AllFreeNovel
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“It was really good. I had homemade pasta.” She glances at the water bottle in my hand. “Did you eat?”
“I had a granola bar a little while ago. I’ll eat after the show.”
There’s another knock on the door.
“Come in!” I call out again.
A minute later, a woman wearing a headset is poking her head into my dressing room. “Hi! Sorry to interrupt. Brayden sent me. They’re ready for sound check.”
“I should go get changed anyway.” Piper kisses my cheek, then spins toward the door. “Alex is picking me up from the hotel in an hour.”
Her whole family is coming tonight. Wells and Norah even coincided a visit here with my show. They flew in last night, which makes me think Piper’s father might have said something after I sweated my way through asking him for his blessing.
I pull her back to me, leaning down and kissing her long enough that she’s blushing when she steps away.
“What was that for?”
“I missed you.”
She smiles. “See you after the show.”
I nod, even knowing she’ll see me before that. Then, I leave my dressing room and head for the stage.
The next couple of hours are a blur of activity. Which is good. It keeps my mind occupied and my nerves at bay all the way until I step out onto the stage.
The last time I performed in front of a crowd this size, I was just as nervous as I am right now. And as uncomfortable as it is, I also appreciate it. Before I stepped away, before I met Piper, music stopped meaning as much. It was an excuse, not a passion. I was going through the motions without appreciating any part of it.
Anxiety is better than apathy.
The first few songs flow easily. My body remembers this routine, resettles into it better than it recalled manual labor when I returned to the ranch.
And then I reach her song, strumming the opening chords.
This is the first show of the tour, so the crowd doesn’t know the set list yet. They’re screaming and enthusiastic already, but it reaches a fever pitch I can hear through my ear monitors. Muffled but noticeable.
They know this song.
After I played it at the benefit concert, it became my most streamed song in a matter of weeks.
I glance offstage, and she’s there. Standing right next to Brayden, wearing a sparkly blue dress and a huge smile.
“Actually, before I play this song, there’s one thing I’d like to do.”
There are a few screams and shouts, and then the din dies down a little as I continue talking.
“Piper, can you come out here?”
When I glance over, her smile is gone. She’s glancing around, looking at Brayden, who shrugs helplessly. They’re the two people most integral to making this tour happen, and this is one thing I know is going according to plan, but they have no idea about it.
Finally, she steps forward. Pauses when there’s a loud reaction to her appearance onstage, but continues walking until she’s right in front of me. I pull off my guitar and set it in its stand, turning to face her and pulling out one earpiece.
“What are you doing?” It registers as a whisper, but I’m pretty sure she’s shouting.
“I wanted to give you one last chance.”
“One last chance for what?”
“To change your mind.”
