AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He didn't surprise me. He knew I hated surprises.
Always had and always would.
I'd been that kid who found my way into every Christmas present stash that ever existed. I'd have never slept in the days leading up to Christmas if I didn't.
Eventually when my mom realized what I did every year, she'd started letting me pick out my own damn gifts. It was easier for everyone involved.
But the last place, the absolute last place I could have ever expected to pull up was The Bird Lounge. My brain latched onto the fact that it was Tuesday, and open mic night had already drawn a huge crowd. "We're here to listen to music?" I asked, my voice hopeful.
Lino ignored me, stepping out of the car and going to the trunk. By the time he came to my door, he held my guitar case in his hand. "Come on, Little Dove. Come sing with me."
I took his hand, even if I wanted to run. It was time to trust him, time to let him shove me over the edge into the life that I needed to start living again.
The truth was that no matter how much I feared getting up on stage, I missed it horribly. Missed the way the crowd could get lost in the music and the way I got lost in it. I craved it and needed it.
I wasn't whole without it.
Stepping in through the front doors, I never could have prepared myself for the crowd that had formed. It was insane, and I'd gone to a ton of open mic nights. I'd never seen it so crowded.
Rex rushed over, taking my guitar in one hand and my hand in the other. "Thank God, I thought you weren't going to show." He tugged me up to the empty stage, sitting me down in one of the chairs that waited in the center of the stage.
"What's going on?" I asked him.
"Sugar, all these people are here to listen to you sing. They remembered you, and I have been talking about this for a week. Time's come for you to sing again and say fuck that stupid ass man who went and told you that you couldn't." Lino took a seat next to me on the stage as Rex thrust my guitar into my arms.
"I—uh, I'm sorry guys. I have no clue what's going on," I announced to a crowd that laughed in response.
"My wife had no clue we were coming tonight," Lino grinned at them. "And you'll have to forgive her. It's been a long time since she sang in public. I apologize for this, but to help her shake off the rust, I’m going to put my ass right in the front row." The crowd laughed with him as he turned and sat in the chair right in front of the stage dramatically. I laughed at the women who screamed like he was their entire world. He had that effect.
He turned to me, whispering the name of a song I’d sung for him years ago, before Connor had destroyed my confidence and made me feel like my voice wasn’t worth listening to. Before I’d stopped singing altogether.
I took my pick in my hands, looking down at the purple color and the white dove that stared back at me. A piano played in the background, starting the song before I could take a moment to catch my breath.
Lino caught my eyes, nodding at me. I wanted to hate him for the way he'd ambushed me. For the fact that I hadn't had time to get my thoughts together before they'd shoved me on the stage.
I knew he'd done it intentionally so I couldn't back out.
When my cue came, I plucked the guitar strings, and started singing at the same time. My voice was too soft, too hesitant.
I knew it, the crowd knew it, but they gave me time to figure it out. It suited the song, but there was no way it would catch the attention of such a big audience.
Lino grinned at me from the front row, offering me silent support that bolstered me despite my nerves. He knew what I needed, knew that I would never come around to stepping up on the stage if left to my own devices.
So he’d gone out of his way to make the decision for me, to guide me through my nerves, and to support me through the aftermath.
Anything for you, Little Dove.
He didn't speak the words, didn't need to. It was all right there in his eyes as he stared down at me. Of all the amazing, thoughtful gifts he'd given me.
He gave me back my voice.
This was my favorite.
I found my voice, singing to him about a woman who'd been needing her man. I found my strength, and I knew that I would always need him. The crowd melted away until there was nothing but the two of us.
I sniffed back my tears when the song ended. I stood, stepping up to the mic and feeling like slow and soft just wouldn't do. I needed to sing and really take my life back.
The second song came out strong from the get-go, the guitar riffs accentuating the way I needed my voice to sound as I started the song that resonated in my soul in that moment.
