Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Ivy
I haven’t performed on a stage like this in years.
The lights are blinding, and the bass thumps so hard, it rattles my ribcage. My heart races and my throat goes dry.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I say quietly.
Owen is right beside me. “You’re Ivy Ice,” he says in my ear. “You can do anything.”
“I’m not Ivy Ice anymore.” My blood chills at the thought of performing like I had years ago.
“You’re even better.” Owen kisses my cheek. “Go give ‘em hell.”
“Yeah, Mom!” Olivia cheers. “Give ‘em hell!”
Owen gives Olivia a sharp look. “Language, Miss Ickerson.”
“Sorry.” Olivia looks about as sorry as one wearing a light-up unicorn headband can. “Give ‘em heck, Mom!”
I flick a nervous smile in her direction and then glance at Hannah, who gives me two thumbs ups. All three of my favorite people have joined me backstage for my reunion performance. I couldn’t be here without them.
Axel is here, too. He gives me a little nudge and smiles.
“Get out there, babe.”
I frown at the term, but he just laughs and nods at the stage.
My old bandmates are already on the stage, playing their warm-up song and waiting for me to come out. They’re a little creakier than they used to be, but they’ve still got it.
I squeeze Owen’s hand one more time, then let go and step onto the stage.
The crowd goes nuts when they see me. Deafening cheers erupt through the auditorium.
“Ivy! Ivy! Ivy!”
My jaw goes slack. I can’t for the life of me believe so many people still give a crap about Ivy Ice. But they do.
They might be in for a rude awakening. I can’t prance around the stage like I used to. But I can still sing. No one can take that away.
I can feel the press out there, ready to rip me apart for not being the Ivy Ice I was before, but I don’t care.
Not tonight. Not with all my people here.
I stride across the stage in my high-heeled boots and grab the mic. “Hello, Starlight City.”
The crowd roars.
I steal a quick glance backstage. Olivia waves frantically. Hannah grins. Owen just stands there with his hands shoved in his pockets, looking like he’d rush out here and save me if needed.
“This one’s for two girls who remind me why I started singing in the first place,” I say into the mic.
The band kicks off our hit song. As soon as the crowd hears the first chord, they scream.
I close my eyes and focus on the lyrics, which haven’t crossed my lips since my daughter was born. But I still remember every word.
Halfway through the first bridge, the audience is singing louder than I am. What they lack in being on-key, they more than make up for in enthusiasm.
Thousands of cell-phone flashlights illuminate the arena, and the sound of voices united in harmony fills the air.
When the song is over, I realize I didn’t even have to perform. But now I want to.
“I’ve got a little treat for you tonight,” I tell the audience.
They go wild, the cheers louder than anything I ever heard when I was on tour back in the day.
“My girls are going to sing.”
I turn and meet Owen’s gaze. Of course, I’d cleared this with him earlier. I would never expose his daughter to this without his permission.
He nods, and gestures Hannah and Olivia forward. Hannah is timid at first, but it doesn’t last long in the face of Olivia’s exuberance.
The girls come out on stage to more deafening cheers. Hannah and I take our places at the piano and Olivia prepares to twirl.
It’s not flawless. Olivia stumbles on her first leap, and Hannah misses a note. But the crowd loves it.
For as long as the song lasts, I’m not a former pop star or a tabloid headline. I’m a mom in awe of two amazing kids.
When the song ends, the applause booms like thunder. The girls are glowing with joy, laughing, waving, eating it up.
Adrenaline spikes through my blood stream, and I suddenly feel braver than I’ve ever been. I rush backstage and grab Owen by both hands.
“Come out and take a bow.”
He shakes his head. “This isn’t my night. It’s yours.”
“It’s ours.” I gesture at the girls. “All of ours.”
He peeks behind me onto the stage. “You’re sure?”
Axel gives Owen a push. “She’s sure!”
Owen drags his feet for a moment, then breaks out in a grin. We rush onto the stage and take our bows together.
And then I kiss him.
Hard.
Right there in front of a crowd of strangers, in front of our daughters, under the blinding lights of a stage I thought I’d left behind forever.
His arms wrap around me like he’s been waiting to catch me all along. The kiss deepens.
The crowd erupts .
The girls shriek and yell, “Finally!”