Page 7 of Something to Believe In
He squeezed Mads’ hand an extra time. She slowly turned her head and looked into his eyes.
He smiled. "You look good, Mads. You look really good today."
Her cheeks turned a delicious shade of pink. "Thank you."
He squeezed her hand again and reluctantly stepped away.
Before they all stepped out on stage, Tony said, "After the gig, we have a fan meet and greet. Stage left. So exit down there and stand in line. We're also meeting reporters and some influencers. And the local news stations are going to be here too. Put on your best face. We want them all to know about the gigs coming up and how excited we are for them. We only have to talk for about an hour."
He swallowed. They'd be tired, but the upcoming stadium tour excited the hell out of him.
They played their songs, and they played well. He beat his drums like his life depended on it. And he loved every freaking minute of it. There was little else that got his blood pumping like playing the music he so loved. And playing with these folks, whom in most cases, he'd spent years with, and loved like they were his family.
After their last song, they all stood together on stage and did a bow. The crowd that had gathered, with brief notice, was receptive and excited. They stood and clapped as loudly as a large stadium. There was always something so great about playing at home.
Switching up those sets had been key. It made a big difference in how they all felt about it afterward, too. They exited the stage to the left and stood in line to greet the influencers and press. He positioned himself, once more, next to Mads.
A woman ran up to him. She had teased blonde hair and wore a short tank top. Actually, so short the underpart of her breasts was on display. She jumped up to him and put her arms around his neck. "I'm so excited to see you again."
He drew a blank. "Good to meet you."
Her brows furrowed. "We've met before. My name is Lacey. When I saw the announcement on the news this morning, I couldn't believe my luck that you were going to be here. I drove all day to get here, taking off work. You must remember me." She gushed.
Axel pulled himself away and gently set her back from him. "It's nice to meet you, Lacey, and thank you for being a fan. We're so happy you're here."
Lacey rushed on. "Well, not we. I want you to be happy to see me; we've met before, Axel."
His mind went blank for a moment. He didn't recall ever meeting her.
He said, "Sure. Yes, I'm happy you're here, of course." Her vibe was a tad disturbing.
"Oh, good, I'm so glad. I'm so glad."
He turned toward Mads and said, "Lacey, this is Maddyn Nolan, our backup singer."
Lacey dismissed Mads. "I know who she is."
Anger rose in his throat. She was beyond rude. "Okay, well, anyway, I have to meet with reporters as well. Thank you so much for coming."
"Okay." She stood there for a moment, not moving. He looked up to find Tony and raised his eyebrows. Tony came along and ushered her away. "Sorry, we have to keep the line moving."
Axel turned to Mads, who had a funny grin on her face. "But are you happy to see me?" she said slyly.
He grinned. "I'm always happy to see you."
There it was. Her smile. It was the best.
Chapter Six
The staff at the Sandbar brought barstools out to the stage for them to sit on as reporters gathered to ask them questions. They built the stage on the beach, on the Sandbar's property, but they had an excellent view of the water, the candles still glowing on the tables on the sand, and the moon's glow. It was incredible. Maddyn's smile was so big during the entire interview that her cheeks hurt. She'd never sat with her bandmates to be interviewed, not like this. Not as a group. Reporters usually only wanted to meet Jami. It was a kick. They laughed as they answered questions. Their spirits were high as the reporters smiled at them.
The reporter from the Bugle: "Jami, you perform at home quite a bit; will that stop after you tour the world?"
Jami: "I hope not. Blossom Springs has been fantastic to us." He looked down the line at all of them. "Anyone disagree?"
They shook their heads as the next question came. A reporter from the Sunshine Statement: "You all seem to get along well. What happens if someone falls in love with a bandmate?"
Her stomach knotted as Jami responded. "We have strict rules about that."
