“You send me something?” I asked Anna.

“Kind of,” she said with a giggle.

A couple of the staff looked at me as I opened the door, but nobody said anything. Until the final round actually started, we were free to leave. If we didn’t make it back here in time though, we were automatically disqualified, which is why no one but me was leaving.

Opening the door, I looked out. I’d been expecting to see a delivery person with balloons or flowers or maybe even pizza, but what I found waiting out there was so much better.

Anna was standing in the hallway, holding our children and smiling at me like she’d been looking forward to this moment all her life.

My breath caught, my heart stopped, and my cell phone slipped out of my hand and crashed to the ground. I must be dreaming, there’s no way this vision before me is real. But as Anna disconnected her phone and slipped it back into her purse, I knew I was awake, and she really was here with me. It took every ounce of willpower I had to not pull her into my arms, but I didn’t know if I could, and not knowing if I could touch Anna was a foreign, unsettling feeling. I just wanted my wife back.

Anna was holding Onnika on her hip, while Gibson stood at her side. Gibson picked up my phone, then tackle-hugged my legs. “Daddy!”

My eyes were stinging as I dropped down to my knees to give my daughter a proper hug. Her familiar smell filled me, an oddly appealing mix of watermelon shampoo and cinnamon graham crackers, and I suddenly felt completely at peace. God, I have missed this. As I rubbed her back, I looked up at Anna. A fat tear was dripping down her cheek as she watched us. “What are you doing here?” I finally asked her. “I thought we were going to reconnect from a distance?”

Wiping her tear away, she gave me a breathtaking smile. “We are…but they’re not. Your children need you, and you need them.”

She bounced Onnika on her hip, making her grin. She was gnawing on a rubber ring, and drool was all down her chin and her shirt, and it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. As I stood to take Onnika from her, Anna told me, “We’ll stay at a different hotel, but the kids want to cheer for you in the audience. I want to cheer for you in the audience,” she added in a whisper.

Standing close to Anna as I wrapped my arms around Onnika, I shook my head. “I might not make it that far.”

Anna’s eyes were a deep, calm green as she stared at me. Her lips were so full and luscious, it was physically difficult to not lean down and suck on one. “You will, Griffin. I know you will.”

Onnika grabbed my shirt and I kissed her head as I squeezed her tight. She smelled so good, like her mom, but even sweeter. Gibson was still clinging to my leg, refusing to let go, while Anna stared up at me with unabashed longing in her eyes. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed my family, I needed my wife.

Releasing one hand from Onnika, I wrapped it around Anna. “Come here,” I murmured, pulling her into me. Our lips instinctively found each other’s, and she breathed a sigh of relief as we connected. I knew this wouldn’t fix everything, but I felt like it was a start, and as our mouths softly moved together, I felt the massive hole in my body, a hole that had been growing larger every day she’d been gone, slowly begin to fill.

When we broke apart, I cupped her cheek. “I love you, so much,” I told her, surprised at how much easier it was to admit that. Anna’s smile was glorious. It made me wish I’d been telling her how much I loved her from the beginning. “You’re everything to me,” I added, meaning every word. I felt like I’d learned that the hard way, and I also felt like that experience had made the words so much more powerful to me. I’d earned them.

“I love you too,” she murmured, her eyes filling again. “Good luck in there. We’ll be here when you get out.” By the way she said it, I got the feeling she meant, Regardless of the outcome, we’ll be waiting for you. I still wanted to win, to prove myself to the guys and the world, but if I lost…I’d be okay with it, because I’d still won her. And that was worth more than all the rock bands in the world.

When I walked back into the waiting room, I felt invincible. The best people in the world loved me for me, and were supporting me, no matter what. There was power in that knowledge, and I held my head high as I took my seat.

Liam wasn’t feeling nearly as confident. Shaking in his chair, he looked over at me with wide eyes. “Dude, I thought you left. I totally thought you gave up and left.”

For a second, I wondered if he’d been hoping I had. I pushed the feeling aside immediately after I had it though. Liam wouldn’t think that. We were family, we had each other’s backs. Feeling completely at ease, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Liam, do you know what you’re missing? That final ingredient to being one of the world’s biggest rock stars?”

Liam tilted his head as he considered. “A tattoo,” he murmured, glancing at some of mine that were visible.

I shook my head. “No. Well…actually, yes, I can’t believe you’re still a virgin at your age…it’s embarrassing, really.” He frowned, and I quickly got my motivational speech back on track. “The only thing you’re lacking is confidence. You need to realize that you’ve got talent, and that the world is your playground. You need to own this shit. You’re about to be a fucking rock star, after all.”

Liam gave me a slow smile, and I felt my own confidence bolstering. How had I forgotten how awesome I was? I was so worried about impressing the guys and getting my job back, but really it was always mine. I just needed to reach out and take it…which was exactly what I was going to do.