Chapter 13 #2
I leave the suite and text Harry that I’m on my way down.
I should’ve taken into account the amount of time I’d spend with fans wanting pictures or me to sign shit, but this whole being famous business is still new to me.
By the time I make it down to Section 111, Harry and his band are waiting for me.
“Good to see you, man,” I say after shaking all their hands and embracing Harry in a hug. “Thanks for letting me crash your gig.”
“Are you kidding? We’re fucking honored to have you on stage with us. Do you want to stay for the whole set or just one song?” he asks.
“Just one song, and here’s what I had in mind.” I tell him the song I want to perform, and his eyes light up with excitement.
“Nice! That song is a classic and we’ve performed it in the past. This crowd is going to go nuts,” he says, and his bandmates all nod in agreement.
The sound of the horn interrupts us, indicating it’s now the end of the second period.
“We’ll perform first and then bring you on as a surprise guest. Cool? ”
“Let’s do it!” I say eagerly, slapping Harry’s back in excitement for what’s about to come. “Knock em’ dead, boys!”
I follow the band through the small tunnel and stand back to the side, so I’m not seen.
I peek my head around the wall to see how far away the suite is from the stage.
The suite is closer to the middle of the ice on my right side but not too far that I wouldn’t be able to see if Aly is watching.
Fortunately, she’s still sitting in her seat and is talking to Shane and Willow.
I resume my position behind the wall and watch the band take the stage.
Their keyboardist starts playing the opening chords to “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, and the crowd erupts in cheers of appreciation.
They use the song to pump the crowd up and it works.
As I gaze out around the packed arena, I notice people singing and some standing to dance.
The band finishes the song and I slowly start making my way to the stage.
“Nashville, are you ready for one more song before our boys bury Detroit in the third period?” Harry asks the crowd, who cheers loudly. “We have a special guest joining us for this last song. Give a loud welcome to Mr. Gavin McNeer!”
I walk forward and wave at the crowd, ecstatic to see they’re clapping for me.
I nod at the guitarist to start the opening guitar chord of “Somebody Like You” by Keith Urban.
I grip the microphone, since I’m not the one playing the guitar, and look over at the suite.
I chuckle when I see Aly, Willow, and Shane standing up, with Shane and Willow jumping up and down, shaking Aly, who is covering her mouth with her hands in shock.
“This is for my girl, Aly,” I yell into the microphone and point to her. I see Sosie recording Aly with her phone, and I’m grateful she listened. Everyone in the suite has now crowded around Aly to watch my performance, clapping and cheering me on as I start the first verse.
I soon lose myself in the lyrics, and quickly realize how perfect this song really is for the story of us.
It was a huge hit back in its day, and I’ve sung it before, but it wasn’t until tonight that I can appreciate the beauty of its words.
It’s about finding that special person who makes you better than what you were.
That you feel happier being around them and that their confidence in you makes you believe in yourself.
When you find that person who makes you feel that way, you want to love them and be loved in return.
Standing here, singing this song for her, the lyrics mean everything to me, because she’s exactly that kind of person.
She’s the somebody I want to love, and I want to love her until I breathe my last breath.
I was destined to sing this song to her, to be the man who loves her unconditionally and make her dreams come true.
The crowd is on their feet as we come to the guitar solo.
Harry and his band perform the song seamlessly.
After the solo, I signal the band to slow it down and get the crowd to sing along with me, and then sing the chorus by itself.
The moment is pure magic, and when I look over at Aly, I see her swipe at her cheeks as if she’s crying.
“I want to love you, baby,” I sing into the mic, and the crowd goes wild.
We end the song with a bang, and I thank the crowd then yell, “Let’s go, Nashville!
” before high-fiving the band and hugging Harry.
I’m ecstatic at how the performance went, and I seriously couldn’t have pulled it off without Harry and his band.
As we exit the stage, I promise him we’ll catch up soon with lunch before saying goodbye.
I exit the tunnel and start to walk briskly back to the suite.
I should have thought about an exit strategy after that epic performance.
I’m stopped numerous times by fans wanting an autograph, photo, or just to talk.
I hear the sound of the horn for the third period and realize I haven’t moved for the last five minutes.
Another five minutes go by before security comes to my rescue, seeing how large the crowd was getting around me.
I apologize to the fans who I didn’t get to take a photo with and am escorted back to the suite.
As soon as the door opens, everyone starts applauding and rushing toward me.
Scotty Wilkins is the first person who approaches, embracing me and pounding me on my back.
“Can you fucking tone it down, dude? You’re making it hard for us other men.”
I laugh at him, since he has no trouble getting the ladies with his good looks and charm. Which is exactly why I want him to stay far away from my cousin.
“All seriousness, Gav. She’s a good girl. Don’t fuck it up,” he warns me with a serious look in his eye.
“I have no intention of letting her go,” I respond with my own seriousness.
He nods in acknowledgement. “I’ll see you around. I’ve got some other people to say hi to. I’ll see you at Ripley’s.” He says goodbye and leaves the suite.
The rest of the people standing around congratulate me on an amazing performance, and I plaster a smile on my face and try to make my way to Aly, whose head I can barely see in back of the crowd.
Finally, the sea of people parts and time seems to stop as she walks toward me with tears spilling from her eyes and down her cheeks.
I open my arms and she embraces me, burying her face into my chest.
“What did you think, baby?” I ask, wrapping my fingers around her jaw and lifting her chin up with my fingers so I can stare into her eyes. At first, I’m worried she’s embarrassed that I dedicated the song publicly to her and hold my breath.
“That was the most incredible thing anyone has ever done for me,” she tells me, and my breath catches when I see happiness glowing back at me from her beautiful eyes.
“Thank fuck.” I grin then groan when she grabs my face and pulls me forward to kiss me with raw, unashamed passion. We get lost in each other and it isn’t until we hear someone tell us to get a room that we break away, breathing heavy.
I hold her face between my hands and look into her eyes, not giving a fuck who is watching us.
“I meant every fucking word, Aly. Every. Single. One,” I growl, referring to the words of the song, before giving her one more swift kiss.
She’s smiling as she nods at me, a silent promise filling her eyes that’s telling me that tonight is just another memorable night in our future together.
I look at my watch, feeling aggravated when I see it’s only been five minutes since the last time I checked it.
I’m ready to get the fuck out of here, but Aly refuses to leave her friend.
I look across the table at Willow, who looks just as bored as I am.
I can see she doesn’t want to be here any longer and is completely unimpressed with Brodie Larsen, the guy Aly is trying to hook her up with.
A man who’s currently standing at the bar, talking to another woman, and has been for the last ten minutes.
We’ve been at Ripley’s for an hour already, and the loud music and party atmosphere is starting to grate on my nerves.
This was my scene when I first moved to Nashville—late nights at the bar, drinking, loud music, and trying to pick up women.
The shit got old fast, and when I saw it was starting to affect my career, I went cold turkey, preferring to stay at home and work on my craft.
Right now, I’d rather be buried deep inside my girl instead of being here.
“Babe, when are we leaving?” I ask Aly for the third time. Her eyes plead with me to stop asking and she bites her lip, making me growl out in frustration, because I want to be biting that lip.
“Yeah, I’m ready to go home too,” Willow says, confirming another reason why I like her.
She’s not into the party scene either. Willow tried to go straight home after the game, and Aly had to beg and plead with her to stay and have one drink with us.
Willow pushes her chair back and stands up, causing Aly’s eyes to widen in panic.
“Where are you going?” Aly tugs on her arm, attempting to urge her to sit back down, but Willow stands firm and pulls her arm out of Aly’s grip.
“I’m going home. I’m tired and there’s no reason for me to be here, not to mention your guy is ready to go.”
“Please stay,” Aly hisses and looks at me with weariness before speaking to Willow. “I really think you and Brodie might hit it off.”
“Please tell me you’re not trying to set me up with the douchebag over there who has barely said one word to us since he’s gotten here.” She glances at Brodie before she looks at Aly with an incredulous look.
“Maybe,” Aly says, sounding unsure.