Page 160 of Fire and Icing

After I sing my new original,Family Anthem, I lean into the mic and say, “Let me give you all a little piece of advice. If you find the person you can’t live without, never ever let anything come between you. Emberleigh, I can’t imagine life without you. Thank you for being here.”

I launch into the first song I wrote for her—I call itEmberleigh’s Song—singing every line for her.

When I finish, the crowd is on their feet, clapping and cheering, whistling and hooting. I do love this feeling. There’s nothing like putting yourself out there and having a room full of people respond with enthusiasm over something you’ve created.

Well, there’s one thing greater.

The host emcee comes back on stage, thanking me for my performance. I wave at the crowd, and then with my guitar held overhead, I put my hand down on the edge of the stage and leap off into a space in front of the tables.

The crowd's applause fades into the background. I’m searching the room for her.

A guy I met yesterday from the label is making his way through the crowd toward me.

He approaches me and says, “Dustin, that performance was outstanding. We’d love to talk about a development deal.”

“Sure. Great,” I say to him. “Can I call you about that this week?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“You’ll have to excuse me.” My eyes dart away from him to scan the room. “There’s just someone I have to see before she leaves.”

“Emberleigh?” the man asks.

“Yes. Emberleigh.”

“We’ll be in touch,” the rep says, reaching for my hand.

“Thanks.” I shake his hand and move past him.

The crowd parts, people stepping out of her way as she navigates around chairs and tables.

"Emberleigh," I breathe out her name.

“Dustin,” she passes a man and squeezes between a couple. Then she rushes to me, wrapping her arms around me. Tears are streaming down her face. She’s trembling. “I'm so sorry, Dustin.” She takes a deep breath and blows it out. “I wasscared ... scared of how much you mean to me. Scared of losing you.”

I hold her tightly with my free arm, whispering into her hair, “I was scared too. Scared I’d lost you.”

I pull my head back and gaze into her eyes. The next musician is being announced.

I grab her hand, entwining our fingers and weaving my way through the crowd, my guitar in one hand and Emberleigh trailing behind me. When we reach the exit to the lobby, I push open the doors. No one is out here in the lobby except a few security guards and a couple of workers from the venue.

I stop off to the side of the double doors, pivoting and facing Emberleigh.

“Can we start over?” she asks, hope evident in her voice.

I smile, brushing a tear from her cheek. “We don’t need to start over. I like our beginning. And everything we’ve shared so far. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to be a huge fan of the rest of the story too. I don’t want to start over. I just want to keep going.”

“Me too,” she looks up at me, and I feel like I’ve recaptured something precious.

I lean in, brushing a kiss on her lips. She cups my jaw and holds me in place while she kisses me back. This. I thought we might never share a kiss again.

With her hands still on my cheeks, she pulls back only a little and stares into my eyes.

“I will go with you. If this is the life you choose, I’ll find a way to show up for you.”

“I’ve decided I’m not interested in taking a full contract. I’m not making a full signing commitment yet. I might do smaller gigs. Some showcases. But I’m not touring. I’ve already got a gig.”

“Oh? Where?”

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