Chapter Ten
Two days later, Hannah had to pinch herself. She couldn’t believe where she was or what she was seeing in front of her. Sure, she knew the world she now lived in, understood what happened while she hid herself away on a tour bus singing silly songs with the kids, but this was the first time she’d ever actually seen it with her own eyes.
Country music’s most famous stage held way less than most of Blue’s venues, but it came with a certain status that couldn’t be denied. As Hannah sat in the front row, dressed to the nines and styled by professionals, and watched her best friend live his dream, her eyes went misty.
No way would the sullen teenager she’d met ten years ago believe this would one day be his future—performing at The Grand Ole Opry House in front of a screaming crowd. Seeing Deacon up on that stage had her wishing she could go back and hug that boy all over again. Whisper in his ear that dreams really did come true.
To the right of the stage, just behind Tyler, Deacon stroked his bow across the strings. Hannah shivered as if he’d run it over her skin. He played that instrument the same way he approached everything in his life, with focus and raw masculinity. Chewing steak. Tying his shoes. Heck, even washing his hands, the man looked sexy doing them all. Simply put, he was her living, breathing fantasy come to life.
Which was why she was getting so antsy about her timetable.
The Harvest Festival was one month away. Sure, he’d asked her to the dance, but not because he suddenly saw her as girlfriend material or because he couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms again. Obviously, the invite had been more of a “hey, why not” type of thing, which would’ve been fine back when they were in high school. Today’s Hannah wanted more.
She wanted Deacon to fall in love with her.
Right now, they had plenty of affection between them, and maybe even a hint of lust. She desperately wanted to believe he wanted her, too, and that the heat in his eyes when he’d caught her in the shower hadn’t been just a trick of the light. But he still hadn’t mentioned their kiss, or even attempted to flirt with her. A couple sweet compliments did not a lover make.
Maybe Deacon was happy with the way things were and didn’t want to rock the boat. Or maybe he still only saw her as a friend and nothing more. The night of the club could’ve been a fluke. Because if he wanted her as much as she wanted him, wouldn’t he have shown it by now?
“This is so exciting!”
Arabella bumped her elbow, and Hannah tore her gaze from Deacon to smile at her friend. The pretty band manager looked amazing in a vintage, pinup style dress that was equal parts elegant and retro.
Ella turned so her mouth was pressed against Hannah’s ear. “I grew up coming to shows here,” she told her in a loud voice, competing with the music, “and I watched videos of my mama perform. But this feels different, you know?”
Hannah took in the room, electric with energy. “It’s definitely incredible,” she yelled back. “I’m just so glad I’m here to see it!”
Arabella bumped her shoulder and smiled. “Wouldn’t be the same without you!”
When her friends reminded her yesterday about the Birthday Bash, confirming the service they’d hired to watch the kids, Hannah had flown into a tizzy. Tonight’s event had been on the schedule from the very beginning, but between tilt-a-whirl kisses, a hangover and stomach bug, and naked shower mishaps, she’d completely forgot.
Upping her nerves was the dress she’d packed. She wasn’t even close to throwing in the towel yet, not with as much progress as she’d made, but her original choice wasn’t cutting it. She’d needed a wow dress. A dress that’d push Deacon to the very edge of his sanity. A run-of-the-mill LBD from the mall just wouldn’t cut it.
That’s where Sherry stepped in. Together with Blue’s stylist and the band’s hair and makeup team, they primped, curled, and squeezed Hannah into Nashville glam perfection. When she’d surveyed the result, even she had to admit she looked good.
The look on Deacon’s face when he saw her walk out? Completely priceless.
“He still can’t keep his eyes off you,” Sherry told her with an air of satisfaction, “and I can’t say I blame him. You’re always gorgeous, Hannah, but tonight, you freaking sparkle!”
Hannah blushed at the compliment. “I do sort of feel like Cinderella,” she confessed with a laugh. “No one’s ever done my makeup like this before. Not even at Sephora.”
“Well, trust me, the makeup artists had more fun than even you did.” Sherry reached over to wind one of her red curls around her finger. Her hair was up in a complicated, elegant braid, and a few soft tendrils framed her face. “I mean, seriously, can you imagine how boring it is styling a bunch of dudes every day?”
Leaning over, Arabella raised her voice to add, “Especially Nate.”
At that, all three women cracked up. The guys loved teasing their wild, flirtatious drummer about how seriously he took his hair and his huge array of products. The girls…well, they just loved raiding his stash.
Sharing a grin, they went back to watching the performance. The guys were at the chorus of “Next Time,” and Charlie’s deep voice kicked in to harmonize with Tyler’s smooth baritone. As he stepped up to the microphone, his gaze fell on Arabella in the front row, and Hannah could’ve sworn she saw a flash of fear in his eyes.
What in hell’s bells is going on?
She refused to believe Charlie was bored, or any of the other ridiculous ideas Arabella had filling her head, because she’d seen the way the bassist came alive whenever she walked into a room. Charlie watched her with stars in his eyes. No, something else was going on that had him acting so strangely. She just couldn’t figure out what.
Deciding she’d bring it up to Deacon later, Hannah reached out and took Ella’s hand. Her friend smiled softly as she squeezed it tight, then together, they turned and sang along.
…
When Deacon was up on stage, he didn’t make it a general habit to look out into the crowd. Sure, he smiled and hammed it up, staring straight ahead at some unknown spot as he lost himself in the music. But he never tried to distinguish any of the faces within the inky, shadowy blob.
Whenever he did happen to notice the crowd, say when the lights went up, or the rare person screamed his name, Deacon’s skin began to itch. The attention, the sheer number of people who came to their shows, still didn’t feel real even after a month’s worth of performances. It was humbling and uniquely uncomfortable.
While no one came to a Blue concert for the fiddle/keyboard player, if he paid too much attention to the fame thing, that’s when fear crept in. Too much was riding on this opportunity panning out, and too much was still left up in the air. The thought of this being taken away and going back to teaching music lessons, struggling to make ends meet, made his blood run cold.
But tonight, Deacon broke his own rule. He looked out into the crowd, his eyes having one target, and one target only.
Hannah.
Watching her sing along with Tyler’s lyrics, her face shining with pride for him, made every struggle, past and future, worth fighting. The pain and sweat had led him here, standing on stage and sharing this moment with her. Mixing his old world with the new.
With a final swipe of the strings, he lowered his bow and shot Hannah a smirk.
The crowd surged to their feet. As they cheered, the usual requests for “Rain Dance” and a few of their other big hits rose above the noise, and Tyler grinned his appreciation before turning to the band. He gave a nod, and one by one, he, Tyler, Nate, and Miles turned to face their bassist.
No man in the history of the world had ever looked so panicked.
As the cheers quieted, Charlie cleared his throat, and the harsh sound echoed through the speakers. Biting back a smile, Deacon exchanged a smirk with Nate. So far, he was off to a promising start.
Slowly, the crowd took their seats, sensing that something was brewing. Charlie patted his right pocket, then slapped it again, tangibly confirming the ring was where he’d left it, even though he’d checked that same damn pocket a million times before they took the stage.
Releasing a deep breath, this time stepping away from the microphone before he did it, he firmed up his chin and signaled to Miles.
A string of simple chords began rolling across the stage, and Charlie gave the audience a nervous smile. “Hey, everyone.” When they returned his greeting with a chorus of, “Hey, Charlie,” his friend laughed, and a smidgen of starch left his shoulders. That was better.
“I guess you’re wondering why the music stopped, huh? I promise we’ll get back to that in a minute, but first, there’s something important I want to do, and I figured as loyal Blue fans, you should be a part of it.” Whispers rose as he dabbed at the sweat beaded on his forehead and grinned sheepishly. “I’m pretty nervous.”
Feminine awws swelled the theater, and Deacon shook his head. Even twitching in his boots, Charlie Tucker had charisma.
“By now it’s no secret that I found the love of my life this summer…Nashville’s own Arabella Stone.” When Charlie targeted their manager in the front row, he chuckled at the trio of women wearing matching expressions of excited wonder. A little more of that starch faded away. “Come on up here, darlin’.”
Arabella hesitated, blinking at the stage in awe, and Sherry impatiently reached over to yank her arm. Even from up on stage Deacon could read her lips: Go! Get up there.
Arabella blinked and shot to her feet. When she finally started to move, Hannah swung her excited gaze to Deacon.
Is he…? she mouthed, bouncing in her seat. Deacon smiled and shrugged.
Charlie met Arabella at the stairs and gave her a hand as she climbed up, swallowing visibly as she glanced at the crowd. Like her boyfriend, she wasn’t comfortable in the spotlight, but then she focused on the man she’d given her heart to when she was just a kid, and the worry disappeared. Why shouldn’t it? Arabella had loved Charlie for years, waiting patiently for him to wake up and see her as a woman, and now he finally did.
Deacon’s gaze went back to Hannah and held.
“Arabella, I told you once that I wasn’t good with fancy words, but that because of you, I finally understood what Tyler’s been singing about all these years.”
Deacon heard the smile in Charlie’s voice, and the audience chuckled appreciatively.
“Sweet girl, you’re the song in my heart. You make me want to be a better man. You fill my life with laughter and silly lists, and whenever you’re by my side, I know it’s going to be a good day because with you there is no other option. Every day with you is a blessing, Arabella, and I want to spend the rest of mine making you feel as lucky, happy, and honored as you make me.”
Hannah’s eyes filled with tears, and as Deacon listened to Charlie’s words, a strange sensation floated through him. He managed to drag his gaze away just as his friend hit the stage on one knee.
Arabella squealed. The entire room joined in. Falling onto her knees, too, she threw her arms around Charlie’s shoulders and screamed, “YES!”
He laughed aloud, kissing her hard before he pulled back and said into the microphone, “Baby, I didn’t get to ask you anything yet.”
The crowd chuckled again, eating up every second, and Arabella blushed to her ears. Charlie shook his head and kissed her again, then his face took on a serious expression.
“Now, where was I?” he asked, and Ella feigned a stern look. “Oh, right.” With a glance toward the wings, Charlie said, “Now, I’ve already got your father’s blessing, and I know he’s backstage waiting to swoop you into his arms, but first, Arabella James Stone, I have a question for you.”
Reaching into his right jeans pocket, he withdrew an antique diamond ring, her mother’s engagement ring, and held it up in the air. “Baby, I know I’ve driven you crazy the last couple weeks. It’s just that I wanted this night to be perfect. But I swear, if you do me the honor of becoming my wife, I’ll only act weird and drive you crazy a few times a year. Five or six, maximum.”
Arabella’s honeyed laugh rang out in the theater, and her face radiated so much love it was almost hard for Deacon to look at her.
Setting down the microphone, Charlie took her left hand, slipped the ring past the first knuckle, and stared into her eyes. The room grew so quiet the people in the rafters probably could hear the witty, former playboy as he shakily asked, “Will you marry me?”
Tears sprang from their manager’s eyes, and she nodded over and over. Laughing and gasping in between kisses on Charlie’s face, she yelled again, on cue this time, “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”
Once again, the crowd rose to their feet, and the applause was ten times louder than it had been minutes ago. Hannah held her hand over her mouth, openly weeping with happiness as she clung to Sherry’s arm. Deacon smiled at his friends and took a step back, letting the happy couple have the spotlight, and as he did, he realized he’d never felt more whole.
Having Hannah here, being a part of his new world.
Hearing her sing random songs about country men not wearing guy-liner.
Cheering on their mutual friends getting married.
Living with him, laughing with him. Sharing life.
Hannah was the key to him finding balance in this insanity. She’d always been his calm in the storm, and now she was the same for his son. Being with her every day this last month, Deacon didn’t know how he’d ever find the strength to let her go again.
When Hannah shifted her gaze, and their eyes met, something moved inside his chest.
This girl was his song. She filled his life with laughter and silly accents, and every day with her was good because she made it that way, with her warm hugs and warmer smiles and the way she looked at the world. She loved his son almost as much as he did, and she made both their lives better simply by being in it.
Hannah wouldn’t ditch Max, even if things went south between the two of them, because that wasn’t her style. She lived life with her heart on the outside and children always came first. Hannah had the most beautiful soul of anyone he’d ever met. It was almost as if she’d been made especially for him…and he was so damn tired of fighting that.
Earlier tonight, Sherry had slipped Deacon a key card. It was burning a hole in his pocket. The childcare service they’d hired for the kids was staying overnight, so Max and Lizzie would be taken care of. If anything did happen, he knew Tyler would call, which meant literally nothing was stopping him from doing what he wanted. Taking Hannah away and giving in to the intense chemistry that burned between them. That is, if she still wanted him.
Hannah’s soft lips parted in surprise, as if she could read his thoughts, and even from the stage, he could see the need sharpening her eyes. That look pushed the scales.
The same gut that convinced him to follow her home ten years ago, told him to trust it again. As he had the last time, Deacon intended to listen.
He just hoped his gut knew what it was doing.