“And if I don’t?” Gabby fires back.

A wicked grin slides over Frannie’s face as she steps into Gabby’s personal space, making her seem very intimidating in a crazy way. “I’ll make you wish you had.”

Gabby swallows hard and her eyes flick from Frannie to me before she steps back. “Fuck this. He’s not worth it.”

Frannie stands there with her glare fixated on Gabby as she hurries out of sight.

I come up behind her and pull her back into my chest. “I didn’t know you were such a badass, babe.”

She laughs. “I’ll do anything to protect you, including fighting off crazy ex’s.”

I kiss the top of her head. “The feeling’s mutual. I’d maul a bear for you.”

She turns to face me. “A bear? Really?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’d make that fucker wish he’d never been born if he messes with my babies.” I reach down and place my hand on her stomach. “I love you, Frannie.”

My fingers fly over the strings of my bass as I bust out the last few licks of the song. Things have really come together since we found our way back into the studio as a cohesive unit. The day Frannie and I left Serenity Hills, I took her back to the place I own with my brother Trip. It’s in the hills of Kentucky, not that far from Noel and Riff. Since Noel and Riff have the kids running around their respective places, we did most of our songwriting sessions at our house.

These tracks that we’ve come up are unlike anything we’ve ever done before, and we blew through the songwriting process. I wrote like a man possessed. Everything just flowed out of me. The melodies, the beats—everything. We have a mixture of dark, dirty beats that I’m sure the fans will go crazy for, as well as some soft ballads, most of which I wrote with one woman on my mind.

“That sounded amazing, Tyke,” Jimmy, the producer says into my headphones as soon as I’m done with the song.

I open my eyes and adjust the headphones on my head. “Thanks, man.”

“Why don’t we lay down a vocal track for “Push and Pull”? You up for it?”

I nod and my eyes flit over to Frannie, who stands behind the glass in the booth, watching me intently as I work. She hasn’t heard this song yet. It’s the one I’ve held back to surprise her with. Staring into her eyes, knowing she’s growing rounder every day with my child, makes me smile. I know it’s the perfect time for her to hear me sing the words I have written just for her. I never get sick of telling her that she’s always on my mind, and how much I love her.

I place my bass back on the stand and say, “Let’s do it.”

I step up to the mic as the melody we previously recorded begins to play. I remain focused on Frannie’s blue eyes as I open my mouth and begin to sing.

“Your skin makes me wanna touch you

Be a part of your world

So I push you, but I won’t let you fall

But you’re a hard girl to get through to

All I want is to hold you and tell you it’ll be all right . . .

When I push you . . .

You pull me back

There’s nothing like, a love like that

A love like that

Let me ask you

When’s the last time you’ve felt like that

Bet it was with me

Bet it was with me

I’m falling for you

It’s easy to see

Without you girl, I just ain’t me

There’s no future without you

Give it a chance girl, give into the pull

When I push you . . .

You pull me back

There’s nothing like, a love like that

A love like that

Let me ask you

When’s the last time you’ve felt like that

Bet it was with me

Bet it was with me.”

When I’m finished with the first take, I fully expect Jimmy to tell me to get ready to do it again, but instead I hear his voice cut through my thoughts with an entirely different message. “Hot damn, man, I think that was the one. It’s like a new fucking record. We got the entire song on the first take. Everything was perfect—the pitch, the emotion. Wow. I’m impressed. If I’d known you had that in you, we would’ve let you take the lead on a few songs before.”

I laugh. “I don’t know if I’d have been able to do that before. That woman in there beside you has blessed me with a new lease on life.”

I wink at Frannie and smile when she mouths the words, “I love you.”

It’s in that booth, staring at the people I love through the glass—Frannie, Trip, Noel, and Riff—that I finally find peace with myself. Those people in there are my family, and I would do anything in this world for them, and I vow never to return to the dark hell of my addiction ever again. I will be stronger. I will always be a man that Frannie and my child will be proud of. I’m going to make sure that the rest of our forever is fucking perfect.

“Marry You” – Bruno Mars

One Year Later

Frannie readjusts the veil on the top of her head as she stares at herself in the mirror. After a few moments, she begins to spot some of her twin’s features in herself. It makes it feel as if in some small way she’s standing by her side on this special day.

As she stares in her own eyes and pretends they’re Annie’s, she smiles. “There you are. You don’t know how much I wish you could be here with me. I miss you—every day, but I’m in a good place now. Tyke makes me so happy, Annie. He loves me so passionately and completely that he doesn’t give me a chance to ever feel lonely or unwanted. You’d really like him.”