Page 75 of Mason Wilder
Cheers rose from the crowd below.
“This isDirty Little Secrets.” It was harder than anything they ever played, and she saw the faces below light up with surprise. Her voice took on an added layer of grit and her hips gyrated into the body of her Quantum bass.
Lucas transitioned into a mind-blowing solo at the front of the stage. His fingers ran up and down the fretboard while notes wailed into the air.
Fans screamed.
Two giant inflatables rose from the left and right of the stage in the shape of Prodigy’s logo – a huge guitar pick with crossed drumsticks behind it, broadcasting the band’s name.
Stagehands threw blow-up beach balls into the crowd and big balloons over the roof to the fans on the ground, all bearing the band’s logo.
Lucas suddenly marched across the stage, directly at Sindy. She took a few steps back and let his magic intimidate her. Then she raised her chin and glared at him. She stomped on her guitar pedal, turning up the wah-wah sound effect. Returning an electrifying hum, she leaned forward so they were face to face, her flaming red hair glowing in the bright sun, and challenged him with her talent on the guitar.
Lucas rattled off a riff in return, and Sindy retaliated. They went back and forth several times, until they joined in harmony and played the chorus with their backs pressed against one another.
Lucas and Sindy stepped to the front of the stage, on either side of Tessa. The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder at the apron – lead, bass and rhythm – and mesmerized the crowd. When the last lyric of the song left Tessa’s throat, and the last note was played, the crowd went crazy.
At the same time, Tessa, Lucas and Sindy turned to face the drum riser in order to reveal the back of their guitar straps to the crowd which were embellished with their names in rows of large Swarovski crystals, thanks to the one-of-a-kind design by Jessi Blade. Tessa lifted her gaze to the video screen behind Mason. The image projected on the screen showed them the way the audience saw them – from the back with Mason looming above them, facing the audience on his drum riser like a king on his throne, while the sun hit the crystals on the guitar straps and sent prismatic starbursts all over the place. “Look at us,” she told Lucas and Sindy, pointing to the video screen behind Mason.
“Great shot! We look damn good together,” Lucas said, brandishing a huge smile.
“We do look awesome,” Sindy replied, staring at the screen.
Mason was still pounding on his Pearl kit, even though the song had ended. It was becoming a signature move for him, and something that was born out of pure spontaneity. He ended with a heavy crash of his cymbals, twirled both sticks between his fingers so fast they looked like propellers on a helicopter, and then threw them down to the floor of the stage, much like Tessa often did with her mic at the end of the show.
Tessa watched Mason. Tight bands of muscle across his arms, chest and shoulders straining against taut flesh from 60 minutes of beating on the drums. His short hair was messy, and his labored breaths caused his spectacular pecs to rise and fall, making the colorful tattoos move on his upper body as if coming to life. The best part about watching him was the trademark Wilder smile that shown more brightly than the sun itself. His eyes suddenly met Tessa’s and he blew her a kiss. The camera feed picked it up and the crowd screamed with approval, which is something Tessa had worried about.
Lucas and Sindy were already a couple when Prodigy went mainstream, so it wasn’t an issue. Mason had been America’s most coveted rock star bachelor. Everyone wanted to make him their man – fans and celebrities alike. He could have had his pick of a Hollywood starlet or one of the top female rock chicks in the nation. But he chose her.
A small boom went off and ejected bright confetti from above, and it blew through the summer breeze like snow on a windy day. “You’ve been wonderful Long Island!” Tessa stretched her arm toward Lucas. “On lead guitar, my brother, the extraordinary Lucas Blade!” The fans went wild while he ran his hands up and down the fret board. “On rhythm guitar, the incomparable and super sexy Sindy Cavanaugh!’ Sindy rattled off something that rivaled Lucas’ piece and the crowd wailed.
Tessa waited to introduce Mason, allowing the applause to heighten to a deafening level as they waited for the world-renowned drummer’s name to be announced. She never tired of listening to the world celebrate his talent and loved that everyone loved him.His gaze settled on her and they shared a connection that made Mason’s enormous smile widen and his eyes sparkle brighter. She took a deep breath before she announced him. “On the drums,” she yelled into the mic, “someone who needs no introduction . . .” Tessa waited for the thunderous cheers to die down before she continued, but it only grew more intense, making her project her voice louder. “Mason Wilder!”
Mason did another crazy round of hits to his kit that lasted a full minute. When he was done, he threw his sticks up in the air, caught them and pointed them directly at Tessa.
“And I’m Tessa Blade Garcia.”
“Wait a minute. Hold up.” Mason was stepping down from the drum riser, quieting the crowd with his hand, a mic to his lips. “I got a little something to say.” He stood next to Tessa and looked into the crowd. They were going crazy at the sight of Mason Wilder addressing the audience at the front of the stage. The stagehand handed him a small towel and he wiped his face with it before he threw the towel to the throngs of outstretched arms.He waited for them to quiet, then kissed Tessa on the lips. Not just a small peck either. It was a soul-melting kiss that left her weak and earned a new set of cheers from the audience. This was another first. They’d been photographed together but had never given the public any kind of show of physical affection, and the crowd went nuts. She had no idea what Mason was up to, but if his smiled stretched any wider it would split his face in two.
“I have an announcement,” he said into the mic, silencing the whistles and cheers. He turned toward Tessa and just smiled at her.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, covering the mouthpiece to her mic.
He slowly got down on one knee. The audience roared, but Tessa covered her face with her hands as happy tears filled her eyes.
“Tessa Blade Garcia, will you marry me?”
She pressed her lips together to steady them. His original proposal was more of a question tossed out the moment it entered his head. The proposal at Cartier’s had been the traditional one she cherished, but this one – the third time he’d asked her to marry him – was the most romantic of them all and the one dearest to her heart. She realized that the air was void of noise and everyone was waiting for her reply. “Yes!”
Thunderous cheers and applause, whistles and screams, shouts of congratulations, all mingled together and made Tessa’s ears vibrate. She slung her bass to the back, wrapped her arms around Mason and he lifted her off the floor as he kissed her. Confetti was still blowing through the air, but now it turned to gold and silver with curly streamers, like something you’d see on New Year’s Eve. Lucas and Sindy hugged them while they were still embraced in a kiss. When they parted, Lucas handed Mason a bottle of champagne. He shook it, popped the cork, and sprayed the entire bottle on the crowd below. The video screens displayed, “Congratulations, Mason and Tessa!” in a heart, just like at a football game. “We got one more song for you Long Island,” he shouted into the mic, “And it’s one of celebration!”
A huge lump of emotion clogged Tessa’s throat. She tried to say something, but her voice was barely a squeak. Lucas was suddenly next to her with his hand on the small of her back. “You OK, Tess?”
She returned a teary-eyed smile and nodded.
“Let’s rock this shit!” Sindy screamed into her mic, just before Mason counted off the start of the last song.
The confetti returned to multicolored bits of paper. The stage crew threw rolled up T-shirts into the audience around the stage. The energy of the crowd and the love that filled Tessa’s heart were unsurpassed. It was incredible. There was only one thing that could top this moment – her wedding day.
