One year later…

I open my eyes and exhale slowly. I can do this. It’s just like at home. No different. I readjust on the stool just as Johnny takes to microphone. The spotlight hits him and the crowd starts screaming so loud that it’s hard to hear him at first.

I feel Dex’s hand on my lower back. “Play from the heart,” he says, positioned on a stool next to mine with his guitar in his hands.

“What if I screw up?”

“You won’t. Only us, sweetheart. Just like at home. Block out the noise.”

“…most talented guitarists out there. She taught the great Cory Dean how to play and has written many of our best songs. It’s time for her to show the world what she can do. Give it up for Rochelle Floros.” I hear Johnny just as he looks back, his eyes locking with mine, a huge smile on his face as his hand swings out in our direction and the spotlight follows.

When the bright light hits us, I freeze, my mind going completely blank. I miss my cue altogether, but then I hear Dex, his soothing voice, full of enough confidence for both of us. “Only us. Play with me.”

We were two people following our own melodies who discovered the music we create together is the sweetest song of all. My fingers start moving, knowing the notes without the mental reminder. I close my eyes and keep playing. I lean forward and the words come just like we practiced, just like they were supposed to.

Songs that had been written apart became a song together that we sit on stage singing for the world to hear today. Every note gets easier and easier and when I hear Dex join in, hitting his own cue, I open my eyes and smile, looking over at him. I’m given a smile in return as he sings into the shared mic.

We lean back, strumming to a song we wrote together. The violins sound out behind us as does a slow and steady drum beat, Kaz filling in for Dex. Johnny walks back to a microphone setup in the shadows across the stage just as his part kicks in. I continue singing and when the chorus starts, Dex leans in again, our cheeks almost touching and sings.

Three minutes of our love put out there for the world to hear. Just as the song ends, Dex moves from his chair and gives me a standing ovation. Exhilarated that I just played in front of eighteen thousand people, when I stand, I laugh, then take a bow. The stage goes dark, but the crowd is still cheering.

Dex says, “You nailed it.” He kisses me, our guitars clanging between us. When we part, he adds, “It’s time the world sees you for the star you are. It’s your turn to shine.”

He wraps his arm around my shoulders as we walk to exit the stage. I wrap mine around his back. “Thank you for believing in me.”

“Believing in you has always come easy, but you were there when I needed you most. I owe you my life more than a few times over.” His guitar is taken by a roadie and he takes his sticks, shoving them into his back pocket.

“Two minutes. Get to your kit, Dex,” Tommy yells from behind us.

I start to step off to the side, but Dex grabs my hand. “Hey,” he says, gently moving my guitar to my back, the strap keeping it safe back there.

Surprised by how relaxed he is while everyone else is rushing around us. “You conquered your fears, Rochelle. You’re still the strongest person I know.”

“You are too, Dex. Don’t ever believe otherwise.” I touch his cheek. “You gotta go, your fans are waiting.”

“I’ve got time.”

Slowly, he moves forward as if he has all the time in the world. His hand slides into my hair and he lowers down to kiss me. I lift up, our lips meeting in the middle. His other hand caresses the side of my face. As soon as he moves it, I realize the spotlight is on us. I gasp as the realization that we are on display hits me. All of that is forgotten entirely when Dex drops to one knee in front of me. He reaches into his back pocket and pulls one of the sticks out, handing it to me. Wrapped around the middle of the wood, a diamond and platinum ring sparkles under the intense lights.

I gasp again, at a loss for any other rational response.

“Rochelle, I was everything you never wanted or expected. But you saw who I always wanted to be, you saw the potential when I thought I was a lost cause. You gave my soul the pulse I’ve spent my life looking for and in return, I’ll give you a life filled with the beauty you deserve. You took a chance on me and trusted me with your heart. Now, I’m here before you asking you to take the biggest chance of all. Will you marry me?”

From behind me, I hear CJ when he says, “Marry Dex, Mama.”

Tears fall when I spot my sweet boys behind me, Lara holding each of their hands off stage with tears of her own in her eyes. She nods and smiles. When I turn back, I reply, “I believe we were written in the stars long before now. We’re a chance I’m willing to take, so the answer is yes, Dex. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

I’m grabbed as he stands, his arms encompassing me, and our lips meet in a fit of passion. In that kiss, I don’t hear the crowd, or the crew and the applause around us. The band waits patiently for us to have our moment together. But none of it matters. What matters most are the little arms that encircle our legs. When our lips part, I look at him, the man who stole my heart when I least expected to find love again. And I realize that sometimes we find love in the most unlikely of places… and sometimes it was there all along.