It was hard to believe it’d only been a couple of months since Jason and I had reconnected—and since I’d left my life of stardom behind. It was equally difficult to believe that Christmas was just around the corner, something we hadn’t prepared for.

That came in crystal focus when I realized just how much Mom was bossing people around the bar—it’d been her wonderful idea to decorate the place and to throw a Christmas concert, which seemed to make a lot of sense at the time, but now had me regretting everything.

Mike, George, and Jason were all dashing about the place, listening to her every command that she barked from her wheelchair. It was obvious to me her health was on an upswing, she looked much better than she had before she’d gotten sick, but she still wasn’t well enough to be up and moving around. It wouldn’t take much longer for that though, and I was more than grateful for that—a true Christmas miracle.

But then again, maybe the real Christmas miracle was that I was here in the first place, with these people who were really my family. Even George, with all his reluctance and bad feelings about me earlier in the year, had come around, and I found that I actually liked him. Not only was he funny, he had a heart of gold—he was just leery of people who came blowing into town after they’d been lollygagging around the world for two years. I couldn’t say I blamed him for that.

“Dan? What are you doing? Did you not hear me?” Mom snapped, and I whirled to find her staring at me. Her gaze wasn’t any less effective than it was when I was a kid, so I shrugged at her.

“Sorry, I was off in my own world. What did you say?” I asked.

“I need you to help Mike and Jason finish hanging the streamers. It’s almost show time and the lighting will be all wrong if we don’t have something to reflect it,” she said.

“Right, yeah, of course.” I looked at Mike, who shrugged at me, all tangled up in streamers, red, gold, and green like he was drowning in them. I went to him and helped him snake out of the endless rolls before we untangled it and he climbed up the ladder.

“Just hand the stuff up to me, Hollywood, I’ll take it from there,” he said, but I wasn’t confident about that. He looked about as comfortable on the ladder as a bull would in a china shop.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” I said as I passed him the first end of the streamer. He climbed up the ladder and stood at the top, his knees knocking, and I knew I’d been right. But there was no way I could say it. As much of a teddy bear as he was, he could also be a grizzly when he wanted to.

“Hey, take it easy on them,” Jason said to Mom.

“I’ll take it easy as soon as they get things done. We don’t have much time left,” Mom said, side-eyeing Jason. “It’s already 6, we have less than an hour.” It was funny how the relationship between the two of them had developed over the last couple months. They’d gone from being decidedly not fond of each other to being able to tolerate each other, maybe even like each other, especially when they got to bantering like this.

“Oh, we’ve got all the time in the world. Who cares if the decorations aren’t done by the time we open up the bar again? The customers are here to drink and listen to Dan play music, not admire the scenery,” he said.

“Well I care, and therefore it’s happening, so step on it,” Mom said. “Honestly, sugar, I can’t believe you got with someone who’s so unmotivated,” she said to me and I chuckled while Jason rolled his eyes.

“Well, I gotta get a break somewhere,” I said to her and she smirked at me.

“Very funny. Instead of just standing there, Jason, why don’t you go get the tree and start working on that,” Mom said.

“Yes, Sergeant,” Jason said and mock saluted her. She gave him a look that said not to test her, so he went to the back room with George and the two of them returned a few minutes later with a long, skinny box.

After the health scare Mom had been through, she’d decided that she wanted to start weeding through her possessions, and that started with donating all her Christmas stuff to the bar. She thought that we would get much more use out of it there than she would at home, and I agreed, not least of all because it also saved me from having to help her decorate her house.

I handed up the next string of the streamers to Mike, trying not to laugh at how unsteady and uncomfortable he looked on the ladder and watched Jason and George unpack the Christmas tree. It was a fake one, all bristly and plastic like a toothbrush, but it would do the job. It was disassembled in five pieces, each longer than the last, and it only took them a few minutes to get it set up and its branches spread out.

“I think we should put it over by the front door, what do you think?” Mom asked me.

“Yeah, sure. I think it’ll look nice there, and it’ll be inviting when people come in,” I said and Mom nodded at the front door for Jason and George to carry the tree over. They each grabbed it by its center and turned it sideways to walk it to the front door. Once it was there, Mom barked at Jason to bring the boxes of ornaments over so she could get started.

“Speaking of Christmas and trees, what is everybody hoping to get for the holiday this year?” I asked, looking at Jason as he lugged one of the boxes over and tore it open for Mom to dig out some ornaments.

“I already have everything I could possibly want, but if you’re really looking to get me something that meaningful, you could try getting your dear mother here to approve of me for once,” Jason said, staring at Mom. She gave him a stern, thin smile.

“See what I mean?” he asked, smiling himself.

“Please, if I didn’t approve of you, I wouldn’t be here now. Now quit talking and get busy,” Mom said, pointing at the box of ornaments. There were at least a hundred to be hung up, probably more.

It was kind of crazy she was here helping, but I was glad she had something to do, something that brought happiness to her. It was also nice to be able to spend time with her and Jason in the same room without them wanting to tear each other’s eyes out.

“Okay, all done. I guess we can go help with the tree or whatever you need to do,” Mike said as he climbed down off the ladder and patted me on the shoulder. I had to admit, the streamers looked nice. For as big and clumsy of a guy as he was, he’d hung them quite evenly and distributed the colors appropriately as well.

“Very nice. Great job,” I said and patted him on the shoulder again.

“Yeah, yeah, Hollywood, go get ready,” he said with a smirk. He’d taken to calling me Hollywood recently, probably because of my history with the city and what had taken Jason and me apart, but it hadn’t ceased to get on my nerves just yet. He, however, loved it.

“Good idea, go get dressed and I’ll meet you in a few minutes to check your makeup,” Mom said and I laughed. She’d never once in her life been interested in helping me get ready for a concert, but this one must’ve been special because she insisted on having her hands in every cookie jar involved in the production, including my makeup.

Still, I knew better than to argue with her, so I stepped around the other side of the bar and behind the curtain—red satin and all, we couldn’t keep using a tarp as a makeshift curtain—and sat down at the small boudoir we bought from a secondhand sale to serve as my makeup stand.

It didn’t take much, just a little bit of blush and some concealer to cover up the rough spots before I was ready to go. However, it wouldn’t do me any good to leave now, so I sat waiting nervously for Mom to finish what she was doing while I ran through the set list in my head.

I’d been practicing Christmas songs for the last week or so, which was driving Jason crazy. He hated Christmas, always had, but part of me was grateful we were going to be able to spend it together, especially after everything we’d been through this year. The set was a collection of the classics, with a few of my own original songs mixed in just to keep the crowd happy, and I hoped it went over well.

We’d advertised the concert like crazy for the last two weeks, hoofing around town to staple advertisements on pretty much every telephone pole we could find, so I was expecting a pretty large turnout.

It didn’t hurt that I hadn’t made any kind of public appearance or performance since I’d parted ways with Twang Records and my overall country career. People were no doubt curious what I’d been up to and were looking forward to hearing from me again—especially those in town who knew me before I was famous and hoped I would continue making music even after all the drama.

“Done already?” Mom asked a few moments later when she wheeled behind the curtain.

“I could ask you the same thing, that was pretty fast,” I said.

“Oh, I set the boys to work decorating, I’ve got better things to do,” she said and I laughed.

“Like what?”

“Like spending time with you,” she said and wheeled closer to take one of my hands in hers. Unlike before, her temperature was nice and warm, just like her overall mood, and more than anything else I was grateful for that.

Sandy had been an absolute trooper in the times that I couldn’t be there to support Mom, but now that I was home and living with her again—though I spent far more time at Jason’s house—I was able to spend a lot more time with her and I think that helped her health overall.

“I can’t believe Jason cracked a joke about you,” I said with a smirk.

“Oh, I believe it. He just likes to devil me, doesn’t he?” she asked.

“Yeah, something like that. But really, that’s how he is with pretty much everyone, even me,” I said. “I’m glad to see you two are at least starting to get along now though.”

“Please, I never really disliked him as much as I made you think I did,” Mom said and I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Really?”

“Really. I won’t lie, I did think he was beneath you and would keep you from being successful, but that was a long time ago, long before all this. Now that I see the two of you together, it’s obvious to me how wrong I was. I’ve never seen you this happy, not even when you were at the peak of your game after winning that TV show,” she said.

“Honestly, I’ve never been more unhappy as I was during that time in my life,” I said. She gave me a sad smile and stroked the back of my hand with her thumb.

“Oh, sugar, I’m sorry. I know that wasn’t exactly what you envisioned, but I think it’s all for the best. I mean, look how things have shaken out now. Could you even imagine that you’d be here in doing this just a few weeks ago?” she asked.

“No, not at all. If it were up to the powers that be, I’d still be on stage somewhere on my apology tour selling my soul,” I said.

“Well, now you’ve got a better choice. Now you get to go out and sing and perform whatever you want, for whomever you want. You’re happy, and that’s all that matters to me. Now you better get out there soon and show the rest of the world how happy you actually are,” she said and patted my hand with a smile.

“Thank you, I love you,” I said and the smile she was wearing intensified.

“I love you more than sweet tea, sugar,” she said.

“Hey Dan, how’s it going?” Jason asked as he appeared behind the curtain. “We’ve got people starting to pour in, it won’t be much longer before you need to go live.”

“I’m ready whenever you are,” I said. Honestly, though, I was more nervous than I’d ever been before a performance, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in years.

After a certain point, it became almost like going through the motions to get ready for a performance. This time, however, was a totally different story. It wasn’t like there was really anything at risk, but I still felt pressure to impress people. I wanted them to see I’d made the right decision and prove all the naysayers wrong.

“No, you’re not. You’re nervous as hell, I can see it on your face,” Jason said and came to me. Mom smiled at me and wheeled out, giving us some time alone.

“Yeah, I am… is it really that obvious?” I asked and Jason chuckled before nodding.

“Yeah, if it weren’t for the makeup, I’d swear you were dead your face is so white,” he said, kneeling down beside me. “Look, if it’ll make you feel any better, I’d be happy to go out on stage with you just to introduce you or something like that. I think it’ll be good for the two of us to be seen together, especially in that kind of context,” he said. It wasn’t a terrible idea. In fact, it sounded like the best thing in the world.

“Yeah I’d like that a lot,” I said and reached for his hand. He met me halfway and linked his fingers with mine, a bright smile on his face. Though he was as real as real could be, it was still difficult for me to believe we were together, that we’d gotten through all this crap and come out stronger as a result. I’d never been more in love with him than I was in that moment, however small it might’ve been.

The commotion outside started to intensify, footsteps across the bar and shouts for drinks being ordered, and I knew we were almost there. Jason checked his watch, something new he’d started wearing, and looked up at me.

“It’s just about seven, are you ready?” he asked.

“Yeah, let’s do this,” I said and stood from the stool I’d been sitting on, my hand still in his. Smiling, he led me out around the curtain and I came face-to-face with a hundred or more people who’d crowded into the bar in just the last fifteen minutes or so. Immediately, they erupted into applause and cheers, and despite myself, I blushed.

Jason led me to the sole microphone and stool that’d been set up for me, my acoustic guitar on its stand beside it, and I took my seat to start tuning the guitar while Jason introduced me. He tapped on the mic a few times to make sure it was live and pulled it from its stand before he cleared his throat.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much for coming,” Jason said over the commotion. Almost immediately they went silent.

“It means a lot to all of us that you came here, especially after all that Dan has been through in the last few months. For a while there, we were both concerned things weren’t going to go well for his career after he’d made the very difficult decision to come back home and be with me,” I said and the crowd flared up again, making whatever Jason said next impossible to hear.

“Okay, I can tell this is gonna be a good crowd tonight. Look, I don’t want to keep droning on here, and Dan certainly needs no introduction. I just wanted to tell you all how much we appreciate your support, both of the bar and of us,” Jason said and put the mic back on its stand as the crowd cheered.

He turned to face me and he looked a little worried like he’d forgotten to say something. He rummaged in the back pocket of his jeans, found something, and froze. After a moment, he turned back around to the microphone, his hand still in his pocket, and started speaking.

“Sorry, I almost forgot something,” he said and removed his hand from his pocket. It was just a brief flash, but I knew what it was as soon as I saw the box clutched in his fist. The audience gasped as he brought it around to show them and I really thought for a moment that I was going to fall out of my chair. Again Jason took the microphone off the stand and came to kneel beside me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, setting my guitar back on its stand. He beamed at me, passed me the microphone, and took my free hand in his. Though I couldn’t believe it, I held the microphone to his mouth so he could speak to the whole room.

“Christmas is typically a time for gift giving, so with that being said and with everybody gathered here tonight, I thought it might be a good idea to give the biggest gift of my life the biggest gift I can give,” he said and people jumped up out of their chairs. They were clapping, leaping up and down, completely losing it. Inside, I was melting. How long had he planned this? Had Mom and Mike and George and all been helping him without my knowledge? How long had they kept it under wraps?

I searched the audience and found all three of them sitting in the front row. Mom was crying and clapping, George was trying to hold his tears in and failing, and Mike was absolutely blubbering. I’d always known he was a big ol’ crybaby, but I had no idea he would get that bad. It was adorable and I found myself hoping he found someone he could share his big heart with someday soon.

Jason shook my hand to get my attention and I snapped back to him.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said, away from the microphone so only he could hear me.

“No, I absolutely need to do this,” he said and nodded so that I’d put the microphone back within range of him.

“Dan Montgomery, would you do me the great honor of making me an honest man?” he asked and if the people in the bar had been going crazy before, they were absolutely insane now. Tears poured from my eyes. I couldn’t stop them, even if I’d wanted to.

“Absolutely,” I choked out into the microphone as he opened the box to reveal a beautiful, shining black band. I couldn’t tell what the material was, but it didn’t matter. He started to cry too as he lifted my hand and slipped the ring out of the box and onto my finger. When he was finished, I jumped up off the stool and threw my arms around him. He picked me up and spun me around, so quickly the rest of the room became a blur.

After he’d stopped and I could see and breathe again, he set me down and gave me a kiss.

“Now I’m not just a piece of your heart. I am your heart,” he said. “How’s that for a second chance?”

“I love you,” I said through my tears and tight throat.

“I love you more, and they love you too, so let’s let them see it,” Jason said and gave me another kiss, this one deeper and longer. He waved to the crowd, who cheered before he stepped off the stage. My hands were shaking and my heart was so full that I didn’t know if I’d be able to get through everything without crying, but I knew I needed to make a change to the set list.

I put the microphone back on its stand and set it up appropriately in front of me before I sat back down on the stool and picked up my guitar. The crowd lost it again when I strummed a random chord.

“Thank you, everyone,” I said into the microphone. “And thanks to my wonderful future husband for making this the best Christmas ever,” I said to laughter and cheers. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

“I was going to start things off with Jingle Bells, but somehow that seems a little lame now, so how about an old favorite instead?” I asked and they cheered.

“All right, then, here we go,” I said and played the first note. “Once upon a time, in a small southern town,” I sang, watching their faces light up in recognition, their mouths moving as they sang along with me.

“Where the days are long and the sun is strong, as strong as the one who came along and took a little piece of my heart,” I continued and locked eyes with Jason, who’d joined our friends and family in the front row.

He was right. He wasn’t just a piece of my heart anymore. He was my everything.

* * *

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