Page 81 of Slow Ride

29

Afew nights later, Kason played his first concert since his hiatus.

Wren watched nervously from the wings of the stage, hoping his leg didn’t bother him too much.He’d been nervous as fuck before going on, something both Van and Kyra found unusual enough that Wren was afraid he might trip and break his other leg or something.It was no longer funny.

Nothing that could injure him or Jordan was a laughing matter.

They had reached the tail end of the show now, this song and an encore from the end, and he was killing it despite using the rolling scooter the Hot Rods and Hot Rides had made cool for him, even on short notice.The crowd was singing along with every song, dancing, and generally lusting after her man.Well, one of her men.

Wren looked over at Jordan, who was mouthing the lyrics to one of Kason’s hits as he danced beside her.He was a different person than he’d been five years ago.Hell, even a month ago.

He caught her stare and grinned.Then he twirled her around before dipping her and coming in for a kiss.

They were so enthralled with each other and the bliss overwhelming their lives that at first they didn’t notice the spotlight that flicked onto them as Kason ended one song and a low intro began to play in the background.

“Hey, you two lovebirds,” Kason called, snapping their attention to him.“Come out here, please?”

The crowd whistled as they noticed Wren and Jordan making out before shuffling onto the stage awkwardly.Right behind them, Wren heard Rick shouting, “What’s going on?We didn’t rehearse this!What the fuck?”

She also heard Van intervene, keeping Rick from following them or yanking them back, though she didn’t bother to give the asshole much of her attention.

There might have been tens of thousands of people watching, but only Kason and Jordan mattered to her.

“Hey,” he said to them as they neared.“Everyone.I want you to meet two of my favorite people in the world.This is Wren, and Jordan, and they’re in love.”

More whistles and cheers.

“I happen to be the most fortunate bastard in the world, because they also love me.”

A crash from the side stage didn’t deter Kason.He kept going, putting his heart out there for the world to see and judge.Wren couldn’t help herself.She reached for him and kissed him too.

The roar from the crowd was nearly deafening.She had no idea how Kason could stand up there and absorb that every night.The lights, the noise, it was…overwhelming.

She stepped back.Then she looked from Kason to Jordan—who was standing statue still, as if afraid to say or do anything wrong—and raised a brow.She’d shown him the way—would he take it or halfass this?

Kason didn’t disappoint.

He rolled closer so that he could put his hands on either side of Jordan’s face and bring it to his.The scorching exchange of their lips and tongues left absolutely no doubt in her heart or in the minds of anyone watching.

Kason loved them too.Both of them.

Wren cheered so loud she probably wouldn’t be able to speak for a week.She jumped up and down and clapped while her two men blew everyone in the audience away.

She knew for sure they had, because suddenly, it was so quiet she heard Rick cursing from the other side of the stage.

Kason pulled away from Jordan with a sigh that promised he was saving a lot more of that for later.Then he turned to the audience and spoke to them with a steely certainty that made Wren’s heart blossom.

“In life, you don’t always know what’s coming your way.But when something spectacular shows up, you have to grab it.So for this encore tonight, I want to perform a new song for you.One I wrote for Wren and Jordan.I hope you like it even better than the ones I’ve written before, because it’s authentic and it comes from my heart.”

A roadie rushed over and handed Kason the acoustic guitar he’d been playing that day at the cabin.He told everyone, “It’s called ‘The Real Thing.’”

The music picked up and Kason joined in.“‘Sometimes you have to crash, before you can heal.Sometimes you have to bust, before you can make it real…’”

Wren wished she could look out at the people listening to their love song to gauge their reactions, but she couldn’t peel her stare off Kason long enough to see if his words had as much impact on the crowd as they did on her.She’d meant what she’d said.No one else mattered.

But for Kason’s sake, she prayed that they loved him as much as she did.

The song was beautiful, and not only because it was theirs.

---