A PA led me from the judges’ room to the winners’ room. He put a hand on the door to open it and I held my breath. Please let Liam be in there too. The door swept opened and a roar of cheer met my ears as I stepped in. People were clapping me on the back, congratulating me, and someone handed me a drink as I scanned the crowd. When I spotted Liam striding my way, I let out another sigh of relief. He’d made it too. Good.

He tackled me in a bear hug when he joined me, almost spilling my beer. “Can you believe it, Griff? We both made it!”

Even though I was buzzing with energy and excitement, I gave him a nonchalant shrug after we pulled apart. “That shouldn’t surprise you. I told you we would, and as you know, I’m always right.”

He slugged my shoulder and we both started laughing.

While diligent crew members recorded everyone’s reactions to making the “team,” I noticed something strange near the doors. Sam had just walked in. Looking like an imposing fortress of bone-crushing muscle, he searched the room. When his eyes fell on me and he started heading my way, my stomach leaped into my throat. Was it the guys? Had they changed their mind about me?

I clenched my fingers into fists to stop them from shaking. Emotionless, Sam stepped in front of me and said, “Someone wants to see you outside.”

My heart sank. “It’s Matt, isn’t it? He’s still pissed at me, and he changed his mind, didn’t he?” Sam didn’t respond one way or the other and I sighed. Yep. Matt had changed his mind. Turning to Liam, I told him, “I have a bad feeling about this…If this goes south, and the guys kick me out, it’s up to you to represent the Hancock name, okay?”

Liam’s mouth dropped open. Speechless, he alternated between gaping at me and Sam. Downing the rest of my drink, I handed Liam my empty cup, then followed Kellan’s burly bodyguard outside. As we walked out the doors, I told Sam, “You know, I think I liked you better when you were bouncing at Pete’s. At least you smiled back then. And talked. And even occasionally had drinks with us. Now you’re all business, all the time. What the hell happened to you? Did Kellan buy your balls as well as your brawn?”

Once the door to the party room was closed, Sam turned to me with a cheesy grin on his face. “Shut the hell up, Griffin,” he said, then he grabbed me and hugged me. I was so shocked I couldn’t move. And I kind of couldn’t breathe either. Sam was fucking strong. “Congratulations, man,” he said, setting me down. The D-Bags just haven’t been the D-Bags without you.”

I gasped for air once I could breathe again. “I haven’t won yet, you know.”

Sam swished his hand like the rest of this contest was just a formality, and I had it in the bag. Tilting my head, I asked him, “So, it’s not Matt who wanted to see me? He’s not kicking me out?”

Smiling, Sam shook his head. He pointed down the hallway, and my eyes followed. There, looking like a goddess under the fluorescent lighting, was my wife. She was standing there with her head tilted, staring at me and chewing on her lip. For the second time today, I was taken aback by how fucking gorgeous she was. I smacked Sam on the chest with the back of my hand. “I’m gonna be a minute.”

A low rumbling laugh escaped his chest. “Yep, I know.”

I started walking her way, and my eyes roved over her body with every step I took. It was warm outside, and she was wearing shorts that were almost illegal they were so tiny. Her trim thighs were a golden honey color, and I knew they’d be smooth as silk to the touch. My dick twitched just thinking about it. Then my eyes wandered up to her chest. She was wearing a tight tank top with think straps and…fuck me…a built-in bra. Her nipples were poking through the fabric in a way that almost made my legs give out. I walked faster.

When I was almost to her, she started coming my way. We instantly melted together when we met. Her arms went around me, mine went around her, and our lips joined. Goddamn…she tasted so good.

“Congratulations,” she murmured between hungry kisses. “I knew you would make it.”

My hand ran down her back, and I groaned as I grabbed her ass. Fuck, I wanted her so much. “I’m so glad you’re here, Anna.” I meant that in every way possible—physically, emotionally, all of it. I didn’t know what I would do without her. Well, no, I did know…I’d be miserable, just like I had been the last several weeks.

Even though all I wanted to do was hold her up against the wall and drive into her over and over again, I made myself step away. She was surprised and breathless when we separated. I was struggling to breathe normally too, and I was pretty sure my cock was turning colors. It was definitely screaming at me to keep going. I ignored it though, and held her a foot away from me. “I don’t want you to think that everything is back to normal just because you came back here and stuff. I know I fucked us up when I lost everything…when I lied to you. I know I ruined what we had. And I know it will take time to repair us. I’m willing to put in that time.”

With a sigh, I smiled. God, I want to be inside her right now.

Anna smiled as she studied me. “It wasn’t you losing everything that messed us up, Griffin, and it wasn’t just the lying. It was you…deciding everything. It was you shutting me out. It was you keeping me in the dark and treating me like I didn’t matter, like my opinion didn’t matter.”

I tilted my head in confusion. I’d never treated her like she didn’t matter. Not intentionally, at any rate. Seeing that I wasn’t connecting the dots, Anna stepped closer to me. She put her arms around my neck again, and I laced mine around her waist. “I know you don’t like to show your emotions, it makes you uncomfortable and stuff…and I get that.” She shook her head. “It’s hard for me too, and I’m not the kind of girl who needs flowers and sonnets anyway…but the last few weeks, when you’ve opened up and reached out to me…in the letter, in your phone calls…it’s meant the world to me, and I suddenly realized that was what went wrong for me.” Smiling, she rested a hand on my cheek. “I think that was what was missing between us. I never felt like you needed me. Yes, you liked having me around, and you definitely liked having sex with me…but you never really needed me, and that made me really…lonely.” She frowned and removed her hand from my cheek.

I grabbed it and held on tight. “That’s not true. I do need you…you’re all I need. All I’ve ever needed. I was…lost without you.”

Anna smiled, and I felt the warmth from it inside the deepest parts of me. She was all I needed. “I finally feel like that’s true,” she told me.

She leaned in for a soft kiss that electrified me, and at the same time, moved me. I felt dazed when we pulled apart. “You’re my best friend,” I told her. “You’re the only one who gets me, and loves me anyway. And I will do anything to keep you. Anything,” I repeated, holding her gaze.

Anna closed her eyes, absorbing my words, then a devilish smile spread on her face. “There is one thing you can do for me,” she said. Opening her eyes, she shyly asked, “Show me the stage?”

I blinked in surprise. By her expression, I thought she’d request something else.

Her smile turned playful, so I grabbed her hand and started leading her away. She giggled, like we were on an adventure. It reminded me of all the fun times we’d had in our relationship. Before Anna, I’d never met a girl as fun-loving as me. She really was up for anything. I loved that about her.

When I found the door to the stage, I fully expected it to be locked, but it wasn’t. Thankful that I didn’t have to try my hand at picking a lock, I checked to make sure the coast was clear, then hurried Anna inside. She let out a low whistle as she walked past the rows of empty seats. “It’s bigger than I thought it would be.” When she got to the stage, she hopped up and looked around with awe on her face.