Page 93 of Lost Lyrics

“Woohoo. I can’t fucking wait.” Slip howled into the air and slapped Cole on the back. “We’re ready. We’re pumped. Can’t wait.”

“Me either.” Light filled my chest. I’d never felt so confident about the shows ahead. The past had paved our way here. Each tour got bigger and better.Wegot better. This...the four of us...this band...and Sutton were my everything. I didn’t want any of us to suffer or make the same mistakes again. We’d learned a lot about ourselves and each other since we’d lost Phil. We’d become men. “You’re my best friends. My family. Mylife. Each one of us has grown and changed since our last tour. So please, if at any time you need a break, are struggling, feel like shit, want something altered, or want to share how fucking amazing something is, big or small, let me know. I’m here for you. I will do anything and everything in my power to help you, be there for you. I love you guys, no matter what.”

“Ditto.” Cole dipped his chin. “We’re living the dream. Playing and performing with you guys is still as fresh and exciting as it was during our first gig. I live for this shit every day. This tour will be huge. I’m stoked I get to do this with the three of you, Ava, and the kids. I’m one lucky asshole and I promise to give every show my all every fucking night.”

“Too right.” Slip laughed and ruffled Cole’s perfectly styled hair into a tussled mess, then gave him a playful shove. “And do it without the dizzy spells and fainting episodes like last tour.”

Cole clipped Slip on the back of the head, then smoothed his fingers through his hair, combing it back neatly. “That’s the plan. But I assure you, I’m good. Meds keep my blood pressure under control. I’m fit. Healthy. Fired up and ready to go.” He snickered and waggled a finger at Slip as his tone took on a serious edge. “And you? You watch that damn hip of yours. No jumping around too much. And no resorting to hard drugs or pushing yourself over the limit if you’re in pain.”

My stomach cinched, yanking my guts hard against my spine. My throat tightened, running dry. Images of Slip at his worst toward the end of our last tour, hooked on painkillers and cocaine, flickered through my mind. That was something I never wanted to witness again. Rehab and a new lease on life had him looking better than ever. He was still sober, still the life of the party, and still a wild man on the guitar, but he had a new inner calmness and zest for living each day to the fullest. Being with Maddy, and taking getaways to Bowen Island had restored his mental and physical health. I was thrilled he washere...still Slip. Still a Flintlock.

“No. I won’t be doing that again.” Slip hugged Cole and took in each one of us. “I promise my hip is better. I won’t overdo it. I never want to go through hell like last tour again. I have Mads, you guys, and music to live for. I can’t wait to rock up a storm on stage night after night.”

“Hell yes!” Lewis pumped his fist. The biggest grin lit his face. We’d become such great friends. It was like we’d known each other for ten lifetimes. He was our new brother, sent to us by Phil, my brother in heaven. I was convinced of that. Lewis slapped his hand against his chest. “I can’t express how much I love being here.” His chest swelled to the size of a balloon. “It will certainly be different traveling with a toddler. Winter is a handful, but she’s amazing. Tia’s a super mom. But thank God we have Harper.” Grinning, he clutched the back of Cole’s leather jacket and gave him a shake.

“Fuck yeah.” Cole nodded. “She’s got her work cut out for her looking after three kids.”

Harper was at our hotel on nanny duties with Charlotte, Josh, and Winter. The kids kept her busy ...and soon there’d be more.

“She certainly has.” I dipped my chin. “But we couldn’t do this without her.” While she took care of the kids, Tia ran our sound and lighting team. And Ava kept us in line, kept us on schedule. My gaze jumped from Lewis, to Cole, to Slip and back again. I absorbed their energy and fire. “We’re here because we love music, and have incredible partners and each other. I hope that never changes. This is our time. We’re gonna own it and love every second.” Excitement skipped through my voice and hummed through the marrow in my bones. “We have so much to be thankful for and look forward to. But right now...it’s time to rock the shit out of this stadium and give this crowd one hell of a great show.”

“Yeeees!” Slip clutched the back of my neck and gave me an overzealous shake, but I didn’t stumble.Fuck, I loved my friends. “We’ll be doing this shit forever.”

Cole’s eyes shimmered as he cheered. “You bet.”

“I’m down for that,” Lewis hollered and clapped. “Show one, here we come.”

“Alright.” I unhooked my arm from around Slip’s shoulders, then held my palm out in front of me. The guys followed suit, placing their hands on top of mine. “We’re going to have fun. We’re going to sing and play our hearts out. We’re going to rock this crowd into a fucking frenzy. Are you with me?”

“Yes!” the guys shouted in unison.

“We are The Flintlocks.” I yelled. The vibe between us jumped and ricocheted off the ceiling. It slammed into my chest and coursed through my veins. Best feeling ever. “Let’s go!”

We shot our hands into the air and laughed. We hugged and slapped each other on the back. With a clap of my hands, we broke our circle. We kissed and hugged our partners, gave a thumbs-up to our team...then headed for the door.

Yep.

It was showtime.

***

I stuffed my ear-monitors into place, blocking out the chanting crowd waiting for us on the other side of the huge black curtain. Our stage was massive, bigger than I’d imagined. Towering video projection screens loomed either side of the stage and behind me. Arrays of speakers and rows and rows of stage lights mounted on trusses hung above us. A long catwalk, leading out into the middle of the audience, waited for me and the guys to play on.

In front of my mic, in the dim blue light, Falcon, our tour manager, checked an amp via torchlight, then held up twofingers.

Two minutes to curtain.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded. Falcon scurried offstage.

Our crew—light and sound engineers, stagehands, and technicians—would see me and the guys on the monitors. It was totally insane. We needed ninety-three people to take this show on the road. Truck drivers, roadies, camera operators, audiovisual specialists, pyrotechnicians, rigging engineers, caterers, wardrobe, medical and health personnel, security, our management team and more...I guessed we’d fucking made it to the big time.

I glanced toward Lewis on my left. A nervous grin lit his face as he hooked his bass into position. To my right, Slip, with his guitar in hand, jumped up and down on the spot. Then he rolled his hips and stretched his neck from side to side. He was on fire, ready for a big night. He was back to his old self...no...better than ever. I glanced over my shoulder. Cole sat perched at his drums and pumped his fist in the air.

We were good to go.

This was it.

MetLife. A sold-out stadium. Eighty-nine thousand people.

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