Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
Where it all started.
Daisy’s nerves crackled. Nearly a decade since she’d watched him on that stage.
She walked toward the front entrance, the place that meant so much, in a black minidress, leather jacket, heart thudding like a bass line.
The air smelled of rain, and her breath was visible in the cold.
The band’s name glowed faintly on the marquee, and her pulse tripped at the sight.
Had anything really changed?
So much. And yet tonight, it felt like nothing had. Tonight, they got to live in the past for a moment and forget the hurt, the years, the things they’d done to each other. Tonight, they were those careless teenagers again.
“It’s cold as balls out here, and I am not waiting in that line,” Anna groaned, eyeing the crowd wrapped around the block.
“Good thing we’re VIP.” Daisy flashed their passes.
“Oh, thank God. Perks of shagging the lead singer.”
Daisy cut her a look, then glanced down at Amelia, who was blissfully unaware. “Anna. Little ears.” She leaned closer, voice low. “And for the record, I haven’t slept with him. Unlike you, who actually slept with Lenny.”
“Barely.”
Daisy rolled her eyes. Lenny and Anna’s love escapade was rather short-lived after their “not-so-explosive” night—Anna’s words—in Los Angeles.
Apparently, things had gotten hot and heavy until they weren’t.
In short, five seconds in and Lenny, well…
Lenny fell asleep. He literally passed out mid-coitus.
And Anna, Daisy’s sweet, loving friend, was pissed and she hadn’t let anyone forget it.
Primarily Lenny.
As for Jameson and Daisy, something had clearly shifted between them in LA.
That night in the club and everything that followed had awakened something deep within them.
Something she had always known was there, but hadn’t been ready to face.
Stolen glances now carried weight, gentle touches were never unnoticed, and every time he spoke her name, Daisy’s stomach fluttered with that familiar, exhilarating energy that only he could summon.
Hence the butterflies currently fluttering in her stomach.
Daisy flashed the VIP passes to the bouncer and was immediately waved inside.
The moment she stepped through the doors, a wave of nostalgia hit her.
The smell of bourbon, worn wood, and dim light wrapped around her like an old song.
Aside from a few updated fixtures and a fresh coat of paint, Bullets was still exactly as she remembered.
It was alive, loud, and full of memories she’d never quite outrun.
“Well, I’ll be damned!”
“Frankie!” Daisy wrapped her arms around him.
“I had a feeling you’d show up to watch your guy.” He grinned.
“Oh, Frankie, he’s not my—”
“Can’t bullshit a bullshitter, kid. There was always something between you and Kingston. Even an old bar rat like me could see it.”
She didn’t argue. He wasn’t wrong. She and Jameson had always carried a rare kind of torch. The kind others envied, that burned stubbornly through every storm and heartbreak that tried to snuff it out.
“And who’s this princess?” he asked.
“I’m Amelia,” she said, shy but proud. “I’m here to see my dad play.”
Frankie’s eyebrows jumped, eyes flicking to Daisy. “Living proof,” he said, chuckling.
Daisy steered away from the topic with a smile. “How’ve you been, old man?”
“Still kickin’. The bar’s good, but tonight? A whole different animal. These boys could always pull a crowd.”
“Yeah, they sure could. Remember when people would wait for hours outside to see them?”
“Those were the good ole days. Business had never been better. Had a couple of good bands come through since but nothing like TKC.”
They both smiled and remembered “the good times.”
“I should head up to the stage and introduce the guys. Grab a drink and a table. Jameson was sure to reserve his VIPs the best in the house.” He nodded to a table toward the front of the stage.
He squeezed her shoulder and smiled before heading up.
With their drinks in hand, Daisy watched Frankie put the microphone to his mouth and announce, “Are the good people of San Mateo ready for a show?”
The answer was a roar.
“No more waiting. Back in their hometown, for the first time in nearly a decade… The Kings Court!”
Daisy, Anna, and Amelia screamed with the crowd as the guys took the stage. Heat flushed Daisy’s cheeks when Jameson grabbed the mic. The first notes struck, and the years folded.
How had she ever let this go?
She hadn’t. Not really.
His voice pierced the room, and then the words:
Someday soon our paths will cross,
I’ll see you then you’ll see me,
We’ll smile but won’t move on,
Ideally, you’d forgive me,
For letting what we had go,
You’ll forget the fight that got us here,
What happened so long ago.
I was young and I was reckless,
Giving up the best I’ve ever had,
Your body and soul they had me,
And I messed it up so bad.
Someday soon, someday soon,
Our tides will coincide with the moon.
Someday soon, someday soon,
I’ll find a way to make it up to you.
Someday soon, someday soon,
We’ll do everything we ever said we’d do.
Someday soon, someday soon,
I’ll give you a life, made up of me and you.
Someday soon, I’ll find a way,
To make good on my promise to take you away,
Back to my hometown far away,
Back to the place of the Kings and Queens.
My mum always said, true love is never gone,
I pray for my sake she’s right on this one.
I’ll understand if you’re angry and slam the door in my face,
But know I won’t give up when it comes to this race.
Someday soon, someday soon,
Our tides will coincide with the moon.
Someday soon, someday soon,
I’ll find a way to make it up to you.
Someday soon, someday soon,
We’ll do everything we ever said we’d do.
Someday soon, someday soon,
I’ll give you a life, made up of me and you.
Someday soon, our paths will cross,
I’ll see you then you’ll see me.
We’ll smile but won’t move on.
I will stay with you forever, always there by your side,
Holding your hand for the rest of our lives,
Someday soon.
The show ended too soon. Daisy could’ve listened forever. The whole night felt like traveling through time. She only wished her brother had been there to see it.
With security in tow, Jameson pushed through the crowd, stopping for autographs and photos, but his eyes kept finding her. His destination was clear.
He reached them and pulled Amelia into a tight hug. “What did you think?”
“It was so cool,” she said seriously. “You have, like, a really good voice.”
They laughed. “Well, I hope so,” he said, grinning. Then his gaze softened, landing on Daisy. “And you?”
“Like you even have to ask,” she said.
He took her in, her lips, her eyes, all of her, and leaned closer. “I know. But I want to hear it. From you.”
“The crowd loved it. Isn’t that what matters?”
“Not to me.” He pulled her closer, voice low in her ear. “It was for you. All of it. For you. Now you have it back.”
She understood. She’d shut music out for years, the very thing she’d loved. Tonight, he’d given it back. And though she could never forget he was the one who’d taken it away, it felt right, fitting, that he be the one to return it.
Now you have it back.