Finding Forever (Found in Oblivion Book 7)

by Cari Quinn

  Jules swallowed down a lump. “I won’t let you guys down.”

  Elle rushed forward to embrace her. “You couldn’t.”

  Jules swung her bass around her back. “I’m scared, guys. But I think it’s the good kind of scared. The kind that makes me want to kick ass.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” Molly hugged Jules tight. “Now we’re going to show them all how it’s done.” She twirled away in a flurry of brightly colored skirts and ran out with a wave. “I hear we’ve got some love in the house tonight,” she yelled into the microphone.

  Elle huffed out a breath and checked her pack on her strap one more time. “Need a minute?”

  Jules nodded. “Just one. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Elle dashed away a tear with a laugh. “You better.” She followed Molly out to her side of the stage. The crowd was screaming at a decibel usually reserved for the encore. But Jules was glad because it truly gave her a second to collect herself.

  She blew out a slow breath and caught Tristan’s gaze. He curled his arm around their son, his fingers in the rock on devil’s horns, then he flicked out his thumb to change it to I love you.

  She mouthed I love you to him and then up to the starlight-strewn arena ceiling for Randy before she ran out on stage. In the middle of the chaos of the left hand side of the arena was a bouncing Lauren, who climbed over the railing in her section then dove into the freaking hamster ball with West.

  They were in a puppy pile of hugs and kisses as they rolled around the general admission crowd.

  These were her people and God, she loved them so.

  Jules stepped up to her microphone. “I’m thinking she said yes?”

  Lauren stuck her hand out from the side of the ball and waved her left hand. The audience went apeshit.

  “Are we going to start this show or what?”

  The booming voice came from Mal, which made Jules twirl around with a surprised laugh considering he barely spoke into his mic. Actually, she was pretty sure he had it turned off most of the time.

  “I was just about to ask the same question.” Molly dragged her mic stand with her flowing scarves to the center of the stage. “Could you kindly give us our keyboard player back?” she asked the crowd.

  Ryan scrambled up to West’s station. “I’ll cover for you, bro!” He lifted his arms over his head and cracked his knuckles. “Now how does a piano work?”

  The crowd laughed, then cheered as Ryan raced down the keys with a deft hand.

  Molly rolled her eyes. “Showoff.”

  Ryan beamed. Their jack-of-all-trades could play any instrument they put in front of him. Kind of like Jules once upon a time. But now her baby was the bass. She curled her fingers around the fret and the muscle memory made her jangling nerves calm.

  This was her life. She’d bounced around instruments trying to find her true fit, but in the end it was the heartbeat she’d connected to most.

  For the first time in her life she’d been important. Not just a pretty girl at a party or the wild child aching for attention. No, she’d faded to the back and finally became exactly what she was meant to be.

  Molly and Luc were the voice.

  Elle was the heart.

  Ryan and West were the fun.

  Michael was their support system in ways even he didn’t understand.

  Malachi was their strength. He’d hate the label, but he’d become one of the bedrocks of the band.

  A she was the heartbeat.

  She’d never allowed herself to be important to anyone because that was the road to pain. And God, had she been proven correct on that score, but it didn’t mean she had to stop living.

  Jules tipped her head back and the wash of lights on the ceiling of the arena blurred before becoming crystal clear.

  Sparks had given her the best parts of him and now she could do the same for her band.

  Jules thumbed the opening cords to “Break Me Down”

  The song was about recovering from loss and coming back stronger for it.

  Molly and Elle both swung around to her with huge smiles. Elle jumped right into the song and Michael raced after her with his layered rhythm.

  Molly grasped her mic and curled her finger at Luc. “Shall we?”

  Luc tugged his hair back down and met her at the mic, their lips only inches apart as the song boomed through the crowd.

  It was a slow build, just as they were as a band, but in the end it was thunder.

  West finally made it to the stage by the third song and they were off like a shot. There was no stopping them from there. Ryan rolled through his trunk of toys to add comedic relief to the heavier songs. When he sat cross-legged in front of Mal’s drum riser with a ukulele during “Dangerous” there was simply no hope for a serious show.

  Instead of ignoring him, Elle raced back to do a guitar duel with him and his tiny guitar. Then she roared with laughter as Ryan played the lower part of her double necked guitar.

  Mal stood up and tossed a water bottle at him.

  Ryan ran around the stage to hide behind Luc, then he stole Michael’s backup guitar and went heavy in on the guitar solos with Elle and Michael. By the time they got to the halfway mark of the show Jules realized she hadn’t thought about anything but the joy of playing. Even at the one off shows they’d done since they’d lost Randy, the anxiety always burned under the fun.

  Tonight had been pure joy.

  Molly waved to someone on the sidelines and suddenly a ridiculous pink couch came out on a riser. “We have a little something special for you tonight. As most of you know, we’ve had a rather tumultuous year. And we never thought part of that would include starting a new tour with Brooklyn Dawn. I’m a prideful bitch and part of me was like, fuck no. We headline on our own.”

  The crowd shouted out some boos and some cheers.

  “Now, now. Settle down. It’s only because I’m jealous as fuck of this woman. How the hell am I supposed to co-headline with Lindsey-fucking-York?”

  The arena lost their minds as Lindsey came out from the side of the stage.

  Molly smiled at Lindsey. “Well, you do it by asking one of your heroes to come out on stage with you and sing a song.”

  “Hey, girl.” Lindsey curled into the couch. She didn’t have her stage clothes on yet, but she did have sparkly yoga pants on and a Warning Sign baby doll T-shirt. Her blond hair was done up with wild curls that matched Molly’s in volume if not color. Lindsey’s was more of an ethereal pale blond with baby blue ends. “Who’s a fan of who?” Lindsey cut her fingers under her boobs where their logo was stretched.

  Molly mirrored her curled position on the other side of the couch as she dragged the microphone arm down between them on the couch. “Now, I usually play this song with my man.” She waved at Luc. “But when I found out it was one of Lindsey’s favorite songs too, I had to ask her to sing with me.”

  Lindsey leaned into the mic. “Ozzy rules, but Lita rocks.”

  Jules moved up to the front of the stage. She usually hung near the back with Michael, but she needed to be front and center for this. Elle came over with her double-neck back on and handed her backup to Jules. “We need all the layers we can get for this one, girl.”

  Jules swallowed and swapped out her bass when her tech scrambled out. “Are you sure?”

  “Girl, this is going to be epic.”

  “Girl-fucking-power tonight, people.” Luc moved over to where Michael was and propped his arm on his shoulder. “Is there anything hotter?”

  “No, sir.” Michael folded his arms across his broad chest.

  Elle nodded at Jules and they both started the opening cords to the achingly perfect song. The cell phone lights blazed through the night and there wasn’t a single murmur in the crowd. The ultimate respect as Molly and Lindsey sang “Close My Eyes Forever”.

  The night belonged to two strong women with voices that soared and echoed around the sold out arena.

  Jules wasn’t sure how she’d
landed here, but she was damn proud of what her band had accomplished. And as the guitar solo drove it all home, the arena was on their feet with more screams than even these two women could sing over. Lindsey laughed and clapped, waiting for the fervor to come down to a manageable level.

  Then she and Molly killed it.

  As the last tones soared out, Jules and Elle echoed them with the final chords of the song.

  Luc pulled the microphone stand back for Lindsey and helped her off the couch. “Can I have my girl back now?”

  Lindsey laughed and grabbed the mic. “Not sure you’re going to be allowed to sing that song again. I think we owned that shit.”

  Luc leaned down. “Yeah, you did.” Luc faced the crowd. “Now that these women have firmly handed me my balls, how about we rock this shit?”

  Lindsey laughed and waved as she ran backstage.

  The band tore through the rest of the set and Jules was breathless as they finally reached the end of the show. Tristan was waiting for her in the wings as the band tumbled off the stage with laughter and slaps. Only the encore was left.

  Jules rushed to Tristan. “Where’s—”

  He cut her off with a hard, fast kiss as he hauled her up against him. She didn’t even hesitate, just kissed him back for all she was worth. When he finally let her free, she laughed. “Well, all righty then.”

  Tristan’s eyes were bright with lust. “I’ve never seen anything so fucking hot before.”

  Jules pushed her sweaty hair out of her face. “Yeah? I don’t think we’ve ever been more on in the entirety of our careers.”

  “And it shows.”

  She hugged him, locking her arms around his hips. “Where’s our boy?”

  “Bess has him. He conked out in the middle of the show, but I didn’t want to miss the end.”

  “Aww. Thank you for bringing him. And for being here even when I asked you not to be.”

  He shrugged. “I figure I can get away with a little selective hearing for a little while longer.”

  “Uh huh.”

  The roar of the crowd begging for more couldn’t be denied. “I gotta go back to work. Be here when I’m done?”

  “Every fucking time, babe.”

  She laughed and chased her band back onto the stage. It was so good to be back.

  And this time, it was forever.

  Thanks for reading FINDING FOREVER. Join us for our new rockstar series with Lindsey York, lead singer for Brooklyn Dawn, and Alex Nash as they navigate the choppy waters of fame and love.

  One-click PLAY DIRTY, Made in Oblivion Book 1.

  He makes people into stars. She already is one...and she burns far too brightly for him to touch. Not when every relationship he has turns to ash. Preorder PLAY DIRTY, Made in Oblivion book one, available December 12, 2018.

  One-click PLAY DIRTY now!

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  Oblivion World Character Chart

  Beware...spoilers aplenty in this character chart. Read at your own risk!

  Nick Crandall: Oblivion lead guitarist

  Twin brother to Elle/Ricki, married to Lila Shawcross, daughters Charlie and Avery, co-founder of Oblivion

  Simon Kagan: Oblivion lead singer

  Brother to Ian Kagan, married to Margo Reece, co-founder of Oblivion

  Deacon McCoy: Oblivion’s bass guitarist

  Married to Harper Pruitt, daughter Alexa Grace, co-founder of Oblivion

  William ‘Snake’ Scotsman*: Oblivion ex-drummer

  Son Axl with Chloe Adams, co-founder of Oblivion

  Jazz Edwards: Oblivion drummer

  Sister Molly McIntire, married to Gray Duffy, son Dylan Edward and daughter Briana

  Gray Duffy: Oblivion rhythm guitarist

  Married to Jazz Edwards, son Dylan Edward and daughter Briana

  Margo Reece: Oblivion violinist

  Sister Juliet Reece, married to Simon Kagan

  Lila Shawcross: Ripper Records executive and Oblivion’s manager

  Married to Nick Crandall, daughters Charlie and Avery, stepmother to Michael and Malachi Shawcross

  Donovan Lewis: Ripper Records CEO

  Chloe Adams: Waitress

  Married to Michael Shawcross, son Axl (Bio-father Snake Scotsman) and daughter Hope

  Michael Shawcross: Warning Sign guitarist

  Brother Malachi Shawcross, married to Chloe Adams, daughter Hope

  Juliet Reece: Warning Sign bass guitarist

  Sister Margo Reece, in a relationship with Randy Pruitt* and Tristan Eves, son Joshua Randall

  Randy Pruitt*: Warning Sign roadie/lighting tech

  Sister Harper Pruitt, in a relationship with Juliet Reece and Tristan Eves, son Joshua Randall

  Tristan Eves: Head chef at The Hollow

  In a relationship with Juliet Reece & Randy Pruitt*, son Joshua Randal, best friends with Hunter Jordan from Hammered

  West Reynolds: Warning Sign keyboardist

  In a relationship with Lauren Bryant, daughter Chloe (isn’t in her life)

  Lauren ‘Lo’ Bryant: Author

  In a relationship with West Reynolds, best friends with Ethan Haywood

  Denver Casey (nee: Casey Lewis): Tour bus driver for Rebel Rage and Warning Sign

  Donovan Lewis’s niece, married to Ryan Waters

  Ryan Waters: Warning Sign jack-of-all-trades

  Married to Denver Casey

  Ethan Haywood: Professor at UCLA

  In a relationship with Molly McIntire & Luc Moreau, best friends with Lauren Bryant

  Luc Moreau: Warning Sign co-lead singer

  In a relationship with Molly McIntire & Ethan Haywood, former lead singer for The Grunge

  Molly McIntire: Warning Sign lead singer

  Sister Jazz Edwards, in a relationship with Ethan Haywood & Luc Moreau

  Malachi Shawcross: Warning Sign drummer

  Brother Michael Shawcross, engaged to Elle ‘Ricki’ Crandall

  Ricki ‘Elle’ Crandall: Warning Sign guitarist

  Twin sister to Nick Crandall, engaged to Malachi Shawcross

  Hunter Jordan: Hammered lead singer

  Brother Noah Jordan, married to Kennedy McManus

  Kennedy McManus: Publicist for Hammered

  Married to Hunter Jordan

  Reed ‘Bats’ Mason: Hammered lead guitarist

  Zachary Kane: Hammered rhythm guitarist

  Indiana West: Hammered band manager

  Victoria Sheer: Actress/Model

  involved with Reed Mason, ex-girlfriend Hunter Jordan

  Faith ‘Keys’ Keystone: Hammered keyboardist

  Married to Quinn Alexander

  Quinn Alexander: Roth Defense specialist, former Navy Seal

  Married to Faith Keystone, best friends with Noah Jordan

  Callie Templeton: Photographer

  Sister Ava Templeton, married to Owen Blackwell, daughter Lily

  Owen Blackwell: Hammered bass guitarist

  Married to Callie Templeton, daughter Lily

  Hudson Wyatt: Hammered drummer, former Formula 1 race car driver

  In a relationship with Piper Lockwood

  Piper Lockwood: Owns Rosie & Hank’s Pussy Palace Café

  In a relationship with Hudson Wyatt

  Dex Munroe: Ripper Records Executive, manager for Hammered and Warning Sign

  Ava Templeton: Blogger, runs Hammered website and blog, writing book on Hammered

  Sister Callie Templeton

  Ian Kagan: Solo artist

  Brother Simon Kagan, involved with Zoe Manning

  Zoe Manning: Artist/photographer

&nbs
p; Cousin Lila Shawcross Crandall, involved with Ian Kagan

  Bent: security for J Town, JoEllen Foundation

  Lindsey York: Brooklyn Dawn lead singer

  Jamison DuCaine: Brooklyn Dawn lead guitarist

  Teagan Daly: Brooklyn Dawn keyboards/sax

  High school friends with Ricki ‘Elle’ Crandall

  Cooper Dallas: Brooklyn Dawn drummer

  Zane Landry: Brooklyn Dawn rhythm guitarist

  Oz Taylor: Brooklyn Dawn bass guitarist

  Alexander Nash: Record producer

  Friends with Logan King

  Roman: Clothing Designer

  Noah Jordan: Roth Defense specialist

  Brother Hunter Jordan, best friends with Quinn Alexander

  Flynn Sheppard: Solo country rock artist

  Friends with Luc Moreau, friends with Ian Kagan