Page 102 of Love is a Lyric
She gave him a weak smile. “Everything is messed up, Chase. Look around us.” She gestured to the behind-the-concert scene. “This is a dream. I should be happy, but…”
“You’re not.”
She shook her head. “I just… I don’t know what I want anymore.”
“Him. You want him.”
She buried her face in her hands. “I do. Even after everything, even if he has some messed up notion about my lyrics calling to him, I can’t stop this pain ripping through me.” She lifted her face. “What if he never forgives me for the lies?”
Before Chase could answer, a roar louder than she’d heard all night came from the crowd. Drew had stopped singing.
Piper pushed away from the wall. “What is he doing? He’s not supposed to talk to the audience until after the third song.” She’d memorized his entire routine.
Walking back to the side of the stage, she stopped when she reached the people standing there. “Mel, what are you doing here?” They hadn’t expected her to come by the tour for a while.
Melanie threw an indecipherable look over her shoulder but didn’t say anything as the crowd cheered again.
Piper fixed her gaze on Drew. Sweat glistened on his face under the harsh spotlight, but a grin stretched his lips. “Does anyone here know of the bandFate?”
They cheered.
Drew continued. “Well, by now the interview with Quinn Hayes has gone viral, so I’m sure you’ve seen it. We’ve all been lied to ladies and gentlemen!” Piper sucked in a breath. “We’ve been told to root for Ben and Quinn, that they were the sweethearts of rock-and-roll. It wasn’t their fault we pushed them into being together. But now, as fans, we’re going to push for something else. You see, what you might not know is Ben Evans is a friend of mine. And Piper Hayes… well, she’s my assistant. So, I need your help.” He paused dramatically as the crowd hung on his every word. “Let’s give Ben a call, shall we?”
He held out his hand, and one of the dancers put a phone in it. The ringing echoed out from the speakers.
When Ben picked up, Piper gripped Chase’s arm for support.
“Hello?” Ben didn’t sound surprised.
Both sides of the call boomed out from the speakers, letting the crowd in on this story. “Ben, buddy. I’m here with the great people of Cincinnati.” The crowd cheered. “And they wanted to say hello. Think you could oblige?”
“Sure thing.”
The call ended but not before the people near the back entrance started cheering. The sound grew louder until it was all Piper could hear. She craned her neck to see what was happening. A lone figure raced down the aisle, his guitar strapped to his back.
“Chase.” Piper could barely get the word out. “What…?”
Chase only grinned. He’d known. She slugged him in the arm but didn’t say anything more as Ben neared the stage. The security guards let him pass to run up the steps.
No gel slicked through his curly hair. He wore glasses instead of contacts, and there was no sign of the eyeliner that had been part of his persona. His eyes flicked to the side of the stage, landing on her for a moment. His lips twitched as he turned back to Drew and gave him a back-pounding hug, the thud vibrating through the mic hanging from Drew’s ear.
Drew removed the mic and held it out to Ben with a nod.
Ben fitted it to his ear. “Hello, Cincinnati.” He grinned. “Thanks for letting me crash your party.”
Piper’s pulse pounded in her ears.
“Can I tell you all a secret?” Ben asked.
The crowd screamed yes.
“This is me. I’ve come to stand before you not as the rocker you’ve always seen but as a guy who has screwed up way too many times with the woman he loves.”
Woman he loves. Tears gathered in Piper’s eyes.
“A wise man told me that I needed to figure out who I was. Only months ago, I thought I’d lost the most important relationship of my life. But I was wrong, because in the aftermath, I learned who I was and who I wanted to be. Now, Piper is probably standing at the side of the stage rolling her eyes.”
He was so very wrong about that.
