Page 78 of Between Now and Always

I shoot him an irritated glance in the mirror. “Yeah, it’s great that I sat in the back pew of a church ready to watch my girl get married.”

He shrugs.“My wife was married before. Shit happens. Life throws us curveballs. But you’ve got your chance now and you’re taking it. So, yeah it’s a great fucking story. It’s how you got here. Your fans will eat it up.”

“I hopeshedoes, too,” I don’t know how Beth is going to feel about this kind of attention.

But, I’m going to ask her for a lot so I’m wrapping it around a gesture I hope will show her how serious I am.

“Well, Milly’s going to die when I tell her you’re finally going for it. She’s slightly obsessed with yours and Beth’s story. I’m glad we could make this show.”

“Yeah, me too. Are her parents here, too?”

“Oh yeah. They wouldn’t miss it.” He stands up and walks over to where I’m sitting and puts a hand on my shoulder.

“You’re going to do good, kid. I know this is a big deal. But, you’ve been talking about this girl since the day I met you. You’ve been wanting this chance even longer. This is it. Go big or go home.”

* * *

The set is ending. It’s been an incredible show; the audience has screamed along with every song. The band and I have been in sync like crazy, improvising like motherfuckers. It’s almost been like we’ve just been playing one of our jam sessions where we just decide to fuck the planned set and have a good time.

And with every costume change, I’ve stolen a moment with Beth.

She’s sitting in the special seats we keep for VIPs at the side of the stage. My whole family is here. When we started planning for tonight, Beth wasn’t back in my life. I can’t believe how much has changed in just a few short months.

It’s been amazing to have her eye to catch when I’m singing her songs.

It’s time for the final number and it’s just going to be me and on my piano.

I’m going for broke and hoping I can show her and everyone who’s watching just how much I love her and always have.

“Hey Brooklyn,” I call out to the crowd as I adjust my microphone and try to get comfortable. The crowd roars back its approval and I shoot them a smile that makes them scream even louder.

No matter how many nights we do this, getting on stage, especially with a crowd this big, takes swallowing down fear. Some nights, it also takes a hit of weed.

But, by the end of the show, I’ve sweated out my anxiety, I’ve bled my heartache, rebel yelled my triumph and left it all on the stage.

Tonight though, when I sit down at my piano, I’m still very aware of how many eyes are on me. I feel like it’s my very first time on stage and my nerves are in overdrive. I close my eyes, count to five and when I open them, I focus on the woman who I’m here for, and start talking.

“I have a special guest here tonight,” I tell the crowd as I pick out a few notes on the piano. “You guys know all the words to the album,Between Now and Heartbreak. So you already know how I feel about her. Every word I wrote was about that woman over there.”

The crowd cheers, wildly. The stage lighting shifts and drops a beam right over her and surrounds her in a full-body halo. She looks so fucking beautiful. The camera that projects the performance onto the huge screens moves to her and the crowd goes crazy.

Her big blue eyes widen and she looks around her in alarm, like she’s not sure who I’m talking about.

Then she drops her face into her hands. I can’t tell if she’s laughing or crying, but whichever I hope it’s out of happiness.

“I love you, Beth. Tonight, I want to sing you a new song. One that ends with Always. I hope you don’t mind if I share a little of our story with everyone here. ’Cause loving you is the reason we’re all here at all.”

She shakes her head with her hands still covering her eyes.

“Open your eyes, baby, I want you to see what I see,” I coax softly, just to her.

She hesitates for a beat, but then she slides her hands off her face slowly and looks at me.

The moment our eyes lock, the rest of the world falls away, and it’s just the two of us and my piano.

Like it was the first time we fell in love.

“When I met you, I was lost…fighting demons, trying to figure out where I belonged. Then, you came along. Just like the moon and the stars gift the midnight sky night with light, you made me come alive. It’s because of you I decided to sing for the rest of the world. We’ve been pulled apart more times than I can count. But what we’ve got isn’t something mere men can destroy. A devil like me has no business in heaven, but that a woman like you loves me, even now, when I have no right to that love, has been my saving grace. I want the world to know, It’syoumy heart calls queen. If you’ll have me, I don’t want anything more than I wantyouto be mine.”

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