Page 76 of Ashes to Ashes

And that was the theme of the album I eventually delivered to my label. And our big secret? Ash played and sang on each and every one of the thirteen songs that had made the cut. It wasn’t my album; it was ours. Except, of course, Ash had refused to take credit for any of it. In the end, I’d given in and his contributions had been glossed over. When the press had asked about the heartfelt and emotional duets, Rocky had evasively told them that Nashville was filled with many talented, undiscovered musicians. Of course, we’d never set foot in Nashville while recording, but no one needed to knowthat.

Untilnow.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for letting me back up on this stage tonight. It means the world to me to be here again,” I said into the microphone.

Normally, artists didn’t get to speak before they sang, but Rocky had cleared it with the producers beforehand. Given the hubbub around Ash’s identity, they knew it’d be a huge boon for ratings, and there’d be a lot of surprised faces they could pan to in the audience. I planned to make it worth theirtime.

“But it means even more to do it with my husband Ash by my side. For all you who’ve been wondering, I can confirm he’s the mystery voice on my record. Every song on Phoenix Rising is a duet; a give and take between us. This album wouldn’t exist withouthim.”

I turned to Ash and spoke to him instead of the crowd. “The song we’re going to sing for you tonight is my latest single. It’s all about wanting to build a life with someone; about growing old together.” I pushed my guitar around my back and laid my palms on my belly. “It’s about looking at the man you’re going to spend the rest of your life with and saying, ‘there’s three of usnow.’”

The crowd erupted into wild, uproarious applause. Chase was in the front row on his feet whistling like a banshee, while Charlotte was waiting in the wings with a sly, knowing smile on her face. She’d been there when I’d taken the test a couple of days ago. Rocky was behind her, his eyes scanning the crowd, taking in their reception. It’d been my idea to announce Ash’s place and important in my life like this; it had been Rocky’s idea to surprise Ash with my other announcement. Now he looked smug, like he was counting the dollar signs in hishead.

And Ash? Well, his face was cycling through a bevy of emotions: confused, stunned, surprised, happy, elated, joyous, and now, as he picked me up and spun me around, like he was the happiest fucking man on the planet.

I’d told him I was going to give him babies one day, but because of what had happened with Sonia, he’d never let himself hope too much for that. The last two years I’d tried my hardest to fill in the cracks she’d left him with, the chasms in his soul where his first child had once existed, but I’d always known a part of him expected it not to happen. Tonight, I’d given him hope. I knew our baby could never replace the one he’d lost before he ever got a chance to know him or her, but now he could finally lay his demons torest.

“I love you Ash,” I said, planting a kiss on his lips as he set me back to my feet. And then, turning back to the audience, I asked, “Now who wants to hear some music?”

THEEND

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