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“Gee, why ever did you let that one go?” I giggled, raising my brows at him.
Luke smirked and threw a paper coaster at me. I lifted my hands in defeat and laughed some more.
Unexpectedly, my name was announced over the pub’s speakers. I looked up to see Nate on the mini-stage, mic in hand, and the entire room staring back. The band were all gaping at me, with wide eyes and paling faces.
“My little sister, the one and only Natalie Rivers, would love to sing a few songs for you all, if that’s okay?”
The crowd burst with cheers of excitement. I gritted my teeth and looked over to Luke, somehow thinking he could save me. He simply smiled and motioned me to the stage with a nod. I guess I couldn’t refuse.
“I’m not going up there without you,” I murmured, giving him a pained expression.
Luke grinned, with a glint in his eye. “Let’s go then.”
The excited chatter in the crowd made my chest tighten as we approached the stage. Luke grabbed his old guitar and slid the strap over his shoulder, whilst Nate handed over the mic with a cheeky grin. He knew I wouldn’t say no.
I whispered a song name into Luke’s ear and asked him if he could play it.
“Are you kidding?” He shook his head and began to play the intro instantly. His memory was impressive. The band followed his lead, and me not long after.
It was heart-warming to see Luke watching me sing with the same enchanted expression I remembered from years before. It took me back to a distant memory of just the two of us, sitting in the barn playing and writing music when we were younger. I missed that the most. Being able to freely write and sing about anything, instead of being told what to write and what to sing on a daily basis.
We played a few more songs to keep the crowd happy, before handing the microphone back to a paling Nate.
“Are you okay?” I asked him, but his only response was a non-committal tip of the head.
“He’s fine, Blue,” Luke whispered in my ear, and quickly ushered me away from Nate and off the stage.
He directed me to the back of the pub, whilst Nate prepared himself to make some sort of announcement.
“What’s going on?”
Luke’s eyes sparkled happily as he motioned me to watch Nate up on the stage. “Just watch,” he said.
His hand remained in place on the small of my back, and I couldn’t help but be aware of every little sensation his fingertips were responsible for.
“Another round of applause for Natalie Rivers and the Easton Blues Band!” Nate announced, and the crowd clapped and cheered happily.
An unexpected feeling of loss occurred as soon as Luke’s hand left my body to join the applause. I smiled and shyly waved away the attention, pushing the gratitude to Luke and his band.
“Okay, that’s enough attention on my sister, now back to me. I’ve prepared a speech,” Nate teased. “I would like to thank you all for coming here tonight to celebrate my birthday. Can you believe I’ve survived thirty years?”
The crowd laughed and a few heckled.
“I would especially like to thank my parents for giving birth to me, my mate, Luke for being an awesome friend and brother from another mother, and also my sister, Natalie. Thank you so much for coming all the way from Nashville, it was such a great surprise.” He caught my eye and I smiled warmly up at him.
He looked like he was about to walk off the stage when he pretended to remember something. “Oh! I almost forgot! There is one more…Amanda? Mands, where are you? Can you come up here please?” he called out, searching for her in the crowd.
Amanda reluctantly joined Nate on stage, looking embarrassed.
“Mands, thank you for organising all of this, you are truly amazing and I love you so much,” he declared, pulling her into a hug and kissing her softly on the lips.
Amanda smiled when he released her, but instead of escorting her off the stage, Nate dropped to one knee and held out a ring. Amanda’s eyes grew wide and she clutched her chest.
The crowd went wild.
My mouth fell open in disbelief and I looked up for confirmation from Luke, who was obviously in on it. He responded with a smile and nod, before slipping his arm around my waist. I turned my attention back to the stage in anticipation.
Nate beamed up at Amanda, who was already tearing up. His expression grew serious. “Will you give me the greatest gift of all and do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
