Axel
T he sound of the crowded stadium reminded them they didn’t have much time before they had to be on stage. Right now, they were all gathered backstage with Isaiah, talking about their deranged ex-manager. They had been waiting for an update since Anita had been refused bail until trial. Cillian’s memorial concert wasn’t the best time for legal discussions, but they were all desperate for news. None of them wanted a drawn-out media trial; none of them wanted Phoebe and Cillian to be dragged through the mud, again.
“So, there isn’t going to be a trial?” Phoebe asked, gripping the back of ’s T-shirt as he held her close.
They no longer concealed their relationship, and now the world knew the truth about all that had happened, the fans and media had turned in their favour. There were still one or two trolls, but that kept them humble.
“Everything Anita confessed to you in the studio booth was recorded since she’d interrupted ’s recording, so her lawyer convinced her to plead guilty and took the plea deal. She’ll get fifteen years, without a chance for parole. At trial she could have got longer, but since we can’t prove she played a role in Cillian’s death, it’s the best the prosecutors could hope for.” Isaiah’s words were music to their ears.
“Prison is too good for her.” August was the first to speak, and Nick placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Least we don’t have to go to trial, none of us wanted that. This way we’ll never have to see her again,” he said, fidgeting with his earpiece.
“I hoped it would be longer, but she can’t hurt us in prison,” Phoebe said, running her thumb over her scarred wrist. It had become a tick of hers. “Thank you for telling us.”
“I wasn’t sure if tonight was an appropriate time to tell you, but I couldn’t see all of you and not tell you what I learnt this morning,” Isaiah said.
“No, it’s perfect,” Nick assured him. “It’s like Cillian is with us, and he’ll be happy to know she’ll go to prison for what she’s done.”
“Thank you for helping us,” Phoebe added, grateful to have him in their corner.
Isaiah shook his head. “No need to thank me—you’ve made me uncle of the year with the tickets for tonight. I should get back to my nephew before he wonders where I’ve gone.”
“Anytime you need tickets, give us a shout. It’s the least we can do,” Nick said, shaking his hand.
“I really just did my job. And if you ever need me in the future, please don’t hesitate to call,” Isaiah said, and Phoebe hugged him goodbye before returning to ’s side.
There was so much he wanted to say to Isaiah. If he hadn’t arrived when he did, he might not have Phoebe with him today, and he could never repay that debt.
Lena came around the corner wearing Phoebe’s trainers. They’d swapped, given the size of the stadium and the amount of running around Lena had to do.
“Sorry to interrupt, but you all need to get your butts on stage before I murder all of you.”
The group stared at her.
“Too soon?” Lena winced, and August wrapped an arm around her shoulder and dragged her out of the back room playfully.
In the time between Anita’s case and the concert, trust levels were low, so Lena had volunteered to help manage them until they found someone else. Seeing how comfortable August was with her meant they were never going to let her go. had been nervous of whether Phoebe would mind them stealing her, but they’d agreed to share.
“You better get out there,” Phoebe said, staring up at him.
“If I have to.” brushed his lips against hers, needing some good luck before heading out on stage.
“Enough of that, she’ll still be here when we’re finished.” Nick grabbed , who didn’t resist.
Together, they followed August to the stage. Lena guided Phoebe into the wings as planned. He made sure he could see her as he sat at his drums on the raised platform at the back. The smoke machines announced their arrival, and the crowd cheered as they started to play. had missed this rush of adrenaline; the heat of the stage lights and the cry of the crowd was exhilarating. He caught sight of Phoebe singing along as her brother stood front and centre like the natural leader he was. The echo of the crowd singing back at them was his second favourite sound on earth—the first being the way Phoebe said his name.
As they finished their last song and the crowd chanted for more, Nick gestured to him. nodded and jumped down from his drums as August led Phoebe on stage despite her protests. The crowd started to quieten down, wondering what was going on.
“What are you doing?” Phoebe said, panicking. and August stood by her sides so she couldn’t make an escape.
“Don’t worry, dear sister—we aren’t going to make you sing,” her brother teased, covering the mic.
He turned back to the crowd. “Before we say our goodbyes, we have one more surprise for all of you. Tonight, I know we are meant to be celebrating Cillian, but I don’t think he’d mind sharing the spotlight with someone close to his heart,” Nick said into the mic while Phoebe glared at .
“Just watch the screens,” whispered, and her expression softened.
All the screens around the stadium no longer displayed their image; instead, they showcased images of Phoebe’s paintings that had been destroyed by Anita. Phoebe froze, speechless, watching as one painting faded to reveal another.
“As many of you know, my sister Phoebe is an exceptionally talented artist, and though her works were maliciously destroyed, we thought it was only right to try and give her the exhibition she deserves,” Nick said, and the crowd roared her name.
The waves of applause never got old.
“How did you all do this?” Phoebe beamed at them, and tears filled her eyes. The last thing wanted was to make her cry, but he hoped they were happy tears.
“Lena found the pictures she’d taken when you put together your first exhibition, and we had them turned into prints and projected them onto the screens. They aren’t perfect, but we wanted you to have your exhibition,” Nick explained, and winked at her as she stood with them, stunned by their secret plan.
“I think my dear sister has something she wants to share with all of you.” Nick stepped aside, giving her the mic.
She took a deep breath as the audience cheered her name. To have been criticised by so many but still have the courage to face such a large crowd made him love her even more.
“Hi, I’m Phoebe, and I can tell you that I had no idea he was planning this. I don’t know what to say, other than thank you for all the love you’ve shown everyone on this stage over the past decade.” Phoebe shifted nervously, glancing at them as they stood beside her. “I know you’ve all heard some things about me, but I want you to know how much I loved Cillian, and you should know he loved all of you very much. More importantly, I want to thank you for loving him. Thank you for being here with us to remember him. I’m sure he is watching over us now, and he’d tell us to stop being so sappy and get on with the next song. All that’s left is to thank you for indulging my brother’s mad scheme, and I’m sure they’d be happy to play an extra encore,” Phoebe said, and she handed Nick the mic as the crowd cheered and begged for more.
watched her in awe as she took a final bow. He wouldn’t have judged her for holding a grudge against their fans who had berated and judged her, but instead she had thanked them for all their love and support. He had seen the tear in her heart Cillian had caused, and he planned on spending the rest of his life healing it.
They shared a quick group hug, basking in the moment. After so much uncertainty, they’d all made it here.
Phoebe exited the stage as they started the encore. Once they said their final goodbyes, and gave Cillian the proper send-off he deserved, ran to the wings and scooped Phoebe up in his arms. Even though they ached from hours of playing, she was the perfect balm.
“I can’t believe you all did that!” Phoebe said to the group as he put her down.
“Don’t blame us, it was ’s idea,” Nick said, and August held up his hands in defeat.
“Those paintings deserved to be seen,” Lena added, hugging her friend into submission.
“Thank you. Seeing them again, standing up there with all of you, was the best moment of my life.” Phoebe teared up again and wrapped his arms around her.
“Let’s promise each other that we’ll make many more great moments in the future,” Nick said, and everyone agreed.
“Promise,” they all echoed.
“A group hug to seal the deal—I missed the one on stage,” Lena said, and they all squished together as the sound of the cheering crowd echoed around them.
stared at his family, and couldn’t help but think that Anita had helped him find them. He’d always be grateful to her for that, but he’d never forgive her for threatening to take them away. Tonight was their chance to say goodbye to Cillian and start again, and as Phoebe’s arms circled around his waist, he was never going to let them go.
“Penny for them?” Phoebe whispered.
stared down at her. “I was just wondering how long we have to hang around here before we can be alone,” he said, wanting to bring her home for the real encore.
“You guys go, I’ll distract the others,” Lena chimed in. chuckled at her shameless eavesdropping.
“Have I told you how much I love your friend?” asked Phoebe.
“Not as much as I do,” Phoebe said, and Lena winked at them.
“August, Nick, you’ve got a meet-and-greet to get to,” she ordered.
“What about them?” Nick asked, looking at and Phoebe.
“Don’t worry about them.” Lena ushered Nick on. “Move it, or I’ll add a five a.m. interview to your schedule.”
“I like it when you’re bossy,” Nick teased, and Lena rolled her eyes.
“You’ll like it less when I follow through.”
August sighed as they all put up with their flirting.
“I think we should make a run for it,” Phoebe said over their bickering.
nodded, and took her hand.
“Ready?” Phoebe asked, already walking backwards towards the emergency exit.
“Lead the way.” He winked, ready to follow her for the rest of his life.