EPILOGUE

JARED

6 Months Later

“And then fireworks exploded everywhere. It was fucking epic,” Caleb told Gerry, who was lying in his bed at home enthralled by the stories we were telling him about the tour.

We’d kept in touch with him while we were away, but now we were back from tour, and we were all meeting up with him to see how he was doing. After arriving with arms full of snacks, we carried some chairs and couches to his room and got comfortable there, all of us taking turns giving him the blow-by-blow of the entire tour.

Empty wrappers and soda cans were strewn around the room after the last two hours of catching Gerry up, but we’d clean it later. For now, we were all just happy to be back with him.

He hadn’t said as much, but we knew he’d been through a tough time while we were gone. Some days when we called, he could hardly stay awake to talk while other says, he was too sick and had texted saying he’d call us later.

Alicia had told us just after the start of the tour that there was some kind of holdup with his treatment, but we didn’t have the details. All we knew was he was done with it for now and was on the mend.

Gerry was doing much better, but he still had a couple more weeks before getting back to work. Eager to see him, we’d arranged to come to his house today even though we’d only gotten in last night.

Eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at Caleb’s description of the end of our last show three nights ago, he turned his attention to Alicia. “Well done, my dear. Sounds like you knocked it out of every park this tour. I’m proud of you.”

She flushed, reaching for his hand to give it a gentle squeeze. “I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks for always being there to save my ass when I called.”

Laughing, he inclined his head. “An absolute pleasure to watch it all come together. Even if it was from far away.”

“Speaking of you staying far away.” Shifting on the couch Alicia and I were occupying beside his bed, my hand on her thigh, I met Gerry’s eyes. “You said you’d tell us what the doctors were saying when we see you in person. Then, you asked to hear about the tour first. What’s the good news?”

Sucking in a quiet breath, I prayed it was good news. Gerry fluffed a pillow behind his back, and Matt’s hands shot out to help until Gerry gave him a look. Matt dropped his hands, a bashful expression in his eyes. “Sorry. Was just trying to help.”

Gerry smiled softly. “I know. That’s why I couldn’t have you boys around. Too much with the trying to help, but hopefully, that’s all done now.”

“So it is good news?” Nick asked, voice as tight as my chest was feeling while we waited for an answer.

“It’s good news. I’m clean, for now. There’s always a chance the cancer could return, but the doctors are confident I should be fine.”

We were all on our feet the next second, jumping and cheering and hugging. Tears shone in Gerry’s eyes as he observed our excitement. “Don’t know if I would’ve made it through without all your encouragement and support.”

Gone were the days Gerry couldn’t stand us, and we merely tolerated him. In this room now was a real family unit. We’d all grown and grown up a lot since starting work on this album, and it’d never been more evident than it was today.

Dom reached over to brush a thin lock of gray hair from Gerry’s temple. “And we wouldn’t have been here at all if it wasn’t for you, so let’s not keep score.”

“Glad you’re doing better, old man.” Matt smirked, dodging Gerry’s hand when he tried to hit his arm. “Seriously, we were worried.”

“Worried about little old me while your album was soaring to number one, and you were breaking hearts the world over while on tour? I’m sure,” Gerry teased, but I could hear the emotion in his voice.

We all could, and I was pretty sure we were all feeling some of it. Knowing Gerry was back home fighting for his life had humbled us on this tour, helped us focus on what was really important.

For me, that wasn’t just the music. It was very much also the girl sitting next to me. Everyone, including Gerry, knew about us now, and while I’d endured some ribbing back when they found out, they were all supportive of our relationship.

See, you really have grown. You’re even calling it a relationship now. I nearly snorted at the voice in my head as Gerry and Matt continued bantering.

Matt had a finger up, waving it at Gerry as he pretended to be lecturing him the way Gerry so often used to do with us. “Listen to me, young man. Just because our album’s been at number one for the past two months doesn’t mean we forgot where we came from. We’re more than arrogant, cocky hotheads who do nothing but get into trouble, you know?”

Gerry chuckled, shaking his head. “Not anymore, you’re not. But for a while there, you had me worried you were never going to pull your heads out of your leather-clad asses.”

“For a while there, we didn’t know they were up there.” I chuckled.

Matt and Nick pelted me with the gummy sweets they were eating while Dom protested loudly. “That’s because ours never were. It was just your head. Thank god this one came along and saved us from the Emperor.”

He jerked his head toward Alicia as he rolled his eyes at my media-bestowed nickname. Caleb laughed, nodding so hard I thought he was going to get whiplash. “Thank you, Alicia.”

Nick straightened his arms, lifted them above his head and brought them down in a worshiping motion. “We owe you for our sanity. Don’t know what we would’ve done with him if not for you.”

I shook my head, pressing my lips together trying to look hurt even as I tried not to laugh. “You’re all dreaming. You’re all as stubborn and difficult as I am.”

“You forgot to mention arrogant, impossible, entitled, spoiled, and damn near uncontrollable,” Alicia added, amusement dancing in her eyes.

I pulled her onto my lap, tickling her as I laughed. “Oh yeah? Why do you love me then?”

“I don’t know,” she squealed, struggling to free herself from my lap. I let her go, and she shot off the couch, sticking her tongue out at me playfully as she moved to the other side of Gerry’s bed. “It’s not my fault. I couldn’t help it. Maybe I have a thing for men who like to make my life difficult for me.”

“You should talk to someone about that,” Caleb added, chuckling as he winked up at her. “Sounds like a serious problem.”

Alicia nodded, suppressing a smile. “I’ll look into it.”

“Just seek help on your own time. We still need you around for work,” Nick said, looking at Gerry. “Am I right, old man?”

Gerry’s eyes were bright as he watched us fool around, like a proud parent or maybe just a supremely relieved manager. “Quit it with the old man jokes. I’m not old. I’m merely in recovery. But yes, as far as Alicia is concerned, we do need her around.”

“Which is another reason I insisted you all come here today,” I interjected, swallowing a sudden bundle of nerves trying to creep up my throat when they quieted down, all looking at me wearing varied expressions of confusion.

“I thought we were here to catch up with Gerry,” Matt said, his voice hesitant as his eyes flicked between Gerry’s and mine. Gerry shrugged, showing Matt he didn’t know what I was talking about either.

Lights blinked on in Caleb’s and Dom’s eyes at about the same time, at just about the moment both of them caught my hand inching toward my pocket. Caleb’s lips broke into the widest smile I’d ever seen on him, and Dom nodded slowly, an approving grin on his face.

“We are here to catch up with Gerry,” I told Matt, making my way around Gerry’s bed to where Alicia was standing. “But I also wanted to bring everyone together because I wanted you all to be a part of this.”

“Part of what?” Nick asked.

Caleb elbowed him, whispering, “Shut up, asshole. Let him talk.”

My hand slid into my back pocket and closed around a small, circular object I’d been feeling there all day. I’d only picked it up this morning, but I’d been going back and forth with the shop for two months to get it perfect.

Closing my fist around it, I pulled the ring out of my pocket and sank down onto one knee. Alicia’s eyes grew into cobalt-colored saucers, both of her hands flying to cover her mouth.

Fuck. I hadn’t planned what to say because words always worked out better for me when I just let them flow naturally, but they got stuck in my throat now as my love for this woman I was staring up at nearly overwhelmed me.

Taking a breath, I let the feeling flow through me. Allowed it to overwhelm me and then to craft what I needed to say for me, just like with my songs, only this time, my heart hung in the balance of the outcome.

“I’ve never told you this, but the very first time I saw you, something stirred deep inside me. Like this instinctive, primal part of my soul that somehow knew you were our mate. I had no reason to think you were special or different then, but somehow, I knew it anyway, even if I wouldn’t admit it to myself or to anyone else. It took my brain a long time to catch up to what my heart and soul already knew. You were the light in the darkness I never knew I was stuck in, the rock I could lean on and anchor myself to when I was drifting. You’ve been that rock for Destitute since the beginning, but you’ve especially been it for me. I’ve said once that you’re my one and only, and I meant it. You’re the only woman I want, now and forever. Will you marry me?”

No one said a word. No one breathed. I didn’t either. My throat was drier than a desert as I waited for Alicia to answer me.

Slowly, she sank her knees in front of. Silent tears were streaming down her face as she nodded. Over and over and over again, she nodded. When she finally found her voice, it was when her arms were winding around my neck and her mouth was pressing kisses to mine.

“Yes,” she whispered in between her fervent kisses. “Yes, I will. I will marry you, you crazy, beautiful, amazing man. Of course, I’ll marry you!”

The End

Author Note: Rock ON!! Make sure to enjoy some Office Romance novels I have for you next!