Page 52 of Hope & Harmony

But I was grateful for it now.

I couldn’t possibly regret a single step on our long road here, because each step, forward and back, had gotten us to this place. Together.

I also wondered if he realized it was two years ago now that we’d bought our first house together, and what a milestone that was for me.

It was the first time I really felt like we werefamily.

Now, we literally had our own family. Our little Julian was almost six months old. Over the last few years, I’d worked my way up in my career to join Dirty’s management team and for the first time, Jude and I were going on a whole world tour together—with Julian, too. No more back and forth traveling to see each other, or longing for one another long distance.

This would be our third tour since becoming a couple. But it was different now.

We were together, in every way. Colleagues. Peers. Friends.

Lovers.

Partners.

Parents.

And we were far more than any of those labels, too.

Jude Grayson was the love of my life and he always would be.

As I listened to this song that Dirty had written while I was hanging out with the band in their practice space, way back before the fancy world tours, I got crazy nostalgic. My eyes misted up.

I was not the girl who cried easily.

But how could I not feel teary-eyed right now?

Music had changed all our lives. Jessa and Brody. The band. And Jude and I, too. It gave a boy who was destined for trouble and a poor, overlooked girl a place to belong and a means to thrive.

Most of the members of the band onstage right now, idolized by so many, didn’t travel an easy road to get where they were now. From losing parents too young to overcoming addiction, they’d been through some shit, and we’d been through it all with them.

I reached to take hold of Jessa’s hand, and she squeezed mine. The two of us had been tight for so many years, it was still hard to fathom, sometimes, that we’d made it this far. So far from where we started.

Two girls without fathers.

One blessed with a talent for songwriting, and one armed with nothing but the determination to survive.

Together, as we watched her brother’s band onstage, playing a hit song she’d co-written, I wondered if she had moments when she felt like this; when she straight-up marveled over the beauty of it all. If she stood in awe of the fact that we’d made it all here, together.

And now we were lucky enough to have children, too. We’d come so damn far, and yet we were stillus.

I loved being here with her.

With Jude.

And I couldn’t wait to bring our kids along to these shows when they were older.

As the song ended, Zane hollered, “FUCK YEAH, VANCOUVER!” Which sent the crowd into a thunderous frenzy. Three songs in and thoroughly warmed up, it was the first time he’d addressed the crowd tonight.

I released Jessa’s hand so we could clap along from the side stage.

Once the crowd had calmed enough that Zane could actually be heard over the noise again, he announced, “We’re gonna kick this night off right, with a little fucking romance!” He pausedfor effect and the crowd went nuts again. “Strap in, kids!” he shouted. “And get ready to swoon! Jesse Mayes, do your thing!”

The crowd thundered their excitement again as Jesse grabbed the wireless mic off his stand and spoke into it. “I’ll be right back. Zane, hold down the fort.”

Zane looked at him likeWhat the fuck?and laughter rippled across the crowd as Jesse walked off stage.

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