Jean Haus: Ink My Heart

Got lost and found what I wasn’t looking for

She smiled and I fell into her a million miles an hour

Brought the stars down from the night sky

Just to drink in her soft sigh

Fell into her a million miles an hour

Again

But the needle dropped

Inked my heart and scarred my skin

Inked my heart and scarred my skin

Though Justin’s eyes are open, he doesn’t look up as the band plays the soft melody between the lyrics. And I’m not sure I could handle him looking at me while the emotion and pain of the lyrics have my knees buckling. I’m not only aware he wrote the lyrics but also know I’m the confused, messed-up source of them. Guilt rips through me and I grip the table edge as his eyes close again.

Empty days go on and on

Bright memories won’t let me sleep in the dark

I want to taste her sigh once more

Suck it in and take her pain

But she’s silent wrapped in a gray-eyed storm

That holds her in and keeps me out

Fell into her a million miles an hour

Again

But the needle dropped

Inked my heart and scarred my skin

Inked my heart and scarred my skin

Romeo plays the instrumental, but Justin still doesn’t look up. My stomach rolls while his lyrics burn into my mind. Forced to face how my self-preservation hurt him, I feel ill. When he sings again, I want to cry, grieve, and beg for forgiveness all at the same time.

The space between us grows

While I wait on hope

And survive on memories

Waiting for the day that breaks through the gray skies

Kills the pain and everything inside

Fell into her a million miles an hour

Again

Still she inked my heart and scarred my skin

Leaving me here alone to breathe her in

Inked my heart and scarred my skin

And the needle drops again.…

When he opens his eyes, they find me. There’s no one between us. No Holly and Jake. No cameras. No fans. No shouts or whistles. The words, the pain, and the emotion of his song have me stumbling toward the stage until I stand beneath him. He jumps off the stage.

“I’m sorry. So sorry,” I say, reaching up and clasping my hands around his neck. Fighting back the tears that have been threatening to erupt, I say, “I never wanted to hurt you.”

He shakes his head slightly and leans to my ear. “They’ll be forever caught in the song, but I promise you those feelings are a faint memory.” He softly kisses the skin under my ear. “Just always be waiting for me?”

And just like that, his love lifts the weight off my chest, because all that hurt is a memory for both of us. So in love with him, and finally completely aware of it, I could never be so self-centered again. Still clutching his neck, I lean back and meet his bright green gaze. “Forever.”

I’d like to thank everyone who helped pull this book together. Thanks to Lisa for always reading my early drafts and offering unbiased suggestions. Thanks to Robin Cruise for her awesome editing ninja skills. Thanks to Dooley for putting up with my drive for visual perfection. And thanks to my agent, Jane Dystel, for not only selling this series, but also helping me every step of the way.

I’d also like to thank every reader who gave this story a chance. I’m honored that you would spend your time with my imagination. You all rock!

And finally, thanks to my husband and son for all their awesome support. None of this would have happened without it or them.

Jean Haus is the author of the Luminescent Juliet Series, which revolves around a sexy, talented indie band in a small college town. She lives in Michigan with her husband and son, where she spends almost as much time teaching, cooking, and golfing as she does thinking about the tough but vulnerable rockers featured in her books. Visit Jean online at http://www.jeanhaus.com.