Jemma

The crowd goes crazy as the band plays Invincible. It’s always a favorite. My hands tighten around each other as I wait. We agreed that we would announce our engagement during the next song, the one Wes wrote for me. It’s better if this news comes straight from the band apparently. I trust their judgement, but I’m not sure, when the time comes, if I’ll be able to walk out onto the stage.

The call to Mom and Dad didn’t go so well. I knew they wouldn’t approve of me marrying a rock star but I didn’t expect them to know who Wes was, let alone to have watched that horrid interview with that lying tramp Vicky. Apparently, the interview only got worse after the bit we all saw. My only hope is to take Wes to meet them so they can get to know what he’s really like. I brush away a stray tear as it rolls down my cheek.

My face feels heavy with make-up. We don’t need any attention on my scars tonight. How many of the audience actually believe all the lies about Wes? There were several protesters outside the venue when we arrived. They even had signs saying Wes needed to take responsibility for his actions. I harden my resolve. I will stand by Wes. People need to know the truth. I won’t let Trent and Vicky destroy his reputation with their lies.

The song ends, and I peer out onto the stage. Finn puts down his guitar as he always does when he talks to the crowd. Wes’s eyes lock onto my own. He smiles and winks at me. My legs tremble, and I’m glad I’m not wearing heels tonight.

“How you doing tonight Detroit?” The crowd goes crazy. Finn walks across the front of the stage. His powerful presence fills the arena. “Now, I usually don’t talk about what the paparazzi have to say about us,” some boos come from the crowd, they know where this is going, “But sometimes the lies that are spread are so freaking unbelievable that we just can’t let them pass unchallenged!” The crowd cheers again.

My heart swells, they’re on our side.

Finn turns and motions for Wes to come forward. “Now, you may have heard some lies about my bro Wes. But, if there was ever a man more likely to do the right thing than Wes Bowman, I have yet to meet him. He puts a hand on Wes’s shoulder. “Now, Wes, I’m only going to ask about this once. Did you sleep with a woman named Vicky and get her pregnant?”

“No, I did not.” The crowd cheers again.

“Well, now, how do you know you didn’t sleep with her and then forget?”

My heart aches for Wes, I know he really doesn’t want to share the private details of his life like this, but I know he’s doing it for me. He wants to protect me. Another tear runs down my cheek.

“Well, although some rock stars have a certain reputation for treating women badly. I’m not like that anymore. I’m not claiming to have led a perfect life, but I know I’m not the father of Vicky’s baby because until recently, I hadn’t had a relationship in almost two years.”

The crowd goes silent and I distinctly hear someone call out, “Marry me, Wes.”

Wes laughs into the mic. “Thanks for the offer, but I do have some better news. Do you want to hear it?” The crowd responds with a deafening ‘yes.’ “Well, today I asked the love of my life, my soulmate, to marry me and she said yes!” The crowd cheers and stamps their feet.

Finn waves his hands for silence. “Do you want to meet the girl who stole Wes’s heart?”

My heart is thumping so hard I can’t hear anything. My eyes focus on Wes, who has turned to face me. I take small tentative steps out onto the stage. The bright lights shine into my eyes, and I blink rapidly. I keep walking. Wes is the only thing I can see, and it helps.

As soon as I’m close enough, he grabs me and swings me around in a circle. We stop spinning and he pulls me in close and kisses me. His body is hot and sweaty from performing but I don’t care. I return the kiss, only dimly aware of the background noise. There is only us. The feel of Wes’s warm lips and the pressure of his hands as he slides one hand into my hair and the other one lower down my back. My whole body melts into the kiss, and I soak in the love that flows between us.

We break apart and the surrealness of the situation floods through me. The crowd actually seems happy for us. I’m sure there are a few breaking hearts in the audience but they still cheer and clap.

Wes holds my hand tightly. “Do you want to hear the song I wrote for my fiancée Jemma?”

Wes smiles as the crowd cheers again and leads me back toward the edge or the stage where his keyboard waits. A stool has been placed beside it for me to sit on. Wes sits me down and places a quick searing kiss on my lips. He puts his mic back on the stand.

“This one’s called Forever, I hope you like it.”

My heart soars as Wes plays the opening to the beautiful instrumental I first heard him play and loved so much. He wrote this for me? He never told me. How could I have inspired something so beautiful? The tears flow freely down my face as the beautiful music wraps around me and makes my heart sing with joy.