“Oh my God! That’s so great!” Jules rushes around me to hug Brynna and then scowls.
“Wait. Ew. That’s my brother. Yuck.”
“Jules, I hate to break it to you, but your brothers have sex.” I grin and pour myself
a flute of champagne from a bottle on the sink.
“They have really, really great sex.” Meg applies her lip-gloss and blots her lips.
“Really great.”
“If he hurts you, I’ll fucking kill him,” Jules makes a fist and holds it to her chest,
like she’s going to knock someone out.
“You always say that.” Nat rolls her eyes and hugs Brynna. “Good for you.”
“Yeah, well, he’s a complete stubborn ass, and he’s made it clear that it’s just sex
and he’s making sure that the kids and me are safe.” She shrugs, but can’t disguise
the sadness in her beautiful brown eyes. “But the orgasms rock.”
“Here, have some liquor.” I top off her glass. “You look hot tonight. We’re gonna
have a blast. Caleb is going to swallow his tongue when he sees you.”
“Why are the guys going, anyway?” Stacy asks. “I thought this was supposed to be girls
night out.”
“I don’t know.” Jules shrugs. “They like the music.”
“I wish Will didn’t have to go out of town this weekend.” Meg frowns.
“We’ll send him pictures.” Nat assures her. “We’ll take pics of us from the front
row, flirting with the security guards, trying to get back stage.”
“Uh, Nat.” I chuckle and shake my head. “We’re with the band. We don’t have to flirt
with security.”
“Well, what fun is that?” She scowls, and we all laugh at her.
“There, your hair is perfect.” Jules teases one more strand in the front and backs
away. “Go check it out.”
She did a good job. She’s made my shoulder-length blonde hair look choppy and messy
in a rocker kind of way. How she managed to do that with a flat iron and some gel
stuff is beyond me.
“Thanks.” I grin. “You know, if that whole investment banking shit doesn’t work out,
you could totally do hair.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” she replies sarcastically as I reach for my makeup bag and
dig in, with Brynna hovering close by, giving me pointers on making my eyes smokey.
Finally, after what seems like forever, Brynna, and the rest of the girls, are satisfied
with my face.
“I’m getting dressed,” Jules announces.
“Me too.” I follow her into the bedroom and pull my tight, thigh-length silver-studded
black dress over my hips. It has a deep V neckline, showing off my boobs, thanks to
a really great push-up bra.
“Holy fuck, you’re hot.” Jules is staring at me, her mouth open. “What shoes are you
wearing?”
I pull my super-strappy black heels out of my bag and hold them up smugly. “Fuck me
shoes.”
“Leo’s gonna need some sort of resuscitation.” She smirks and steps into a pair of
tight blue jeans and a red halter-top that is loose with a cowl neckline that also
dips down between her breasts. Red patent leather Choo stilettos complete the look.
“We’re all showing off our boobs tonight.” I snicker.
“Hell yes, why not?”
We join the others and earn catcalls and whistles.
“We are one group of hot bitches,” Meg nods appreciatively. She’s stunning in a green
strapless, thigh-length baby doll dress with a handkerchief hemline. Nat and Stacy
are both in gorgeous short black dresses.
Meg’s right, we’re a bunch of hot bitches.
“Are we ready? Leo will be shocked that we’re on time.”
“Let’s go shock him,” Jules agrees.
***
The place is packed.
Key Arena
is smaller, much smaller, than the
Tacoma Dome
, but it’s also more intimate. I’m not surprised in the least that the guys chose
to play here tonight.
This kicks off their twenty-day U.S. Tour. The Sunshine Tour. I grin at the t-shirts
as we walk past on our way down to our seats. Leo already gave me mine.
As we work our way down to the front row where I can already see, and hear, our guys,
a security guard approaches us.
“Which one of you is Samantha Williams?” He asks.
The girls all point to me and keep walking to their men.
God, the guys all look fantastic tonight.
“Would you please come with me?” He asks. “Mr. Nash would like a word.”
“Sure.” I follow him past the others, the stage and through a black door to the back
stage area. It’s surprisingly quiet back here, despite the flurry of activity of roadies
and other people bustling about, all wearing official VIP badges around their necks.
“Right through here.” He opens a door and motions for me to go in, and closes the
door behind me.
“Thank God.” Leo pulls me to him and kisses me madly, then pulls back and those gray
eyes move up and down my body. “Holy fuck, Sam, how am I supposed to concentrate on
the show when you’ll be in the front row looking like this?”
I grin and turn in a tight circle. “You like?”
“I think I just had a stroke.” He confirms.
“You look pretty hot yourself.” He’s in black leather pants and a tank from an ancient
AC/DC concert. “How long till the tank comes off?”
“Probably in the first song. I get too hot,” he murmurs.
“You want to show off your stars.” I contradict him and laugh when he scowls at me.
“The girls will be happy. They’re excited to see your stars.”
“What about you?” He asks and kisses my forehead.
“I enjoy the stars as well.” I grin and push my hands under his shirt and rub my thumbs
where the stars are, right along his V. “They fucking rock.”
“No turning me on right before a show, sunshine.”
“Is that what I’m doing?” I ask with wide eyes.
“You’re trouble,” he mutters and smiles. “I love it. Security will bring all of you
back after the show. Just stay in your seats.”
“Will do. You’ll be awesome,” I remind him.
“Honestly, the show isn’t what I’m nervous about.” He frowns and kisses my forehead
again.
“What are you nervous about?”
“You’ll see.” He shakes his head and checks his watch. “You’d better get back out
there. I have to get back to the guys. We have a pre-show ritual that I’d better not
miss.”
“Sacrifice a virgin?” I ask with a laugh.
“Nothing that dramatic.” He shakes his head, smiling softly. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Okay. Break a leg.” He kisses me, hard and fast, and shows me out to the hallway
where the security guard is waiting to escort me back to my seat.
“This is Lionel. He’s been assigned to you guys all night. If you need anything, just
ask him.”
“Okay.” I turn to Lionel. “I’m ready.”
***
~Leo~
Aside from Samantha, there is nothing I love more than performing. The rush of being
surrounded by thousands of people singing along with songs I’ve written is better
than any drug-induced high.
The first half of the show has gone without a hitch. The band is warm, playing flawlessly.
I’ve been with these guys long enough that we communicate with hand movements or eye
contact.
It’s the best.
My voice is strong and sure, and I’ve never enjoyed myself more during a show. Of
course, it doesn’t hurt that my city and my girl are in the audience.
“Are you having fun Seattle?” I scream and hold the mic out for their response, which
is a deafening scream.
I look down front and see Lionel gather Meg for me, escorting her to the wings.
Here goes nothing.
“We have a special guest with us tonight, Seattle. Back in the day, we played in bars
and clubs around the city, and this gorgeous girl,” I gesture to my left as Meg walks
confidently on stage, a big smile on her lips and a mic in her hand, “was a part of
Nash at that time. She’s agreed to sing with us tonight! Megan McBride, everybody!”
The crowd cheers and applauds, the front row going ballistic. Jules is screaming and
jumping up and down.
Just wait, sweetheart.
“Hey, everybody!” Meg calls out and waves and is met with more applause.
I asked her to join me on stage a few weeks ago, and she vehemently rejected the idea
at first, but I roped Sam and Jules and the other girls into talking her into it.
I always get my way.
I nod back at Gary and he starts the song on the keyboard, Eric joins him on the drums,
and we begin the song.
It’s not one of ours. Will asked me to change the arrangement of
Kiss Me Slowly
by Parachute into a duet, and have Meg sing it with me. I lied to her and told her
it was for Sam.
She bought it.
I sing the first verse, and she takes the second, we join together for the chorus.
God, my girl can sing.
The song comes to an end and the crowd is on their feet, cheering for us, and Meg’s
smile is simply incredible. She should perform with us more often.
She waves and turns to leave the stage, but I grab her hand.
“Not so fast, Megan.” I speak into the mic and she turns back around, surprise written
on her face. “So, I’m sure you don’t know this,” I tell the crowd, “but Megan is my
little sister. She went and got involved with someone you all know and love, I think
you’ll recognize his name, a Mr. Will Montgomery.”
The crowd goes manic, jumping and screaming and Meg scowls at me. She thinks they’re
going crazy at the mere mention of Will’s name.
She’s wrong.
“Turn around, Meg-pie,” I shout in her ear, so only she can hear, and her eyes go
wide in shock and then well with tears when she sees Will approaching her from behind.
He’s dressed in slacks and a button-down, the sleeves rolled, and he has a mic in
his hand. He nods at me and I release her hand and step a few feet away to let him
do his thing, but close enough so I can watch with the rest of Seattle.
“Hey,” Will says into the mic his eyes on Meg’s, and then he waves to the crowd, who
immediately erupts in joy again.
This is a fanfuckingtastic crowd.
I glance down to the front row to find Sam’s eyes on me, smiling broadly. All of the
Montgomerys are clapping and whooping, the women crying. Will and I kept this a secret
from all of them.
“Meg.” Will begins and steps close to her, turning her so the family can see both
of their profiles. “So, I obviously didn’t have to go out of town this weekend.” He
smiles down at her and shrugs. “Leo helped me with this surprise.”
Meg glances over at me, and I just smile and shrug.
“The song you just sang was also not from Leo to Sam like he told you it was.” He
laughs as she lowers her mic and swears a blue streak at me for lying to her and then
he turns her chin back toward him. “It was from me to you. You see,” he clears his
throat, “I wasn’t sure where this was going to go when I first met you, all I knew
was that I wanted you.”
The crowd has gone dead silent, listening in rapture to Will pour his heart out to
Meg.
If I didn’t love her so much, I’d call him a pussy, but she deserves every pretty
fucking word, and so much more.
“There’s a line in that song you just sang that says,
‘And it’s hard to love again, when the only way it’s been, when the only love you
knew, just walked away.’
Well, I’m here to tell you, in front of all of these people and all of the people
we love that I’m never going anywhere, Meg. I’m never letting you go. I love you more
than I ever knew was possible to love someone. So,” he lowers himself to one knee
and Meg covers her mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her pretty face. Will
pulls a small blue box out of his pocket and opens it, showing her a fucking huge
rock.
Atta boy, Will.
“Megan, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Marry me, babe.”
You could hear a pin drop in
Key Arena
right now. No one is even breathing as they wait for Meg’s answer. The Montgomerys
are standing perfectly still. Tears continue to stream down Meg’s face and a few seconds
feel like hours.
“Uh, Meg,” I mumble into my mic. “The answer is yes, sweetie, put the man out of his
misery.”
The crowd laughs, and finally she sinks to her knees before him, drops her mic on
the floor, cups his face in her hands and says, “Of course I’ll marry you.”
The crowd goes wild as Will wraps his arms around her middle and pulls her into him,
kissing her long and hard.
Too long, and too hard.
“Hey, Montgomery, put the rock on her finger and get lost. I have a show to do.”
They laugh and Will slips her ring on her slim finger and kisses it, then helps her
to her feet. They both wave at the crowd and exit the stage through the wings to my
left.