Page 81 of Unbound

Rawley is a rock star in many ways. It doesn’t matter where he’s playing, he gives himself in his performance, whether it was the days when he started out playing in Lincoln’s basement or on stage at a bar.

Singing and performing is effortless and authentic for him. He’s complex enough to pull off the brooding musician and make it look natural in his misconstrued and rebellious ways.

Watching him on stage, he looks so much like the Rawley I fell in love with, scared of what the world would think and so passionate about his music. My heart weakens against the surge of adoration I have for him.

We can have forever, can’t we?

He plays dozens of songs, most we all know because they’re popular ones and he pulls off quite possibly the best acoustic version of “Are We in Trouble Now” by Randy Travis.

I’m utterly shocked when I hear that song for Lenny and Red’s first dance. And thankfully, the bride has relaxed and she’s crying for a different reason now.

When he’s singing “Stacy’s Mom” to Lenny, with Nova beside him pretending to play the guitar, he has everyone laughing. He’s on his knees in front of Lenny on the stage so he’s at Nova’s height, smiling and laughing around the words, changing lyrics to fit the moment.

Raven laughs beside me, drawing my attention to her. “What?”

“What a fool. Next thing we know his shirt will be gone.”

It’s pouring down with rain and though we have a tent over the stage, Rawley’s still slightly wet from probably sweat. He keeps sweeping his hair out of his face and I can see his white dress shirt clinging to the muscles in his chest and stomach.

Personally I’d love it if he took his shirt off, but he probably won’t. At least I wouldn’t think he would at a wedding but this is Rawley we’re talking about so you never know. “Oh, leave him alone.” I sway to the beat, enjoying the moment with everyone else.

With a grin of mischief on his beautiful face, he moves easily from alternative back to country and plays an acoustic version of Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” for Red and Lenny, again, changing the lyrics to fit them by singing, “but that white dress, mmm, makes me forget how to breathe.”

Lenny shakes with tears, holding onto Red as they slow dance together in the middle of the yard, rubber boots and her dress nearly black at the bottom. I don’t think she cares at this point. I know I wouldn’t.

Raven sits beside me, her arm around my shoulder. “I’m so fucking glad the wedding part is over but damn, they’re adorable like this.” She motions to Red and Lenny.

She’s right, they are, though my eyes move to Rawley.

Raven notices, squeezing my shoulder. “Just wait.”

My eyes snap to hers. “For what?”

“This will be you some day.”

“What? Getting married?”

She nods, her grin much like her twin brother’s. That goofy innocence they seem to know exactly how to pull off. “I think you’re ahead of me on that one.”

And then she kisses my cheek as Tyler approaches her, his water cup in hand. “Maybe so, but… my brother loves you and he seems pretty determined lately to make you see he’s a different person than he was before.”

As she steps away with Tyler to the dance floor, my eyes drift to Rawley as he sings. My gaze then focuses on the way our son, who’s in Mia’s arms, is captivated by him.

Standing from my place at the table, I take one last drink of my wine and approach Mia. Lyric immediately holds his hands out to me, smiling.

Taking him in my arms, I sway with him, holding him close. The rain hasn’t quit but we’re covered under the tents and it makes for the coolest fog near the stage where Rawley’s standing before us. His eyes lock with mine, smiling down at us like we’re the only ones in this backyard. But we’re not. We’re surrounded by family and friends and I hope Rawley sees just how different this is from the last time he was in this backyard, with his family.

Lyric looks up at him as he belts out words at the top of his lungs, the tendons and muscles in his neck moving as he does so. “Your daddy is an amazing man, buddy.”

I want so badly for Lyric to know him and not the guy I had been given after Mexico. The Rawley I fell in love with at ten years old and you know, in some strange twist of fate, I found him in a week.

IT’S LATER IN the evening when Rawley appears almost nervous on stage, fidgeting with the mic and scratching the back of his head like he’s not sure what he’s doing up there.

I’m not exactly sure what to make of this considering he seemed fine all night until now.

“Do it!” Beck yells in the microphone, his voice a low growl that makes us laugh. It’s like they’re provoking him to play something he wouldn’t ordinarily play.

Restlessness takes the light from his eyes when he stares down at me. As quickly as my heart skips a beat, he looks away and leaves me with it.

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