ONE MONTH LATER - September

“Dude, where’s your head?” Kevin asked Brendan for the third time.

They were heading to the stage that was set up outside for their appearance on Good Morning America.

“I’m good, man. I’m really good,” Brendan reassured his bandmate, glancing at him over his shoulder.

“Are you sure? Because you’ve seemed like you’ve been in this strange zone since your return from Atlanta.”

Going back into the studio and spending less time with Ava was not easy for Brendan. He found himself missing her more and more. Convinced that she really did belong with him now and him with her, he made up his mind to secure their future.

“Just missing Ava is all,” he replied.

“Has my man been bit by the love bug?” Tyler teased.

“Oh no! His poor fans are really going to be sick now,” Dylan joined in.

“Well, not really. After all, they believe he’s engaged for real,” Stephen joked.

Rolling his eyes, he sighed heavily and said, “Would you guys cool it on the talk of the engagement? At least in public.”

“Yeah, after all, the way our man’s going, it’ll probably become real by the time he flies back to Atlanta,” Kevin joined back in.

“That’s the plan, my man,” Brendan laughed.

They were preparing to walk on stage, when Brendan heard GMA host, Laura Spencer ask, “So, who’s your favorite Max Load member?”

He smiled as he heard a young girl’s voice say into the microphone, “Brendan Powers. He’s so cute!”

“I would have to agree with you,” Laura Spencer said. “And you?” Laura Spencer asked, moving to someone else. There was a variation of answers as she randomly allowed members of the audience to speak, but overwhelmingly Brendan was everyone’s favorite. Their answers ranging from, “Because he’s hot,” to “He’s so romantic, and his fiancée is so beautiful.”

A loud bang accompanied by a big puff of smoke rising in the air signaled that it was time for Brendan and his bandmates to take the stage.

Brendan’s powerful acapella rendition of their hit song, Journey to Your Heart, announced his arrival as he stepped through the cloud of smoke. His soft, raspy voice was filled with passion, pulling on heartstrings from even the most emotionless of listeners in the live audience and television viewers at home.

This was what he dreamed about and what he loved. Yet, he realized, standing out there on the stage, he would be willing to give it all up if it meant losing the love of his life. The stark reality rocked him as he sung. The adrenaline that always rushed through him as he performed was mixed with something more powerful now. And that other thing was raw, coming alive and humming like a source of energy within him. It was something he had never experienced in his life. Love for a woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

And just when he got to the words, “The most amazing journey of my life is the one that led me to your heart,” he added “Ava” at the end, to which the crowd went crazy. Brendan paused, staring into the audience, with his signature half smile. Slowly, the band joined in, adding a heightened pitch of force to the song.

The band gave an interview and then performed two more songs before closing out with their title track, “Trail of Broken Hearts.”

Back in their dressing room, Brendan’s phone began buzzing, lighting up with Ava’s face.

Tyler in his normal silliness began singing the childhood song, “Ava and Brendan sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

Brendan shook his head at his friend’s immature actions, grabbed the phone, and stepped outside the dressing room to take the call.

“Hey.”

“Hi, yourself. So, why did I just get pulled into the breakroom to watch you perform?”

Chuckling, he ducked his head down. “I don’t know. Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I’d suggest you get back to it.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m working, like you should be doing,” Brendan teased.

“No. I mean, working my name into that song the way you did. Did you ask them first? Were the guys okay with that?”

He was surprised at the sound of apprehension in her voice. “What’s with the twenty questions? No, I did not ask them first, but yeah, they were cool with it. Although, to be honest with you, I don’t think anyone would have had a problem with it. It’s a song that I wrote and that I also have creative control over. Not to mention, I am the lead singer of the hottest band in America.”

“Someone’s full of themselves,” she mocked.

“Yeah? Well, someone else better get back to work, because I’ve still got some things to tie up here,” he said, as he spotted Rick walking in his direction. He needed to wrap up this call before Rick approached him.

“Okay. It’s my planning period, so I am not in class, but if you don’t want to talk to me, I guess I understand. After all, you do have fifty million fans to greet. All those beautiful women waiting outside to—”

“Come on,” he groaned. “You know you’re the only one for me.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll let you go. One more thing before I go,” she said, her voice rising in a slight lilt as though asking permission.

“Yeah?”

“I love you, Bren.”

“I love you more, Ave.” He clicked the phone off and looked into the eyes of his manager. “Well?”

“You’d better come on now if you want to make that flight. There’s a car waiting out back for you. It’ll get you to Teterboro, and Erin’s jet will have you in Atlanta in a couple of hours. Your hotel reservations have been made. You’ll have time to take a quick shower, and then you’ll have to move quickly to make it there around two-thirty.”

Shaking his head, he pushed the door to the dressing room open and stuck his head inside. “All right fellas, I’m out of here.”

“Good luck, man,” they each called out, circling around him and giving him hugs, pats on the backs, and well wishes.

He jogged down the hallway, with Rick at his side, giving him all of the instructions he needed for his spur of the moment visit. Shadow followed behind the men, his long limbs carrying him as quickly as they moved, with him barely losing a breath.

Brendan turned to Rick and said, “Thanks, man. And tell Erin I said I appreciate this more than she can ever know.”

“She’s fine. She just wants unlimited access to the wedding with cameras and all. You know Erin.”

Yeah, he did know Erin Vanderholt. The CEO of their record company was a wonderful, but ruthless, woman who felt she had to work harder and stronger than her male counterparts in what was a male-dominated industry. As a result, she oftentimes came off harsher than some people felt necessary. Her idea of having cameras at the wedding was another way to make money in her mind.

“Tell, her I can’t promise that. I can only try,” he said, before ducking into the limo.

He waved goodbye as the car quickly pulled him away from Rick’s form. Brendan hoped Ava was willing to marry him after all they had gone through. And he didn’t know how she would feel about cameras at the wedding if she did agree to marry him. He wasn’t thrilled about the idea himself. He’d given the public as much access as they deserved to his private life. In his mind, plenty of pictures should suffice. But he would do his part and at least ask Ava to see how she felt about it.

His hand reached inside of his pocket, reassuring himself that the box was still there. He had placed it in his pocket before leaving his condo that morning, wanting it close to him. The presence of the little black box had almost felt as if Ava herself was there in person. She had worn the ring, and whenever he found himself missing her, he stroked the inside of the ring to feel closer to her.

He released a soft laugh, thinking of how bad his friends would have teased him if they had known that.

He thought back to the night he had taken the ring back without her knowing. While she had been sleeping, he carefully slipped it off her finger. The next morning, she was frantic, thinking she had lost it and apologized profusely. He shrugged it off and told her not to worry. He was sure it would turn up again. His calmness about the whole situation seemed to relax her.

“You okay back there, boss man?” Shadow asked, his deep gruff voice flowing from the front passenger seat.

“Yeah, Shadow. I’m doing just fine.”

He thought about the short time he and Ava had together in a relationship. It seemed to be a whirlwind affair, but of his love for her he couldn’t be more certain. They had gone through a lot—thanks to the tabloids and their hesitation to confess their feelings toward one another. They were hesitant because they each feared the other’s reaction. He realized that now, neither of them wanted to experience rejection and speaking on it would be essentially putting everything on the line.

Once he was able to convince Ava to ignore the tabloids, they were able to settle into a decent courtship, with him flying down on weekends, and sometimes once or twice in the middle of the week just to take her on a date. It was important for her to know how much she meant to him and that nothing would ever come before her.

So, if that meant being extremely tired after spending all day performing, recording, or making guest appearances and then flying in for a night to spend an evening with her, he was willing to do it. The next morning, he would stop by her apartment, have breakfast with her, and drive her to work before he would be back at Hartsfield on the next flight to New York, or wherever Rick said he needed to be.

The tabloids had begun to have a field day with his relationship with Ava and Misty, sometimes suggesting sordid ideas. Fed up with the endless battle with the tabloids, he had long since allowed them to continue with their conjectures, refusing to play into it. And to his surprise, both Ava and Misty had been able to do the same.

Not long after the tabloids decided that his engagement to Ava was a fraud, he knew it was best to let people make their own conclusions. He was glad that Misty and Nick had decided to work toward reconciling their marriage. Nick was thrilled that Misty was devoting more time to him and their child, and Misty was more relaxed that Brendan had ever seen her. The time off from working was just what she needed, and it was exactly what needed to happen to save their marriage.

Fresh from a shower at his hotel, he released a deep sigh as they arrived in front of the school. An entire section of the drop-off lane had been cordoned off for him. A private security detail stood outside waiting for his arrival. With a smile on his face, he waited as Shadow came around and opened the door of the Navigator.

“Thanks, man.” Brendan made his way up the short flight of stairs, followed by the security detail and Shadow, who grabbed the glass double doors. Stepping into the front office, he prepared himself for what he knew was to come.

The flurry of activity around him, the giggles and pandemonium he stirred up was soon whipped into control by Principal Claire Wilkins. He had made a special call to her before his arrival. Once she got her staff in order, and he passed out the autographed pictures he had promised, she and the school’s security detail escorted him and Shadow to room two-twelve.

Principal Wilkins knocked lightly on the door, before stepping in. Brendan remained on the outer wall, Shadow standing beside him, and the school’s security officers opposite them. His heart fluttered nervously inside his chest as he waited. Less than a minute later, he heard Principal Wilkin’s voice.

“And in honor of career day, we have a special guest for you students today.” At her prompt, security followed by Shadow and, finally, Brendan stepped inside the classroom. At the cheers and clapping that became a thunderous roar, his eyes turned towards Ava.

The confusion on her face quickly turned to shock when the security team moved aside, revealing Brendan. Her students had been informed of his arrival only half an hour before he came. Several students reached inside their desks and pulled out small bouquets of white roses.

He watched as they placed them across her desk, and then he walked up to her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Brendan,” she sobbed into his ear, as he held her, softly rubbing the back of her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I found something that was lost, and I decided to bring it back to its rightful owner.”

She frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Dropping to one knee, Brendan reached inside his pocket and pulled out the small box. Untying the bow and opening the box, he removed the ring, holding it between his thumb and index finger. “Ava, there’s only one place that this belongs, and that’s right here on your finger.”

She placed her hands against her mouth.

“Ava Marie Cullen, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

The students began to chant “yes,” until the principal shushed them.

“Yes,” she squealed, tears rolling down her face. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Brendan.”