I stare at Shane, and I totally get where Birdie is coming from. Shane is hot . . . some may even call him downright sexy with his strong jawline, dazzling smile, and the noticeably chiseled body lurking under that dress shirt. Couple all that with intriguing hazel eyes and hair . . . I can definitely see why Birdie’s making a fuss because I’m not all over the man. It’s hard to make her understand that the vast amount of love I still have for Ace practically blinds me to all other men.

“I’m just not ready,” I confide in my best friend. “I just need a little more time. Shane understands that.”

Almost as if Shane can sense that we’re talking about him, he turns in my direction and smiles. His dimples are amazingly cute, and maybe someday I will be ready for something more with him. I lift up my drink and mouth “Thank you” to him before I turn around on the stool to watch the TV hanging over the bar, because I don’t want to send off a bunch of flirty signals by just staring at him.

I raise the beer to my lips to take a sip, but my arm pauses midway. There on the screen, sitting down for another interview with Linda Bronson, is Ace.

I grab Birdie’s arm and squeeze, causing her to turn around and check out what’s got me so worked up.

“Oh, shit,” she mutters beside me before asking the bartender to turn the volume on the television up.

Linda sits across from Ace and smiles at him. “You look well. How are things now that you’ve been back with your band for the last month?”

Ace rakes his hand through his bronze hair like the question makes him nervous. “It’s still a work in progress, but things are getting better. We’ve actually been back in the studio the last couple of weeks, recording; things are really starting to come together in that department.”

Linda nods and then follows up with another question. “Are these new songs going in the new direction you were telling me about last time we spoke?”

He licks his plump lips and memories flood my brain of what he tasted like on my tongue. “Yes. I’ve written most of the songs for the new album. There’s one in particular that I’m really proud of. It’s called ‘Juliet, Forgive Me.’”

“That sounds like an interesting title. Does it have a meaning?”

He stiffens a bit and then nods. “It does. It’s my vision of what Romeo’s makeup song to Juliet might sound like if he had the opportunity to tell her he’s sorry.”

She grins. “Are you a fan of the classic Shakespearean works?”

“Very much so. Shakespeare is something very personal for me,” Ace answers. “Same goes for the new songs.”

Linda raises her eyebrows, and I can see the wheels turning in her brain as she begins digging a little deeper into what he means by that. “Did you write these songs with any particular person in mind?”

Ace tilts his head and rubs his index finger across the bottom of his chin. “I did, and she knows exactly who she is. I’ve got a lot of making up to do to this person, so I thought I’d start by telling her how sorry I am through a song.”

I gasp and then cover my mouth with my hand. Tears well up in my eyes, and it’s taking everything in me not to break down in front of all these people.

“When do you plan on releasing this song?” Linda asks.

He shrugs. “I’m not really sure. The label has control of all that, but I’m able to sing it now, if you’d like.”

The camera focuses on Linda, who looks straight into the lens like she’s speaking with her audience. “Wow. A new song debut right here on Celebrity Pop Buzz Nightly. This is a first for us.” She turns her attention back to Ace as someone from the side of the shot hands him a guitar. “Viewers are in for a treat, and I hope the young lady you wrote this for is watching. Ace, whenever you’re ready.”

Silence falls over the television for a few moments, and then the sound of Ace strumming the acoustic guitar strings come through the speakers, followed by Ace’s smooth, silky voice.

As the words flow from his mouth, he stares directly into the camera, and it’s almost as if he’s singing right to me. The song is about a tragic love story ending on a bad note and two people working hard to find a way to get back into each other’s good graces but screwing it up every time they try to fix it. He’s apologizing through the lyrics for meeting me at the wrong time and putting me through all the shit that’s gone on between us since he rode into my life, but those aren’t the things that strike me the most.

When he breaks into the chorus, he calls me his Juliet and calls himself the worst Romeo in history, but he wants to figure out how to be the best. He’s asking me to forgive him.

Tears flow down my cheeks, and I can feel the stare of every single one of my friends watching me as I stare at the man that I love, but can seem to never have, on the screen in front of me. I’m not sure what this even means for us, but I’m praying it’s a sign that he’s finally coming to me.

When the song ends, Linda thanks Ace for the moving performance and wishes him well with the new album before signing off, allowing the show to cut to a commercial.

Shane’s beside me, nudging his shoulder into mine, trying to cheer me up.

I swat away the tears and then sniff before acknowledging him. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replies and then sighs. “I never stood a chance with you, did I?”

I glance over in his direction and see the sadness written all over Shane’s face. It sucks that he’s hurt, but I’m glad I never promised him anything other than friendship or I would’ve stomped all over his heart with this display of affection for another man.