~ Two Years Later ~

“This is so exciting!” Danni jumps up and down as we get escorted to our seats.

“Dude,” Nicole grumbles. “FBD is totally not as fun as the last time we were here.”

I laugh. “Why because you know them all now?”

She rolls her eyes and huffs. “Duh! I swear, your boyfriend isn’t even cute anymore.”

“You’re so full of shit.” I smack her arm.

Eli Walsh is still a very sexy man, and she knows it. He’s like a fine wine that only gets better with age. He’s been on tour the last few months, and once again, he’s doing his final show in Tampa. I spent two weeks with him jumping to St. Louis, Nashville, Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Paul, and Little Rock before I booked a flight home. Hell no was I doing that again.

They’re all slobs.

I much prefer his apartment in New York than being cramped on the bus with the guys.

It’s been a whirlwind the last few years. One that I’m sometimes amazed we’ve endured so well. The media responded well when I said I wasn’t leaving my job, and I think being a cop shielded me a lot.

I’m clearly not after his money, even though he practically throws it at me.

The lights dim and déjà vu hits me like a Mac truck to the face.

Kristin grabs my hands, squeezing tight. “I’m so glad Eli hooked us up with these seats.”

“Well, I didn’t give him much choice.” My smile is wide as she giggles.

“This is true. Still, I’m so grateful.”

As much as this is like the first time we attended the concert, so much has changed. Kristin left her husband and now lives in my old home with her two kids. Danielle and Peter are actually doing extremely well after having a second honeymoon. And Nicole is still the same, having random sexcapades and God only knows how many threesomes. I stopped asking after it started giving Eli ideas.

I’m now permanently living in Eli’s Tampa house. Though, at first it wasn’t entirely by choice. Eli practically moved my stuff out of my place and into his the day after our press conference. My home was swarmed with photographers, and he wasn’t having it.

I was exceedingly against it, we fought, and then did a lot of making up—in our new home.

The silhouettes of the band members are visible now, and the crowd roars. Lights come on and the concert begins.

I watch Eli the entire time. The way his dark brown hair catches the light, his green eyes meet mine every time he’s close, and the way he only gives me his cocky smirk that makes my heart melt. I love him more each day, even on the days I’d like to wring his neck.

He dances around, and I study his movements, watching for any sign of his hands bothering him. He told me they were tingling after his last show. Today, he looks great.

The music shifts, and my adrenalin starts to thump. Anytime I hear this song, I can’t help but smile. “I’ve got someone very special in the audience tonight,” Eli says.

Oh, no. No, no, no. He promised. I try to move, but Nicole grabs me. “You’re so going up there.”

“My girlfriend is here tonight, and if you don’t know, this exact concert a little over two years ago, was where I met her.” He gazes at me and winks. “I’d like to bring her back up tonight and remind her just how much she loves me. So, come on Heather, get up here.”

My lips purse, and he gets the meanest stink eye I can muster. But what does he do? Laughs. The asshole laughs.

The bouncer extends his hand. Eli watches me, and I mouth I hate you to him.

As soon as I’m on stage, he pulls me close and plants his lips on mine as the crowd goes crazy. “You love me,” he says against my ear.

“Not for long.”

“Randy,” Eli calls his brother over. “Heather might need a little support for this number.”

Randy laughs. “I see you’re going to lay it on thick?”

“She is my once in a lifetime girl . . . she needs to feel it in her bones!” Eli yells.

Dear God this can’t be my life. Here I sit, on stage while my boyfriend, Shaun, PJ, and Randy have fun at my expense. I’m going to kill Eli, and then I’m going to have Savannah kill Randy.

Damn Walsh brothers.

The music keys in, and Eli begins to sing.

After the first chorus of him being totally over the top, he stops.

He pulls me to my feet and sings to me. The audience disappears while he holds me close. We sway to the music, and suddenly, I don’t care about the people or the lights. My embarrassment fades into the distance, and I pretend we’re alone at home. Eli and I are in our kitchen as he tells me the words of the song.

I look out at the crowd and see the lights from the cellphones filling the room. It’s like a million twinkling stars shine just for us.

My fingers rub the back of his neck, and I kiss his cheek when the song ends.

“My once in a lifetime . . .” He extends his hand.

Eli pulls me back to his chest and kisses me again. “Come backstage after the show. I’ve got another memory I want to recreate.”

I shake my head and laugh. “I love you, Eli.”

“I love you more.”

Just like the first time, my friends all smile and are lost in the fanfare.

“What did he whisper?” Kristin asks.

“To go backstage,” I say through a laugh.

“I totally thought he was going to propose,” Danni says offhandedly. “I’m a little disappointed he hasn’t.”

My eyes widen, and my heart skips. I hadn’t thought of that. I mean, I did, but he made a comment the other night that he was really happy that we’re where we are. I’ve been married already, so it isn’t like I need a ring, but there’s a part of me that wants to be his completely.

Until now, I didn’t even give it more thought, but having her say it, makes me a little sad.

Nicole smacks her arm and then comes in front of me. “You guys are happy, honey. Really happy, you don’t need a ring to prove it.”

I expel the rush of disappointment that hit me hard. I don’t need it, and whenever Eli wants to propose, that’s when it’ll happen. I’d rather have him than anything else. “I was being dumb.”

Nicole nods. “Trust me, there isn’t a woman in this arena who doesn’t hate you right now. Eli kissed you, sang to you, and then invited you backstage. If he proposed, we’d have to put you in protective custody.”

I burst out laughing and agree. My press life with Eli is always . . . bizarre. When he was nominated for an Emmy, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. People calling our names, taking so many photos I thought my face was going to be stuck with a smile. Not all the fans were awesome, though. Some were completely awful toward me. Not to mention the media picking apart our outfits, hair, makeup, everything . . . all for entertainment. If Eli draws attention to us, it only gets worse. It’s why I prefer our happy little bubble in Tampa.

Not that he’s here that much, but we’ve found a way to make it work, exactly like he promised.

We enjoy the rest of the show and then head backstage. The boys come out, and I hug them all. Shaun and PJ are always the first ones to enter the party. I swear, they have alcohol running through their veins instead of blood.

Then I see him, his perfect face and gorgeous smile heads right toward me. Eli’s arms are around my waist and he lifts me, spinning around. “Hi, gorgeous.”

“Hi there, sexy. I’m mad at you.”

“You know I had to do it,” Eli explains.

“Uh-huh.”

Eli sets me down and kisses my nose. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

I hit his arm. “We are not having sex on the bus.”

He tugs me against his chest and grins. “Oh, yes we are.”

I start to protest, but he squats before tossing me over his shoulder. “Eli!”

“I told you, we’re heading to the bus!” he yells as he spins around to face the party. “We’ll be done in a few hours. I’m going to make my girlfriend scream for a bit.”

“Oh my God!” I slap his ass. “You’re a dead man.”

I hear the door to the bus open, and he slides me down the front of his body. “I think you’ll let me live,” he says against my lips.

“Don’t be so sure.”

Eli climbs the stairs backward, and my eyes take everything in. The bus is filled with candles and red roses. Dozens and dozens of flowers fill the space. There’s no surface untouched by soft delicate petals and warm candlelight. I spin around, my eyes filling with tears as I see how absolutely gorgeous it looks. The floor has a line of petals leading to the bedroom. I turn back around to Eli and my breath hitches.

This isn’t happening.

“What are you doing?” He’s on one knee before me.

“I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

My hand covers my mouth as he pulls the lid back on the black box. “Heather Covey, I’ve spent a lifetime waiting for the woman I’d want to share my heart with. We met at this concert, we made love on this bus, and you’re the only person I want by my side. I know we’ve said we were happy with how things are, but—”

“Yes!” I scream out, unable to hold it in any longer.

“I wasn’t done yet,” he complains with a laugh.

I get on my knees with him and giggle with tears in my eyes.

“I want it all, baby. I want you to be my wife. I want us to share everything. I need to give you my name just as I’ve given you my heart. So . . . will you marry me?”

I launch myself into his arms and kiss him hard. “Yes, yes, yes!” I say and then kiss him again. “I love you so much.”

“Good.” He kisses my tears of happiness.

Then I watch as he puts the stunning princess cut diamond on my finger. I stare at it shimmering in the candlelight. I’m going to be his wife. Our lives have fit together seamlessly. We find true happiness in each other like I’ve never known. My eyes meet his again, and I touch his cheek.

“I don’t know how I ever lived before you.” I rub my thumb against his stubble. “I love you so very much.”

Eli stands and then pulls me to my feet. His arms cinch around me, and we hold on to each other. “I wasn’t living before you. I was waiting.”

“No more waiting.” I smile, remembering the same words I spoke to him years ago.

His eyes meet mine, and there’s so much love in his gaze, it takes my breath away. “I’d wait forever if it meant I found you.”

I can’t wait another second to kiss him, so I do. Eli leads us to the bedroom where we make another memory. This time, there will be no running away after.

I lie in his arms, loving the way we fit together. After some time, my mind fills with a pinch of sadness. My first wedding was a justice of the peace deal, but with Eli, I know he’ll want it all. My sister isn’t here to see us get married, and I have no one to give me away.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asks.

He can always tell when my feelings go dark. I seriously need to work on hiding that.

“I wish Stephanie could be here, and my parents. I know my dad would hate you, but my mom would be completely over the moon.”

His arms tighten. “I wish I could give you that, but it’s the one thing I can’t.”

“I know, and I know if you could, you would.”

“There’s nothing I won’t do for you,” Eli promises. “And wait, what do you mean, your dad would hate me?”

I sit up, smiling as I think about my daddy. “No one was good enough for his little girls. Also, he didn’t like you. He had to hear all about how I loved you and how amazing you were. On top of that, he had to listen to all your songs—he wasn’t impressed. He told me to avoid dating any musicians. Clearly, I didn’t listen.”

When Four Blocks Down came out, I was obsessed and told my father one day I would marry Eli. My father told me boys were all stupid and I should stay away, but boys in a boy band were the ones I should run from. I want to believe he’d have changed his tune after meeting Eli. Regardless, it would’ve been funny to watch.

Eli moves so we’re eye to eye and smiles. “I would’ve won him over.”

I touch his cheek; the diamond on my finger catching the light and sparkling. “Daddy would’ve seen that you weren’t a spoiled, self-centered, egotistical jerk who uses girls and leaves them.”

“That’s what he thought?”

I laugh. “Probably.”

He moves quickly, pulling me beneath him. “Well, in a few weeks you’ll be my wife.”

“Weeks?”

He nods. “Weeks. Three to be exact.”

“Wait!” I push him off me. “You want to get married in three weeks? I don’t have a dress or anything! We can’t get married in three weeks!”

Eli is always doing this to me, like the trip he surprised me with to Antigua. He came home, told me to pack, and took me away four hours later. He even had Brody get my time off cleared, he’s crazy. And yet, he’s everything.

“The date is set, everyone knows.”

“Everyone knows?” I push his chest. “You just asked me! We haven’t left the bus, how the hell did you plan a wedding?”

He shrugs and then gives me a smug grin. “I knew you’d say yes.”

I groan and flop back on the bed. I’m not angry, but he kills me. “Okay, I’ll bite, when is our wedding?”

My life is filled with love and a crazy man who plans a wedding before he gets the bride.

He tells me all the details while I stare at him with a stunned expression. He actually planned the entire damn thing. I’m not sure if I should jump his bones or beat the crap out of him. Eli said it was more because of his schedule. He’s starting a movie in Vancouver in a month, so he wants to tie the knot before he leaves.

“You really want us to get married on a boat?” I ask.

This is the one detail I don’t understand.

Eli climbs over me and pushes my hair back. “This is for many reasons,” he explains. “Number one being that I can control the security and guest list. Number two is because I like boats and our first date was on one.” I smile at that one. “Number three is that there’s nowhere for you to run.”

“Run?”

“Yeah, there are no fences for you to climb if you get cold feet. I’ll have you right where I want you, right next to me—forever.”