Chapter Thirty-One
LUNAR
One Week Later
We’re sitting with Danger’s speech therapist, and she’s doing a multitude of tests on Danger’s vocals that I don’t really understand. But by the look on her face, she doesn’t seem overly enthused with Danger’s progress, which has me on the edge of my seat.
He’s been tense this past week because he knows his voice isn’t up to the standard it should be by now, but I don’t want to jump to any conclusions.
They finish their exercises, and she smiles, causing him to smile reluctantly.
“Okay, Danger, so your vocal cord isn’t healing as fast as we hoped.
You’re still breathy, and it looks like there was some strain on the cord before the polyp developed, so this may take a little longer to come good than anticipated.
Yes, your voice is back, but its range is lacking, and this is going to take time and effort.
Unfortunately, it is not going to be a quick fix. ”
I stiffen when Danger exhales loudly. “How long are we talking here, Sarah?”
She tilts her head. “The way the cords are behaving and with your breathlessness, I wouldn’t be surprised if this takes the full six months…” She sighs. “I’m sorry, Danger.”
Danger slumps as I furrow my brows.
This is horrible news.
And not the news he was desperate for.
My heart pounds with anxiety as he suddenly stands, grabs a stapler from Sarah’s desk, and hurls it across the room. It smashes into a plant pot, cracking the terracotta and sending the dirt and flowers out onto the floor.
Sarah’s tense shoulders slump, and she takes a breath. “I know this is not the news you wanted to hear, Danger, but with hard work and determination, it will come back. You just have to work on it,” Sarah urges.
“And fucking lose my career in the meantime?” His voice trails off on the last three words, heavy with despair.
“It‘s okay, we’ll figure it out,” I try to ease his temper.
He glares at me with such fierce intent that it shocks me. “What would you know? You run a foundation from a hotel apartment. You know nothing about fame, Lunar.”
My chest tightens. I thought we were past him pushing me aside and burning me out. The tears threaten to cascade onto my cheeks, but I shake my head and stand to walk out of the room.
I don’t want Danger to see me cry.
This man is not worth my tears—now or ever.
I leave the therapy clinic via the back entrance and rush to the waiting car, parked in a private area so no paparazzi can gain access. Kane spots me and opens the door, raising his brow as I try to keep the tears at bay.
“Everything okay, Lunar?” he asks, his voice laced with concern.
Nodding, I fake a smile. “Danger will be out soon.”
He nods, letting me slide into the car. Goddammit! I wish Kane hadn’t shut the door so I could slam it myself.
I’m so fucking pissed at Danger right now.
I love the prick.
Doesn’t he know how much he’s hurting me?
Maybe he doesn’t care.
Maybe he doesn’t feel the same for me as I do for him.
Folding my arms over my chest while chewing on my bottom lip, I try my hardest not to cry. I know Danger will be here any second, and I don’t want to explain tears to him. Explaining why I left him will be hard enough.
As if on cue, the door opens, and Danger slips in. I don’t bother looking at him when he slides in next to me and exhales. “Why did you leave?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Danger scoffs. “It does matter.” He grabs my hands and turns me to face him. “Talk to me… honestly, Lunar.”
I pause, looking into his eyes, figuring I may as well tell him. “We’ve been through this what feels like a million times, Danger. You pull me in, only to push me away in such hurtful habits. So much so, you’re giving me whiplash.”
He clenches his eyes, scrubbing at his face like he is frustrated with himself. “Fuck! I know. It’s a defense mechanism. I can’t seem to stop it,” he murmurs.
I reach forward, yanking his hands from his face, and force him to look at me. His eyes are forlorn as he stares into mine. “Why aren’t I good enough for you?” I beg.
His face falls like I’ve viciously stabbed him in the chest as he rapidly shakes his head.
“No. God, no. Ella made me feel like that when we broke up…” His nostrils flare.
“That my love wasn’t good enough.” I watch as he takes a shady breath, mumbling, “Leave it to me to fuck up the one good thing I have going for me.” He says it so quietly, I’m not sure if I was meant to hear it.
“What does that have to do with me, Danger?” I ask, my voice rising higher than I meant it to.
His hands slide out, gripping my waist. “Nothing. I keep fucking up. She fucked me up, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
Turning my head away from him, a tear rolls down my cheek as I glance out the window, needing a moment.
His hand comes up, holding my chin, and he turns me to face him.
Danger swallows hard as his eyes meet mine, his glistening so intensely I can’t be sure he’s not about to cry right along with me at any second.
“I’m fucking broken, Annalise… every part of me is fractured, even my fucking vocal cords. The only thing in my life that’s completely whole… that isn’t ruined is my heart. And that’s because you own it. Entirely, undeniably, irrevocably.”
My breath catches as I do a double-take, studying his eyes.
They appear sincere.
“I own your heart?” I repeat, seeking the confirmation I need, my voice tinged with hope.
He lets out a small sigh, a smile crossing his face.
“Yes… I love you, Lunar. I don’t know where this leaves us, and it fucking terrifies me.
I don’t do long-distance, and when Recoil finishes in Australia, we will eventually head back to the US.
So I have no idea what that means for us.
I honestly don’t know what to do for the first time in my life.
I want to be with you. I need to be with you.
I don’t want to live my life without you in it.
The thought of it makes me lash out when shit gets hard because I guess it would be easier to break it off than to grow even more attached and then have to end it when we leave for the US.
I certainly didn’t plan on falling for you…
” He scrubs a hand through his hair. “But there you have it.”
Smiling, my heart races frantically in my chest. It’s never been a question for me.
If I knew it was for him, this could have all been avoided.
I shake my head, taking his hands in mine.
“Well, I’m following you, obviously. You go to the US, I go to the US, Danger.
Wherever you go, I’ll follow. I’m not giving us up because… ” I swallow hard, “… I love you, too.”
Danger’s breath catches while his hand slides up, caressing my cheek.
He wraps his arms around my body, pulling me to him tightly, and his eyes light up.
“You know the song Effa and I have been working on forever?” I nod, smiling wide.
“We finished it the night of the gala. That’s why she was in my room.
We were finalizing the last part of it.”
I gasp, widening my eyes. “You did?”
“Yeah, and once my voice is back… at the first show, I’m gonna sing it to you.”
My heart skips a beat as I bite down on my bottom lip. “I can’t wait.”
“I love you. I mean it,” he says firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
I lean closer, my lips almost touching his. “I love you, too. And Danger, honestly, I will follow you anywhere.”
“Good. ’Cause I’m never letting you go,” he whispers, then forcefully presses his lips to mine.
Seven Months Later
Danger’s voice is at his all-time best, and Luke wasted no time resuming the tour. We’re in New Zealand at the start of a six-month global tour that concludes in Australia in five months, with a month for the Australian leg.
Danger has recovered incredibly well and is better than ever. It was rocky. Challenging. We fought—a lot—but I never gave up on him, and now we’re stronger for it all.
Right now, he’s commanding the stage, rocking it out. His deep, gravelly voice has returned even better than before. It filters through the stadium, sending a wave of overwhelming pleasure through me.
Suddenly, a pair of arms wraps around me from the side, and I turn to see Effa. I giggle as she sways me from side to side.
“It’s so good to be back on tour finally. I was so happy when I got the call that Recoil was about to hit the road again and wanted Luminous to open for them. Not to mention, Danger wants to release our song tonight. I’m so excited!” Effa bounces up and down on her toes in her excitement.
She lets me go, and I widen my eyes in shock. I had no idea Danger had decided to release their song, so I ask to be sure, “You’re performing your duet tonight?”
She nods. “Yep! Right about now…”
Danger finishes the song he’s singing, and the crowd erupts into a thunderous chorus of appreciation.
“Now we have something special for ya’ll tonight.
Something Miss Effervescent and I have been working on for a long time.
This song is dedicated to my beautiful woman, Annalise.
She’s off to the side…” He glances at me, his smile so fucking wide, our eyes meeting as he continues, “She once told me that she’d let me do anything to her backstage.
” I burst out laughing as the crowd erupts with hoots and hollers at the obvious meaning.
My cheeks flush instantly while Danger laughs, waving his hand through the air to calm them down.
“What I mean to say is that Effa and I wrote this song, and I knew the first time I’d sing it to you, you’d be right there, like always, standing backstage. So baby, this one’s for you,” Danger calls out.
I can’t contain my excitement as I smile back at him, the crowd erupting in their frenzied excitement as he turns back to face them, leaning into the mic with a deep and gravelly voice. “And then when I am done with this set, I’ll come backstage and do anything you want me to do to you, baby.”