Page 94 of My Song for You
That’s the way it’s always been
You’re the air and the stars and the moon
This is my song for you
I didn’t know how the record label would react to the band’s sudden change in plans, especially when the song wasn’t even on the upcoming album and it wasn’t the new single. But in that moment, while Jared sang about his love for a woman he had known forever and who had inspired him to be everything that he was, about his love for the woman who had sacrificed everything for those she loved, I didn’t care what the label thought.
I watched the stars from our old tree house
But it wasn’t the same without you by my side
The sunrise at dawn is what we can have
Just give me a chance to prove we’re strong
Just give me a chance to prove my love
Tears threatened to obscure my vision, and I blinked them away. He loved me? He hadn’t proposed because he figured it was the right thing to do for Logan. He had proposed because he wished to spend the rest of his life with me because he loved me—Logan or no Logan.
And I had rejected him.
I sank onto the corner of the couch, my legs uninterested in holding me up anymore.
But why hadn’t he told me this before? Why write a song and perform it live on TV when Nolan was supposed to be singing their debut single off the album?
I knew the answer. Because what better way to prove his love for me than doing the one thing he’d rather not do—be the one at center stage?
Chapter 41
Jared
The final strains of the song faded and the entire studio broke into overwhelming cheers and applause. I had no idea how it sounded on TV, but here it was deafening.
We returned to the couch. I had done it, but was it enough to convince Callie that I loved her? I wanted to phone her, to find out if she felt the same way about me. I wanted to phone Hailey and hear about Callie’s reaction when she heard the song. But I couldn’t do either of those. We still had the interview to finish.
“Wow, Jared,” the host said. “I had no idea of the depths of your talent. Do you sing any songs on the new album this time?”
“No, this was a one-time deal. I’m more comfortable being behind the guitar than the mic.” Disappointed murmurs rose from the audience.
After the stunt I’d just pulled, I wasn’t sure if I was still a member of the band. Yes, Nolan and I had created it, but I had no idea the extent of the label’s rights when it came to us.
The guys had been on board with my idea to sing the song tonight. When I pointed out it could get us in trouble with the label, Mason had simply said, “Let’s go fuck the hell out of the song and prove to your girl you’re not some dumbass loser who fucked up proposing to her.” But while the guys might’ve been supportive, Remar’s reaction was anyone’s guess.
Did I care what his reaction would be? Not really. There were some things that were just that much more important to me.
The interview continued for another fifteen minutes. The original plan for the show was to perform two songs—“Tangled” and one of our hits from our debut album. So not to entirely piss Remar off, and because we were here to promote the new album and not so I could declare my love to Callie on national TV, we performed “Tangled.” Which was met with the same level of excitement as my song for Callie.
Afterward, we hung around to sign autographs for a select group of fans who had won the VIP prize. By the time we escaped the station, I had been congratulated, pawed, hugged, and kissed. The last one had taken me by surprise, when a fan unexpectedly kissed me on the lips. Out of respect for Hailey, Nolan no longer allowed fans or groupies to kiss him at all. Not even a peck on the cheek was permitted. I would have to be more vigilant in the future and adopt the same policy.
Assuming Callie felt the same way about me that I did about her.
Our newly appointed bodyguard, who looked like he could have once served in the Marines, escorted us from the building. He wasn’t alone. Several members of the station’s security detail were also at our side. And just as well that they were. Our appearance at the station had been well publicized. Fans were waiting for us outside, held back by a red rope on both sides of the building’s entrance.
While I was sure Brian, our bodyguard, would’ve preferred that we hightailed it straight to our waiting limo, the band stayed back to thank fans and sign more autographs. Mason let the girls kiss him, but the rest of us kept a safe distance from the more ardent fans.
The fans were the ones who bought the albums and downloaded the singles. If it hadn’t been for them, we wouldn’t be where we were now. So as much as Brian wanted to get us away from the craziness, it wasn’t going to happen just yet.
The downside was it delayed me contacting Hailey.
