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EPILOGUE
Piper
The limo pulled up to the drop-off for the red carpet, and I quickly checked my makeup to make sure my lipstick hadn’t smeared from where Cannon had just kissed me. I’d been nervous all day, and his kisses—among other activities—were the only things that could distract me.
In all my years of being a musician, I’d been up for plenty of awards. Grammys, AMAs, and many international awards, just to name a few. But I’d never imagined I would one day be nominated for an Emmy. Yet there I was, up for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in a Series.
If it hadn’t been for Cannon sitting in on the Zoom call and convincing me to write a new song for the show, none of this would have been possible. But now, the show was nominated in seven different categories, including my contribution.
The door opened, and Cannon stepped out first, adjusting his tux before reaching in to help me out. I put my hand in his then stuck my right leg out, the slit in my dress going all the way up to my hip, making my boyfriend growl at the obvious sign that I wasn’t wearing panties.
Seeing his jealousy eased my nervousness, and I stepped beside him, loving the possessive way he put his hand on my hip and kept it there. For the next hour as we walked the red carpet, talking to every entertainment host and taking pictures together the entire way, he stayed glued to my side. Silently encouraging me, yet announcing to the entire world with how he touched me that I belonged to him.
Moments before the award show started, we were shown to our seats. My category wasn’t until later in the program, so I sat back and glanced around, people watching. But as the seats around us began to fill up more and more, my anxiety faded, yet it seemed Cannon’s only grew.
“Since when do you get nervous with thousands of people and cameras all around?” I teased, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Relax, babe. I promise if I don’t win, I won’t cry.”
It was a total lie. I would cry so hard, but not there. I’d wait until we got home, to the apartment we’d bought together just a few months before when he’d asked me to officially move in with him. Not that we hadn’t been living together before that. But we’d wanted a place that belonged to both of us, and our parents had been pushing us to make things more permanent.
My parents had been hesitant about our relationship at first, especially my mom, but as time passed and they saw how happy I was with Cannon, they’d accepted that he was going to be a huge part of my future. So when they’d tag-teamed us with the Cages, I’d realized they were finally fully on board with us being together.
Cannon gave me a grim smile and draped his arm along the back of my chair, kissing the top of my head without commenting. Another ten minutes passed, and my category would be announced soon. The closer it got to that time, the more restless he seemed.
“Cannon,” I whispered. “Babe, what’s wrong?”
He groaned and turned in his seat to look at me just as the two celebrities who were announcing my category walked onto the stage. “I love you so fucking much, Pipes. I want you to know that I’m so incredibly proud of you. I was going to wait until after they announced the winner, but I don’t want you to think I’m doing this because you won. And then there’s the infinitesimal chance that you might not win, and then you could think I’m doing it to console you in some way.”
“What are you talking about?” I whispered, confused.
He thrust his hand into his tux jacket and pulled out a little box and opened it. “Marry me, Pipes.”
I gaped down at the huge diamond solitaire, speechless.
“Piper Bryant!” My name echoed through the auditorium, but I couldn’t move, could barely fucking breathe as I just sat there staring at the ring.
Cannon laughed happily and stood, pulling me to my feet. “You won, sugar,” he praised, kissing me. But I was still too stunned by his question to react. Sighing, he gave me a nudge toward the stage, while around me, everyone was clapping and congratulating me.
Shaking the daze away, I snatched the ring box out of his hand and slowly walked up onstage. The two actors gave me my Emmy and the card with my name on it, but I barely saw any of it, my eyes going back to the open ring box in my hand.
I knew I was expected to make a speech, and I’d written a few different ones over the course of the week, but I hadn’t thought I would actually need it.
The male actor nudged me. “Just a few words,” he encouraged with a wink.
Swallowing hard, I pushed the Emmy and card into his hands. “Hold this for me,” I told him.
He barely caught it before I was pulling the ring from the box and sliding it on to my left hand. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the microphone. “Um, wow, I guess you can tell I’m a little stunned,” I tried to joke, earning chuckles from the audience. “I had a list of people I wanted to thank, but right now, my mind is blank except for one thing.”
A tear spilled over my lashes, and I looked straight at Cannon. “Yes, jerkface. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
