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In an adorable Northern Ireland accent, he tells me he’s happy to meet us, then laughs at Bobby when he (Bobby) tells him (Ted) to“keep his fucking lips to himself.”
Lila turns toward us, but she’s speaking to her crowd. “Alright, since Teddy’s here, I think we all know what we’ll be singing tonight. So, please, Kit take a seat.” I look to my left to find someone placing a bar stool a few feet away – bless their sweet, thoughtful hearts. “And Bobby, you stand here.” She manhandles and places him so he stands at my back. “Okay folks, strap in and enjoy!”
Someone runs out and hands the singers a guitar each, and testing his with a single strum, Teddy smirks and turns to me. “Kit, this one’s for you. Because… he loves you.”
Well damn. I think I might cry.
Teddy strums his guitar and croons about lullabies and knowing his one true love, and Lila joins in with her sweet low harmony. I want to turn and hold Bobby, or more accurately, I want him to hold me, but I’m frozen to the spot and unable to take my eyes from the singers. They’re Bobby’s proxies, and they’re telling me he loves me.
I sit with tears in my eyes and mouth the words to a song that’s been number one in the music charts for the better part of a year, but I don’t dare sing out loud. I don’t want to miss a single lyric, a single note that the real singers gift me with.
In the four or so minutes they take to serenade me, my whole world falls away. Bobby’s solid body presses against my back, his large hand strokes soft lines into the side of my neck, but everything else, everything except him and me and Teddy and Lila, it all falls away. I forget that I’m on a stage in front of tens of thousands of people. I forget that my shoulder is zinging with a deep throb. I forget about a really shitty year, and I simply watch the magic and take every word to heart.
Ever since the…incident… it’s as though Bobby is drawn to my left side. As though he’s declared himself protector of my weak side. So, with tears in my eyes and love throbbing in my heart, I sway gently in my seat and sigh as his gentle hand comes down to stroke my shoulder. He knows, even without me saying the words. He knows.
With a flourishing musical end, complete with an amazing light show, the song ends and the lights cut out completely. The stadium is thrust into pitch-blackness, but I don’t panic. Bobby’s hand doesn’t leave my shoulder. His breath doesn’t leave my ear.
“I hope y’all enjoyed that.” Lila’s voice throbs through the speakers, even as we remain in the dark. “Since we seem to have developed a theme to tonight’s show, I want to talk about friends again. They can be family, or they can be randoms you found in the street. We have some of each here tonight. Are you still with me Kit?”
My pulse spikes at being addressed. Now that the lights are out, I can see the sheer magnitude and number of people flooding out in front of us. Clearing my throat, I lift my microphone nervously. “Ah, yeah, I’m here.”
“Good, I’m sending someone over to grab you. Relax, we won’t let you trip, I promise. I want you to come over here. I have one more surprise for you.”
A woman’s small hand takes mine and pulls me from my stool, and stumbling, I pull myself together and let her lead me along. She, whoever she is, leads me a few feet in the direction Lila and Teddy were standing moments ago, so I prepare my ‘I’m not a weirdo and I can be cool around superstars’ face. I’m not sure it’s convincing. It’s far more likely I look like I have gas.
“Okay, we better hurry. I’ll be in trouble soon if I don’t get those lights back on. Safety and all that. Alright, so Bobby told me that your B.F.F. wanted to come tonight, but you didn’t have enough tickets. First of all, I’m not judging, okay? Whatever floats a boat. But Tink? Her name’s Tink? Who would do that to their kid?”
I burst out laughing and hold my aching ribs. Casey’s going to murder him for this. I swipe invisible tears from my eyes at the same time another hand reaches for mine. I know this one, easy. It’s not hard to know your sister in the dark.
I pull her in and hug her tight, then I bring the microphone back to my mouth. “Her name’s actually Casey. Bobby just likes to tease.”
“Okay, well, just so the rest of us know what’s going on, she’s here tonight, and I assume you realize that’s her holding your hand. Surprise!”
I laugh and clutch at Case’s hand. “I’d know her anywhere. Thank you for bringing her along. We’ve both been fans for a long time.”
“It was my pleasure, sweet Kit. Happy birthday. Take your girl, enjoy the rest of the show. Umm, person in charge of the lights, could you switch them back on now, please?”
I’m blinded when the stadium illuminates and renders the suddenly screaming crowd invisible to me, but my eyes adjust and I see faces – many faces, many familiar faces.
I scream at Jimmy’s smoldering chocolate eyes barely a foot in front of mine. Cupping my face, he smacks a wet kiss on my lips and slaps my ass as he walks by. Then Aiden and Jon. They hug me gently and pass me on. Jack steps up next and turns my excited squeals to flat out sobbing when mybig-little brother takes me in his arms and towers over me. Nelly after him, then Iz after that. They each take their turn, they wipe away my tears, they drop a kiss on my moist cheeks, and then they pass me along.
Nelly takes my shaking hand, turns us to the crowd, and points to the front row. I follow her gaze and burst into fresh tears when George – my dad’s sweet friend – smiles with proud eyes. Callum and Michael stand beside their moms and wave, then my boss and his wife next. Faces from the gym, faces with names I know, some that I don’t, smile and wave. My face crumbles with an odd mix of sobbing and laughter. I’m terrified. I’m elated. I’m happy beyond words. I’m overwhelmed.
Nelly steps back and releases my hand, then Tink mirrors her so I stand all alone in a sea of family. The crowd’s noise turns up to a whole new level, so I turn to my friends in question.
With big smiles and pointing fingers, they tell me to turn around.
My blood sizzles with anticipation. I already know what I’ll find. Of course I do. I turn a slow 180 and stop at the most beautiful sight of Bobby bent on one knee.
His lifted knee bounces with nerves, and his chocolate eyes shine with emotion. With a diamond ring pinched between his thumb and forefinger of one hand, he lifts his microphone with the other. “Baby? Come over here a second?”
The crowd melts into a swooning mess at his voice of liquid sex.
I already know the answer to the question he hasn’t yet asked, but I step forward and follow his instructions anyway. How could I not? I’d do anything he asked. For the rest of our lives.
“So… you probably already heard that I love you.”
I nod and wipe away stray tears. “I love you too, babe.”
