Page 79 of Between Now and Always

The crowd roars their approval and Beth wipes away a tear that rolls down her cheek.

She presses her lips together, and her chin wobbles, but she nods.

“Come sit with me, I want to sing to you,” I ask and she nods again, and I stand up and walk over to get her.

She watches me with eyes the size of saucers but holds her hand out for me to grab. I pull her into a hug and she wraps her arms around my waist and presses her head to my chest. Her shirt is backless and I run my hand down from the base of her neck to her waist and remind myself that tonight, I’m going to have all of her.

I bend my head to her ear, “Thank you for coming.”

“Wild horses couldn’t have kept me away. But, everyone can see me,” she shouts in my ear.

“Lucky them,” I respond and then walk us back onto the stage. I sit down at the piano and pull her down next to me. She looks up at the huge screen, sees us and drops her face against my shoulder.

“So guys,thisis Beth. She’s only woman I’ve ever loved and the person who saved me when I was in a pit that was so dark I couldn’t see a way out. And the first time I kissed her, my whole world changed.” I press my lips to her. It’s just a quick touch, but it hits me square in my chest when I think how close we were to losing this.

I tap out the first few keys and she looks up at me her eyes wide with surprise and soft with tenderness.

“Oh my God. You’re going to make me cry in front of all these people.”

I press my lips to her ear cover my mike. “It’s only fair. The songs I wrote about you made them cry, too.” Then, with my girl pressed to my side, my fingers do what they were born to.

I don’t look anywhere but her eyes while I sing the words of the song that’s tattooed all over the memories of our time together. I promise her that between now and our forever, I’ll never take her for granted. That from now on, we don’t go anywhere if it’s not together. That I’ll take care of her as long as she’ll let me.

It’s only when I play the last note, that I realize the stadium is so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

I’m a crooner. I write and sing emotional songs. But I’ve never really shared more than superficial pieces of myself with my audience. I give them what they come for—great music that lets them get lost for a while. Maybe it was too much to share so publicly.

I turn back to Beth and cover my mic. “You okay?”

She nods. “You’ve never sounded more beautiful than you did just now, Carter. If my heart wasn’t already irrevocably yours, that would have done it.”

Then she leans in, cups the back of my neck and presses a kiss to my mouth. I forget the crowd’s reaction or lack of one instantly.

Sheloved it. She’s who I was singing for. That’s all I wanted. I cup her waist and slide her across the few inches separating us and kiss her back. That seems to break whatever spell the crowd is under and they erupt, so loud that their roar vibrates across the stage.

Then I remember this is still my job and we’ve got to close the show. She sits beside while we do our outro. Letting the band sign off and thanking the crowd and then we all head backstage where her friends are already waiting.

We mingle, she introduces me to her friends and I introduce her to Dean and his wife, Milly. I try to make sure she’s in touching distance the whole time. She said yes to me in front of a huge crowd, I kind of put her on the spot. I want to talk to her in private, make sure she’s saying yes because she wants what I’m offering and not because she had thousands of people watching her.

We get separated when our tour manager takes me and the rest of the band to the meet and greet we sold as part of the VIP ticket package.

I spend the next hour taking pictures and signing autographs for fans who paid for the experience. When I head back to our dressing rooms, the common area is deserted.

My stomach does a small flip. She wouldn’t have left without telling me, I know she wouldn’t have. My phone is in my dressing room so I head that way and pray that I’ll be able to find her fast.

As I approach, I can hear the sound of the piano being played in the room. That piano is strictly off limits to everyone. Even my bandmates.

I fling the door to the room open, and pause when I’m met by darkness.

“Who he hell is in here?” I fumble along the wall until I find the light switch, and turn it on. The sight that greets me sends all the blood rushing to my dick.

Beth is sitting at my piano, naked. Her body is a portrait of sensual perfection, all elegant lines and mouthwatering curves. And all mine.

She turns to look at me. Her smile is all innocence, but the heat in her eyes is like a blinking neon sign that says,“This way for a fuck of your life.”

I swallow hard. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“I’ve been here…That was an incredible show, I’m in awe of you,” she says, one thumb strokes the piano keys, the other plucks at one of her plump, pebbled nipples.

---