Chapter 28
TRACE
Wolfe Marian was so fucking beautiful. And brave. I stood in the crowd and stared at him as he claimed his accomplishments for the world to see.
“What?” Jude whispered, eyes wide in shock. He reached for Derek’s hand like he needed the support but couldn’t tear his gaze away from the stage.
“Fletcher Coe?” Derek asked in confusion. “But he doesn’t mean the Fletcher Coe, right? Not the Fletcher who…”
“Who won the Grammy,” Jude finished with a sniff. His eyes shone with tears. “Who wrote all those beautiful songs. Holy shit, Derek.”
I saw someone off to the side recording video of Jude’s reaction, a clip I was sure would go viral by morning. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that this was news to him.
Thanks to my job, I had an immediate distrust of candid videos. But I found myself glad someone was capturing this. That Wolfe would get to see the pride and love shining in his parents’ eyes.
Then Wolfe began singing, and I forgot all about Derek and Jude. Forgot about the video cameras. Even forgot about the crowd.
As his lyrics sank deep into my skin, I knew my eyes were teary, too.
I’d listened to this song hundreds of times while I was hiking, or sitting alone in my cabin, or driving down the road.
Every time, I’d felt the sweet pain that comes from knowing a songwriter has scooped up all your deepest emotions and given them musical wings, making them a little lighter and easier to carry temporarily.
I’d said to myself, Shit, it’s like Fletcher wrote it for me.
But now I knew Fletcher—my Wolfe—had literally written it for me. And the knowledge was overwhelming.
I saw him standing in the doorway,
Sunset caught across his skin.
Wolfe’s voice carried across the murmuring crowd, the flood of held-out phones trying to capture the moment.
Like if I reached too close too fast,
He’d see straight through.
I closed my eyes and remembered moments cast across our shared history like confetti, colorful and bright. Moments I’d caught him staring or made him smile. Moments he’d surprised me with a bark of laughter or a clever observation.
When I opened my eyes, Wolfe had found me. Eyes locked on mine, seeking, as if worried about my reaction.
I love you, I mouthed as clearly as I could. His face lit up as he sang.
The crowd ate up every moment, finally recognizing that they were part of something historic. I was sure some would doubt his claim, say it was too crazy to believe, but this was a Marian hometown. People here knew the family, knew Wolfe wouldn’t stand up in front of everyone and tell a tale.
I could hear the excited whispers and see the local media scrambling to get good coverage, to broadcast this breaking news around the world.
But as I stood there listening to Wolfe sing about not being able to keep me, all I could think was that he was singing about the beginning of our story. A story that had begun a long time ago.
A story the two of us would get to keep writing, forever.
When he got to the end, he changed the lyrics noticeably.
Yeah, he shines brighter than the sun,
And I can’t look too long.
So I ask for every reckless thing I want.
All the glances, all the dreams,
No more reaching since he’s next to me—
He still burns bright in my heart…
And he’ll always be mine.
My eyes stung and heart thudded as the final note faded across the crowd, and they began to roar. Meanwhile, Jude and Derek were full-on crying, clapping like the proudest parents at the kindergarten graduation.
I wanted to move forward through the crowd, to reach up and pull Wolfe into my arms, to tell him how fucking proud I was of him.
But I knew Wolfe had been holding back for a long time, and he had more to say.
He squared his shoulders and took a breath before speaking into the mic again.
“This next one is for my fathers, who have shown me what love looks like when it’s imperfect and real.
Papa, thank you for showing me that you can have a life full of love and adventure, family and wonder, while also being the Jude Marian and sharing your love of music with the world.
Dad, thank you for reminding me that fierce protection is an act of love. ”
He turned to me and winked, then smiled so wide, my chest ached with it.
The short song he sang next was faster-paced and fun. My head was too buzzy from the whole experience to catch all the lyrics, but the chorus repeated a line that imprinted itself on my memory.
You showed me—love is the brave part.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt like this, like the world was a wide-open promise, and I could finally let myself have everything I’d ever wanted. It was too much, too good to be true. But I was going to squeeze it close and hang on to it forever.
When he finally finished strumming the guitar with a flourish and shouted a thank you and good night to the crowd, I let myself push to the side of the stage.
The crowd screamed for more, and phone cameras followed his every move.
It was clear that this was only the beginning. The Fletcher Coe revelation would have far-reaching consequences. Wolfe’s decision to claim the persona would forever shove him deeper into the spotlight and make him a curiosity in the entertainment industry.
But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I could convince him to move here to Legacy, where he would always be Wolfe Marian first and Fletcher Coe second.
I lost sight of him as I got closer. He’d moved off into the wing behind a tall banner advertising some kind of seltzer drink. My neck stretched from side to side as I searched. Finally, a woman in all black with a headset came bustling over. “You! Come with me.”
I followed her without question and let her pull me behind the banner, through a small makeshift curtain, to a cordoned-off area behind the stage.
And then Wolfe was on me, sweat-damp shirt pressed against my chest, arms clinging desperately. I wrapped my arms around him and realized he was trembling.
“You were amazing,” I said into the damp hair at his temple before pressing a kiss there. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Mad?”
“That I didn’t tell you. About Fletcher.”
I pulled back to meet his eyes, pushing a tendril of hair out of his eyelashes. “I figured it out—in Hush—and I didn’t tell you either.”
His eyebrows dipped toward each other. “You did? How?”
“Long story. I’ll tell you later. I was hoping you’d tell me yourself, but I understand why you didn’t. I figured you needed a little time before you could trust me. Trust… us.”
“Trace Bishop, I’ve trusted you for decades. It was me I didn’t trust. I’ve spent so long hiding parts of myself away, I lost myself a little.” He lifted his hand to my face. “But you tracked me down. You helped me find myself again.”
“Wolfe—”
He leaned his head against my shoulder and let out a long exhale.
“You should know, I talked to Gabe. He deleted all Jake’s pictures.
I came here tonight and announced to all of Legacy—and probably a couple million people online—that I’m Fletcher Coe because I wanted to.
Because I chose to. Because loving you helps me remember that I’m brave and capable.
But… fuck, please tell me you’re okay with it, Trace.
Being out as Fletcher is going to be hard. And I don’t want—”
“I love you.” I hoped the words were the answer to any question he had.
Wolfe’s arms tightened around me. “I know. I know you do. I finally understood that’s why you want to protect me and, you know…”
“Coddle you?” I supplied, so overwhelmed with pure, undiluted love, I felt giddy with it. I held the back of his head and pressed a kiss to the top of it. “Yes. Always.”
“I love you, too, Trace. So much.”
I smiled tenderly. “I got that, baby, when you announced to all of Legacy and millions of people on the internet that you wrote that song for me. But you were wrong, you know?”
He gave me a puzzled look. “About loving you?”
“No. About ‘Not Mine.’” I pushed back the sweaty hair that kept wanting to flop on his forehead. “I am yours. I have been for a long fucking time, even when I was trying to fight it. And you, Wolfe Marian, Fletcher Coe, love of my life… are mine.”
He leaned into me and kissed me before pulling back.
“I need to find my dads. And then I want to go home. To your cabin. With you. And I want to live there. With you. And I need you not to fight me on this, even if you’re not ready, because I’m ready enough for the both of us, and I don’t want to waste any more time.”
I forced his head up so I could meet his eyes again. So he could see the big grin on my face. I loved hearing him demand what he wanted. What he deserved.
“Okay. But my cabin is the size of a shoebox, so I think we’ll need to consider a bigger place. Somewhere you can make new music and park our camper van.” I winked at him.
And then I kissed him again, hard and long so he would know I was sure of him. Of all of it.
“Let’s go find Jude and Derek,” I suggested. “Jude’s probably drowning in happy tears, and Derek is probably threatening someone’s job if they don’t let him see you.”
Wolfe took my hand and led me out of the wing and into the waiting crowd. The poor singer who was supposed to go onstage next was being delayed while the volunteers tried to manage the fans.
Sure enough, Jude and Derek were front and center, Jude’s face damp with tears and Derek’s expression dark.
“There he is,” Derek said. “Fucking finally. Listen here, Wolfe Marian, I don’t approve of whatever the fuck this is.” He waved a hand, encompassing Wolfe, me, and the stage around us. “You’re my son. This is completely unacceptable.”
Wolfe’s entire body stiffened, and he shrank back against me.
I shot Derek a look.
“Baby,” I murmured into Wolfe’s ear. “He’s cranky that you told the volunteers to let me go backstage and not them. I already told your parents about us, and they’re fine with us being together. I promise.”
He turned to look at me with wide eyes before looking back at Derek, who pulled him into a crushing hug.
When Derek spoke against Wolfe’s hair, his voice was gruff with emotion. “Of course we are. We’re so fucking proud of you. Love you so much.” He repeated the words over and over until Jude was nearly crying again just watching them.
“Dammit, Bluebell,” he finally said, pulling Jude into the hug. “Going to break my heart.”
Jude took Wolfe in his arms and whispered words I couldn’t make out. Wolfe’s back hitched with a silent sob. I reached out to rub his lower back, reminding him I was right here.
Several people with phone cameras were capturing the moment. The volunteers were holding them far enough back that they probably couldn’t pick up on what was being said. But I knew it would all be posted on social media.
I hoped Wolfe had given Fletcher’s PR people a heads-up.
The Marians finally pulled themselves together enough for us to get out of there. We met up with Rosie and Lennon, who were shocked but thrilled. I could sense Wolfe’s nerves every time he encountered someone else and had to face their surprise at his news.
By the time we climbed into the Land Rover to head to Marian Lodge, he looked shell-shocked.
“C’mere,” I murmured, pulling him close to me in the back seat. He curled into my side and let out a breath, forcing his muscles to release as he relaxed into me.
“That was a lot,” he admitted.
I ran my fingers through his hair and massaged the muscles in his neck and shoulders while Jude babbled happily from the front seat about how incredible Wolfe’s song was and how talented he was.
We all knew the reality of the situation would come crashing down on Jude eventually.
By tonight, he’d get over the surprise and start to wonder why Wolfe had kept such a big secret.
Then he’d probably be unable to sleep. Judging by the frequent looks Derek was giving him from the driver’s seat, I could tell Derek was already well aware of the oncoming storm.
But for now, Jude managed to focus on the positive. How proud he was, how talented Wolfe was. How everything would be okay, Wolfe would see. Being famous had upsides and…
Wolfe’s voice whispered so low only I could hear it. “Can we sleep at your place tonight?”
I whispered back, “’Course, baby. Whatever you want.”
He released a relieved breath, and then his expression turned curious. “Hey, how’d you get here so fast? There wasn’t another set of flights to Legacy that didn’t involve multiple layovers.”
I explained about flying to San Francisco first. About talking to Jude and Derek.
“Did you tell them about… everything that happened?”
I knew he meant Jake. “No. I figured that was your call.”
Wolfe nodded. “I’ll tell them, but not now. After everything settles down, we’ll talk.”
I made a sound of agreement. There would be a lot to talk about.
I needed to tell him about my conversation with Jake and the NDA, if he hadn’t already heard it from Clay. And about what I’d promised to do for Shay.
We also needed to discuss personal security, at least for the short term. And he needed to let me know how he envisioned his day-to-day life working if—no, when—he moved in with me.
“Thank you for always finding me.” Wolfe’s smile was evident in his voice.
I rubbed a hand up and down his back. “I’d prefer it if you’d stop running off.”
His laughter filled my lungs like clean mountain air. Like everything I’d ever needed.
“Give me a reason to stay, old man,” he teased softly.
I leaned in and kissed his jaw, his cheek, his forehead, and finally his deep-red lips. Then I reached for his hand and curled my index finger around the ring finger on his left hand, squeezing firmly enough for him to feel it.
“I will.”