Chapter 25 #2
“Hey y’all. I think I want to start tonight’s concert off a little different.
Normally, we’d begin with something high energy, but I’m feeling a much slower start tonight.
You may have heard a new song I debuted last night for friends and family that got out on social media for a few people to see. ”
They all laughed and a few screamed excitedly.
“Yeah, you saw it, huh?”
I didn’t usually interact with the audience like this, but it felt right.
“I wrote this one myself for someone very close to my heart. It goes a little something like this.” I launched into the opener of Cruise on Home. By the time I reached the chorus, the crowd was belting out the lyrics with me.
Ronnie would have hated this because this song was all me.
I’d written it, composed it, and sang it for the world without him.
And for the first time in my life, I realized that Cruz had been right all along.
I didn’t need Ronnie to succeed in this industry.
Maybe I did once upon a time, but not now, and not for a long time.
Somehow, I managed to get through the entire song. In some ways it was like I was acknowledging my mate and that took a bit of the edge off the pain.
Just as I was wrapping up the song and ready to transition to the next one, I scanned the audience to see their reactions to it. They loved it. It made my heart swell with excitement.
Proudly, I looked down to the little private section I’d had them put closer to the stage for my family. There were way more than three people there though.
Gage and Clara were the first I noticed.
Excitedly, I waved to them, but then I noticed Lily, Sydney, and Kelsey. Their arms were around one another as they jumped around cheering. What were they doing there?
All three of their mates came too. And there was Oliver and Brady with Peyton and Tricia by their sides. Some guy I didn’t recognize and . . .
My breath caught and my heart began to race.
Cruz.
“I-I hope y’all enjoyed that song,” I managed to say.
It felt like a large knot was in my throat as I stared down at him until he looked up and met my eyes.
“Thank you for being here.” This time I was speaking directly to Cruz.
Mate, my wolf howled in my head, and suddenly the excruciating pain subsided.
He was here.
He’d come to see me perform.
Despite how awful I’d been to him and the terrible things I said, he still came.
Most importantly, he was alive.
He gave me a wave, a shrug, and then blew me a kiss. And in that moment, my world was righted.
A surge of power went through me and emboldened me to continue.
“Alright. Did y’all enjoy that one?”
The stadium went wild.
“Would you like another new song?”
This time they went insane. The roar had never been so loud, and everyone was on their feet jumping up and down, losing their shit.
“Knox, don’t kill me for this,” I warned, causing laughter to ring out all around.
“Again?” Cash asked, right into the live mic. “You did this to us last night.”
“And look how well it went.” I waved my hand in front of me signaling to every person in the room. They were screaming and cheering in agreement. “Just one more?”
“Just one more!”
“Just one more!”
“Just one more!”
The crowd was fired up and began chanting while raising one finger high in the air.
“A little warning next time,” Jonny grumbled in our headsets. It was how we communicated through the songs while performing. No one else could hear us, just the five of us.
“Guys, he’s here. Cruz showed up and our girl has her light back. Give her this moment.”
They all agreed as I got fired up again. I strummed a few chords to pick my key. It was still a very raw song that had only come to me last night, but I was going to throw it out there anyway.
“Now, fair warning. The band has never heard this song. No one has until now. So it’s going to start acoustic, but they aren’t likely to let me do that the entire time.
Let’s give a big hand for the greatest band a girl like me could ever ask for.
Thanks for putting up with me and for composing the music that I know is going to put this one on the charts. ”
“Okay, our girl’s feeling cocky now. Let’s see what you got,” Knox said through the headset.
I began to play the progression line that had been stuck in my head since the moment I ran out on Cruz. And then I began to sing as tears ran down my cheeks. This wasn’t any easy one, but necessary for me.
It was a heart wrenching ballad. As I sang, the flashlights on phones turned on and lit up the space as people waved them back and forth to the beat.
“I need you, holding the pieces together,” I belted out the lyrics to the chorus as the intensity of the song transitioned into a more vibrant feel to match the lyrics of pain and desire, battling the emotions inside, falling apart, and being restored by love.
The boys had cued in on exactly what was needed to take it to the next level, and it was a moment that would forever be a part of me.
As the band backed off and ended on a hauntingly soft note, you couldn’t hear a single sound in a room full of thousands as everyone took in the magnitude of what had just happened. And then the thunderous applause came.
I broke down and sobbed. I’d already been crying, but now I was truly breaking in pieces from the intensity of it all—not just the song, but everything that had happened since I stepped off that bus and chose a new path for my life. And I didn’t think I could ever really go back again.
Dealing with my own emotions and the approval of the crowd, I didn’t notice when a big, strong man in a cowboy hat jumped up onto the stage.
Security did though and immediately closed in around him.
Jed waved them off, then nodded his approval, as Cruz walked across my stage.
Two separate worlds blended into one.
I stood there in total shock, but he dropped to one knee and presented me with a ring.
At first, I was confused. What we had as true mates far transcended the human tradition of marriage. But as the gasps and whispers hit my ears, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was doing this for me or for them. Either way, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
“It’s okay to cry, honey.”
“No, it’s not,” I whispered.
Jonny shoved a microphone into Cruz’s hand with the biggest grin on his face.
“Yes, it is. It’s okay to cry. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.
I know you think it will be too hard, but it’s a lot harder apart.
I will follow you anywhere if you let me.
Somehow, we’ll find our way together. And if you’ll let me, I want to be the one always here to hold the pieces together when you need a good cry. ”
I lost it and threw myself into his arms.
“Yes!”
“Can’t a man ask first?”
This earned him a chuckle from all in attendance. And I knew every one of my fans, female and male, were falling in love with my mate in that moment. He had them on the edge of their seats waiting for him to speak again.
“Daisy Brooks, I love you with all my heart. And I want to claim you as mine in front of everyone in this room tonight. Will you marry me?”
He’d said all the right words, made all the right gestures, so there was no way a girl could turn down a proposal like that.
“Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes! I love you, Cruz.”
He grinned, stood up, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me.
All the pain in my chest disappeared in an instant.
I quickly muted my mic and whispered into his ear. “Mine.”
“Absolutely. Now finish up this concert already. I just claimed you for all the world to see, but I’m desperate to take you home and claim you for real.”
The heat in his words left me speechless and blushing as he waved to the audience, walked back to the edge of the stage, and dramatically jumped down with a flare I didn’t know he was capable of.
“Woo. So that just happened. I guess it’s a night full of surprises. So, let’s get this concert back on track because I have some celebrating to do tonight with my favorite cowboy.”
“Midnight Rodeo,” Knox said, taking control of the situation. “And congratulations, Daisy.”
They launched into the opening riff while I pulled myself together and belted out the old fan favorite.
The rest of the show felt like a dream. Everything went flawlessly.
As we closed out and walked off stage, Cruz was standing there waiting for me.
“Hell of a show, Daisy. Congratulations,” one of the guys backstage said, as I handed him my headset and guitar.
Cruz pulled me into his arms and kissed me until my head spun.
“Please tell me we’re okay. And that you’ll have patience with me as we figure this out. Tell me you want this. That you want me.”
He was so vulnerable that it nearly broke me. I’d done that to him and even though it was with all the best intentions, I knew it was something I was going to have to live with.
“Yes. I want it all. I was just so scared when Ronnie said he was going to challenge you.”
“Alright, Romeo, take a seat now,” said the man from the pit that I didn’t know.
He rolled up a wheelchair and Cruz begrudgingly sat down.
I gasped. “What happened?”
“Perhaps its best we speak in private.”
I nodded and led them back to my dressing room.
“This is as private as it gets around here, now tell me.”
“Ronnie challenged me despite you leaving.”
“No. No, no. There was no reason for him to do that.”
“I know. He was a mean-spirited piece of work and he wanted to make sure you stepped back into your place. His plan was to claim you for himself regardless of your wishes. And I know this because I was ready to die without you. I needed the pain to go away, and if that was how you truly felt then I didn’t care to live. ”
I shook my head. “What? No! I was trying to save your life, not encourage you to end it!”
I smacked him, which caused him to chuckle.
“I was sort of counting on that with that little show back there. But it felt so real at the time. Until he had me down. One more bite and I would have been dead. But he couldn’t just give me that.
Instead, he shifted in the middle of our battle to gloat and tell me all the horrible things he had planned for you.
I wasn’t about to let that happen. Ronnie will never bother you again.
I’m sorry, but we’ll find a new, better manager for you to work with. ”
“He’s dead?”
Cruz cringed and nodded.
“There’s a lot of things I’ve regretted in my life but killing him isn’t one of them. I hope that doesn’t make you think less of me.”
“It makes you my hero,” I told him, and I meant it. “And I love you.”
I leaned down and kissed him this time.
“Wait, is this permanent?” I asked, pointing to the chair.
“No ma’am. Just precautionary while he finishes healing,” the man with him said.
“And you are?”
“Honey, this is Sam, our Pack doctor.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I have you to thank for keeping my man alive.”
“I’m trying ma’am. He doesn’t make it easy.”
“Well, thank you for trying. And maybe get out,” I told him. “We have some making up to do.”
My heart swelled with love and excitement. Gone was the empty hole in my chest. I was whole again with Cruz by my side.
“I’m going to be fine,” Cruz assured me.
“I’m glad, but even if you had to stay in this chair, it wouldn’t change my answer. I never want to lose you again. And somehow, we’ll find a way. I do make enough that we can probably live off it okay,” I teased.
“So I’m learning. But if it’s all the same to you, I love my job.”
“Being the boss means you make the schedule and can be flexible, right?”
“In theory . . .”
“Good, because I’m supposed to be in Denver in two days.”
“Sam already warned that I’ll be laid up at least two more weeks.”
“Ironic, because my tour ends in two weeks. Think he can push it to three so we can take a little honeymoon on the way home? We could always swing through Vegas and make it official.”
“I think that’s doable,” Sam said.
Cruz groaned. “Out. I need some alone time with my mate.”
But when Sam opened the door, everyone was standing on the other side. They wanted to give their congratulations and celebrate with us, but I had other plans.
“I love you all, but right now, I really need a few minutes alone with Cruz.”
“Hours,” Cruz corrected. “We’ll see you all later. Thanks for coming.”
I blushed furiously. And while everyone didn’t leave immediately, nobody stayed long. My family did intrude long enough to meet the newest member of our family before excusing themselves with plans to meet up for breakfast in the morning before they headed home.
I hugged each of them and locked the door behind them.
“Finally alone,” I said.
Cruz ditched the chair and pulled me into his arms.
“Mine,” he growled.
And that’s when I lost my virginity and was claimed by my very own wolf cowboy, but that’s a story for another day.