Page 100 of Sing For Me

I would have thought the guitar would feel strange in my hands. That my fingers would be clumsy and uncertain. That my brain wouldn’t be able to make the connection between the strings and my hands.

But somehow, instead, it feels every bit as natural as it always did. I don’t even have to think about it. My fingers move over the strings, the guitar pick like an extension of my hand. I can hear my dad playing down at the other end of the circle, his chords balancing mine, adding harmony where there wouldn’t otherwise be.

I’m so engrossed in it that it takes me a minute to realize that Eva is singing. The circle isn’t as loud or energetic as it was before—I’m pretty sure I’ve shocked the hell out of the entire family—but a few of my cousins are singing with her. I feel the strangest surge of pride that she knows the words, that at some point in her life she listened to this song my dad helped write often enough to memorize it.

When it’s done, I consider passing off the guitar. Ishouldpass off the guitar. But Eva looks at me with that gorgeous, breathtaking grin on her face and asks, “I’m assuming you know “Hotel California?”” And I realize that I really want to hear her sing that song. So I start the opening chords.

And when that one’s over, it seems almost safe to keep the guitar in my hands for the next. And the one after that.

I keep playing my guitar and Eva keeps singing and it very nearly feels okay.

* * *

Once Vegaand CeCe have both fallen asleep sitting up, the parents decide it’s time to call it a night. We all help to gather up the trash and blankets and camp chairs. “I’ll make sure the fire’s out,” I hear Wyatt telling Uncle Daltrey. “Will can help me.”

My earlier anger at him comes roaring back. He did that shit with the guitar on purpose. He knows exactly how I feel about all this, and why, but he just had to keep pushing. The fact that I had almost started to enjoy it doesn’t matter—he didn’t have any right to force that on me.

“I’ll just be a minute,” I tell Eva but Alex and Everly come up and link both her arms with theirs.

“We’re kidnapping her for a nightcap,” Everly says, and Eva shrugs at me.

“Guess I’m having another drink.”

I watch them walk away, two of my best friends arm-in-arm with the girl I’ve totally fallen for, until they get swallowed up by the darkness, then turn back to the job at hand.

I wait until everyone else is gone and we’re standing at the side of the dying fire to unleash on my brother. Before I can, he turns to me.

“What are you doing, Will?”

I glare at him. “I’m putting out a fire with my asshole brother.”

He rolls his eyes. “I mean with that girl.”

My entire body goes rigid. He better not fucking go where I think he’s going. Brother or not, I will kick his ass if he says one word against her.

“What about her?”

“You brought her here, with the whole family.”

“The paparazzi—”

“You have her staying in your apartment.”

I narrow my eyes. “Look, I don’t know what Rose told you—”

“She didn’t need to tell me anything,” he interrupts. “It was obvious the first five minutes I saw you together.”

I’m getting really fucking annoyed by his know-it-all smirk. “What was obvious?” I grit out.

“You’re in love with her.”

Everything stills around us, the crickets suddenly very loud in the darkness. Somewhere far away, an owl is hooting. It takes me a second to realize that I’m holding my breath.

I look at my brother, a little scared of what he might see in my face. I should deny it, should tell him he’s full of shit and maybe he wouldn’t say such stupid crap if he was around more. But when I meet his familiar brown eyes, just like our mom’s, I feel myself deflate.

“I’m that obvious, huh?”

“Nah,” he says, gripping my shoulder. “I just know you really well.”