Epilogue
River
Kit drove us downtown in his GMC Sierra truck to the iHeartRadio offices, where the interview was being recorded.
I hoped Lerner had the things I’d asked them to bring to the station.
I wasn’t sure about deliveries, though they’d been certain there was plenty of time for my order to show up when I asked them to do me the favor.
They were a huge lifesaver for all of us after the shit Marshall put us through, and we already trusted they would keep their word. We were set to plan the future of Accidental Fire, and I was thrilled Lerner would represent us going forward.
Arlo, Goldie, Hardy, and JD were waiting for me in the makeup room.
Kit went into the green room where the assistant had directed him, allowing the guys and me to talk about what had been happening since we’d finished the tour.
We’d all been doing our own thing, which had been nice.
When Lerner came into the room with a box, I knew they’d come through for me.
“Gentlemen, happy Thursday. How are we all doing?” Lerner asked, their polite smile reassuring us they had everything under control.
They were dressed in a nice tweed jacket with an ivory ruffled top and a gray flannel skirt that matched perfectly. The lace-up boots were cool, and I hoped some of their style sense rubbed off on me.
I wore the rust-colored silk shirt Lauren had sent, but I’d traded the ivory satin pants for a pair of my own black jeans.
Kit hadn’t liked them, and I’d agreed with him.
I’d felt a bit exposed wearing them. We were doing a radio show, not a television show or a concert, but there would be a photographer taking photos for Barker Dussault to use in promotions for the band and the album, and my dick did not need to be the focus.
We chatted with Lerner for a bit as we took our turns in the makeup and hair chairs as they opened the box.
“Here’s the double album sets you all need to autograph for the stations to give away across the country.
The LA stations are giving away tickets to The Offbeat concert redo, and you’ll be doing a meet-and-greet there for one hundred fans to get the albums signed personally, just as you asked. ”
They put a stack of one hundred albums on the table, and I grinned. “That’s not too bad.”
Lerner laughed. “There are five hundred more at the record studio for you to sign when we meet with Mr. Ashby tomorrow to talk about next steps. We need to have all of them signed this week so they can be mailed out before Thanksgiving for distribution during the holiday season for iHeart’s Jingle Ball promotion. ”
Lerner then turned toward me. “I have the package you sent to my office. I also have the album you requested for Kit. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, but thanks a lot for doing this, Lerner. I appreciate your help.” They nodded and went about handing out Sharpies, and we all dug into the stack of albums to autograph them as Lerner had asked.
“What did you have sent to Lerner? My Christmas present?” Goldie teased as he elbowed me in the ribs.
I ignored him. “Will you guys sign this one first? I promised it to Kit when he started working for us.”
JD laughed. “Working for us, huh? Yeah, I heard you and him working in the sleeper cab of his truck one day when we stopped for lunch outside Portland. When’s my turn to have Kit work on me?”
The other guys laughed with him, but I didn’t give a damn. I was planning a future with the man I loved, and it was time for the first step.
“Are any of you married?” Jamie St. Marie, one of the DJs for the weekend countdown show, asked. He was about forty, and his partner, Viv, was sitting at the desk next to him.
“Jamie, they’re a little young to be married,” Viv said. We all nervously laughed. Lerner had said it was best to keep the topic on the music during the interview. We didn’t owe anyone personal information about us, and I liked their attitude.
“Well, we’re not too young to be married, but so far, we’re all single,” Hardy said.
I chuckled. “I’m not.”
“Oh? You wanna tell us about your relationship?” Jamie asked.
“No, but I really want to thank the fans for all the support during our tour. It was beyond fantastic to see our fans at our concerts. We didn’t expect to have so many, but we’re so glad to see them come out. They were phenomenal.”
I was doing my best to lead them away from our personal lives. I wasn’t the only one involved, so I was determined to keep my mouth closed.
“Okay. Here’s the song checking in at number twenty.”
The producer waved a hand, and we stopped. “That was great,” Viv said as she walked over to the coffee bar and poured herself another cup of coffee. “You guys don’t want to talk about your personal lives, right?”
Arlo stepped forward and leaned into the mic. “Hell no.”
The rest of us laughed. “No. We’d rather not discuss our personal lives,” Goldie responded.
In an instant, Lerner was there with their phone. “We have a list of…”
I turned toward the window of the booth to see Kit standing there with a frown on his handsome face. “Stop. I’ll talk about my relationship, and you guys can keep yours silent.”
“We’re back with Accidental Fire. Let’s talk about the gold record you got for ‘I’ll Find You.’ What’s the story behind that?”
“My brother, Skyler Ashe, is an incredible drummer, teacher, and songwriter. He wrote ‘I’ll Find You’ for his husband and gave it to us to record. It’s an incredible song, and we’re proud that his words have been embraced by the rock and pop community.”
Viv smiled. “It’s a beautiful song. Speaking of beautiful songs, here’s number nineteen in the countdown.”
The recording went on for an hour with softball questions that Lerner allowed them to ask, and we all answered with as much faked enthusiasm as we could master. When it was over, I walked out of the studio and exhaled, happy that it was over.
Kit met me in the hallway, wrapping his arms around me. “I think it was pretty fantastic from what I heard. I love you, Riv. You were incredible.”
Hearing his words was beautiful, but I had something more important I wanted to ask him. It just hadn’t been the right time.
It was easy to laugh. “Wait until you see my next act. I love you too.”
The OffbeatLos Angeles, CA
Being backstage at The Offbeat again was surreal. I almost remembered it, but I’d been fucked up the last time we were there. This show was to make that one up to the fans.
If anyone had been at the shit show, as we’d started calling it, all they had to do was show the ticket stub, and they got in free. The rest of the audience was made up of people who bought tickets or won them from the iHeartRadio station, KIIS-FM. The venue was full, thankfully.
Kit stepped next to me and placed his arms around my waist. “I love you. Give them everything.” A kiss to my neck lit my skin on fire.
We went out to the stage, and the crowd went wild. It was the week after Thanksgiving, and we were ready to give them the show they deserved. It was redemption time, and I had a plan to add a little something extra for them.
I turned to the guys and smiled. “I hope you’ll give me a little leeway on this. I’ll get to the point pretty quick, I promise.”
I played the introduction to “Jingle Bell Rock” because it was the holiday season, and the crowd roared.
I stepped up to my mic and waved to the crowd.
“Hello, Los Angeles! We’re proud to be here to give you the show you deserve.
We’re Accidental Fire, and before we get started, I’ve got a little personal business I’d like to take care of if you’ll bear with me. Coaster, can I get my Fender acoustic?”
Coaster was standing in the wings with my guitar because I hadn’t been sure when I would do this, so he was at the ready. I took off my electric and traded him, strumming my acoustic to check that it was tuned properly—of course, it was.
“Charlie, will you bring me that package I gave you. As a matter of fact, can all the road crew come out? These are the unsung heroes of our Start the Fire tour. Let’s give them a hand, please.”
The four of them came onto the stage, which was fun to watch because they were definitely behind-the-scenes guys. Hardy gave a drumroll and a cymbal crash, and the guys rushed off stage, Charlie handing me the package, which I put on the riser where Hardy’s kit was anchored.
“Okay. I wrote this song during the tour, but I only played it for one person, the one I wrote it for. Kit, babe, will you come out here?”
He was standing behind the curtain, and his expression was priceless. “He’s a little shy, so let’s give him a round of applause to get him out.” I was sure everyone thought I’d lost my damn mind, but there was a method to my madness.
I strummed the introduction to “Three Words” and turned to look at him. “You can stand there, but I’ll look like an idiot if you don’t come out here. I have your Christmas gift.”
Then I started to sing.
Nothing more to say
Only things to feel
No time left for doubt
Three words that can reveal.
We’ve wandered all our lives
Taken wrong turns left and right
Until the day you crossed my path
And I finally saw the light.
Words can hurt
Words can heal
Three words was all it took
To know your love is real.
Kit finally walked out and stood next to me, with an expression that made me smile. I stopped playing and stepped to the riser, grabbing the package. “I promised you this back when we met. Early Merry Christmas.” I handed him the flat, horribly wrapped package.
“Open it.” I strummed the chorus as I watched him rip off the paper and laugh. “Hold it up and open it, but don’t look inside.” I then turned to the audience. “This is where you help me out. On the count of three, read the words written inside, please.”
I turned to Kit and smiled. “Hold it up so the audience can see the inside, but don’t look.” I stopped playing, but Arlo picked up where I left off and quietly played the melody on the piano.
I slid the guitar around to my back and reached for the ring in my pocket as Kit removed the cellophane wrapper and held the album jacket up for the audience to see.
I held up my fingers and counted out, “One. Two. Three. Take it.” I flipped off the mic and put it on the stage as the audience read the words written inside the jacket.
Will you marry me?
Kit froze for a second before he turned to see me on one knee with the ring between my thumb and index finger. “Will you marry me?” I asked him.
He laughed, wiped away the tear leaking from his right eye, and said, “Yes.”
I slid the ring on his finger before he picked me up and hugged me. “I love you, Riv. I’d love to be your husband.”
A quick kiss, and he put me down. I pulled my acoustic around and joined Arlo on the chorus.
Words can hurt
Words can heal
Three words was all it took
To know your love is real.
We stare into the future
The two of us, side by side
And when our time is over
It’s all been worth the ride.
And when our time is over
It’s all been worth the riiiide.
The crowd went wild as I stepped over to Coaster to trade guitars again so we could get on with the show. “Let’s rock!” I said as I took my place with the band and we got on with the concert.
When it was over, we’d given them a hell of a show, and the man I loved had my ring on his finger. Life didn’t get any better than that.