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Jax looks to me, to which I reply, “I have no idea.”
“Well then, I’d better have my camera at the ready so I can send it to his mom. We’re in the same book club.”
Sometimes I forget how small this town can be—what are the odds?
“Mom,” Jax suddenly blurts in warning. “Don’t you dare say anything until it happens—and then let them be the first to announce it. Even Sloane’s sisters are in the dark, and I’m not ruining Ryan’s surprise.”
When his mom cocks her head to the side with confusion clearly written all over her features, Jax quickly adds, “Ryan’s proposing to Sloane’s sister Lanie. It’s a long story. But don’t say a word… here they come.”
Sure enough, Ryan’s leading Lanie through the crowd to the table.
“This is so exciting!” Jax’s sister quietly claps her hands together but stops when Jax pointedly glares at her.
Before anyone can say another word, Mr. Cartwright pats me on the shoulder. “It was nice meeting you, Sloane, but we’d better grab a table if we want to get a good view.” He winks at his wife, then points at a table near Lanie. “Let’s take that one.”
“Oh, good idea, honey,” Mrs. Cartwright agrees, then says to me, “It was nice meeting you, sweetie. I hope we see more of you.”
“Mom…” comes from Jax on a moan as his sister giggles.
God, I love this family. They are a riot.
The moment they leave, Jax points his thumb to the stage behind him. “I’d better get things set up.” He turns, then stops to pin me with his beautiful blue eyes. “Hey, before you leave tonight, I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“What’s that?”
His sexy lips spread into a smirk. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
With that, he turns on a dime, walks to the stage, and gets ready to play, leaving me completely wanting more than just the answer to my question.
I know I’m an ass for leaving things like that—but what I have to say to Sloane is best without an audience. It will also take more time than I’ve got before I’m due on stage. As I make my way through the crowd, I’m surprised to see so many people for a Thursday night. Glancing into the bar through the undercover area, the place is packed.
Is there an event in town I didn’t know about? Or are all these people here to see me? Shit—I don’t know, but I can’t think about that now. I need to focus.
By the time I introduce myself to the crowd, there isn’t a seat left onsite. One thing I love about this venue is I can perform no matter the weather. When Joe remodeled, he had it designed so an entire wall opens to the outside with an adjoining outdoor covered patio. The stage is built so it can be inside the building in the winter and open to the outside during the summer. Since we are a coastal town in the Pacific Northwest, heaters are built into the ceiling, so patrons won’t get cold.
I know everyone is here for the music, so I keep my speaking to a minimum. “I’m Jax Cartwright. Thanks for coming out tonight. Are you ready for some fun?”
From the loud cheers that erupt, they are clearly ready. “Before I begin, I want to say a special thanks to my dad. He may not know it, but his support and encouragement is a big part of why I’m on stage with you tonight.” I take a moment to meet his gaze and continue, “I hope you enjoy the show.”
Strumming a few chords, I check to see if my guitar is in tune, and I launch into my version of his favorite song—“American Pie.” In my few short weeks of playing on stage, I’ve quickly learned if I start out with a crowd favorite, they are far more engaged when I sprinkle in my own songs.
As I sing, my heart soars when I catch glimpses of my parents’ expressions. In an instant, I can tell they’re both equally in shock and proud. It makes me realize how ridiculous it was to keep this to myself. It wasn’t that I purposely kept my music as a secret, it just never occurred to me that others would want to hear it.
Obviously, I was wrong—if the crowd’s reaction to this song ending is anything to go by. I’m not sure what I’d been so worried about. As I transition into another cover song, this time by Shawn Mendes, I realize I’d been a fool. I love performing and now that I’m over my initial fear, I know this is something that isn’t going away.
Glancing to Sloane, I see she’s still sitting alone. Hopefully, her sisters will arrive soon, so Ryan won’t have to wait too much longer. I made a point to text her my set list, so she could pass it along to him, and he’ll know approximately when he can make his move. But if her sisters aren’t here, I’ll be flexible. There’s no way I could let them miss this.
I can’t imagine what Ryan’s feeling in this moment. I’m sure that ring is burning a hole in his pocket, waiting for the right time. I’d be like a cat jumping across a hot tin roof—nothing but a bundle of nerves until I was able to finally pop the question. Ryan is a saint to sit there so cool and collected.
There’s no way I could do that.
As I launch into the original cover of “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt, my eyes are once again drawn to Sloane. Couples from around the room get up to dance. People sway between us, but my eyes never leave hers. God, she’s gorgeous. Her smile is hypnotic, and I’m completely in a trance as the words flow through me melodically.
It’s uncanny the parallels of how my life are to this song. Here I am singing about meeting a beautiful girl. Unlike the words go in the song, I’m not sure I’m worthy of her, but I want to take my shot. The more I get to know her, the more I like her. She’s not only beautiful, but she’s smart, funny, and competitive as hell. I certainly hope that will play to my advantage later tonight. God only knows how this woman will react.
When the song ends, I notice two girls slip into the seats next to Sloane. As I break into my next song, I find myself needing to close my eyes so I can concentrate on the words. I just wrote this song a few weeks ago, and I want to make it perfect.
It’s about taking chances, never giving up, and the courage to believe in yourself. It talks specifically of my journey of getting to this place. It makes me feel raw, and I know if I look at anyone I know, I might not be able to get through it. It’s a lot more upbeat than “You’re Beautiful” so when I open my eyes during the chorus, I’m pleased to find people still on the dance floor. By the end of the second verse, I’m surprised to find many are singing the chorus as they dance to the beat.
