Page 97 of Not Another Yesterday
“I never mind!” Reagan grins. “Let me turn down the music for you.”
The country music fades, and Miranda climbs the stage, lowering the mic stand to her height and reaching for one of the guitars. She slips the strap over her shoulder and strums a few lonely chords.
“Okay, people,” she says into the microphone, her voice smooth and soulful. “Happy or sad?”
“Start with something happy,” Erin calls.
Miranda thinks for a second, then begins plucking gently at the strings. Her eyes close. The first lyrics spill into the room, and just like that, the crowd goes still.
She plays one song after another, switching things up—happy tunes, then heartfelt ballads, even sliding between genres with ease—while Reagan keeps the drinks flowing.
“Okay,” Miranda says with a laugh between songs, taking a sip from the glass of water Reagan left near her feet, “I know it’s a smallstage, but it still feels too big for a little girl like me.” Her voice is playful, self-aware.
Then she grins directly at Ronan. “I’m getting kind of lonely up here.”
He immediately shakes his head, the crease between his brows deepening as he presses his lips together in a cleardon’t you dareexpression.
“Youknowyou want to come play with me, Rony,” she teases, drawing out the nickname.
Ronan stands no chance against the eruption of cheers, whistles, and applause—not just from our table, but from just about every other one in the room.
Finally—and obviously reluctantly—Ronan stands, pushing his chair back with a sharp scrape against the floor. He grits his teeth and gives Miranda a look that could kill, but still, he joins her on stage.
“Fucking trouble, Randi,” he mutters, eliciting laughter.
He picks up the second guitar and adjusts the strap. “Just warning you all, this is going to suck,” he says to the crowd, drawing more chuckles.
“You got this, bud!” Frank calls out.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Ronan grumbles, then turns to Miranda with an exasperated look. “Fine. What are we playing?”
She only grins and begins to strum.
It takes mere seconds for recognition to light up Ronan’s face. His lips twitch into a smile, and before I can brace myself, his fingers are moving, joining hers effortlessly.
Their voices blend in perfect harmony. Ronan’s is raw and soulful—low, rich, and magnetic. I realize, with a sharp pang, that I’ve never heard him sing or play before. I knew he could—he told me his grandfather taught him a few chords—but in our nearly two years together, I never actually saw it for myself. He’d always downplayed it. He soundsincredible.
I don’t fight myself. I watch him—really watch him—with an aching heart as he and Miranda perform like they’ve been doing it for years. She is radiant, open, completely turned into him. Her love for him is so obvious. Maybe Tori was wrong. Maybe Miranda and Ronanaresomething. Maybe he’s keeping it a secret, like Steve and his mysterious relationship. Even now, none of us really know anything about the girl.
I just don’t know anymore.
I reach for the tequila sitting, untouched, in front of me and throw it back. I shouldn’t have come to Montana. Being near Ronan again is like pouring salt into infected wounds. I miss him so much. I want him back. But watching him on that stage, I’m certain I’ve lost him for good.
Miranda and Ronan finish their song to roaring applause from the bar patrons. As the last notes fade, Miranda leans her head against Ronan’s shoulder, a warm smile on her face as she strums the final chords.
“Oh no, you’re not done,” she says quickly, blocking Ronan’s attempt to set his guitar down.
“Come on, keep playing,Rony!” Shane calls out, grinning.
Ronan shoots him a withering look. “Keep it up and reap the consequences, man,” he says, his voice dry.
Even I can’t help but smile at Ronan’s obvious dislike for the moniker.It would be a cute name if Miranda didn’t come up with it.
“Yeah, keep it going!” Erin chimes in from our table.
Ronan exhales dramatically. “Oh, fine,” he mutters, then starts playing a slow, haunting melody. Miranda joins him seconds later.
The song is nothing like the upbeat one from before. This one is stripped down, raw, with lyrics about pain, loss, and survival. I’ve never heard it before, and something about the way the words shift when Miranda starts singing the second verse makes me realize she and Ronan wrote the song together. Ronan has lived an entirely different life with Miranda, a life I know close to nothing about.
