Epilogue
Valerie
The Next Summer
The Glitter Bats are back and things look different this time.
Vegas is the last stop tonight on our—very limited—US tour, celebrating our third album, More to Say . In the sold-out stadium, spotlights wash over us as we finish the last chorus of “Better Times,” our latest single. Across the crowd, I can see myself on the big screen—and I’m glad I let Rowan talk me into playing with my hair color again, because the turquoise is oddly flattering.
The camera pans to Riker, shredding on his seafoam-green Telecaster. He flips his hair wildly over his shoulder and winks at the camera, confident as ever. With all the stress of last summer behind us, we get to just have fun again, and it’s incredible.
With More to Say , we finally fulfilled all contractual obligations to Label Records, and the options for our future are endless. Caleb is still teaching, so we recorded over his winter break, and the album released in February to the most praise we’ve ever gotten as a band. We’re seeing headlines like:
“The Glitter Bats Are Back and Better Than Ever”
“Glitter Bats Are Maturing, and So Is Their Sound”
And of course the usual:
“Are the Glitter Bats Back, or Is This Too Good to Be True?”
“ More to Say Is a Masterpiece, but Is It a Farewell Album?”
We take it all in stride.
My heart warms as I glance around at the rest of my band. Keeley whoops as she crashes into a drum solo, and Jane bounces to the beat as she plays changes on the synth. Caleb looks over at me across the stage, and the heat in his gaze makes my pulse kick into a higher gear.
This is the happiest I’ve ever been.
I was nervous to come to Vegas, but it all melted away at sound check. This is where it all ended the first time seven years ago, but we’re a different band than we were back then. We’re closer than we’ve ever been before, and it feels so good to work together like this. We have all that same chemistry and sync onstage with none of the tension offstage.
And we all have a lot to celebrate.
Caleb didn’t quit teaching, and I would never have wanted him to, as long as he’s happy. Over the last year, I spent most of my time in Oregon with Caleb and Sebastian Bark when school was in session, and Caleb’s time off brought them both to my place in LA. After Carrie got accepted to a music program in Southern California, Caleb started looking for a teaching job closer to my home base. He already has an offer for a part-time position that will give him some much-needed balance, and he has a few days to decide if he’s taking it. But I have no doubt he’ll land in the right place. Whether that’s Oregon or California or fucking Finland, I don’t care—I’ll follow him anywhere.
The same way I do on this stage. When he jerks his head in my direction, I step out from my mic and go to sing the bridge at his. The crowd screams. My heart races.
If I only ever did this, it would be enough.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not working. When Caleb’s school year started back up, I told Wade I wanted to get back into acting, and he delivered. I had a short guest arc on a new drama series that’s going strong, and I also landed a leading role in an upcoming Christmas rom-com. It was nice to be on set again.
And even better, after our fans rallied around us and our creators fought like hell, Epic Theme Song was picked up by another streaming service. I still want to pinch myself. Just when I’d finally accepted our beloved show was canceled for good, we got the call that Sunset Streaming+ wanted to bring us over for two more seasons and a movie, which means we’ll get the ending our showrunner planned. We filmed season three over the spring, and it’s scheduled to drop in September. I think the fans will appreciate the loving care that went into developing this next chapter.
And other than some ETS press, I’ll have a break after this concert. I’m having the time of my life staying busy, but I plan to take Sebastian Bark for long walks on the beach, try all the new restaurants I haven’t had time for, and catch up on fantasy novels.
I have another surprise in store tonight that I’m a little nervous about, but this time, almost all of the band is in on it—Caleb’s the only one in the dark, and that’s just because he needs to be this time. For his own good.
After we finish the bridge, Caleb and I drop to a low chorus. The rest of the band fades out, so it’s just my acoustic and our voices. I get chills as the stadium goes quiet. When we finish the final notes, the crowd goes wild. I peck Caleb’s cheek, and the cheers get even louder before I run back over to my own mic.
It’s almost time for our grand finale—which happens to be “Midnight Road Trip,” and I’m pretending that’s not a bad omen—so I grab the mic to start vamping. But Caleb grabs his too, though he gestures when he sees me. “You first,” he says, quirking a brow.
It’s my turn , I mouth at him. Caleb has no idea how much I mean that, but he just nods and steps back, and I take that as a sign to continue.
I can do this.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight,” I say. “You all know that Caleb and I are officially together now, right?”
“You haven’t been subtle,” Keeley says into her own mic, and the crowd laughs and whoops along with the band. Vegas is always a great crowd, but there’s something magical in the air tonight that lights a fire in my chest.
“Right, we definitely have not. But some of you might not realize that tonight marks one year since we got back together. We were hopelessly in love with each other for, oh, four years before the band split, so that means we’ve really been together for five years. Isn’t that wild?”
The crowd booms. One year since we made up in my apartment, but no one needs to know the details.
Heat floods my cheeks. “The thing about Caleb Sloane is he’s the best person you’ll ever meet. He’s kind, and openhearted, and he always has your back—even when you haven’t done the same. I’ve never met anyone like him.” He grins across the stage at me, and the crowd lets out a collective aww .
I continue. “I’m so glad we figured out our baggage, because I can’t imagine life without Caleb. I love this man with my entire heart.” I swallow, gathering my nerve. “And I fully intend to do that for the rest of my life if he’ll let me.”
I dig around in my pocket, but these pants are too tight. Shit. I should have gone with the fanny pack Keeley suggested.
“Wait a second,” Caleb says. “I have something to say.”
I turn to him, and my heart starts racing.
He knows what I’m doing.
Shit.
By the unreadable look in his eyes, I have no idea if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
Caleb
I almost missed that box in her pocket, carefully concealed by her guitar pack. But when she turned to face me, I saw it hit the light, and I couldn’t let her steal my thunder.
Although it was hard not to laugh. Because I have something in my jacket too, and I’m not going to make the same mistake I made when we were younger. Striding across the stage to her, I grab my microphone and get down on one knee before she can beat me to it.
“Oh my god,” Valerie says, clutching her free hand to her chest. Tears well in her eyes, and they match mine. “Are you serious?”
I bite my lip, cracking open the box. I didn’t buy a flashy diamond this time—she said she didn’t need one. This is a vintage gemstone, a sapphire that matches the blue in her eyes.
“Valerie Elizabeth Quinn, I’m so fucking in love with you…” My voice breaks as my emotions overtake me, and I clear my throat. “And I absolutely plan to spend the rest of our lives together. So I’m asking you again: Will you marry me?”
Even with tears streaming down her face, Valerie pauses, cocks her head, playing with the audience. Finally, she digs her own ring box out of those dangerously tight leather pants. “Only if you marry me first.”
And then the crowd absolutely loses their shit as we collide and start making out on stage. Out of nowhere, confetti explodes from the ceiling, and I pull back, laughing. Valerie shrugs and pulls me in for another kiss. Long, hard, breathless. Eventually, we remember we have an audience and part, sharing the rings we found for each other.
Keeley, Jane, and Riker vamp with the crowd to give us a moment. Riker even starts reading signs to show love the way I usually do, and I could kiss him for it if I wasn’t spoken for. Finally.
“I can’t believe you upstaged me!” Valerie says with a laugh, brushing the joyful tears from her face.
“I can’t believe you tried to propose before I could! Did they put you up to it?” I ask, gesturing at our friends.
She gasps. “The band? No! I told them I was proposing tonight. They didn’t know you were.”
I laugh, glancing over at Keeley, who salutes me with a drumstick. “They absolutely did, because I’ve been planning this for weeks! I found the ring when we were in New York!”
Of course they all knew what we were both up to tonight, and that makes this moment just that much more perfect. No wonder Riker kept smirking as I was going over the plan last week in Denver, when Valerie stepped away to take a call during our downtime.
Valerie beams. “I bought yours in LA before our first stop, but I’ve been saving it for tonight.”
I lean my forehead against hers. “God, I can’t believe we both planned this.”
“I can,” she whispers. “We’ve always been good at reading each other’s minds.”
“No regrets?” I ask, smirking down at her shining eyes.
“None. This is the only way I’d want to do this. Together.”
I laugh, gripping her hand in mine, my chest warming as I see the ring on her finger glittering under the spotlights. It’s a perfect fit—and that’s because I sent Jane on a scavenger hunt with a sizer through Valerie’s jewelry box months ago—and it’s so satisfying to see it. I put that ring there.
It doesn’t mean I’m claiming Valerie—it means I’m choosing her. That’s what love is. We’ve chosen each other every day since that night in her apartment, and even when things get difficult, we choose each other again.
We don’t need a piece of paper to make it official, but it’s obvious we both want that. We’re both choosing us —for good this time.
She’s everything I ever wanted. The rest, whether we’re making music or working boring day jobs—none of that matters as long as she’s by my side. I love Valerie with all of my soul, and I don’t want to spend one more day as anything but hers .
And then, with a start, I realize I don’t have to. I reach for her hand and drag her behind a speaker, shielding us from view as much as possible. I don’t want to decide this in front of thousands of people.
“So…we’re in Vegas , and my family flew out here for our last show…” I say, trailing off to gauge her reaction.
But the brilliant smile that breaks across her face tells me I should have known. We’re older and wiser and ready for this.
“Interesting. I was thinking the exact same thing,” she says. “Let’s do it.”
So we play the encore, laughing and jumping and trying not to kiss during every instrumental break. (But we can’t resist.)
Once we’re backstage after final bows, we alert our friends and family and head to the closest chapel. Wade calls his lawyer on retention to make sure everything is legal, and then there’s nothing for Valerie and me to do but make our promises. We commit to each other surrounded by the people we love, and just about everyone is crying. It’s not a typical wedding, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Once we’re pronounced “officially hitched”—thanks to the country theme Keeley paid extra for—we head to the hotel restaurant to pop champagne and celebrate our new adventure. Riker’s job was to get Magic Cupcake delivered all the way from LA to celebrate the engagement, and it makes for a perfect wedding cake.
“Forever, huh?” I whisper to my wife. All night, we haven’t left each other’s side. We were in such a rush to make this happen that we didn’t even change after the show. She’s still wearing those leather pants, and I love them on her more than any bridal gown. Jane insists that we ceremoniously cut a vanilla cupcake for the dang photo op. She’s committed herself to documenting the night with surprising zeal, and the only person who’s been crying more than her is Cameron.
“Sounds perfect to me,” Valerie says, kissing me deeply before shoving a cupcake in my face. I laugh as I get her just as good, and she chases after me across the private dining room until I let her catch me and kiss me again. Long and hard. Everyone cheers and Riker wolf whistles, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am right at this moment.
Forever is just a new song we’ll write together. With Valerie by my side, I know it’ll have the sweetest harmony.