Untamed

Liam was giddy as he said, “Thanks.” I was more reserved. The last time De

He nodded and we stepped away from Liam. I stared at my feet while I prepared my apology. You’d think I’d be an expert at them by now. “I just wanted to say…sorry I was a prick last time we talked.” I thought to add more, but there really wasn’t any more to add. That pretty much summed it up.

De

My nerves evaporated under his praise. “Thank you. I think I needed to hear that.”

He clapped my shoulder again. “Good luck tonight.”

But after he left, my nerves started creeping back in. This was it…the moment of truth.

When it was time, Liam and I went onstage together. The host gave each of the judges a moment to praise Liam and I for getting this far. Kellan was the last one to speak. He had to wait a solid three minutes for the screaming to die down long enough for him to start. “I just want you both to know, no matter what the outcome is tonight, you’re both wi

The crowd started screaming again, so I tilted my head to thank Kellan for his words. I’d always been so jealous of him, and he’d never been anything but gracious to me. I was such a dick.

After each of the judges had said their words of encouragement, the host turned to Liam and me. He smiled and asked us how we were doing. I fought to keep my expression even. If he took his sweet fucking time opening the fucking envelope tonight, a blood vessel was going to burst in my brain. Just end this fucking torture already!

“You’ve both done so amazing on this show…let’s take a moment to recap, shall we?”

I wanted to groan, I wanted to scream. Instead, I sca

Gri

There was an explosion of light and noise, and confetti streamers started pouring down onto the stage like rain. Opening my eyes, I looked over at Liam. Several things happened to my body simultaneously: joy, pain, elation, sorrow. My brother won! And I lost…

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I’d wanted this so much, and I’d just lost it. Permanently. I felt my vision hazing, my knees buckling, but somehow, I pushed the feeling aside. This contest wasn’t mine to lose. I’d had my chance with the D-Bags, and I’d blown it. My time was over; it was Liam’s time to shine now. Pushing aside the lingering agony, I squeezed Liam in a gigantic bear hug. This was okay. Liam deserved to win. The other eighteen contestants flooded the stage as the host thanked the audience, the viewers, and the numerous sponsors. The cameras eventually stopped recording, the confetti eventually stopped falling, and people eventually started leaving. I stayed on the stage, floored. It was over…and after all of that, I’d lost.

The guys came over to congratulate Liam. They were instantly surrounded by fans who’d stayed for autographs. Some even asked Liam for his, which astonished him by the look on his face. Evan, Matt, and Kellan each gave me shocked, sympathetic expressions. It made me feel better to see them surprised; they’d all thought I’d win. De

While I stared at them, A

Opening my eyes, I shook my head. “I wanted this more.” I squeezed O

She shrugged. “You’ll always be a D-Bag to me.”

With a sigh, I looked down. “Do you still want to be with me if I’m not in a band, if I have a regular, crap-paying job?”

Removing her hand from mine, A

Gri

She laughed as she returned my kisses. “But I like the talking,” she said, her voice husky.

“I do too, but I’m ready to go home.” My tone started out playful, but ended up serious. I’d missed her. So much.

“Go home…where?” she tentatively asked.

Pulling back, I looked her in the eye. “Wherever you are, that’s my home.”

Smiling, she leaned in to kiss me again. After several long moments, our kids wanted our attention again. Gibson was practically crawling up my pant leg, so I picked her up, then skillfully, I picked up O

As the four of us started walking off the stage, A

My grin was devilish. “Yeah, it was. We might have to crash a D-Bags show so we can spread some ‘luck’ on their stage.”

A

I looked back at her, curious. “Oh yeah, what? Were we filmed?” I smiled, hoping she said yes—that would be one fucking hot sex tape.