Page 111 of For One Night Only

“But if we hadn’t faked it for the cameras”—he presses anotherkiss to my temple—“we never would have fallen in love for real again.”

I smile. “I think even without the reunion, we would have still found our way to each other again.”

“Does the ever-skeptical Valerie Quinn believe in fate now?” he asks.

I snuggle into his chest. “Maybe I just believe in whatever brings me back to you.”

“You give me something to believe in too.” He squeezes me tight, then reaches for my chin, softly drawing my mouth to his.

Epilogue

Valerie

The Next Summer

The Glitter Bats are back and things look different this time.

Vegas is the last stop tonight on our—very limited—US tour, celebrating our third album,More to Say. In the sold-out stadium, spotlights wash over us as we finish the last chorus of “Better Times,” our latest single. Across the crowd, I can see myself on the big screen—and I’m glad I let Rowan talk me into playing with my hair color again, because the turquoise is oddly flattering.

The camera pans to Riker, shredding on his seafoam-green Telecaster. He flips his hair wildly over his shoulder and winks at the camera, confident as ever. With all the stress of last summer behind us, we get to just have fun again, and it’s incredible.

WithMore to Say, we finally fulfilled all contractual obligations to Label Records, and the options for our future are endless. Caleb is still teaching, so we recorded over his winter break, and the album released in February to the most praise we’ve ever gotten as a band. We’re seeing headlines like:

“The Glitter Bats Are Back and Better Than Ever”

“Glitter Bats Are Maturing, and So Is Their Sound”

And of course the usual:

“Are the Glitter Bats Back, or Is This Too Good to Be True?”

“More to SayIs a Masterpiece, but Is It a Farewell Album?”

We take it all in stride.

My heart warms as I glance around at the rest of my band. Keeley whoops as she crashes into a drum solo, and Jane bounces to the beat as she plays changes on the synth. Caleb looks over at me across the stage, and the heat in his gaze makes my pulse kick into a higher gear.

This is the happiest I’ve ever been.

I was nervous to come to Vegas, but it all melted away at sound check. This is where it all ended the first time seven years ago, but we’re a different band than we were back then. We’re closer than we’ve ever been before, and it feels so good to work together like this. We have all that same chemistry and sync onstage with none of the tension offstage.

And we all have a lot to celebrate.

Caleb didn’t quit teaching, and I would never have wanted him to, as long as he’s happy. Over the last year, I spent most of my time in Oregon with Caleb and Sebastian Bark when school was in session, and Caleb’s time off brought them both to my place in LA. After Carrie got accepted to a music program in Southern California, Caleb started looking for a teaching job closer to my home base. He already has an offer for a part-time position that will give him some much-needed balance, and he has a few days to decide if he’s taking it. But I have no doubt he’ll land in the right place. Whether that’s Oregon or California or fucking Finland, I don’t care—I’ll follow him anywhere.

The same way I do on this stage. When he jerks his head in my direction, I step out from my mic and go to sing the bridge at his. The crowd screams. My heart races.

If I only ever did this, it would be enough.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not working. When Caleb’s school year started back up, I told Wade I wanted to get back into acting, and he delivered. I had a short guest arc on a new drama series that’s going strong, and I also landed a leading role in an upcoming Christmas rom-com. It was nice to be on set again.

And even better, after our fans rallied around us and our creators fought like hell,Epic Theme Songwas picked up by another streaming service. I still want to pinch myself. Just when I’d finally accepted our beloved show was canceled for good, we got the call that Sunset Streaming+ wanted to bring us over for two more seasonsanda movie, which means we’ll get the ending our showrunner planned. We filmed season three over the spring, and it’s scheduled to drop in September. I think the fans will appreciate the loving care that went into developing this next chapter.

And other than someETSpress, I’ll have a break after this concert. I’m having the time of my life staying busy, but I plan to take Sebastian Bark for long walks on the beach, try all the new restaurants I haven’t had time for, and catch up on fantasy novels.

I have another surprise in store tonight that I’m a little nervous about, but this time,almostall of the band is in on it—Caleb’s the only one in the dark, and that’s just because he needs to be this time. For his own good.

After we finish the bridge, Caleb and I drop to a low chorus. The rest of the band fades out, so it’s just my acoustic and our voices. I get chills as the stadium goes quiet. When we finish the final notes, the crowd goes wild. I peck Caleb’s cheek, and the cheers get even louder before I run back over to my own mic.

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