Epilogue...three months later.

The performance was coming to an end, and Devon owned the entire fucking place. It had been one hell of a night. Lights beating down, sweat dripping down his back, and crazed fans screaming up at the stage. His body vibrated with the euphoria that usually came with a large sellout show. But now, with the final song ahead of him, the butterflies started up in his gut, and he rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced around.

Aria had promised him she'd try to make it there for the end. The concert venue was nearly two hours away from where she was performing that night. Devon was singing the song, the one that once ripped his guts out, the very one Aria danced naked to during their first time together.

The lyrics didn't affect him as much as they used to, now that Aria was in his life, but it was the first time in a long time that it was on the set list. At his request.

His heart pounded against his ribs as the time came—she hadn't shown. The crowd became a blur before his eyes, and his bandmates could probably sense his hesitation.

Her support to make it through would seal the deal. Plus, she needed to be there for the after party. Aria had met all the guys individually already, but he longed for them to be together as a group, like a family. The two of them had come so far in the short few months they were dating. They knew so much about one another, and were inseparable.

The flashing lights and the roar of the crowd brought him back to the present; shaking his head, he connected again with the audience. “That was a hell of a ride! Gotta tell you, you guys fucking rock!” The crowd went wild as Devon yelled into his mic. It gave him a small boost of confidence, but he still needed her. “You've been great tonight, and we've enjoyed our time with you. We're gonna try like hell to make it back through here on our next tour, because you guys are fucking awesome!” He paused on a shaky breath, allowing the crowd to react to his words, and react they did—yelling, fist pumping, and the pit was going crazy. The pause allowed him to get his shit together.

“Let's slow it down a bit for the final song before we say goodnight.” He sat on the wooden stool a stagehand brought out to him. On cue, the lights dimmed and the place quieted, except for the occasional fan yelling out or whooping. He swiped his forearm over his head to wipe away some of the sweat burning his eyes.

Devon glanced at the side stage one last time before he began, and there she was, still in her recital outfit. His heart rate slowed and all the noise around him disappeared as his world steadied.

She wore a pink leotard, pink tights, and a flowing pink chiffon shirt around her waist. Her red hair was up in a tight neat bun. When his gaze met hers, her face lit up in a smile.

Breaking routine, he stood and took center stage facing Aria, and everyone and everything around him faded away. “Dance for me.” He said it into the mic, but quietly, meant only for her, though everyone heard it.

“Psst, what's going on?” Barry the drummer asked.

“Just go with it.” Troy shrugged.

Devon turned and looked at his bandmates with an apologetic smile. “Hey guys, if I could get you to keep center stage clear? That'd be cool. I've got a special performance I want to share with you tonight.”

The guys looked a bit thrown off, with their mouths popping open and eyebrows rising. Troy on guitar, and Breck on bass moved downstage where they'd perform on either side of Devon.

Aria stared back from wide eyes.

“Come on, baby, it's just me and you.” And then he mouthed to her, “You've got this.”

She smiled, and her shoulders relaxed. Pointing at her sneakers, she raised her brows in question.

He subtly shook his head and pointed his booted toe at her.

A smile lit her face, and she laughed. Pulling her bag from her shoulders, she dug around inside.

It was quiet, as quiet as a large sold-out venue could be, and everyone was waiting. They could wait. He needed her.

Aria laced up her toe shoes and gave a nod when she was ready.

Devon took his seat on the stool, sitting sideways so he could watch her on the monitor and turn to see the audience too. He signaled the guys to start.

On the first note, Aria walked out, moving right into the routine, the very same one she once performed naked, but he'd never seen her do the dance in her pointe shoes.

As he sang, he was amazed by her elegance all over again. To accomplish that surrounded by instruments, a more-than-dark setting, and a bunch of rock stars decked out in mostly black, spoke volumes of her beauty.

The lighting technician caught on and kept a spotlight on her in addition to the one on Devon.

The stadium remained almost silent until the end.

Devon stood and walked to the center where she floated over to him and cupped his face, pulling him close to ghost her lips over his. The lights went out. His heart swelled, and in that moment he admitted he was falling for her.

There was a pregnant pause and then the crowd went nuts as the lights came on to full brightness.

Devon and Aria blinked at one another, and then he beamed at her. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before walking to the edge of the deck, hand in the air. “Goodnight everyone, thanks for coming out tonight, and drive home safe!” He didn't acknowledge her in his remarks; he wanted to keep her all to himself.

The three men up front threw extra guitar picks out to the crowd, and Barry tossed a couple of drumsticks out before the crew started to disassemble their setup.

The men filed offstage and met up in the hall, giving high fives and hugs as they always did after a large show. Devon spotted Aria nearby. “Come here, babe.”

She was still in her pointe shoes and walked her way over.

“That was the shit,” Zachary, the keyboardist said while offering fist bumps to Devon and Aria. The others agreed with nods and positive words.

“Did you guys plan that?” Troy asked.

“No. Sorry,” Devon admitted, ducking his head.

“No worries, it worked out and you guys were awesome together. It's like you've done this before.” Troy patted his back.

Devon and Aria shot knowing looks at one another with wide grins.

Everyone dispersed to shower, Aria found the restroom to change into her street clothes, and eventually they all gathered in the meet-and-greet room.

Cindy entered with Troy, and they headed over to Aria. Troy hugged her, and Cindy smiled, offering her hand. It was the first time they'd met. Devon observed from across the room, he didn't want to be there for that, he'd head over a few minutes later.

He sidled up next to Aria, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You were great tonight.”

She smiled, and kissed him back. “Next time, a little more warning would be nice.”

He chuckled softly against her ear. “Sorry, spur-of-the-moment decision.”

He pulled away from her, and his gaze landed on Cindy's. She said nothing, only smiled sweetly. “What?” he asked her.

“Nothing, you guys just look good together.”

He growled and nuzzled Aria's neck, causing her to giggle. “We are good together.”

“So, when's the wedding?” A new voice joined them.

Devon turned to see a familiar pretty blonde grinning and looking between him and Aria.

“Hey, it's fantasy girl.” Devon had told Aria about his blind date and what was said, so she wasn't upset in the least.

Aria chuckled. “Restaurant girl, will we ever learn your name?”

The blonde turned her attention to Aria, and held out her hand. They shook. “Aria, nice to meet you, I'm Janel. Cindy dragged me out tonight, but seeing your performance, made it well worth it.”

Aria laughed out loud at the blunt attempt to leave Devon out of the name introduction, but it was said loud enough he could hear.

“Can we go back to the wedding part?” Cindy asked, looking at Janel.

“I told him on our blind date, that he'd marry the redhead one day. I'm still certain of it, even more so after that performance.” Janel turned to Devon. “Her movements were so in tune with your words and the music. It was amazing.”

Aria blushed at the kind words.

“So, wedding date?” Janel prompted.

Aria nudged Devon. “Well, he hasn't asked yet, but you guys will be the first to know when it happens.”

Devon's heart warmed at how she said, “when” and not “if”.

He knew then—what Janel had known all along—that he was going to marry this redhead one day.

One day soon, hopefully.

###The End###