When Corbin and Jolie joined the tour in Cincinnati, it didn’t take her long to realize that she was going to have a lot of time on her hands. Between interviews, rehearsals, sound checks, and shows, Corbin stayed busy, leaving Jolie with just her e-books to keep her company. Two weeks later, when the tour bus pulled into Chicago, she was practically begging Karin for a job.
“You don’t even have to pay me. Just give me something to do.”
To shut her up, Karin gave her a camera and told her to play photographer for the rest of the tour. Jolie was grateful because the entire trip had become one big blur. Night after night. City after city. One show right after another. If it hadn’t been for the pictures, Jolie wouldn’t remember where they’d been or what they’d seen.
As Karin predicted, the record label asked Corbin to extend his tour for another year. It was an amazing opportunity—and the money was insane—but the additional dates would require him to travel overseas. Jolie urged him to consider it, and Corbin promised he would, but only if she could join him on the tour.
Tonight they were on the bus, headed to one of the Dakotas. Corbin couldn’t remember which. Stretched out on the bed, he quietly strummed his guitar while Jolie talked to her dad on the phone. He could tell something was wrong as soon as she ended the call.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Jolie nodded.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Dad just shared some sad news. And some interesting news.”
He placed his guitar in its case and pulled her into his arms.
“What’s up?”
“Remember Ms. McDonald?” she asked. “From the public library?”
“The librarian?”
“Yeah. She died a few days ago. Apparently, she’d been sick for a while. No one knew.”
“I’m sorry. Did you know her well?”
“Not really. She just offered me a job every time she came into the bookstore.” Jolie took a deep breath. “Corbin, one of the town’s council members called Dad. They offered me the job. Effective . . . as soon as the tour is over. If I want it.”
“Jolie, that’s great!”
“I don’t know . . .”
“Why?”
Then he realized why. If she took the job, she couldn’t travel with him overseas. Deep down, Corbin had been hoping for something—anything—that would make this an easy decision. And now he had it.
“Jolie, do you want the job?”
“Yes, but—”
“Do you want the job?”
She nodded slowly.
“Do you know what I want?” he asked softly. “I want to get off this tour bus. I want to see my family. I want to start building our house. I want to go home. For good.”
“But it’s an amazing opportunity, Corbin.”
“I don’t care.”
“The money is crazy.”
“I don’t care. I’m done, Jolie. And I think you are, too.”
She sighed softly. “I am sick of this bus.”
Corbin chuckled. “Me, too.”
“But you could go, Corbin. It’s just a year. We can handle it.”
“I don’t want to handle it. It’s a year away from you. From home. From my family. From everything I love. The only reason I was even considering it was because you could go with me and we could see Europe together.”
“I don’t want to keep you from this amazing opportunity.”
“You’re giving me so many amazing opportunities, Jolie Daniels. You’re giving me a life I never dreamed possible. A home. A family. That’s all I want, and I want it with you.”
Jolie’s eyes shined with tears as Corbin kissed her gently.
“I want to show you something,” he said, reaching over to the bedside table for his journal. “Despite the fact I’m a songwriter, there were some nights I found it hard to put into words how much I missed you. And how much you mean to me. I haven’t written in it lately, obviously, but I was flipping through it last night and found this entry. I wrote it the day before we played Little Rock.”
Corbin turned to the page and started to read.
“I wake up each morning with you on my mind. I go to sleep every night, and I see your face when I close my eyes. You’re in my every thought. My every dream. My every decision. I think about your deep green eyes and how they’re a window to your soul. I’m constantly amazed by the beauty and love I see there. I think about your heart and how I’ve found my home there. Even if I had all the money in the world, your heart would always be my greatest treasure. To know that you trust me with it means more to me than you’ll ever know. I love you, and I promise to love you until we take our dying breaths.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as he closed the journal.
“So you see, I’m missing out on nothing, because you’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted. You’ve given me your heart. You’ve given me you.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Jolie wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
“Best manager ever.”
Karin grinned. “I am.”
Corbin didn’t know how she pulled it off, but she did.
Callum Records had been less than thrilled to learn that he didn’t want to extend his concert schedule. But when Karin reminded them how much they’d already profited from having him on the tour, the label agreed to sign him to a publishing deal as soon as he fulfilled his current contract. Corbin still owed them an album, and he’d be heading to the studio as soon as the tour was complete, but after that, he would be what he always wanted to be.
A songwriter.
Life back in Riverview was just as sweet. According to the twins, Kellie was this close to having the baby. And, according to Ben, Gavin Massey had confessed to setting fire to the bookstore. He’d been charged with second degree arson, and that offense, combined with the assault charge, convinced the judge to sentence him to prison for ten years. None of the men in Jolie’s life thought ten years was enough, but she was satisfied with the verdict and happy that Gavin Massey would be in prison for a long time.
The final month of the tour found them in Canada. Since the announcement that these last concerts would be Corbin’s final shows, the audiences were bigger and louder than ever. As they traveled across the province, Jolie couldn’t help but notice that Corbin had become more affectionate than ever before. Each concert would end with a song dedicated to her, and they’d barely make it back to the bus before his hands were all over her.
Not that she minded.
Still, it made her curious—as did the constant blare of Johnny Cash music that seemed to fill the bus every night these days. Jolie didn’t really mind the songs, but she did mind the secret, whispered conversations Corbin seemed to be having with his manager on a daily basis. But whenever she questioned him about it, Corbin just silenced her with a toe-curling kiss. And getting information out of Karin was impossible.
Jolie didn’t like secrets. Especially when she wasn’t in on them.
Before they knew it, the bus pulled into London, Ontario—the final stop on the tour. After tonight’s show, Karin was headed to Nashville to secure studio space for the album. Corbin and Jolie, however, were headed home to spend time with their family and to sift through his catalog of songs. They had to pick ten . . . ten songs that would be included on Corbin’s first album in more than six years. As if that wasn’t enough, Jolie’s dad had helped them choose a local contractor, who was ready to start building as soon as they could agree on a floor plan.
Good things are happening.
Wonderful things.
“You look so happy,” Karin murmured in her ear.
The girls were backstage, watching the band as they wowed the crowd, song after song. The audience was particularly energetic tonight, probably because they knew it was Corbin’s last show.
“I am. And he’s never sounded better.”
“I know. Such a shame. That boy could’ve made me a lot of money.”
Jolie grinned. “Thank you, Karin. For everything.”
“Just don’t forget to send me a wedding invitation.”
With a contented sigh, Jolie turned her attention back to the stage. As they neared the end of the show, she noticed Corbin fidgeting with his guitar and fumbling with the mic. The audience didn’t seem to notice, but Jolie did.
“Is something wrong? Does he seem . . . nervous to you?”
Karin laughed. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to have a heart attack.”
“What? Why? What’s—”
“Look.”
Jolie turned back toward the stage and watched as a member of the crew brought a second stool and placed it right next to Corbin’s. Suddenly, the lights lowered, and the blue spotlight settled on his handsome face as he leaned close to the microphone.
“As you guys probably know, this is our final show. We want to thank you for coming out, and I personally want to thank you for welcoming me back with open arms. It’s been three incredible months, but I’m ready to go home.”
The crowd exploded with cheers, and they began to chant his name. Corbin looked backstage and settled his gaze on Jolie. Blinking away tears, she smiled proudly.
Corbin turned back to the mic.
“My girl’s here with me tonight. Do you guys want to meet her?”
Jolie couldn’t believe her ears when the crowd roared.
“What is he doing? I’m not going out there!”
Karin laughed. “Oh, yes you are.”
She shook her head furiously.
Corbin chuckled. “Her name’s Jolie, and she’s the love of my life. But she’s a little shy. Help me welcome her out on stage?”
Like marionettes on strings, the crowd did as he asked, and they began to chant her name.
“Trust me,” Karin whispered in her ear. “You will regret this for the rest of your life if you don’t go.”
Then the manager all but shoved her out into the sapphire spotlight.
Corbin walked over and took her by the hand as the fans continued to shout her name. The place exploded when she sat down on the stool next to him.
“I have one last song,” Corbin announced to the crowd, but his eyes never left her face. “It’s an old Johnny Cash song. It’s one of my favorites, because it was written by his wife, June Carter. I never dreamed a love like theirs was possible. It wasn’t perfect, but it was perfect for them. And that’s how I feel, every time I look at you.”
A chorus of “awws” could be heard in the audience, and tears streamed down Jolie’s cheeks as Corbin and his guitar serenaded her with an acoustic cover of Ring of Fire.
When the song ended, the crowd cheered when Corbin stood up from his stool and placed his guitar on the stand. Then, he reached into his pocket, and the entire arena exploded when he dropped to one knee in front of her.
Then she remembered.
“Did you know that Johnny Cash proposed to June while they were on stage in Ontario?”
Corbin had told her that, while standing in her bookstore, when he’d been in desperate need of a job. She never dreamed those words would come back to haunt her in the most beautiful of ways.
“Jolie Daniels, you are everything I’ve ever wanted but never dreamed I’d find. I don’t deserve you, but I want you . . . for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”
His face was a mixture of so many emotions. Fear. Excitement. Happiness.
Nausea.
Jolie couldn’t help it. She laughed.
Does he really think I’ll say no?
“She’s laughing!” he said to the crowd. “I’m ready to throw up and she’s laughing.”
The crowd laughed, too.
Jolie wiped away her tears and caressed his sweet face.
“I’m only laughing because you look so nervous. As if I could ever say no to you.”
The audience started to chant.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
She smiled into his shining eyes and whispered.
“Yes.”
The arena erupted as Corbin slipped the ring on her finger. Jolie jumped into his arms and he lifted her off the ground, twirling her through the air.