Page 106 of One More Made Up Love Song
“Oh my gosh!” I step around Seth to give Adam and Jace hugs, since I don’t see them nearly as frequently as I do Leo. It feels especially significant to see Jace since he lives in California and has the kids to think about. He wasjusthere last month. And now he’s here again. “What are you guys doing here?”
It’s a dumb question because it’s clear what they’re doing here. The stage manager is currently checking their wireless mics like they’re about to go on stage.
“Wait. You guys are singing?”
The members of Midnight Rush haven’t performed together in public since their reunion show last year.
Leo smiles. “Freddie wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep it a secret from you.”
“That’swhy he didn’t want me around for soundcheck,” I say.
On stage, Freddie finishes a song, then waits for the cheers to quiet. “Thank you,” he says. “I always appreciate the love. Nashville has been my home for the past decade, which is why I wanted to do something special for you all tonight. So I’ve invited a few friends—” Freddie has to pause because the cheer that erupts through the stadium is practically deafening. “A few friends,” he finally continues, “to sing a very special song with me. You haven’t heard this one, butit’ll be on the next album. And it was inspired by someone very special to me.”
I lift a hand to my chest. I had no idea he was going to debut the song tonight, and the thought of hearing him sing it live has my heart in my throat.
“Please welcome to the stage the men who helped me become who I am today—Midnight Rush!”
I hold my breath as the guys run onstage. Leo sits down at the piano, and Adam and Jace settle onto stools on either side of Freddie while a roadie hands Freddie his guitar.
“This song is called ‘Golden Eyes,’” Freddie says. Then he looks off stage in my direction. “Ivy—you know it’s for you.”
I’m not sure I breathe for the entire song. By the time Freddie finishes, tears are streaming down my face, and I’m overwhelmed with a desperate need to kiss him. To let him see how much that song means to me.
So I do something I never thought I would do.
I hand Seth my iPad, then I run onto the stage.
Freddie doesn’t see me at first, but his fans do, and their cheers immediately intensify. Freddie looks around, like he knows something is up, then he sees me coming. He smiles wide, handing his guitar to Adam just in time to catch me when I launch myself into his arms.
He laughs as he hugs me to his chest. Whoever is running sound for the concert is thinking on their feet, because when Freddie looks down at me and says, “What are you doing?” I’m the only one who can hear him.
“I just wanted to say I love you,” I say. “And I love that song.”
He leans down and kisses me, eliciting another round of cheers. “I’ll write you a thousand more.” He tilts hishead toward the audience. “But I’ve kind of got a show to finish.”
I laugh, then push up on my toes to kiss him one more time. “Sorry. I’m going now. Love you.”
Freddie turns back to the audience. “Well, that was fun,” he says, and everyone laughs and cheers again.
He and the rest of the guys sing a few more Midnight Rush songs, then he goes back to his regular set. Eventually, I make my way up to the box to watch the end of the show with my family. I rarely get to see Freddie perform from this vantage point—I’m always backstage—so it’s a treat to see the full scope of his performance. The close-up camera shots that do such an incredible job of capturing his magnetism, his incredible talent.
I sit down next to Carina, and she loops her arm through mine. “Do you ever watch him performing and think ‘I get to make out with that man anytime I want’?”
I laugh. “This is the first time I’ve seen him perform since we got together, but yeah. I’m definitely thinking it now.”
“Oh! I wanted to show you something,” Carina says. She pulls out her phone. “Look who texted me today.”
I take her phone and read the message across the screen. It’s from Margot Valemont, of all people.
It’s brief. But it’s very clearly an apology. With a last line that readsPlease tell Ivy and Freddie I’m happy for them and I wish them well.
“Wow,” I say. “I guess people change.”
Carina takes her phone and slips it back into her bag. “I read an article that says she’s going to rehab. I hope things get better for her.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Me too.”
I stay in the private box until the end of the show, thentext Freddie, letting him know I’m riding back to the house with my family, and I’ll see him at home. He has one final post-concert meet-and-greet with a collection of VIP fans who won a promotional thing through a local radio station, so it’ll be a while before he’s finished, and since my parents are leaving first thing in the morning, I want to soak up as much time with them as possible.
