“Constantly with the food,” Luca shook his head as he warmed his hands by the fire.
“What’s with the guitar?” Antoni asked excitedly, taking his seat on the other side of Liv. “Are we going to have a little campfire sing-a-long? If so, I request some Backstreet Boys.”
“I hope this means what I think it means,” Cash spoke up as Ella and Grace joined him on one of the couches.
“We want to show you guys something we’ve been working on and get your thoughts.” I cleared my throat as Liv took the guitar in her hands.
“Oooh,” Antoni purred. “A private concert? Yes, please.”
Liv looked over at me with bright eyes. “Ready?”
I leaned over and kissed her softly. “Ready.”
Chapter 27
Liv
“Shut up!”Antoni cried, dabbingat the corners of his eyes. “How dare you make me cry on Thanksgiving.”
Ella sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. “That was beautiful.”
“Soromantic,” Grace agreed.
“Wow.” Cash looked over at us with wide eyes. “That was incredible.”
“I think we just heard Jax & Liv’s first single.” Dallas nodded, settling back into his seat.
“I think so too.” Derek took a swig of his beer. “Seriously, that was incredible.”
“And I don’t want to put a bunch of pressure on you…” Cash trailed off.
“Why do I feel like the next words out of your mouth are going to be nothing but pressure?” I laughed.
Cash chuckled as he stood and paced before us. “Well, I haven’t even had the chance to tell you guys yet, but the band has been asked to headline the big New Year’s Eve show here in Nashville. The press got wind of Dallas moving here, and I guess that makes the band local enough for them. Anyway, it’s a pretty big deal, and it’s televised nationally. What if we use that as an opportunity to show the world Jax & Liv for the first time?”
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head in disbelief. “It sounds like you’re saying we should perform this song on anationalstage.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Cash said, stopping in front of me. “It’s kind of the perfect opportunity, and nothing gains hype like a big reveal on a national stage. You’re a Nashville girl, and the band is at least partially local now, so there would already be major local interest.”
“Itisworth mentioning that this puts your relationship in the public eye.” Dallas folded his arms across his chest. “That’s something you have to really be ready for.”
“I think it’s something we can handle.” Jax squeezed my hand. “But I don’t want to do anything you’re not ready for.”
I took a deep breath and looked around at the expectant faces around me. Finally, my eyes settled on Jax who gazed back at me with a hopeful expression.
This was a big deal, and Dallas was right. Was this something I was ready for?
I loved Jax, and I knew I saw a future with him in it. I knew there was nobody I would rather do this with than him, but I also wasn’t sure I was ready for everything that came along with this choice.
Sensing my hesitation, Ella spoke up. “People are going to love you, Liv, and I think they’re going to really respond to your love for each other.It comes across in your music, and people willfeelit. You guys have a story that deserves to be heard. You’re ready for this.”
My stomach felt like it was doing backflips as I looked from Ella to Jax. The way his smile reached his eyes, I knew without even asking that he was ready for this. Finally, I turned my gaze to Cash who was waiting patiently for my answer. “Can I think about it?”
“Sure,” he replied. “Take the weekend to think it over. I’ll need to let them know so we can start building some hype. That is, if you want to go through with it.”
“I’ll think about it. We’ll talk it over and let you know first thing next week.”
This could be a dream come true.
