Chapter 46 Thirteen Months Later
THIRTEEN MONTHS LATER
JOSH
I don’t know too many people who get to say they have everything they ever wanted in life, but I really think I do.
It’s a cool autumn morning and I am standing on the back deck of my custom log cabin in Franklin, Tennessee that Melanie and I share.
The sun is rising over the rolling hills, casting shades of pink and yellow on the Harpeth River.
I’ve taken to waking up earlier these days.
I wake up, go for a long run, lift some weight in our home gym, and then sip my coffee out here in the solace of nature.
Most days, Melanie joins me, but today she’s sleeping in.
One of Mel’s stipulations about moving to Tennessee was that she needed to be near a body of water.
She couldn’t feel landlocked. I understood that so I searched high and low for the perfect riverside home for us.
When I didn’t find it, I had it built. It’s our dream house, but we still plan to spend our summers in Cape May.
I hear the door open and a bark sounds behind me as our black lab, Duke, bolts past Melanie.
I whirl around and take her in. Melanie is always stunning, but the sight of her fresh out of bed in the morning, sleepy eyes and mussed up hair—that’s my favorite.
She cradles a mug of hot coffee and steps beside me.
“Big day,” she murmurs, glancing sideways at me.
“Yep.” I sip my coffee and let out a hiss from the heat of it.
“You ready?”
I look sideways at her, my lips quirking upward. “Are you?”
“I’m ready for any adventure I get to have with you.”
“Me too.” I set my mug on the railing and pull her close. “Thanks for always going along with my whims.”
“I wouldn’t do it for anyone else,” Melanie says, a wry smile crossing her beautiful lips.
* * *
Two hours later, we’re dressed and out the door, headed down to East Nashville, to an area called The Gulch for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Not long after Mel and I started working with SoundShift, we decided that touring the country playing sold out shows wasn’t for us.
We negotiated our contract to be three albums and songwriting for other artists working with SoundShift Records.
We lived the dream for a year, writing music all day, popping into the studio to record, falling in love with the music and each other all over again.
But something was still missing for me and when I did some soul searching, I remembered how it felt to help that kid on the beach last Fourth of July. So, I asked Mel if she’d be up for a new adventure. She said yes, and Common Chord Music School was born.
Melanie and I started Common Chord because we both know what it’s like to have music shape your life.
For us, it has always been more than a passion.
It’s a path to healing. It’s how we first found each other, how we got through some of the hardest things we’ve ever had to face, and how we eventually found our way back to each other.
The air is cool for Tennessee in October, but it feels fitting. We’re early, but I knew we would be. I wanted a few moments alone here with Mel. The opportunity to soak in what we’ve built—what we’re building here together. I pull my truck into the driveway in the back and suck in a breath.
I turn to her, and she meets my gaze. “Thanks for doing life with me,” I murmur, tucking a hair behind her ear.
“There’s no one else I’d want to do it with,” she says with an easy shrug.
“Let’s go inside.” I swing open my door and before I’ve made my way to the other side, Melanie’s closing her door too, waiting for me.
I unlock the back door to the studio and jar it open. It sticks and probably needs to be replaced but it’s ours.
I flick on the lights and move down the hall, passing two empty soundproof music rooms. Then we’re in the big open space—filled with eclectic seating, bean bag chairs, various guitars hanging on the wall, a baby grand piano in the corner, and music stands scattered about.
A jam space for all. For a moment, Mel and I walk around, each marveling at what we’ve created here.
A safe place for children to learn music, no matter their background or family income.
They can come here and sing their hearts out, rock out, and discover what they’re capable of.
“Wow,” Melanie says, spinning around the room, a proud grin spread across her face. Her blue eyes glisten.
It’s now or never.
I step closer, taking her hands and clearing my throat.
“Mel.” My voice comes out serious and suddenly she’s paying attention.
“Yeah…” She meets my gaze expectantly.
I lick my lips. “You doing this with me, it means everything to me. I thought just making music with you was special, but this? This is freaking incredible. I’ve never been happier in my life.”
A gentle, unassuming smile spreads across her face. “I’m happy too.”
“I know you don’t love the limelight, so I wanted this moment, just for us.” My heart pounds in my chest so hard, I’m sure she can hear it.
“Okay…”
“Make me even happier than I already am? Be my business partner, my band mate, and my wife?” I reach in my pocket for the navy-blue ring box I’ve been carrying around for weeks until I finally decided today was the day.
“Oh, Josh…” Melanie’s voice is breathless. “Of course I’ll be your wife.”
Then a laugh bubbles out of her, and she pulls my face toward hers, kissing me deeply.
“Of course!” she says again.
I slip the oval diamond on a simple rose gold band on her ring finger. It’s understated, elegant, so perfectly Mel. I must have sent Sophie a thousand photos of ring options. As soon as I sent this one, she replied with two words: That’s it.
I pull Mel into a tight hug, lifting her off the ground and pressing a kiss to her mouth.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
Our private celebration is interrupted by a knock on the glass window.
Outside, a crowd has gathered—the mayor and councilmen, people from the chamber of commerce.
And of course, everyone we know and love made the trip from Cape May.
Mel and I step outside and the crowd cheers.
In the sea of faces, we find Frank and Joan, Liam, Sophie, Miles, Jenna, Jack, Stephanie, Danny, and Kristen.
Even Ellie and Robert, and next to them, my parents who recently decided they wanted to come home to Cape May.
“Thank you all so much for coming,” I say to the small crowd.
The mayor turns and shakes my hand, then Melanie’s, before addressing the crowd.
“Good morning, everyone,” he says, nodding hello to the people before him.
“As mayor, I get to be a witness to a lot of exciting things here in Nashville. I get to see a lot of projects come to life. But this one is special. It’s more than a music school; it’s a statement about the kind of city we want to be.
” He looks at the crowd, smiling and nodding in agreement. Then he continues.
“Josh and Melanie, you didn’t just build a program, you built a bridge.
Between access and opportunity, between community and creativity.
You reminded us that music isn’t a luxury; it’s a language shared between all of us, especially our kids.
Thank you for using your platform and passion to give back.
Nashville is proud to call you our own.”
The crowd applauds, some of our friends let out long whistles. Melanie wipes her eyes.
“Before we cut this ribbon, did either of you want to say a few words?” the mayor asks.
I step up. “I’d like to, yes. First off, I’d like to thank you all for being here, especially our friends and family who traveled quite a distance to celebrate with us.
Common Chord has been a dream in the making for a while now.
Music is what brought us together all those years ago, and we wanted to build a safe place for kids to walk through the door, no matter their zip code, and know they belong.
And so many of you helped us with that. Thank you to all of you for believing in us and our mission, long before the sign was even up on the door.
Thank you for opening your hearts to us. ”
I pause as the crowd applauds, looping an arm around Melanie’s waist and tugging her close.
“And as long as we’re talking about open hearts, there’s one more thing I want to share before we cut this ribbon.” I take a deep breath and plant a kiss on Melanie’s head.
“You all know Melanie. She’s the heart and soul of our duo, the melody to my rhythm, the reason I believe in second chances. But what most of you don’t know is that just moments ago, I asked her to marry me.”
I pause just as Sophie, Jenna, Steph, and Kristen let out various shrieks of excitement.
“And she said yes.” I grin before pulling Melanie to me and kissing her softly.
“So not only are we building a music school, we’re building a beautiful life together.
One filled with joy and purpose, and hopefully a whole lot of off-key beginner singing in these halls.
Thank you for being part of our beginning. Let’s get this party started!”
The mayor hands us the pair of jumbo scissors, and we each take a side.
“On three,” I say, looking at Mel.
“One, two, three,” the mayor says, slowly drawing out each number.
We snip and the red ribbon falls away. The small audience before us cheers, embracing us. There’s laughter, there’s tears, there’s us.
And I know, life is about to begin.