Page 155 of Cherry Beats

Presley dropped down behind his drum kit, and I heard the guitar kick in just a second before Presley brought his sticks down, and the familiar sound ofSummer of ‘69made the arena roar to life.

From the left of the stage came a figure I never thought I’d stand in front of in my life.

Bryan.

Fucking.

Adams.

I gasped—the sound so loud I was sure everyone could hear it. My hands flew to my mouth, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Bryan Adams ran to Rhett, reaching out to shake his hand eagerly, while Presley played away in the background, his tongue poking out, trapped between his teeth as he stared our way. He couldn’t see me, I knew that much, but he could feel me, and he sure as shit knew what this would do.

“Ladies and gents, boys and girls, scoundrels and dirtbags… it’s the one and only Mr Bryan Fucking Adams!” Rhett screamed.

I couldn’t hear anything that was said. I couldn’t do anything but focus on Presley as tears filled my eyes. Not even my hero could make me look away from the man I loved.

This was for me. This was the reason he wanted me here tonight. He wanted to make another dream of mine come true.

“Quick!” Bourbon said, nudging my shoulder and bending down in front of me. “Now. Do it now.”

“What? What are you doing?” I frowned, looking down at him on his knees in front of me.

“Get on his bloody shoulders, Tess,” Molly snapped, pushing me forward.

“Wait. No. I can’t—woah!”

“Do it now, young lady, or so help me God…”

I moved at once, too eager to argue and too shaken up to take control. Bryan Adams was saying something, going back and forth with Rhett as Presley played alongside Hawk and Coops, but I couldn’t understand a word of it. Before I knew what was happening, I was on Bourbon’s shoulders, and I was being hoisted in the air, above the crowds, my body taller than ever as I balanced on strong shoulders and looked up at the stage.

As if he’d been waiting for the very thing that was happening, Presley looked directly at me, his smile growing into a shit-eating grin that made the whole stage light up.

He saw me.

I saw him.

We were surrounded by thousands of people, but none of them mattered. Not even the music god at the front of the stage. All that mattered was each other. The noise, the crowds, the scandals, the what ifs and hows… they could all wait. They could drown alongside my regrets.

Presley’s arms tensed as he brought them down over and over again, his body working on auto as his eyes stayed locked on me.

“Hey, Bryan!” Presley leaned into his mic, still looking my way. “You ready to do this?”

“Sure am.” Bryan spun around, walking back to Presley to say something to him while Presley continued on with his effortless beat.

They talked without any of us hearing what they were saying, and I watched as Presley threw his head back and let his laughter rain free. For the first time all night, he looked truly happy.

When Bryan began to walk back to stand beside Rhett, Presley turned back to his mic and stared down at it as he spoke. “This one’s for…” He paused and huffed out a seductive laugh. “You all know who it’s for. Here’s to those who matter, those we’d lie for, those we cry for, those we’d fly across the world for. Those we’d drag up the earth to discover gold dust for, and those we’d, without question, without remorse, fucking die for. Here’s to the girls who make everything better.”

Holding on to Bourbon’s head with one hand, I clamped the other over my mouth and let my happy tears fall free.

The band did a mash-up of several of Bryan’s songs, one leading into the other, making every lyric count. Slow, painful songs were transformed into fast, edgy, love songs that mixed my two favourite artists together perfectly.Everything I do, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, Run to You, Heaven,and then finally, it ended onPlease Forgive Me.

The moment I heard Bryan and Rhett weave their magic together so beautifully, and I saw the way Presley mouthed along to the words, I tapped on Bourbon’s head, begging him to let me down.

“I need to get to him,” I called out, hanging on as he lowered himself, and me, back to solid ground.

“My shoulders,” Bourbon croaked, gripping the left one and scrunching his face up in pain while I scrambled off and into Molly’s arms.

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