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But he just seems reticent to rush things. That’s his big excuse: I don’t want to rush things. What the hell is that supposed to mean? We knew each other a matter of months before we had sex together, and it was not much longer than that before we both knew we loved each other. Less than a year, and we were totally serious and committed. How much more rushed can you get? I don’t need more time. It’s not like I’m pressuring him to propose; I don’t expect that level of commitment from him yet. Don’t get me wrong—I’d say yes before he got the words out if he asked, but I know that’s a big deal. It is for me, too, but I think it’s just different for guys, especially one who grew up as nomadic as Oz. He could still get the urge to travel, to move on. I don’t think he’d just up and leave. He’d want me with him, and he knows I’m committed to finishing my degree.

All this means that despite how happy I am, in general, there’s a tiny little nagging bit of impatience inside me. Like a teeny pebble in your shoe, not painful, just…irritating. I want everything with Oz, and I want it now.

As our tour gets closer and closer to Nashville, the more antsy I get. I don’t know why. Oz has been acting odd, too. Going off with Dad at strange times, whispering together. They’re writing a song, I know that much. I know what songwriting looks like, and that’s what they’re doing. But why the secrecy? They always clam up if I get near them, and it’s starting to bug me. Plus, Oz has been on the phone a lot, with I’m not sure whom, or why.

Something’s up, and I want to know what.

A day out of Nashville, our second-to-last show, in Detroit. The Fox Theater is sold out. Oz is jittery, distracted. Mom and Dad are almost done with their set, and Oz and I are getting ready to go on for ours. I take Oz’s hands in mine, stand chest to chest with him, look up into his gray-brown eyes.

“Oz…I know you’re hiding something from me. Just…just tell me if I need to be worried about whatever it is. Tell me if it’s something bad. About me, or us. ” I hate how insecure I sound, but I need some kind of reassurance from him.

Oz nudges my forehead with his, sighing. “You don’t need to worry. I know I’ve been acting weird lately, and I’m sorry. It’s nothing bad, I promise. I love you, only you, and I’m not going anywhere. ”

“Then what is it? ”

He grins at me. “Well, I’m planning a surprise for you. That’s all I’m gonna say. ”

I frown. “Can’t you at least give me a hint? ”

Oz shakes his head. “Nope. No hints. ”

And then we’re on, and there’s no time for talking. We go on, and I have to push away my curiosity, my distraction.

The show was fantastic, but all the way from Detroit to Nashville, Oz is jittery and nervous and strange. Dad keeps looking at me, and then at Oz, and then grinning.

It’s not that I hate surprises; I don’t. I like surprises. I just…this one seems big, for some reason, and I don’t know what to expect. I just have to wait, I guess.

Finally, we reach Nashville and get to spend a night at home in our own beds. Friday night we have an end-of-tour celebratory dinner—Mom and Dad and Oz and I, plus Amy, Gareth, Buddy, and a lot of the crew who’ve been on the road with us since April. They’re like family now, and I know Oz especially has gotten close with some of the guitar techs. It’s good to see, really. I know Oz doesn’t make friends easily, so watching him open up a little to people who are not me or Mom and Dad is cool.

We spend all day Saturday at the Ryman, practicing, putting together our set list, getting everything tuned and dialed in. And then, just when I think I’m going to get a few minutes alone with Oz, he vanishes with Daddy. I turn to Mom, huffing in irritation.

“What the hell is going on with them, Mom? ”

Mom just shrugs and shakes her head. “I don’t know, sweetie. It’s a big secret, though. Dad won’t even tell me what’s going on. Says it would ruin the surprise. ” She wraps her arm around me. “Here’s a little advice, though, honey. When guys do things like this, on their own, and don’t involve us women in it, you know it’s something romantic. The only time a man will go to these kinds of lengths to keep something secret is if he’s got something huge and sexy and sweet up his sleeve. I really, really don’t think you need to be worried. Just…be prepared for anything. ”

I lean into her. “He’s never secretive. It’s weirding me out. ”

Mom laughs. “I know, honey. But try not to freak out. Oz loves you, and that’s all that really matters, right? ”

I nod and try to push away the worry. “Right. ”

Eventually, Oz and Daddy come back, and we four have dinner together. Oz and Dad act like nothing at all is amiss, so I try not to as well. Later that night, as Oz and I let ourselves into his apartment, I decide to try a little seduction-interrogation.

As soon as the door is locked behind us, I push Oz’s back against the wall, take his keys from him, toss them aside, not caring where they land. Oz’s eyes are narrowed, as if he knows what I’m planning. He’s wearing a plain white button-down, which I make short work of removing, leaving him deliciously sexy in just blue jeans and boots. I pause to strip, peeling my T-shirt, bra, jeans, and panties off in record time. Naked now, I kiss my way from his jaw to his chest, down his ribs to his navel. I slip the end of his belt out of the buckle, unbutton his jeans, tug them down. The act of getting his jeans past his hips has pulled the waistband of his boxers down just far enough to let the tip of his cock show, and I grin up at him.

He licks his lips and sucks in a deep breath. “Kylie, babe. What are you planning on doing down there? ”

I slide his boxers off, keeping my eyes on him. “What do you think I’m planning on doing down here? ”

“I think you’re fishing for information. ”

I wrap my lips around him and suck hard, tasting his flesh and the essence that begins to seep out of his tip onto my tongue. When he’s groaning, I lift my mouth off him. “Is it working? ”

“Nope. ” He tangles his fingers in my hair. “You might have to try again. ”

I laugh, and then comply. This time, I grip him at the base and slide my fingers around his thickness as I work the head with my lips and tongue. He starts moving in time with my suction, and when I know he’s close, I take my mouth away. “How about now? Tell me what’s going on, and I’ll let you come in my mouth. I know how much you love that, and it’s been a while. Since Montana, right? You know you want it. ”

He groans. “Goddamn, Ky. That’s mean. Cruel and unusual punishment. ”

I laugh and flick his tip with my tongue. “But effective, right? ”

He shudders and his hips piston, trying to get closer to my mouth, seeking relief. I don’t give it to him. “Fuck, baby. I’m not…not telling. It’s a surprise. A good surprise. You want it to be a surprise. Just try to trust me on this, will you? ” He growls. “I’m going crazy here, baby. ”

“Just a hint? ” I beg.

He hisses as I pump my fingers up and down his length. “Fuck…fuck. If I give you a hint, you’ll make me come? ”

“So hard, baby. I swear. ”

He laughs, and then lets his head thump back against the wall. I slow my hands on him, drawing it out. He can’t help moving into my touch, and I know I’ve got him.

But then he moves like a striking snake. There’s no warning, no chance of resisting. One second I’m in control, on my knees in front of him with his thick cock in my hands and my lips descending to finish him off, and then the next second I’m on my hands and knees, and he’s behind me.

I open my mouth to protest, but all that comes out is a gasping shriek. He’s in me, sliding deep, fast, hard, and I can only whimper.

“Oz…Jesus, Oz. Oh, god. ” All my demands and plans are ruined. He’s in control now, hands gripping my hips, pulling me against him, drawing moans from me.

He leans over me, bites my earlobe. “You want a hint, baby? I’ll give you a hint. It’s a surprise. A really, really, big” —he emphasizes this with a hard thrust that has me rocking forward— “surprise. ”

I can’t help but move back into him, needing what he’s giving me now. “Why won’t you tell me? ”

“Because you have to wait till tomorrow. ” He breathes into my ear, his breath hot. “Don’t you trust me, baby? ”

“Yeah, I trust you, ” I gasp.

“Then let it be a surprise. ”

I’m on the edge now, a few strokes away from coming hard. “Okay, Oz. Okay. Okay. I trust you. ”

He pulls out, and I whimper in shock. “NO! Fuck, Oz, put it back in, please, I need it, I was right there! ”

He chuckles, and I feel the tip slide in, but it’s nowhere near enough. “You trust me, baby? ”

I nod and try to rock to get the fullness back. “Yeah, Oz, I trust you. ”

He flutters his hips, giving me tiny, shallow, insufficient, teasing thrusts. “You wouldn’t want to ruin my surprise, would you? ”

“No…no. ” I seek relief, unashamedly begging. “Please…please…”

He’s groaning, growling. “You were sneaky, Kylie. That was a very sneaky and devious thing you did. ”

“I’m sorry…I’m just…I’m dying of curiosity. ”

He pulls out, and I whimper, but then he rolls me to my back, lifts my heels over his shoulders and drives in, sudden, hard, and perfect. “You’re afraid, is what you are. ”

“Yeah, you’ve never kept any secrets from me. ”

“I know. But this is a good secret. ”

“A good secret? ”

He slides out and back in, and I’m whimpering abjectly. “Yeah, sweetness. A very good one. That’s all the hints you’ll get. ”

“It almost worked, though, didn’t it? ” I ask, watching him through the “V” of my legs.

He nods, eyes fluttering and shuttering closed. “Very…very nearly. Why do you think we’re doing this on the floor? A few more seconds, and I would’ve told you. ”

I groan, partly in frustration and partly in delighted pleasure as he starts to rock into me hard and fast. “Fuck, Oz. I almost had you? ”

He groans. “Yeah, baby. That sweet mouth of yours…oh, shit. I’m right there…”

“You’d better not stop, Oz. You’d better not fucking stop…”

“Hell no…”

And then we explode together, my heels wrapped around his neck, and then he’s leaning over me and my legs are clenched like vises around his back and we’re gasping and trembling and rocking together, breathing together.

A few moments of his weight resting on me, and then Oz stands up, lifts me in his arms, and carries me to his bed. “I can’t believe you tried that. ”

I laugh and curl into his arms. “What, tried to suck the truth out of you? ”

“Yeah. Is it that hard to just trust me? ”

I feather my fingers over his cock, needing more already. “Yeah. You’ve been acting really weird, babe. ”

He huffs a laugh, then moans as he starts to harden in my hand. “God, Kylie. Insatiable, aren’t you? ”

“Would you have it any other way? ”

“Fuck no! I’m the luckiest guy on earth, sweetness, and well I know it. But do you really think I’d ever do anything to hurt you? ”

“No, ” I say, throwing my leg over his hip and straddling him. “I just…I guess I still can’t believe how much I love you, how happy you make me, and I don’t—I don’t want anything to change that. ”

“Nothing can, Kylie. Nothing in the whole world. ”

This time, it’s slow and tender and gentle, and his eyes never leave mine, and as we implode together, his lips meet mine and our breathing merges and time stops and the heaven itself shatters through us, weaving our souls together.

Sunday, the day of the concert. Pre-show jitters have us all a little on edge. This is the biggest show any of us have ever done, even Mom and Dad.

The Harris Mountain Boys go on first, Mom and Dad second, and Oz and I third. At the end of our regular set, Mom and Dad come out, and the four us play a few songs together, and then Amy, Gareth, and Buddy come out, and we all jam for almost half an hour, and the crowd is going crazy.

Finally, the show is over. We’re all saying thank you, bowing, basking in the wild energy of the crowd.

The lights go down, and we all make our way off-stage.

And then the lights go on, and Oz and Daddy are back on the stage, plugging their guitars back in.

“Ya’ll don’t mind one more little song, do you? ” Daddy asks into the mic.

“NO! ” comes the enthusiastic response.

Mom and I glance at each other. This wasn’t part of the planned set; this is the surprise.

“Good, ’cause Oz and I here have a little surprise. ” He claps Oz on the shoulder.

Oz seems really nervous. I can tell by the set of his shoulders, by the way he scuffs at the stage floor with the toe of his boot. “This surprise is for you guys, ” Oz says, “’cause ya’ll are what make us able to do this, and we love you for it. But it’s also a surprise for the girls. For Kylie, especially. ” He turns and waves me over. “Come on out, baby. ”

Colt looks at Mom. “You, too, Nelly. ”

Everyone is confused. Mom and I go back out on stage, and two stagehands bring us stools. We sit three-quarters turned, facing the stage and the guys.

“If anybody out there is old enough to have watched Nell and me play when we were first starting out, ya’ll might remember a particularly memorable night in New Orleans. ” Daddy’s looking at Mom with eyes that speak of their love, that speak of the secrets of twenty years of marriage. “I played a song that night. A very special song. One we haven’t played live in…oh, hell, ten years? Anybody remember that show? Which song I played? ”

Oz is fiddling with the tuning knobs of his acoustic guitar, fixing a capo onto the strings. I watch him, and his eyes meet mine. The nerves are obvious in his eyes, and I smile, trying to reassure him.

The crowd is restless, muttering, and I hear a single voice shout from way in the back, “‘Falling Into You’! ”

Daddy nods. “That’s the one. Ya’ll are about to hear a very special version of that song. Oz and I tweaked it a bit for this occasion, so now we’re calling it something different. This is ‘Falling Under. ’”

He taps the flat of his guitar to count out the beat, and then they both start playing. Mom is watching, hand over her mouth, and then she turns to glance at me, and her eyes are already wet. She’s twisting her diamond ring on her finger. Oh. Oh. Realization hits me as Dad and Oz start in on the first verse.

“All my life it seems

I’ve been barely keeping

My head above the water

And then I saw you

You saw all the pain

Hiding in my eyes

And you wanted

To take it away

But I had no words for you

’Cause I was falling under

And I am falling, falling under with you

I can’t resist you, baby

I’m falling, falling under with you

Your love healed me

Fate has intervened

Conspiring to draw us close together

And tangle our lives

The siren of your song

And the music of your heart is calling

Whispering my name

And now I have the words for you

’Cause I’m falling under with you

Now I’m falling, falling under with you

I can’t resist you, baby

I am falling, falling under with you

And I’m falling still

I’m falling still

Now that fate has intervened

And drawn us close together

Past our fears and all the pain

Behind our eyes

Despite the ghosts trailing around us

Like a fog of haunting souls

You’re still trying hard to heal me

To take my pain and make it yours

Your beautiful eyes are smiling

Into mine

Now I’m falling, falling under with you

I can’t resist you, baby

I am falling, falling under with you

And I’m falling still

I’m falling still

Falling under with you. ”

Dad keeps playing, but the sound tech turns the volume down, so the melody is a faint refrain, a soundtrack for what’s about to happen. Oz swings his guitar around by the strap to hang from his back, turns toward me, grabbing the mic off the stand.

“Kylie…this is it. Are you ready? ” He grins at me, stands in front of me. I can only nod and try to breathe. “Twenty years ago your dad played that song for your mom. I wanted a special way to do this for you, and your dad thought this might be perfect. I actually watched a video of that proposal, and I don’t mind admitting to being jealous of your Dad’s awesomeness. I’m just grateful he doesn’t mind me stealing his idea, and even conspiring to help me make it that much more perfect. ”

He takes a deep breath, reaches into his hip pocket. “I love you, Kylie. You’re it, for me. You saved me, you know. Life had me running. Had me by the throat, and I really was falling under, losing hope. And then I met you, and you gave me a reason to keep my head above water. You taught me to swim. You taught me to live. And instead of giving up, I fell in love. I fell under your spell, Kylie, and every single day since, I’ve fallen further and further under for you. ”

I’m crying, unabashedly weeping, and I don’t care who sees. I stand up and reach for Oz, but he falls to one knee at my feet, holding up a ring. It’s a small ring, simple, a thin white-gold band and princess-cut diamond but, to me, in that moment, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Except for Oz’s face and the love in his eyes.

He looks up at me, clearly struggling with his own emotions. “Kylie Calloway, will you—”

I don’t let him finish. I fall to my knees and lunge into him, crash my lips to his. We fall backward to the stage, and the crowd is going crazy, howling, cheering, clapping. Oz kept hold of the ring and the mic so, with me lying on his chest, he lifts the mic to his lips.

“I take it that’s a yes? ”

I hold up my left hand, and he slides the ring on. I take the mic. “Yes, Oz! Of course yes. With all my heart yes. ”

We devolve into kissing, heedless of the thousands of people watching.

I hear Daddy talking. “I can’t ask you to marry me again, Nelly baby, but I can tell you how perfect the last twenty years have been. I can tell you that I love you now infinitely more than I did then. And I can tell you that I’ll spend every moment of the next twenty years loving you that much more. ”

The crowd can’t even handle it. They’re completely wild, apoplectic with glee. Finally, Oz and I have to pull away before it gets too heated.

Mom is crying, too, and she grabs the mic from Oz. “You know what’s funny is that I didn’t let Colt finish his proposal, either. Like mother, like daughter, huh? ”

She looks at Oz. “Your last name isn’t Calloway, but Oz, you are so much like my husband that it’s a little scary sometimes. And I really couldn’t think of anyone better to marry my daughter than you. ”

Her attention goes to Colt. “Baby…you’re so perfect it makes me dizzy sometimes. I love you so much I don’t even know how to express it, and I really never have. I’ve spent my life trying to show you how much I love you, and I’ve never been able to get it right. And I’m just thankful I’ve got the rest of our lives to keep trying. ”

I snatch the microphone from Mom. “My turn. Ya’ll are so romantic it’s almost sick. But I love you. Oz, all I can say is I’m just as much under your spell, and I’m so glad you didn’t let me seduce this secret out of you. ” Mom and Dad both roll their eyes at this, but I keep going. “Mom and Dad…just thank you. For everything. And to you guys, our fans? Thanks for sitting through all this. For supporting us on this tour, and for demanding this amazing hometown show. ”

The crowd hasn’t stopped cheering all this time, but now they ratchet up the intensity until it’s deafening. The four of us stand up and take hands, face the crowd, and bow together, and it takes a full ten minutes before the crowd seems ready to let us go.

We’re all giddy and overwhelmed with adrenaline as we make our way off-stage, and as soon as we’re out of sight of the audience, I turn and leap into Oz’s arms.

“I can’t believe you! ” I bury my face in his neck. “That was perfect. So perfect. ”

He just laughs. “I wasn’t sure you’d like it. But your dad assured me that you’re enough like your mom that you’d appreciate a proposal like that. I just didn’t think a proposal over dinner would be as special. ”

“I loved it. ”

He grins, and then lets me down. “I have one more surprise for you, actually. ”

“You do? What? ” I can’t imagine what else there is to be surprised by.

He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a set of keys. “You know that little house we saw? ”

Before the tour started, Oz and I were taking a drive together. We ended up getting lost in the suburbs, and we came across this adorable little house for sale. I got out and peeked in through the windows, and got all girly about it. I had this fantasy of us buying it, and even tried to convince Oz that we should. He seemed to brush it off, saying we weren’t ready for that yet, and I let it go. Mostly. I may or may not have looked at it online every so often over the past few months, stalking it on Zillow to see if it was still for sale.

“Yeah? ” I ask, feeling excitement thrill through me.

He puts the keys in my hand. “It’s ours. ”

“Really? ” My voice is shockingly shrill, and I have to rein it in. “I mean…ahem, really? You bought it? ”

He shrugs. “Yeah. I had…help, though. ”

Daddy comes over. “Happy engagement, baby. ”

That Oz let my dad help him buy me a house…it’s…unbelievable. I don’t know who to hug first, so I end up hugging them both. “You two…I love you so much. ”

“Love you too, babe, ” Oz and Dad say in perfect sync.

I can only laugh, and try not to cry for the third time in less than twenty minutes. “When do we move in? ”

“I’ve got a truck rented for tomorrow to get my stuff from my apartment and whatever you need from home, ” Oz says.

Kate appears beside me, pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy for you two. It’ll be lonely in that apartment without Oz. ”

Oz rolls his eyes and tugs his mom to him. “You know we’ll visit, Mom. And you know you’re always welcome. Just not…you know, too often. ”

Kate sniffs and pats Oz’s chest. “I know, baby. ”

After that things get crazy, with the crew congratulating us and Andersen trying to shake everyone’s hand at once, and the promo manager telling us we’ve got a massive lineup for autographs waiting. Through it all, I can’t stop looking at the ring on my finger, and imaging how amazing it will be to live with Oz all the time.

Pretty amazing, I think.

In the car, finally alone, I stop Oz from putting it into drive. “You’ve made my life perfect, Oz. I know you said I rescued you, but…you rescued me, too. Now I get to live with you? How can it get any better? ”

“I don’t think it can, ” Oz says. He kisses me. “Oh…it can. Let’s go home, and I’ll show you. ”

PLAYLIST

“Monolith” by Stone Sour

“We Stitch These Wounds” by Black Veil Brides “Home Sweet Hole” by Bring Me the Horizon “Life of Uncertainty” by It Dies Today “Breaking Out, Breaking Up” by Bullet for My Valentine “I’m Still a Guy” by Brad Paisley “Goodbye Town” by Lady Antebellum “Four on the Floor” by Lee Brice “Hell on Wheels” by Brantley Gilbert “The Sadness Will Never End” by Bring Me the Horizon “In Place of Hope” by Still Remains “A Beast Am I” by Amon Amarth “Freedom Hangs Like Heaven” by Iron & Wine “Come On Get Higher” by Matt Nathanson “Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran

“Cannery River” by Green River Ordinance “Down” by Jason Walker

“Set Fire to the Third Bar” by Snow Patrol (feat. Martha Wainwright) “She Is Love” by Parachute

“Love Is a Verb” by John Mayer “Let Her Go” by Passenger

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

This book was somewhat tricky to write, in a sense. It takes place when the children of Nell and Colt and Jason and Becca are grown. Obviously, then, it takes place about eighteen years after the events of Falling Into You and Falling Into Us, making it the theoretical future. But, in order to follow the pattern of the first two books, I had to include music, which is vital to the core of these stories. I had to use music that would capture the personalities of the characters, capture the heartbeat of the story, match the prose and the rhythm. The songs referenced in this story, then, are from our time, the present. Inventing pop culture and indie songs from “the future” wouldn’t have had the same effect. They had to be songs that you could look up on YouTube, iTunes, Grooveshark, Spotify, or wherever. They are meant to feel like current references to songs Oz and Kylie would have been familiar with, however anachronistic this may technically be.