Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
But even beyond her being here, things are different on tour this time.
It’s not only Hope but also the hope we have for our future as a band. Midnight Destruction is better than ever. Sean and I did finally sit down—first with each other, then with Trent, and then with an entertainment lawyer, who basically slapped us all stupid for not renegotiating with AMM sooner.
Luckily, she helped us reach a new agreement with AMM before the album release of Losing Hope, because it’s been a huge hit. Well, categorically speaking. We’re never gonna be on Billboard’s Top 100. But in our little pocket of music, the album’s done amazingly well, and both we and AMM have made bank on it.
Sherwood said there’s even been possible interest from a television show about putting the song I wrote for Hope on the season finale too. They think “Hope” would be the perfect musical overlay for the characters finding love, and I couldn’t agree more. But it’s still a maybe for now.
“Mmm, I’m so full, you’re gonna have to roll me to the RV,” she moans, rubbing her belly.
I grin. “That could be arranged. Or we could go for a walk,” I suggest.
Her eyes cut to me, immediately sensing that I’m up to something. “What do you mean ‘walk’? We have to be loaded up in”—she peers at the bedside clock—“twenty-two minutes.”
I shrug as I stand. “Get dressed. You’ve got five.”
Three, two, one . . .
“Ohmagawd! Are you serious? What’re we doing?” she shouts, standing up in the bed and scanning the room from her new vantage point to find her clothes. I point them out helpfully, and she jumps down, which I’m sure would freak out the guests below us except that we’re in the sweet-spot window when most people have checked out, haven’t checked in, or are out in the city.
She yanks a sweater over her head, pulls jeans on, and shoves her feet into socks and warm boots while I gather both our coats. She stands in front of me, arms at her sides and grinning in excitement, and I let my eyes drift up to her hair.
She leans back to glance in the mirror. “Ack!” she screams, immediately trying to tame her brown locks into a messy bun. I hold up a ponytailer, and she snatches it from me with a look of appreciation. “Are you going to tell me?”
“Nope, it’s a surprise,” I answer.
Hope still loves surprises. And I still love to give them to her. I’ve already arranged everything with the guys, who know we’re meeting them in the next city, not RV’ing with them.
Ten minutes later, we’re walking through the gates of a zoo. I’ve memorized the map, so I lead her directly to where I want to go. I can’t wait any longer, even though she seems particularly excited to see the tigers. “Ben, they’re so adorable!” she claims, trying to sway me. “Like huge housecats. I just wanna snuggle and cuddle and hug ’em.”
I’m pretty sure tigers are more like big versions of Vincent’s shop cat, Ginger Spice—the lookie-no-touchie kind—but I don’t mention it to Hope right now.
We enter the aviary, and I scour the big enclosure for what I’m looking for.
“This is kinda how we met,” she whispers, leaning into my shoulder.
I smile and point at a bird high on a branch. “There,” I tell her, and she follows to where I’m pointing. “Once upon a time, I was lost in more ways than one. I went out on a scavenger hunt, looking for titmouses—”
“Titmice?” she suggests, grinning at our weird inside joke.
I nod. “Looking for titmice and instead found . . . love.”
Her eyebrows wrinkle as she looks at me, and I can hear her Awww before she even says anything. “That’s so sweet, Ben.”
“I wasn’t looking for you, but I’m so glad we found each other that day, because I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I clear my throat, and Hope stares at me in shock as I get down on one knee and hold up a ring I hope she loves. It’s traditional, a simple round solitaire in the middle, but surrounded by tiny black diamonds on each side. Her mouth drops open, and her eyes go wide. She waves her hands at her face in anticipation, and I can’t help but smile. She’s amazing. She’s everything.