Epilogue
Lennon
I tipped my head up to the stream in the shower. My whole body hurt and my head felt like I’d been skewered with a piece of rebar.
But I wouldn’t tell him that.
I’d taken three Advil, and I prayed that it would be enough to get me through the day.
It was over.
Irene had been arrested, and the charges were likely to stick.
Even if it meant she was put away in a hospital where she could get help. That part scared me a little. She was far too smart within the scary-crazy. I had to believe that she’d stay locked away for a damn long time. Griffin deserved peace.
Hell, every one of those guys in Reversal of Fortune deserved peace.
The glass door opened, and Griffin closed us into the steam. “You doing okay?”
His hand slipped around my waist to draw me back against him. My eyes filled and the stupid tears I’d been fighting pushed up again.
“Hey.” He turned me into his arms. “Hey, it’s okay.”
“I know.”
My teeth chattered with the need to let out the sobs locked in my chest.
He slid his fingers into my hair and pressed my cheek to his chest. The soothing beat of his heart didn’t help the sob.
“Let go, baby.”
“I’m afraid it won’t stop.”
“You’ll feel better.”
“How would you know?”
“Men cry too.”
I laughed and it was just enough to unlock the sob.
He wrapped his arms around me until even the water couldn’t slip between us. He tucked me under his chin and held on through the torrent. I cried for what Griffin went through. What we did together. Even for all the years I’d spent alone protecting myself.
That I’d almost lost him last night.
I slipped my arms around his back, digging my fingers into his shoulders as the rage and the fear rolled out of me.
He didn’t let go.
Not even for a second.
When it finally passed, I tipped my head under the water again. It had run lukewarm, and it felt good on my hot face.
I met his gaze. “I love you so much.”
“Not half as much as I love you, Lennon. Not even close.”
“You want to have a competition on this, ace?”
He laughed. “There’s my Lenny.”
I wrinkled my nose, but I was getting used to his nickname for me. “Today’s the big day.”
“Are you sure you want to go through with this. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to sit it out.”
“Not on your life.” I hissed through my teeth. “Sorry, little soon for that.”
He laughed and slapped the shower off. “I guess we need to wait a little while for the hot water tank to refill for a proper shower. What on earth could we do to spend the time waiting?”
“I have not one idea.” I went onto my toes and met his cool lips with mine.
The kiss was soft and gentle, unlike our usual fire.
Our loving was just that. Absolute love and a good deal of devotion mixed in.
Things I never imagined would walk into my life.
Things I never thought I’d be able to keep.
And when we did slip back into the shower, we totally drained that water tank again.
Content that I sent him off to play with his friends with a pep in his step and a stupid smile on his face, and his faithful dog at his side, I got myself ready. I’d raided his closet again, for a Reversal of Fortune T-shirt hidden in the back of his drawer.
From the Morning Pages album, to be exact.
I used some creative pinning so that it was sleeveless and tucked under my bra to make it a crop shirt. I put on my shortest pair of shorts with my black sneakers with the best support and no-show socks.
I did a little twirl in the mirror. I’d braided my hair into a crown, leaving a long ponytail swinging, gold hoops, and stacked necklaces. For an extra bit of luck, I added the shell choker necklace around my throat.
After I played up my eyes for maximum effect, I stuffed my ChapStick and phone in my little crossbody bag before locking up.
I parked at the Lodge and took the shuttle. The line was already around the parking lot of the taproom. I could only imagine what the concert parking lot looked like for cars. Hell, I spotted a charter bus taking up ten spots in the taproom parking lot with a shitload of people piling off.
The show didn’t start until dusk, and it was only noon.
I pulled out my camera as I passed people in the line and took a quick video of everyone waving and cheering. Some had signs, some just water bottles and phones, but everyone looked excited to be there.
I uploaded the video to the taproom’s social media stories and jogged my way to the path that led to the concert stage.
Large glass fishbowls at the check-in station were full of singles and five-dollar bills in addition to the ticket prices. I stopped in at the table to find Annette checking in people. I was glad to see a smile on her face again.
I crouched beside her. “Hey, you.”
She threw her arms around me. “My God, I can’t believe what happened to you.”
I hugged her back. “I’m okay. Are you okay?”
Annette blinked at me. “Me? Nothing on you. Nothing.”
I clutched her hands. “The fire was scary. And if you need to talk, you know where to find me.”
Her big brown eyes went shiny. “Don’t get me going. Today is a day of fun.”
“It is, but you’re my best friend, Annette.”
The tears dripped. “Oh, man. You’re not even going to let me keep my makeup intact.”
“Eh, the sun is going to ruin it, anyway.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” She gave a watery chuckle, then she reached under the table for a mason jar full of ice and water. “We’re going to roast today. I had them bring out the umbrellas that weren’t ruined out to put a little shade over the food truck picnic tables.”
“Good thinking.”
“I have my moments. I’ll find you when I get relieved here from Ronnie.”
“Oh, she’s coming in. That’s good.”
“Yeah, she’s just thankful Justin saved her. She is very thankful.” She rolled her eyes. “Typical.”
I laughed and stood, then I gripped her shoulder lightly. “I’ll see you later.”
I didn’t make it ten feet before all the logistical problems started. It certainly made the day move fast as we figured out how to keep people from having heat strokes and making a triage tent for those who got overheated.
We had two food stations. One on the patio of the taproom and the other on the other side of the stage toward the parking lot. It was a sea of green bands as people enjoyed the various food and drink stations as well as merch tents for the artists.
Today, there were no VIPs.
Everyone was on equal footing. Unfortunately, that meant there were a whole lot of hotheads in the mix. Landon, our taproom bouncer, had hired on a few of his buddies to help with security, as well as people that Griffin had hired.
For our first show of the year, things were running pretty smoothly.
By the time pink started streaking the sky, one of the opening bands had made it to the main stage. They were a local girl rock band with an incredible lead singer. The crowd was getting restless and there were a bit too much cider and well drinks being passed around with the heat.
Justin and Griffin must have noticed, because they had Ian Kagan come out to guest sing with one of the teen groups who’d won the local talent contest last year at the orchard.
I was pretty sure the sixteen-year-old lead singer was going to be in a puddle on the stage by the end of it.
They sang One Direction’s “Steal My Girl” to a delighted crowd. It was a twenty-one and over crowd, but there were a helluva lot of older Directioners in the crowd, regardless of the more alt-rock flavor of the bands.
Finally, as the sun lowered in the sky, Bridger Everett and his band started their set.
I’d say a quarter of the crowd were here for him and he definitely won over most of the rest by the end of their set. He was a mix of Chris Stapleton and Noah Kahan with one hell of a voice.
The crowd quieted, hanging on his every word.
Then Griffin walked on stage. Denim and cotton had never looked so good. He wore a tight Beatles shirt with John Lennon on the front.
I pushed my way into the back of the crush of people and stepped up onto the second bleacher and held onto the railing.
Griffin sat down in front of a microphone with a bent arm. He pulled the mic to his lips. “I wanted to thank you all for coming tonight. The taproom appreciates your support, and we’re proud to play for you tonight. It’s been a long time.”
The lights went down, then flicked over to a cool blue.
The acoustic guitars started and slowly built as the first lines of “Northern Attitude” lifted into the night.
When Griffin came in for a verse, my heart stuttered. His voice was deep with a range I didn’t expect.
I blew out a breath and covered my mouth as they harmonized, and the song built until the crowd went wild.
And the long yell along the back of the guitars left me turned on as hell.
That was my man.
Once the song was over, Griffin waved and told the crowd to enjoy their night and he’d be back later.
And boy, did they.
It was a rollicking good time. Beckett showed up with a flatbed of water and passed it out to everyone in the crowd to keep them hyped for the last three acts.
Ian and Flynn came out first with a song they wrote together.
It was a delicious mix of rock and country with a bluesy guitar that had the crowd screaming in reaction. Especially the women. After that, Ian took over with his own mix of songs from his last two albums, as well as some covers that had the crowd singing along.
His charisma was off the charts and had everyone in the palm of his hand by the time he ended his hour-long set.
They took a quick break to reset the stage for Flynn. He was only doing a small set since his band couldn’t be with him. There were a good amount of them, from what Griffin had told me.
But the acoustic set was somehow intimate and moving.
I didn’t recognize the songs and wondered if he was trying some new material with the eclectic mix of blues and country.
I escaped at the end to get ready for my own performance. I zipped into the shack to repin my shirt and glug down some water of my own. I was a sweaty mess like the rest of the people at the orchard.
Bells ducked her head into the small storage area where I was fussing with my shirt.
“Oh, thank goodness. Get in here. I need help.”
She was wearing a flowing daisy sundress, showing off every one of her curves, making me feel like even more of a mess.
Bells muscled in with her massive bag. “I figured you might need some freshening. I was able to take a quick shower between the wedding and coming over here. That bride was giving Bridezilla a bad name.”
“Oh, how fun for you.”
“Not even one bit.” She pulled out baby wipes and body spray.
I snatched them from her and did a quick wipe down and defunk . “Can you help me with the back?” I turned around. “The shirt is all twisted.
“I’m incredibly jealous of how snatched in your waist is.”
I laughed. “Lots of pilates to keep me limber for flair.”
“When? We’ve been absolutely insane, and summer hasn’t even officially started.”
“Griffin also keeps me busy.”
She snorted. “That sounds more like it. There.”
I sighed as the bunching smoothed out and Bells tucked the hem under my sports bra.
I turned around. “Please lie to me if I look like a drowned rat.”
“You definitely don’t.”
“Good. Wish me luck.”
“Luck!”
I hurried out, grabbing my heavy and light bottles from the box I hid under the table.
Annette was talking me up with a karaoke microphone. Dear God.
“There she is. Now, remember all the tips are going to the taproom. We’re all donating our time tonight.” She gave me a huge smile, then she looked down at my outfit and did a little fan of her face.
I laughed.
They’d pushed the picnic tables back to make a big half circle for me. The speaker Griffin had set up for me pumped out “I’m Alive” from Shinedown. The song was just under four minutes and allowed me a slow start that showed off my tossing skills then the drums drove into an acrobatic routine that allowed me to show off every single technique I’d learned over the last ten years.
I was out of breath when I landed in a split and caught a bottle in the metal shaker with each hand as the song ended.
There was about a hundred people around me when I looked up.
In the middle was Griffin with a shit-eating grin. “That’s my future wife, everyone!”
Everyone whooped and cheered. Then Griffin hopped up on the picnic table and down to me, helping me off the ground.
“Damn, girl. How the hell am I supposed to go up there and play with this.” He whispered in my ear as he pulled me close. “That shirt never looked better.”
“I hear it might be your favorite.” I reached around to give his ass a good squeeze and the remaining people laughed.
“I gotta go and play, but I wasn’t missing this for the world. Gonna watch me?”
“Of course.”
He lowered his mouth and kissed me hard. “I’m reminding you one more time that you’re marrying me.”
“And I’m reminding you that you still haven’t asked.”
He just grinned and my heart damn near exploded.
I cleaned up my mess and drank another can of water before I slipped into the crowd just as the lights went low.
A spotlight flicked on as Marc rolled out on the most over-the-top throne I’d ever seen in my life. And I do mean rolled . It was motorized, for God’s sake.
The crowd lost their collective shit.
Especially when sparklers rose out of the chrome tailpipes that created the back of the chair. It was a velvet chair with gold flourishes and in the center, sat Marc with an oil-slicked chrome cane with a skull topper and a matching microphone in his other hand. “Are you fucking ready to rock?”
Griffin, Baron, and Bridger ran out behind him, all of them laughing their asses off.
They quickly got to their microphones and plugged in.
They started with one of their biggest songs and only took off from there. While I’d seen videos of Griffin in his element, and of course, him horsing around with the guys during rehearsals, there was nothing like him in-person.
I was jostled with the crowd around me. And for a minute, I had a flash to the elbow to the face from Irene, but there was no violence in this group. Everyone was just ecstatic to see Reversal of Fortune for the first time in years.
There were a few people who got too rowdy, but Landon quickly dragged them out of the pit of people, and we all resumed our enjoyment of the show.
Finally, it slowed down with Marc using his cane to haul himself out of the throne to sit on a stool with Griffin and Baron.
“We just wanted to thank you guys for showing us so much love. It reminded us just how much we missed playing for you. We’re going to slow it down for a minute.”
Someone in the crowd shouted, “This Old Tattoo.”
Marc laughed. “You have eyes on our setlist, out there?”
The woman beside me screamed so loud we all looked at her.
Everyone in the band laughed.
“First, we have a new song for you. This is the first time the three of us have written together since we went on hiatus. It’s called ‘Truth’.”
The acoustic guitars harmonized almost immediately.
The lyrics spoke of a fire that destroyed and rebuilt. Of love lost and found in the ashes. As the song built, Griffin swapped to a gorgeous electric guitar in shimmering dark purple. The mix of acoustic and electric built until Marc’s voice lifted up into the night like a call to the Universe.
The song was fast-paced, and they were all breathing heavy at the end.
Marc bent forward and tapped his cane on the stage. It was a light beat that finally turned to a pounding as it changed to a new song.
To “This Old Tattoo” which was one of my own favorites off Morning Pages .
The whole crowd sang it back to them, me included.
When the last notes ended, the lights went down, and the guys scattered back to their regular spaces.
Their biggest hit, “Fragile Lines”, started in the dark and then the full overhead rig of lights flashed on as well as the ones on the edge of the stage until it was a wall of sound. Bridger was back behind the drum kit, and he played the shit out of it along with the guys.
I was so proud I didn’t know what to do with myself.
I just laughed and sang with the crowd, feeling in love and alive.
The end of the song lengthened, and Griffin came out center stage as the guys brought the instruments down.
“Lenny, I got a question for you.”
The spotlight swung out into the crowd until it centered on me.
“No, you aren’t,” I shouted.
“Darlin’. I am not taking no for an answer.”
“You still haven’t asked,” I shouted back.
He ran off the stage and down the stairs and into the crowd.
I couldn’t stop laughing and the tears came with it.
The crowd parted and people had their phones out to mark the moment. They fanned out around us, leaving us in a tiny circle.
I ignored all of the phones, and the ridiculously hot light as he pulled me close. “Lennon Hathaway, marry me.”
“Still not a question.”
The crowd booed him playfully.
He set me back enough to get down on one knee and popped a box open. The diamond inside made everyone inside gasp, including me. “Lennon Hathaway, will you marry me?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Hmm.”
The crowd was delighted and then I threw myself into his arms. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He wrapped his arms around me, trapping me against his chest. And the kiss was as perfect as the night. “I love you so damn much.”
“I love you too.” My hand shook as I held it out for the ring, and it slid perfectly over my knuckle. The diamond winked under the white light.
He gave me another kiss, then he glanced over his shoulder at his band who were making kissy faces.
The rest of the acts poured onto the stage and the well-known start of “Come Together” poured off the stage.
It slid quickly into a very layered, rockstar version.
“I gotta go to work,” he said into my ear.
“Go.” I dragged him back to me for one last kiss then I pushed back into the crowd.
Marc and Flynn were in the mic together and screaming out the ridiculous lyrics that somehow made a masterpiece that only the Beatles could create.
True to her word, Bells got Kain involved with the jam session. He had his hair down and he was head banging like a true rockstar.
My arms were up, and I sang along with everyone.
And when Griffin smiled down at me before sliding into an epic guitar solo with all the guitarists on that stage, I cupped my hands around my mouth.
“That’s gonna be my husband.” I couldn’t stop grinning.
Damn straight, he was.
Griffin threw his head back and played his heart out. And for the hell of it, threw up a pair of devil horns.
Wondering if Justin can get his love life together? Turn the page to find out.