Epilogue
VAN
SIX MONTHS LATER
After our impromptu Vegas wedding and our honeymoon in the Virgin Islands, we flew back to Rhode Island and organized a massive celebration for all our family and friends. It was another three day party - minus the helicopters…
After that, and just before Christmas, we visited Montreal.
I’d finally decided to put my parents’ house up for sale. It was time.
Brodie helped me look through the house and decide what to keep and what to give away.
I’m not going to lie. Aside from their funerals, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
There were bouts of crying and lots of memories unearthed as we sifted through family photo albums and boxes of my childhood treasures.
I would’ve managed on my own, but having my husband beside me gave me a strength I will forever be grateful for. And I knew in my heart that my mom and dad would’ve loved Brodie as their own.
Being an only child of two parents of the same, and with my grandparents long since passed, I had no cousins or any other relatives close to me now.
But I wasn’t alone.
The James family had welcomed me into theirs, and one day, Brodie and I would be creating one of our own.
Brodie and the rest of the guys were true to their word, and in May of the new year, Wayward Lane signed with a new label.
Brodie and I had been prolific in our songwriting collaboration, and we had a strong backlist for their next album.
The band’s popularity skyrocketed even further, beyond even Brodie’s expectations.
Bandit Music, on the other hand, went through a rough period of bad press and lower profits when Wayward left, and several other bands followed suit (including Killmine).
Brodie and I had thought about starting our own label, but we weren’t sure we’d have the time to dedicate to such a venture. Maybe someday. For now, I was content writing songs for the band and for other artists.
And our life together?
There were still times when he was on the road, or at an event, or an interview, and I stayed home. But for the most part, I was with him. And nothing made me happier.
I may be middle-aged, but after falling in love with Brodie, my heart was forever young.
And our dreams together were just beginning.
brODIE
After a grueling rehearsal, I was ready to call it a night and blow off some steam.
I turned and found Van standing in the wings, watching me.
Like always, being the center of his attention had me lighting up. I placed my guitar aside and all but ran over to him.
The guys had been witness to the displays of affection between my husband and me over the past six months and had teased us mercilessly. When they’d start in, Van and I gave them a choice finger and kept on doing whatever we wanted.
And there was nothing I wanted more than him.
Van was the greatest gift of my life. One I never, ever took for granted.
After signing with a new label, the boys and I tested out some of the songs Van and I had written together. Our sound was evolving, and our fans couldn’t get enough.
And tonight, we were back in New Orleans. To perform and enjoy an afterparty to celebrate the upcoming release of a new single—the official launch of “Sideline.”
Van would be performing the song with me and initiated as our unofficial fifth band member.
We also had a couple of birthdays to celebrate. Me and Holls turned thirty in April, with Faise and Ronin turning the same but later in the year.
Not that entering a new decade had changed us much. When we played together, we still reverted to the loud and snarky teens we started out as.
But offstage? Well, let’s just say my rockstar persona had evolved like our music. I was mature now. Most of the time…
And I was good with it. A new decade wasn’t something to be feared but embraced.
Van and I had done a lot of talking about our future and the family we wanted together. It may not happen this year, but it was coming down the line.
I could see it as clearly as I saw him.
“Great set, mon coeur.” Van pulled me into his arms.
“Thanks, honey.”
“I’ve got something for you.”
Van held up a familiar gold ring. It was the one I’d lost the last time we were here.
“You found it? Where?”
“I went downstairs to the dressing room to get changed, and there it was. Sitting on the very same table.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
I shook my head. “That’s too weird. And I know you think it’s crazy, but it’s gotta be the ghost.”
“Between you and me, I’m starting to believe you. It’s kind of romantic if you think about it. Maybe the ghost locked us in that room six months ago for a reason?”
“No better reason than love.”
Van kissed me. “Too bad we can’t thank them.”
The lights flickered, and Van and I stared at each other, then burst out laughing.
“Are you excited for tonight?” I asked, getting lost in his blues.
“’Course I’m excited to perform with you. It’s afterward that concerns me. Holls told me I’d need tomorrow off to recuperate from the initiation. So tell me, what kind of crazy antics do you four have planned?”
I ignored his question and leaned up to kiss him. “You’ll be fine. You’re not allergic to Jell-O, are you?”
“No. Why?”
I let out a deep chuckle. “No reason.”
“Brodie—” Van warned.
“Relax, honey. I’m teasing you.”
My husband, being the smart man he was, didn’t buy my answer for a second.
He knew all about rockstars.
And he loved me anyway.
THANK YOU for reading Punk-In!