Chapter 32
Joz
The best day of my life bar none.
Seven months later…
Heat from the late afternoon sun licked the back of my neck as I looked out into the vast crowd gathered in Hyde Park for the first concert on my upcoming world tour. I loved playing outdoors. There was something freeing about it, and if I could, I’d play every concert in the open air.
I glanced behind me to where Aspen was standing to the left of the stage.
The breeze lifted her purple hair, blowing it across her face.
She pushed it away, hit me with a bright smile, and stuck both her thumbs in the air.
My sister and mother stood to her left, with Arthur and Kate on her right.
Every single person who meant something to me was here to watch me play to a sell-out crowd.
Arthur had fallen in love with Aspen from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, and in the last couple of months, they’d become tighter than he and I were. He texted her daily. Sometimes, I’d walk into the living room, and they’d be FaceTiming one another, his giggles making my chest clench.
A year had passed since I’d met the love of my life, and what a year it had been.
Sometimes I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
I still didn’t fully believe I deserved to be this happy, but I was working on it, with Doctor Houghton’s help.
Despite living an entire ocean away, and the challenge of time zone differences he assured me weren’t a problem, I video called with him once a week, like clockwork.
Oh, I forgot to mention. Aspen and I moved in together two months ago.
If it weren’t for Arthur, I’d have emigrated to America, but my woman was as selfless as they came.
She’d assured me it was easier for her to live here than for me to upend my entire life to live in New York.
She still flew back regularly, but the beauty of her job was that she didn’t need to be stuck in one place to do it brilliantly.
The press had finally stopped reporting on my drug relapse and on the diary Presley sold his soul, and his career for. No one in the industry would touch him after the news leaked of what he’d done to Aspen, although the police dropped the charges due to lack of evidence.
When that news had come through, I’d punched the fucking wall. Aspen had taken the news in stoic fashion, which had raised my anger to boiling point, especially when she’d added that the world still wasn’t ready to believe women. It’d taken a good few hours for me to calm down.
My band kicked off the opening song, and the crowd roared.
The moment I strummed the first note, the music enveloped me, and everything else faded into the distance.
The set included a mix of new songs and some old favorites, and by the time it was over, I was on the kind of high heroin had never given me.
Then the nerves kicked in. I could be making a huge mistake, but when I’d run my idea past Erin, she’d told me if I didn’t do it, she would never forgive me.
An empty threat, but it worked.
I patted my jeans pocket, my heart thudding against my ribcage. “Thanks so much for coming out today. You guys fucking rock.”
Deafening applause broke out. I waited for it to abate, flicking a glance over my shoulder. Erin nodded in encouragement. This is it.
“It’s been a tough year, and as has been widely reported, a few months ago, my recovery slipped. I ended up in the hospital, then had a six-week stint in rehab. While I was there, I wrote a lot of songs, all of which made it onto the album. Except one. The one I’m about to sing for you right now.”
A hum rippled through the crowd. I jammed the microphone into the stand and walked to the edge of the stage. I slid my fingers through Aspen’s.
“What are you doing?”
I didn’t answer, simply tugged her onto the stage. “Guys, this is Aspen Kingcaid, CEO of my music label, and the love of my life.”
If I thought the earlier applause was deafening, it had nothing on this.
Aspen flushed bright red and muttered something about violent payback.
I grinned, waiting for the crowd to fall quiet again.
Sixty seconds later, they were still screaming and hollering.
It took another half a minute before there was enough silence for me to be heard.
A stagehand appeared with two stools and an acoustic guitar. Once Aspen had sat down, I perched on the edge of my stool and slung the guitar strap over my shoulder.
“This is for you, Spitfire.”
I played a second song I’d written especially for her—one I’d kept back for this specific occasion. Even then, I’d known this moment would come, that Aspen and I were forever.
My woman wasn’t one to shed many tears, but her eyes glistened as I sang about soul mates and saviors, and a fiery purple-haired woman who’d handed my arse to me on a wet London afternoon.
I played the last note to thunderous applause, but as I lifted the guitar over my head and propped it against the side of the stool, then dropped to one knee, one hundred thousand people fell silent.
Aspen’s hand flew to her chest, and her mouth popped open. I delved into my jeans pocket and opened the navy-blue velvet box. Inside, nestled among cream satin, was a ring I’d had specially made. A single teardrop diamond surrounded by twenty amethyst stones the exact color of Aspen’s hair.
“Joz.” A single word, strangled, shocked, raw with emotion.
I removed the ring from the box and reached for her left hand.
“I’m not going to make a huge speech. The song I just sang told you how I feel.
All I’ll say is that the day I met you, my life took on new meaning.
Every day with you is an adventure and, if you’ll have me, I cannot wait to share the rest of my life with you. Aspen, will you marry me?”
The earlier tears she’d held back fell, a river of them dampening her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered.
I pushed the ring on her finger, and the crowd erupted.
I got to my feet, cupped Aspen’s face in my hands and, in front of my fans, I sealed our engagement with a kiss that would undoubtedly make headlines around the world, but I didn’t care.
I wanted every corner of this globe to know how fucking happy I was.
Not even the gutter press could rob me of this joy.
I waved to the crowd, then led my fiancée off the stage. Arthur reacted the fastest, flinging himself at us. The rest of my family crowded around, hugging and kissing and asking when the wedding would be.
“If it was up to me, I’d marry her right now.” I dropped a kiss on top of Aspen’s head. “But Aspen’s family will probably murder me if they don’t get to see her walk down the aisle.”
“Oh, yeah, my dad would kill you for sure. Besides, we’ll have to see where we can fit it in between shows. You have a world tour and an album to promote.”
I chuckled. “I should be offended you’re trying to squeeze the happiest day of our life in between concerts.”
“But you’re not, because you know me.”
“Yeah,” I said, voice like gravel. “I do.”
“We should go out for a celebratory dinner,” Erin said.
I trailed my fingers down Aspen’s spine. “Count us out. The celebration I have in mind will be in private.”
“TMI,” Erin said, screwing up her nose.
“Leave him alone,” Mum said, winking. “He’s in love.”
“And this is where we leave.” I ruffled Arthur’s hair and promised him we’d come and see him soon. His bottom lip wobbled, but Aspen’s swift interjection with a promise to take him to London Zoo at the earliest opportunity avoided tears.
It took another five minutes before we were able to climb into my car and shut out all the noise. Aspen gazed at the ring sparkling on her left hand, gently running her thumb over the jewels.
“It’s gorgeous, Joz. I didn’t see it coming.”
“That was the plan.”
“I know I said yes up there but…”
A cold sweat broke out on my skin, goosebumps pebbling along my arms. “Are you saying no now?”
“No. God, no. I want to marry you more than anything, but I think there’s something you should know. Something we haven’t talked about before.”
I frowned. “Go on.”
“We’ve never talked about kids, and I-I-well, I don’t want them. I love Arthur, but I’ve never seen myself as a mother. If that changes things between us, then I’d understand. I’d never take away your chance to be a father if that was what you wanted.”
“Jesus Christ, Spitfire. You almost gave me a fucking heart attack.” I brought both of her hands to my lips and kissed first one, then the other.
“It’s you I’m marrying. You I want to spend my life with.
As for kids, if you’d wanted them, I would have been happy to have them with you.
But the truth is, I’ve never felt the urge. No kids is all good with me.”
“Oh, thank God.”
I rested my hand on her inner thigh. “Any other regrets?”
She shook her head. “Not a single one. You took a risk, though. Imagine if I’d said no in front of all your fans.” She chuckled. “I bet I wouldn’t have made it out alive.”
“My heart was beating so fast, I was scared I’d have a heart attack before I could ask you. The last time I was that nervous was before my first stadium concert. I puked my guts up in the toilet of my dressing room. Nearly didn’t make it on stage.”
Aspen tipped her head back against the seat. “Glad you didn’t puke tonight.”
“Came close,” I murmured, brushing my hand over her knuckles. “Before I met you, my life lacked meaning. Often, I felt alone, my spirits only lifted when I played music. Even my visits to Arthur were soaked in guilt. Now I know I’ll never be alone again.”
She turned her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. “You won’t. Not ever.”
The city blurred past the windows, but all I saw was her. My anchor, my future, the reason I could breathe again after suffocating for so long.
The driver pulled up outside the house we’d bought together. As much as I’d loved my loft apartment, I was a different person now, no longer haunted by demons and smothered in guilt, thanks to the woman by my side.
“I should call Mom and Dad,” Aspen said as we got out of the car. “Before they hear the news or see something on the Internet.”
“Good idea.”
I left her in the kitchen, breaking the news to her parents, and jogged upstairs to our bedroom.
My instructions had been carried out to the letter.
I corked the champagne and poured two glasses, shucked my clothes, climbed onto the bed among the red and white rose petals, then stuck a de-thorned rose in my mouth.
Five minutes later, Aspen walked in. For a beat, she froze before she broke into a grin.
“You are a crazy man.” As she approached the bed, she faltered. Narrowing her eyes, she stared at my groin, my dick hard and pointing at my navel.
“What’s that?”
I knew exactly what she meant, but this was me. I spat out the rose. “It’s my dick. I know it’s been a few days, but surely you haven’t forgotten what it looks like already.”
She gave me one of her stern looks that turned me the fuck on. “I don’t mean your dick. Is that… a tattoo?”
I frowned, raising my head off the bed and looking down. “Fuck me, it is. Where did that come from?”
“Joz!” She jumped on the bed and straddled me, pushing my dick to one side to reveal her name in black ink, tattooed right above my pubic hair. “You are…”
“Sexy, stunning, a fucking god?”
“Unbelievable.”
“That’ll do, I guess.”
“When did you get that done?”
“Three days ago. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“It’s a surprise, all right. I’m… I’m gobsmacked.”
I laughed. “See, you’re picking up the British lingo already. We’ll have you calling me an arsehole any day now.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “You’ll always be an asshole.”
“Your asshole.”
“Damn straight.” She picked up the discarded rose and buried her nose in the petals. “Gorgeous.”
“Just like you.”
“Now what?” she teased, tracing her finger over the tattoo. My dick twitched. I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, my heart so fucking full of love for this woman.
“Now? I spend the rest of my life proving tonight wasn’t the highlight. It was just the beginning.”