Page 32 of Rock My Girl

Ford stepped closer and dropped to one knee. I began to shake as a deafening roar shook the air, followed by absolute silence as he pulled a tiny black box from his pocket.

Kelly appeared, pushing my microphone stand out of the way and holding my wireless mic behind us so that the audience could hear.

"Cassie, you are my light. My life. You've made me fall in love with music all over again. You've made me a better songwriter, a better singer, and a better man. I'm incredibly grateful, but I need to ask you for one more thing. I need you to teach me how to be the best husband that has ever walked this earth. Will you marry me, and be my beautiful songbird forever?"

Despite my extensive vocal warm-ups, my throat closed tight as he snapped the box open. I stared, blinking in disbelief at the huge diamond, surrounded by small rubies.

I'd never heard the sound of thousands of people holding their breath before.

I completely froze until Kelly tapped my foot with hers.

"Yes," I sputtered. "I love you. Yes."

Ford slipped the ring on my finger, then stood to kiss me. Thank God he held me, as my knees weren't steady. The cheering, applause, and screaming of congratulations was almost deafening.

Blinking through tears, I stared into Ford's eyes. "I love you, even if you're super sneaky."

"I was going to wait until after the tour, but when I saw the name of this venue, I couldn't resist."

I laughed, snuggling into his arms as I whispered, "The PR team will go nuts with this, but also, I will never stop laughing."

"Good. Mission accomplished," he chuckled as he rubbed my back. "Should we give them another song?"

"Yes."

I gave my head a shake, turning to see that Kelly had already returned my mic to the stand. I grabbed it and walked over to give Ford a huge kiss on the cheek for the benefit of the camera operators and everyone taking photos on their phones.

"I think it's time to do my fiancé's hit song," I said. "Hit it, Doug."

We rocked the hit single like never before, then we played several extra songs. Over the past two months, we'd been learning a handful of rock, blues, and country covers during sound checks, and I hadn’t noticed until we played them in a row that they were all about love.

As I sang, I took every opportunity to wave my left hand in the air, or run it through my hair, sending the band into hysterics.

Not only had I gained an incredible man, my life partner and lover, I had also gained a ton of confidence, not to mention a whole new circle of friends.

From the band to the tech crew to the PR and label folks, we were much more than a colleague. We were a musical team, bringing an incredible show to the entire country.

My life had gone from tiny to huge, all by the side of the man who loved me, who couldn't take his eyes off me for a single note.

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