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“What?” Ellie murmured in my ear, and I laughed at the confusion on her face.
“Just wait.”
Jason slapped Drew on the back before stepping back and taking his brother’s place behind the drums. Drew cast his eyes nervously over the crowd as he placed his hands on the microphone Jason had left on the stand for him. His hands trembled, and I silently willed him to relax and do what he needed to. Ellie couldn’t take her eyes off him, and as his gaze met hers, he smiled.
“I don’t come out here very often,” he said. “Truth be told, I’m a lot more comfortable at the back playing the drums, but tonight there’s something I want to say.” He took a deep breath. “A year ago, you may remember, there was a lot of drama within the band. I don’t want to dwell on that because it’s over, but I couldn’t have gotten through it without one particular person. Those of you who have followed the band for a while already know who I mean.” He smiled again, casting his eyes back to Ellie. “My Ellie.”
Ellie stumbled a little, bumping into me, and I laughed, linking my arm through hers to keep her upright.
“Ellie has been my rock, my strength, my best friend, and the only person in the whole world who knows everything about me. Weirdly, she still loves me.” A small ripple of laughter echoed around the room. “Ells, I couldn’t do any of what I do without your support. Can you come up here?”
Her eyes widened, and she looked at me. “What do I do?” she hissed.
Laughing out loud, I said, “Go!”
Knowing how Ellie felt about being in the spotlight, I understood how tough it was for her to climb onto the stage, but it would be worth it, even if she didn’t know that yet. The audience cheered loudly as she stood beside Drew and he kissed her, then took her hand.
“A year ago, you were going to do something amazing for me, Ells. And I should have done this back then to show you how much I love you. I’m going to do it now instead.”
He grinned at her before turning to Mack and giving him a brief nod. The opening bars to “Nobody Knows” began, and Ellie gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand. Again, shivers rippled through me, and when Drew started singing, my goose bumps multiplied. His voice was amazing. Deep and husky, but in a different way to Jason’s.
Jason’s voice was designed for rock tracks, but Drew’s was softer, ideal for ballads like this. It wasn’t just his voice that made the moment special, though. It was the twinkle in his eyes when he looked at Ellie and the tears in hers as he sang the lyrics that meant so much to them. My own eyes prickled with tears as I watched them, the perfect couple with the perfect relationship. Or rather, the relationship that was perfect for them. I doubted any relationship was truly perfect, but I knew for sure they were meant for each other.
I felt Jason’s presence beside me, and I turned to him, blinking away my tears so he wouldn’t think I was a wuss. He chuckled and took my hand, weaving his fingers through mine.
“You big softie,” he whispered.
I nudged him hard in the ribs. “How can you not be moved by this? It’s beautiful.”
He nodded, and when I looked into his eyes, I knew he saw it too. “It sure is.”
We turned our attention back to the stage and watched as Drew finished the song, and the crowd once again erupted into loud cheers.
Ellie wrapped her arms around Drew, and he clung to her for a moment before stepping back to the microphone.
“One more thing, then I promise you can all get back to drinking.”
The crowd laughed and raised their beer bottles in appreciation. Drew then turned to Mack, who placed his guitar on the floor and went to the side of the stage, grabbing something and carefully bringing it to Drew.
“Oh my God!” I threw my head back when I realized what it was.
Jason squinted, trying to figure out what the misshapen object was. “What in the name of hell is that?”
“You’ve never seen that before?” I asked. Jason shook his head, still staring at it, tilting his head sideways as he tried to figure it out. “It’s… art.” I snorted out a laugh when Jason looked at me like I was crazy. “Ellie and Drew attempted to make pottery a while back when they first got together. They apparently gotdistracted, and that ugly thing was the result. Ellie said she couldn’t bear to throw it out, but she thought it was tucked away in her bedroom closet. Drew stole it so he could do this.”
We focused back on the stage, where Ellie had her hands over her mouth as she stared, not just at their masterpiece, but at the item nestled on the top, where the hole for the vase would have been if they hadn’t made such a mess of it. I couldn’t see it too well from where I stood, and if not for the lights bouncing off the diamond, I wouldn’t have spotted the ring at all.
“Eleanor Jane,” Drew said, taking the ring from the vase before placing the ugly pottery on the floor. “I love you so much. I’ve loved you for a long time. Longer than you know. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. Will you marry me?”
The smile that spread across my sister’s face made my tears fall harder, and she nodded. “Yes. Hell yes!”
Drew placed the ring on her finger to another round of applause and whistles. I turned to Jason and flung my arms around his neck.
His hands slipped around my waist, and he said, “I’m reserving the first dance with you, Luce. So make sure any boyfriend you get between now and the wedding knows the deal.”
His words shocked me so much that I jumped away from him and stared into his eyes. He grinned, and I wondered for a second if he was teasing me. But he pulled me back into him, and said, “It’s tradition for the best man and the maid of honor to have the first dance together.”
I narrowed my eyes skeptically. “You sure about that? Also, you’re assuming an awful lot. What if they don’t pick us?”
