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  “I gave it up…I backed out. For you, if you’ll have me.”

  The hunger in his eyes made her weak in the knees. “Kate Hayes, I’m all yours. I’ve already told the whole world how I feel about you.”

  She grinned through her tears. “I saw.”

  “So we’re official now. No more hiding.”

  She pressed a hand over her mouth, nodding. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Maybe we should go to dinner at Bóheme to celebrate?”

  She looked up and saw the humor in his eyes, and before she knew it, she was laughing like she hadn’t laughed in months. “I think that’s a must.”

  He brushed a strand of hair from her face.

  “I have so many things to tell you,” she whispered against his chest. “But can we take this inside? Because I’m freezing.”

  Now it was his turn to laugh. The sound vibrated through her, filling a void deep inside. “I wasn’t kidding before. I really do have to go.”

  Her face fell. “Oh.”

  “Come with me.”

  “Where?”

  “To the hospital. My nephew is about to be born.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh! Yes, but can I put on dry shoes first?”

  He glanced down at her soggy boots and chuckled. “Let’s go.”

  He bent to collect her blanket while she retrieved her notebook from the snow. She placed it in her back pocket with a smile. Josh slid his hand in hers.

  She leaned into him. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Me too. And by the way, did you reference Don Quixote just now?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  “How?”

  She shrugged, biting back a smile. “I had some spare time on my hands recently.”

  “And Don Quixote happened to be on your reading list?”

  “Apparently, you were on my mind.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, then he stopped walking and pulled her against him for another kiss. And poof, she wasn’t cold anymore. Josh was hers. She’d been wrong about everything because this was by far the most incredible moment of her life.

  No performance, no award would ever top it.

  “These curls are so sexy,” he whispered as he brushed a hand through her newly shortened hair. “Kate…”

  She looked up.

  His eyes were serious. “I saw you on that talk show, and I’m so damn proud of you.”

  Tears flooded her eyes. “Thank you.”

  “I mean it. I know how hard it was for you to get up there and talk about what happened to you on national television. You’ve been through hell, and here you are, stronger than ever.”

  “I love you,” she whispered, leaning in to give him another kiss.

  “I love you too.” He tucked his arm around her waist. “My parents will be there at the hospital. Are you ready for this?”

  She tilted her head up to meet his eyes. “Yeah, I am.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  Hand in hand, they left the snow behind and stepped onto the well-trodden path.

  Part V

  FROM LOVE SONGS TO LULLABIES?

  March 20 - #1 Celebrity News Source

  Newlywed Katherine Hayes is in town promoting her new album, Salvation. Recent photos show her looking a little fuller in the midsection. Could it be that a baby is on the way for the superstar and her new husband?

  Epilogue

  It was exactly as she had imagined.

  Kate stood onstage at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Lights glittered off her floor-length blue lace dress as the opening bars of “Saved” played from the orchestra. Before her, two thousand of her fan club members—all of whom had won free tickets to be here—smiled up at her. In front, she spotted Lily, Lori, her childhood friend Leah, and several familiar faces from her fan club.

  Just over four months ago, she and Josh had fulfilled her other vision, honeymooning on Turtle Island in Fiji, just the two of them amidst the beauty of undisturbed sand. It was a magical trip, and they had brought home the most unexpected, terrifying, and wonderful souvenir.

  She had opened the show a little over an hour ago, performing eight new songs as well as a handful of past hits. This was her first live performance in almost two years, her first time onstage since the knee injury that ended her tour and maybe saved her life. The energy from the crowd was electrifying. It sizzled through her, adding bounce to her step and warmth to her soul.

  Josh watched from the side of the stage, his face lit with happiness and pride as she sang. She couldn’t help grinning in his direction. Midway through “I Wish,” she turned to wink at him. He nodded. Her stomach gave a nervous flip-flop.

  “Sing along with me now,” she told the crowd. “I want you to sing so loud, the baby can hear you. Can you do that?” She pointed to her stomach, revealing the happy secret she’d harbored for the past four months.

  Their answering roar nearly knocked her off her feet.

  And now, only “Saved” remained.

  As the music swelled behind her, she thanked her fans for their support and dedicated this song to them. “It’s cold and lonely at the bottom…so hard to carry on…a million miles of sorrow…when you write your life in song. But you came to me…when I needed it most…made me see what I was missing…that the best was still unwritten. I’m saved…you saved me.”

  * * *

  Her voice rang strong and clear through the theater. Josh’s heart felt like it might burst. She had never sounded better or looked more beautiful. Standing there in that blue dress, shimmering amidst the lights of the stage, she glowed with happiness. She sang to the crowd before her, her eyes moist with emotion, but the glances she stole in his direction let him know that her words were meant for him.

  Sometimes it was hard to wrap his mind around the many ways his life had changed in the past year and a half. He was married to one of the biggest celebrities in America, and he couldn’t be happier. With Kate, he felt like taking on the world.

  And they had. Since their reunion that snowy February day, he’d seen Kate testify against the man who raped her, putting the past to rest once and for all. They’d spent the past year in a rental house overlooking the Mediterranean as he completed his sabbatical in Valencia and Kate recorded her new album. They were married in a private ceremony right here in New York.

  Last month, she won an Academy Award for her performance as Janet Turney in Final Testimony. For every red-carpet experience, there was a lazy morning spent in bed, an afternoon crawling around on the floor playing trucks with their nephew, Evan, while Lily took a much-deserved nap. A million little moments that made his life complete.

  And now he watched from the side of the stage as she sang of her salvation, radiantly in love and glowing with life. Her blue dress barely betrayed the slight swell where their baby grew.

  When the song was over, she blew kisses to the crowd and ran into his arms, out of breath and beaming with happiness. He hugged her close.

  “I was thinking,” he whispered into her hair, and she looked up, her eyes glistening with happy tears. “You write excellent lyrics, Mrs. Randall.”

  She twined her fingers in his. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. ‘The best is still unwritten,’ I like that. Your husband must be a lucky man.”

  “Oh, he is.” She grinned and pulled him back onstage with her for the encore.

  Did you enjoy UNWRITTEN? Make sure you pre-order the second book in my Rock Star Duet: ENCORE releases on June 12th!

  Dear Reader,

  I love all my books, but Unwritten is especially near and dear to my heart. This is the first book I ever wrote – over ten years ago – before I knew what I was doing. It didn’t sell then, and I came back to it several times over the years, but the timing was never right. I can’t tell you how excited I am that Josh and Kate’s story is finally out in the world! I’ve “known” them so long, they feel like family to me.

  If you enjoyed their roman
ce, make sure you pre-order the second book in my Rock Star Duet, Encore. Kate’s assistant Jenn is the heroine of this one. Her world gets turned upside down when she finds herself in a marriage of convenience with the scandal-ridden rock star Kate recently recorded a duet with. It will be out on June 12th (but psst…keep scrolling to read the first chapter at the end of this book!)

  Want to stay up-to-date on my upcoming releases and receive a free copy of my award-winning novella, Only You? Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive news and giveaways and receive a free copy of Only You just for subscribing.

  If you enjoy chatting about books, I’d love for you to join my reader group on Facebook. It’s a great place for us to stay in touch, and I often ask for help naming upcoming characters and pets plus lots of other fun reader group exclusives.

  Hope to see you there!

  Rachel Lacey

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks as always to my family for their love and support. I have literally spent years pouring over this book! Thank you to my wonderful agent Sarah Younger for your invaluable career guidance, to my editor Linda Ingmanson for making Unwritten shine, and to Hang Le for realizing all my dreams with this gorgeous cover.

  Author friends, I couldn’t do this without you. This is my first time doing things entirely on my own, and I’m so grateful to everyone who lent their support, answered my questions, and helped boost my morale: Annie Rains, Tif Marcelo, April Hunt, Sidney Halston, Kelly Siskind, Steph Nuss, Jessica Ruddick, and so many others. One of the best (and most unexpected) perks of becoming a romance author has been joining such an amazing community of women. Love you ladies!

  A special shout-out to all the wonderful members of my reader group! I love and appreciate you guys so much.

  The biggest thank you of all goes to all the readers, bloggers, and reviewers who’ve supported me along the way.

  xoxo

  Rachel

  Also by Rachel Lacey

  The Stranded Series

  Crash and Burn

  * * *

  The Risking It All Series

  Rock with You

  Run to You

  Crazy for You

  Can’t Forget You

  * * *

  The Love to the Rescue Series

  Unleashed

  For Keeps

  Ever After

  Only You

  Read on for an exclusive excerpt from ENCORE, the second book in the Rock Star Duet…

  1

  Encore Chapter 1

  Fucking weird, holding another man’s wife. Colton Nix rested his hand awkwardly on Kate’s waist as a wave splashed against them, knocking them into each other. Even worse, holding a man’s pregnant wife while her husband watched from the beach and an army of people shouted instructions, orchestrating their every movement, right down to the placement of his hand to conceal her baby bump from the cameras.

  “Sorry.” Kate gave him a sweet smile as she regained her balance. Kate being Katherine Hayes, hottest pop star in America whose wholesome popularity was supposed to rub off on him as a result of their new duet. If they ever made it through the filming of this damn music video.

  “Tell the truth, is your husband going to rip my head off later?” Cole glanced toward the shore where the production crew—and her husband—watched.

  “Josh?” She followed his gaze, still smiling. “No. He’s definitely not enjoying this, but he gets it.”

  Cole shifted his feet, lifting first one then the other out of the sand that had settled over them from the constant push and pull of the waves. It was hot, and they’d been out here filming most of the damn day. He was ready to go for a dip and then enjoy a few drinks down at the Tiki Bar.

  “Kate, can you turn a little bit to the left?” the director, a big Swedish guy named Diesl, called. “That’s it. Now Cole, I need you to angle yourself in front of her.”

  Cole held in a grimace as he and Kate followed the director’s orders, stumbling as yet another wave slapped into them. The ridiculous shit they went through to get a shot that looked sexy and romantic was about as unsexy as possible. They had at least a hundred people watching—including a big dude standing to their left holding up a sun screen to keep the glare off their faces as the cameras zoomed in for their closeup.

  Kate was gorgeous with her blonde hair, blue eyes, and a rockin’ body in that pink bikini despite the slight swell of her stomach. But she was married, and he couldn’t fuckin’ wait to get his hands off her. They danced around each other for another eternity, while bits of the song blasted from speakers on the beach so that they could lip synch along for the video.

  “That’s a wrap for Kate. Cole, I want to try bringing in a double to film a few more shots with you in the water,” Diesl called. “I need closeups where we can see your hands on her but without the belly.”

  Kate pressed a palm against her stomach, laughing. “A body double without a baby bump?”

  Diesl nodded, wading toward them as his white-blond hair whipped in the breeze. “Perhaps one of our onlookers would like the opportunity.”

  He tipped his head toward the crowd that had gathered to watch the filming. Cole saw plenty of hot chicks rocking bikinis that he would not mind putting his hands on. In fact, he found his mood significantly improved at the prospect.

  “What about my assistant, Jenn?” Kate suggested. “We’re about the same size, and she’s already familiar with the shoot.”

  Cole looked in the direction Kate was pointing, his gaze settling on a pretty redhead behind the cameras. She wore short white shorts and a blue tank top, typing furiously on an iPad, and hell yes, he would like to see her in a bikini, and he wouldn’t mind pretending to make out with her in the ocean either.

  “If she’s agreeable to the idea, let’s put her in a swimsuit and see if it works,” Diesl said with a brisk nod.

  Kate waded out of the water and walked over to her assistant. Cole headed for the mess tent for a bottle of water and a few minutes of shade. The Caribbean sun had gone from pleasantly warm when they first started shooting to miserably hot now that they’d reached midday, and Diesl had flat-out forbid him from getting wet above the waist. Wouldn’t want to ruin the hair and makeup they’d painted on him that morning.

  His assistant, Jorja, met him in the mess tent with a cold bottle of water, while the hair and makeup people moved in to do their thing. He clenched his jaw as they wiped sweat from his face and patted more of that powder stuff onto his skin.

  “I hear you’re going to shoot a few takes with a stand-in for Kate?” Jorja said.

  He grunted in affirmation as a woman applied something to his lips. It felt like sticky paste. How did women wear this stuff—and more—on a daily basis? Once they’d finished with him, he walked toward the back of the tent, wondering if it was worth the trouble to snag a slice of pizza after he’d just had his makeup fixed.

  “Colton! Colton!”

  He heard the fans calling for him. Production had set up barriers about twenty feet away to keep them back during filming. He guzzled the bottle of water Jorja had given him, chucked it in the trash, and strolled toward them. What the hell? He liked the attention.

  The air shattered with the high-pitched screams of young women as he walked toward them. How—and why?—they hit those notes, he’d never understood. In a few long strides, he was up against the barriers, signing magazines, clothes, a bare breast—why not?—and posing for selfies as the fans screamed and clamored for his attention.

  “Colton,” the woman in front of him batted her eyes in an exaggerated fashion that made him draw back. Her gaze dropped to his crotch. “Let’s put those rumors to rest once and for all. I’d be happy to do it for you, baby.”

  “Sorry to disappoint, but my bed’s already taken tonight,” he told her, his voice colder than he’d intended. Groupies like her were the reason he’d become known as the King of Tiny Dix in the first place. They’d fuck him and then cash it in by selling ridiculous rumors about h
im to the tabloids. Unfortunately for him, he’d always been a slow learner when it came to women.

  But after that woman last summer—the one who’d given him his new nickname—he’d finally come to his senses. No more sleeping with groupies. The problem was, he had no interest in dating or relationships which meant it had been a long fucking time since he’d gotten laid. At this point, he was so horny he could barely see straight, but women like the ones in front of him had lost their appeal.

  He walked away, ignoring them as they called after him. It was a feeding frenzy. He’d chummed the water, and the sharks had shown up. And that was a piss poor analogy to even think about right before he went back into the ocean.

  “We’re ready,” Diesl called in his slightly nasal voice.

  “Great,” Cole muttered.

  “This is Jennifer MacDonald,” Diesl said. “She’s going to stand in for a few close-ups.”

  Cole’s eyes tracked to the redhead standing at the back of the tent, and he almost swallowed his tongue. Fuck. Me. Kate’s assistant was a knockout. Her fiery red hair was tied up in a knot on top of her head, her green eyes locked on his. She wore a pink bikini identical to the one Kate had worn earlier, filling it out in much the same way, but he wanted to touch every gorgeous inch of Jenn’s smooth, pale skin. He walked over and stuck out his hand. “Cole. Nice to meet you.”

  “Jenn.” Her hand was warm and soft in his. “Not quite sure how I let Kate talk me into this.”

  He laughed. “I’ve been asking myself that same question all day. Romantic video shoots aren’t exactly my thing.”

  Jenn gave him a look that said he wasn’t getting any sympathy where she was concerned. “But you’re the star. I am strictly a behind-the-scenes girl.”