. There was only one way to prove to her brothers that he was serious about her. “But the biggest reason I’m not going back out on the road is because I’m hoping to convince your sister to marry me.”

“Marry you?” Adam shot his father and brother a look. Max didn’t look particularly surprised, but Ford wasn’t sure he looked wholly pleased, either. “How well did the two of you know each other five years ago?”

Mia had said again and again that the past didn’t matter anymore, but Ford still planned to spend the rest of his life making it up to her, and to everyone who loved her. “I loved Mia from the first moment I saw her, but I was young and stupid.”

This time Dylan was the one growling, “You cheated on her with some groupie?”

“No. But just because I didn’t cheat on her, doesn’t mean I deserved her.”

Finally, Mia’s father spoke. “What makes you think you deserve to be with my daughter now?”

Ford had assumed Max Sullivan was a great father simply because of how much Mia adored him, and he’d immediately liked the man, but during dinner his respect for Max had only continued to grow. Not only had he raised five great kids, he had also managed to keep the love alive with his wife for nearly four decades.

Ford’s parents had been a terrible example of how to parent and love well. He hoped he’d have many more chances to watch and learn from Max and Claudia.

“I know you think no one will ever be good enough for your daughter. And you’re right—she deserves a better man than me. But I can promise you that no one will ever work harder to make her smile. No other man will ever support her dreams the way I will. And I will love her more and more every day for the rest of my life.”

Again, a look passed between the brothers and their father, before Adam said, “You expect us to believe you’d give up everything for her?”