Page 83 of Under My Skin

She beamed at him. “Of course.”

“Hey! There you two are,” came Morgan’s voice from my other side, and I turned to find her and Malachi making their way down the aisle behind us. “Where’d you run off to?”

“Away from a bitchy reporter who was jealous that Braden decided to settle down with me and not her,” I chuckled. “But it paid off, because talking to these two has been way more fun.”

Morgan glanced past us, her eyes going a little wide when she registered who Braden and I were sitting next to. “Nice. Well, you didn’t miss much. Other than Ian and Ky’s publicist throwing a sports journalist who was asking super rude and invasive questions out.”

“Let me guess. Leslie Greer?” Braden groaned quietly.

“How’d you know?” Malachi snickered. “She needs to be demoted to a position that doesn’t involve talking to anyone who’s even remotely a public figure. Because she hasnoidea how to conduct herself at an event like this.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Braden sighed. “But I’m not going to give her any more headspace tonight. Tonight’s about Ky and no one else.”

Kyler’s documentary was mind-blowing. The production quality, the interviews – with survivors, law enforcement, and clinical experts – the dramatic reenactments, the music…all of it was absolute perfection. It packed a punch, and some parts of it had been hard to watch, but rather than leaving the viewer feeling depressed about everything they’d just watched, the film ended on a positive note. It showed all of the survivors thriving and living their best lives, proving that there was, in fact, hope after all the darkness.

It sort of felt weird to go to a party after watching such heavy subject matter, but if any occasion called for a celebration, this did. Kyler had workedsohard on this documentary, pouring her whole heart and soul into making sure these survivors’ stories were told accurately and respectfully, and the release was a feat to commemorate.

And getting to see Bailey perform? Just the icing on the cake. The song she’d written for the documentary, “Speak the Truth,” was hauntingly beautiful, and it was incredible to hear live. She’d also performed some of her biggest hits and “Queen of the Angels,” plus “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, which was also featured in the documentary. Kyler had told me that she and Ian had gotten to meet Daphne DeVille right after everything withher assailants came to a head, and that Daphne had dedicated “Brave” to her at the concert that night, so it had held a special place in her heart ever since then.

“So, Miami, I have a little surprise for you tonight,” Bailey said into the microphone about forty-five minutes into her set, while a stagehand walked onstage with a second electric guitar and microphone stand. “I’m not here alone! Can you make some noise for my husband, Finn Davies?”

As the crowd of about five hundred people screamed loudly, Finn walked onstage and gave his wife a hug and quick peck on the lips before turning to strap his guitar on and stepping up to the microphone. Without saying a word, he launched into one of Beyond Mercury’s biggest hits, “Forgot My Mind.” After the song was over, he addressed the audience.

“Is everyone doing alright tonight?” he asked in his thick British accent, to resounding cheers from the crowd. “Let’s give it up one more time for the woman of the hour, Miss Kyler Strong!”

Next to me, Kyler turned bright red as the spotlight illuminated her and Ian, who had his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin on her shoulder. I could tell that as thrilled as she was that her film was getting such a warm reception, all this attention was making her a little uncomfortable. Not that I blamed her. I’d only been the center of attention for about two minutes earlier today, and that had been more than enough for me.

“Kyler,Breaking My Silencewas absolutely incredible,” Finn continued. “This cause is one that I’m so passionate about because my sister is a survivor as well, and I cannot wait for her to see this film. I know she’s going to love it as much as I did, and she’s already so excited about all the work you’re doing to spread awareness about this issue. But this is a night for celebration, not for being serious, and a friend who shall remain namelessmentioned that this song is special to you and Ian, so I wanted to play it for you tonight.”

When Bailey’s keyboard player started to play the iconic opening notes of “Head Over Heels,” Kyler’s jaw dropped as she turned to face me and Braden.

“Guilty,” Braden chuckled before she could say a word.

Ian grinned at him, then gently turned Kyler halfway so he could steal a kiss, and my smile got just a little bit wider. It was so evident how much these two loved each other, and after everything Kyler had been through – which I now knew about in heart-wrenching detail thanks to the documentary – it warmed my heart to know that they were getting their happy ending now. I could definitely see why Braden had bent over backward to be there for their engagement.

As “Head Over Heels” came to an end, Finn spoke again.

“So, because Kyler can have absolutelyanythingshe wants tonight, there’s one more song I want to play for you before I turn it back over to my lovely wife. This one goes out from her and Ian to their brother from another mother, the one and only Braden Hicks!”

As he started to play “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne, I broke out in a fit of giggles while Braden let out a loud groan. I loved that we’d literally been talking to Bailey and Finn before the film had started – even going so far as to suggest songs for them to play that Kyler would like – and they’d managed to keep completely straight faces the entire time.

And Ian, Kyler, and Melissa? They all started cracking up as they high-fived each other, clearly proud that they’d managed to pull this prank off without Braden suspecting a thing.

“I am going tokillthem,” Braden grumbled into my ear as he wound his arms around me from behind. “Dead. Buried.”

I laughed some more as I turned to face him. “Oh, come on. Who doesn’t love this song?”

He snorted. “Me. I don’t. Not afterfive fucking yearsof this shit.”

“Aww, is someone butthurt?” Ian teased, releasing Kyler with one arm to throw a playful punch into Braden’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, B. You’ll like the next song a lot better,” Kyler chuckled as she hugged his arm, even though it was still wrapped around me. “I just couldn’t resist, and Bailey and Finn thought it was hilarious once I told them the story.”

“You’re lucky I love you, Ky,” he muttered. “Andjustbecause this is a big night for you, you get a pass. This once.”

“So generous of you,” Melissa snickered. “Hey, did you know that Stacy’s mom is Jessie’s girl?”

Braden groaned again. “Yep, and her name’s Jenny and her number is 867-5309.”

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