Bonus Epilogue
TWELVE YEARS LATER
Allegra
“Mama, are we going to eat French fries in Paris?” Stella asks me, her eyebrows bending toward each other. She’s so serious sometimes, it’s hard not to laugh.
“Stella! They don’t eat French fries in France. They eat crepes!” Drake corrects her.
“They can eat fries too, Drake,” Stella shoots back.
“Mom, I’m all packed,” my eldest, Christian, announces, walking into the room.
“What time are we leaving?” Katelyn wonders.
“You sure you want to go on this tour?” Derek questions, his gaze darting between our four children and me. His mouth quirks into an amused smirk.
“Yes!” Stella jumps up and down on the couch, clapping her hands together. “I want to see the Fiffel Tower!”
“It’s Eiffel Tower,” Drake corrects her.
Stella sticks her tongue out at him. Christian taps the back of Drake’s head, admonishing him.
I chuckle. “I can’t wait to go on this tour,” I tell Derek the truth.
“Yeah, Dad, we want to see you on stage,” Christian says. At eight years old, with three younger siblings, he’s a mature and thoughtful boy, enamored with his father and wanting to be just like him.
“And Uncle Levi,” Drake adds.
“And Uncle Mav!” Stella shouts.
“I hope he wears those leopard pants again.” Katelyn laughs.
I roll my eyes. My kids are lucky to have three amazing uncles in their lives to make them laugh with wild stories and funny antics now that Derek has to act like a parent, doling out consequences and adhering to bedtimes.
“You guys worked hard on this album,” I remind Derek.
Since we married eight years ago, our life has been a whirlwind.
At first, we split our time between LA and Boston, although now with the kids, we’re more firmly rooted in the Golden State.
Christian and Katelyn turned our worlds upside down in the best way possible.
A few years later, we were blessed with the twins, Stella and Drake.
Since becoming a father, Derek took a big step back from his career, wanting to pour his time and energy into the kids, into our family, rather than lyrics. But I know he misses the Clovers. He misses songwriting. He misses the camaraderie of the band.
The past two years have seen a lot of changes for the Clovers, but their friendship, their love of music, and their bond have remained intact. And now… “It’s time for a reunion.”
“Yeah,” Derek agrees, grinning at me. “This is going to be the best tour yet.”
I chuckle as Drake shoots a Nerf dart at Katelyn, narrowly missing her face. “I don’t know about that.”
He looks around at our family. The suitcases are lined up by the front door. Katelyn is ignoring Drake and placing headphones in her backpack. Christian is fiddling with his new watch. Stella and Drake are now engaged in a wrestling match on the ottoman.
It’s controlled chaos, a constant state of the better part of the past decade. And yet, I don’t think we’ve ever been happier.
Or more in love. With our family, our lives, or each other.
Derek sits beside me on the couch and wraps his arm around my shoulders. I lean back into his chest as he presses a kiss to the side of my head. “I do,” he murmurs. “Being on tour with all of you…music and family coming together. It’s more than I ever dreamed possible.”
I glance at him over my shoulder. Get lost in his deep whiskey eyes. Smile. “I hope all your dreams come true, Derek.”
He smirks and gives me a peck on the lips.
“Gross,” Drake sneers.
Derek and I smile.
“They already have, Stellina. You made them all come true,” Derek says softly, lifting his chin toward our children.
I settle back against him, and we watch as our kids finish packing up for Derek and the Clovers international reunion tour.
First stop, Paris.
Thank you so much for reading Derek and Allegra’s intense and emotional trilogy! I hope you loved their story and are falling for The Burnt Clovers bandmates!
Curious about the tension brewing between Mav and Mckenna? Their trilogy kicks off in Bitter Beats. Turn the page to start reading!