I sunk down on the couch and propped my elbows on my knees. “I have a son, Cor. He’s nine. I had no idea.” I looked up at him. “I don’t know what to do.”
For days I’d been stewing on the fact I had a son I knew nothing about. And to discover that my own grandfather helped keep the secret from me. I was pissed. Who were they to decide that I couldn’t be a good father? Who the hell were they to keep him from me? Did the kid think I didn’t want him? Did he think I was a loser? More than that, Maze didn’t fight for me or for a father for her son. Didn’t she want what was best for him?
And then my thoughts would swing the other way, where I had no idea how to be a father, a husband. I wasn’t a role model for a kid. I was the Rockstar exception to the rule. Most people didn’t make it. I still didn’t know how I was standing here with this incredible group of musicians. I wouldn’t have been what Liam or Maze needed back then. But could I be it now?
I was going to lose my fucking mind thinking about all of this. My head wasn’t in it.
Cory set down his bass and sat next to me. “You have a kid? Man… That’s heavy.”
“And I think I’m in love with his mother. I think I always have been.” I was the one who left. I should’ve asked her to come with me or something. Anything. Maybe things would be different.
He smirked. “She must be the muse.”
Picking up the set list, he pointed at a song near the top. Labyrinth of the Heart.
It was our number one hit and the one we played every show.
And one that spoke of the tangled web of emotions I had wrapped around Maisie.
“Yeah.”
“So, what are you doing here? It’s an underground gig. No one’s expecting us to be here. If we don’t go on, the internet just thinks they got it wrong.” He got up and put my guitar back in its case. “Go get your girl. We can pick this up after the new year.”
“The fans…”
“Will wait. Sean, if you’re really into this woman, and she makes you get your head out of your ass and start acting like the old Sean I first met, then go get her. Do what it takes to prove to her that you want more. We’ll still be here when you get back.”
“The guys…”
“Will understand.” He grabbed my arm and shoved me toward the back door. “Go. I don’t want to hear any of your bullshit excuses. If you really love this woman, then get on a plane, find out where she’s going to be, and kiss her like you mean it when the clock strikes midnight.”
“Dude, you’re like a weird fairy godmother right now. Not sure I like it.”
“You don’t have to. But you do need to get your ass on a plane and get your shit sorted out. Because we’re playing Madison Square Garden in two weeks, and Heroes to the Moon needs our front man, the Sean Cavanaugh who’s full of swagger and attitude and sex appeal or whatever. Not this mopey douchebag who’s whining because he doesn’t have the girl who would probably jump at the chance to be with you.”
I wasn’t so sure Maze would do any jumping. Hell, I was half sure she would probably punch me in the face.
But, either way, I had to try.
It didn’t take much to find out where Maisie would be for New Year’s Eve. The town square would be hopping, probably with fireworks set off right at midnight, but Maze was never one for the over the top town events.
I called her parents’ house when I got in, just to confirm my suspicions.
“Sean? Sean Cavanaugh? Is that really you? I never thought I’d hear your voice again.” Maisie’s mom answered with a touch of surprise. “At least, not through the phone. Through the radio all the time.” She chuckled. “What can I do for you?”
“I need to find Maze.” I had her cell phone number, and I probably could’ve texted, but I’d made the mistake of not calling too many years in a row. I needed to show up in person for this one.
“She’s at Davenport Memorial.”
Shit. “Is she hurt?”
“Not at all. She wanted to spend some time with Mr. Cavanaugh. Well, with your grandfather. She asked if I could take Liam to the festivities in town square. We were just about to leave.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Turner. Really.”
I hung up and headed toward the hospital.
I snuck through the halls, avoiding any of the staff, just in case someone was watching. Just in case someone tried to kick me out.
I couldn’t leave. Not until I saw Maisie.
Everything was quiet outside of Grandpa’s room as I approached.
For a minute, I was sure I’d missed her.
And then I heard it.
Labyrinth of the Heart. Playing softly, but just loud enough for me to hear.
I walked in slowly, keeping my steps as silent as I could on the tile floor. “I wrote that about you.”
She gasped and looked over her shoulder. “You left.”
“I came back.” I glanced over at Grandpa, who seemed to be fast asleep. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t leave him alone for the new year. He gets me, you know.” She smiled softly. “Like you did, once.”
“I still do.” I reached for her hand and pulled her into my arms. “I never should’ve left.”
“The first time, or this time?”
“Both? Maisie, if I had known about Liam, I never would’ve left you ten years ago. I probably would’ve fucked it up and said and did a lot of things wrong, but I know I would’ve been here in the end. I never wanted to lose you. I barely made it, walking away. Let me show you. Please let me prove to you I can be the man you need, that Liam needs.”
“Sean…” She glanced at Grandpa’s sleeping form and tugged me toward the hall. “We can’t talk about this in here.”
“Don’t leave on my account,” my grandfather grunted still half asleep.
“Go back to sleep, old man. Things will be shiny in the morning.”
“Good man, Sean.”
My chest puffed up feeling a little better already.
“Sean, come on,” Maze whispered barked at me.
I let her lead me down the hall to a waiting room, which she quickly surveyed to make sure it was empty before she turned back to me. “What are you doing here, Sean? Really?”
“I’m quitting the band. Coming home.” I hadn’t told the guys yet, but I knew where I needed to be, and it wasn’t on the road with guys who barely tolerated me most of the time. “I’ll finish out the tour, and that’ll be that.”
Her eyes were glossy with tears as she shook her head.
And then, she took a deep breath and her hard eyes locked on me. “No. Fuck, no. You’re not quitting the band. I won’t let you back in my house, or my pants, if you do.”
“What?”
She took my hand and pulled me to a couple of those uncomfortable plastic waiting room chairs. “Sean, I have loved you since I was seventeen. And sort of hated you for a while. But I know you. You’re never going to be happy in a town like Jubilee Falls for long. And you’re not going to be happy without Heroes to the Moon. That band is your dream. And one you’ve made a success. I’m not letting you throw that away.”
I furrowed my brow, watching her carefully. “Maze, you’re my dream. Any of the guys in Heroes will tell you, I’m a raging asshole half the time. And the other half, I’m longing for the girl I wrote Labyrinth of the Heart about. The woman who twists me up, who makes me ache, who always calls me on my bullshit and makes me feel like a rock star all the time, not just on stage. I don’t want to go back to being that guy, Maisie.”
“So what? You’re going to come home? Be a banker, like your father? Dress conservatively, completely cover up who you are?”
“You’re not conservative, and you live here.” I chuckled, knowing full-well that I wasn’t really refuting her points. “I want to come home and be with you. Be a father to my son. Spend my time loving the woman I couldn’t get out of my head, even after ten years of being away. I love you, Maze. I always have.”
She si
ghed and scooted closer, leaning her head on my shoulder. “So, we find a way for you to do both. Because I can’t stand the idea of you leaving me. I can’t stand the idea of you walking away, and only getting to hear your voice when it comes on the radio. But I can’t let you stop singing, and I can’t let you give up Heroes to the Moon.”
I reached over and pulled her into my lap, holding her against me as I kissed her softly.
“Fuck, Maze. We’re going to have to figure out something, because I don’t want to leave you. I had my mind made up.”
“You’re here now. The rest we’ll figure out as we go.” She ran her hand through my hair, looking down at me. “It’s a new year, right?”
Fireworks exploded, filling the windows. They lit up town square. “I think this new year is going to be our best one yet.” I kissed her again, seeing my own display of fireworks.
Maze chuckled and leaned her head on my shoulder, watching as the sky filled with one color after another. “I think this is cause for a proper New Year’s kiss. And then maybe a trip back to my place, to celebrate?”
“On one condition.”
She tensed, looking at me warily.
“I want to marry you, Maze.”
“Tonight?” She chuckled, getting up as she shook her head. “Give it a year, while we figure out what all this means, how we’re going to make it work. If, at midnight in a year, you still want to marry me, and I haven’t wanted to kill you all the time, we’ll do it.”
I got up and scooped her into my arms. “Deal.”
I didn’t care how long it took for her to agree. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’d wait forever for Maisie.
But I would do everything I could in the meantime to make sure she wanted me as much as I needed her.
Want more?
Get Maisie and Sean’s Exclusive Bonus Epilogue and read about their wedding day!
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading Maisie and Sean’s romance as much as I did writing it!
I love a good second-chance romance and bringing these two together for New Year’s was a lot of fun.
Lauren and I have been listening to a lot of Panic! At the Disco lately, which has just made me want to write a hot rock star with tattoos and a heart of gold. Plus, we have a really awesome female tattoo artist who designed and inked our book-inspired tats for our first release, and ever since then, I’ve wanted to write about a tattoo artist who is unapologetically herself, and not afraid to stand up for herself and her dreams. (And, okay, I’m anxiously awaiting the day I can quit my corporate America day job and dye my hair bright colors like Maze does!)
For more of Maisie and Sean’s happily ever after, click here for a bonus epilogue! You also might see some of them in one of our upcoming stories soon!
Until next time, happy reading!
XOXO
McKenna Rogue
Grab a handful of our fun-sized romance stories in a variety of genres by your favorite Romance Chicks for a limited time!
All for only $0.99 or FREE in KU. Get your New Years Binge Read on tonight!
Curvy Celebration by Aidy Award
A very spicy contemporary curvy girl romance
New Vengeance by Zoey Indiana
A Dystopian Rebel Romance
Dragon's Countdown by Dawn McGraw
A Fated Mate Romance
Look for more Holidays with the Romance Chicks coming soon!
Come play with the Chicks and all of our guest authors in our exclusive Romance Chicks Partypalooza Facebook group now to join in the fun, giveaways, and love of romance books.
Also by McKenna Rogue
Love Demands a Holiday Series
For Love and Donuts
Sparks of Love
Lip-Locked in the Library
Billionaire Barista
Unmasked Love
Unmasked Desire
Thankful For Her
Scrooged by a Biker
Resolved to Make Her Mine
(More Holidays Coming Soon…)
The Wrights
Silver Screen Seduction (Prequel)
Seducing the Runaway Bride (Chuck and Aubrey)
Seducing My Best Friend (Matt and Hayley)
Christmas Crush (Chuck’s Best Friend, Luke and Chloe)
Seducing the Diva (Jonah And Liseli)
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
Resolved to Make Her Mine
First Edition, January 1, 2020
Copyright © 2020 Anubis Press GP, All rights reserved.
Cover by EmCat Designs
Editing by Anubis Press GP
Resolved to Make Her Mine Page 4
