“As you all know, I haven’t put out a record in nearly three years, and it’s not because I wasn’t making music. It was because I was finding my voice again. Our world is full of filters, Photoshop, and, well—” he shrugs “—fakes.” He strums a few more chords. “And it’s because we want everyone to think we’re perfect. Problem is that no one’s perfect and the nonstop drive to appear that way crushes our voices. Or, at least, it crushed mine. It wasn’t until I stopped being afraid of facing my flaws that I found the music inside me. The music I wanted to make. And the only reason I’m here, sitting in front of you on this stage today, is because I met someone who gave me the courage to break out of that make-believe cage and just be real.”
The random chords morph into a melody and he starts singing. It’s not a song I’ve heard him sing before—not in any of the studio sessions, not in the impromptu jam sessions with my friends—but I recognize the lyrics.
They were the first ones he sang that ever gave me shivers. The ones about preferring to hide until he found the one person who made the masks unnecessary. The one who turned pretend into real.
He’s singing from his heart...and mine.
38
HIM
OakleyFord_stanNo1 @1doodlebug1 That song. I swear I cried abt a bucket of tears 1doodlebug1 @OakleyFord_stanNo1 me too did he sing it for her u think OakleyFord_stanNo1 @1doodlebug1 he sang it for all of us I don’t remember much of the concert after I sing “When It’s Real.” I know the audience lifted up their phones. I can tell by the thunderous applause that goes on and on that they loved the show.
The waves of adulation that normally carry me off the stage fly over my head because the only person whose opinion matters is standing right where I left her.
Larson, one of the roadies who worked the Ford tour, hands me a towel. I rip off my sweat-soaked shirt and start wiping myself down. Vaughn’s eyes widen and then follow my hand around. I take a lot of silly pleasure in knowing I affect her this way, but I’m dying to know what she thought.
“Well?” I demand.
“It was incredible.” She looks at me with a light so bright, she illuminates the entire soundstage. “But now I’m spoiled. I’m going to want to only stand on the side during concerts.”
“Nah, you’ve got to see the show from the floor. The energy there’s amazing. Thanks, Lars.” I toss him the towel and he hands me a clean T-shirt. I don’t particularly want to wear it, because it feels like a hundred and twenty degrees back here, even out of the lights, but I’ve got to walk by about a hundred fans on the way to the green room.
“Good show, Oak,” Darsh Sethi, one of the tour’s money men, calls out, patting me on the arm as we pass.
I don’t flinch at the unwanted touch, but mostly because I’m too focused on Vaughn. She snuggles close to me, tucking a finger around the belt loop of my jeans. I can’t believe she’s here. And as happy as I am to see her, I’m also furious. Not at her, but at the people who were supposed to have my back. Jim and Claudia are going to face my wrath for this. What they did was wrong. It was unacceptable. This is my life they tried to mess with. Not to mention Vaughn’s.
A dozen other people stop to congratulate me, shake my hand, pat my shoulder. I’m greeted by VIPs who paid a shit-ton of money so their daughters can get a pic with me later.
Through it all, Vaughn never leaves my side. I wonder if she knows that she’s what’s holding me upright. Probably not, but I’ll tell her later.
It takes forty-five minutes to cross about fifty feet from the side of the stage to my dressing room.
“What’s next after this?” Vaughn asks.
I drag her to a couch and collapse. A roadie brings me a bottle of water and asks Vaughn what she wants. A Coke, hold the Jack.
I chug half the bottle before answering. “First, I’m going to kiss you and then I’m going to shower. After showering, I’m going to kiss you some more. Once I’ve taken the edge off, I’ve got to do a meet-and-greet with some fans. When that’s done, we’re going back to the hotel and kissing some more.”
She blushes and laughs and then blushes again. She’s so fucking adorable, I can barely stand it. So I lean over and kiss her right then. Her lips soften beneath mine and her hands come up to grip my shoulders. I’d like to do this all night—her holding me, our lips together.
Someone who I’m going to fire later clears his throat and interrupts us. “Sorry to do this to you, man, but if you want to get out of here before dawn, you should get a move on.”
I press my lips against Vaughn harder until she pushes me away.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She brushes my sweaty hair away from my forehead. “There’s plenty of time for everything—” She flushes at that innocent word “—later. After all, we have two months on tour together. I get to do that traveling thing I wanted.”
“It’s nearly three months and that’s barely any time at all. We’ll be missing entire countries.”
“Well, then we’ll be back in LA and you can walk me to class at USC.” She purses her lips. “If I even choose to go.”
“Fine.” I let her push me to my feet. “Ty, it’s a good thing I love you, man, or you’d be fired.”
He laughs and slaps me hard on the back. “Too late. I’m quitting when this tour is over.”
“What? I was joking.”
“I’m not. Paisley and I are gonna start seeing each other for real—” he waggles his eyebrows “—which means I can’t work for you anymore. Conflicts, you know? I’m still going to be around all the time. Vaughn says that we get to be on Team Bennett for all our competitions.”
“We’re winners,” Vaughn says merrily. “And you always want to be on the winning side.”
I grin. “I know. Why do you think I’ve been trying to keep you?”
“Because you love me,” she says without a hint of self-consciousness.
Emotion clogs my throat. “I do, you know.”
“Duh. That’s why I just said it.”
A laugh pops out. “Wait—aren’t I supposed to be the conceited one in the relationship?”
“I’m not conceited,” she argues. “Just confident that you love me. And I’m still pissed at Jim and Claudia for making me think otherwise.”
“Me, too.” I glower. “But don’t worry. They’re going to get an earful from me about that.”
“Good.” She arches a brow. “By the way, it would be nice to hear you say the actual words.”
“Oh, you want words, huh?”
I walk back to the couch and lean down, caging her between my arms. I duck my head so my mouth touches her lips. Everyone in the room probably thinks I’m kissing her. I’m not. I’m doing something way more important.
“You’re the one person in my life who wants nothing but me and it’s terrifying and awesome at the same time. Don’t ever leave me. I love you. You’re my heart.”
Vaughn’s breath hitches. “Wow. Okay. Those were some amazing words.” Her lips brush mine in a sweet kiss. “You’re mine, Oakley Ford.”
“Yes. I’m yours.” I smile against her lips. “And you, Vaughn Bennett, are mine.”
EPILOGUE
Starstalkerz.com.
Holy canoli! Lots of Ford sightings this week! Scroll down for pics.
Spotted: Katrina Ford taking time out of filming the new Weisenberg thriller to support her son in Chicago. The proud mama sat in the front row with Oakley’s GF and the two were photographed screaming their lungs out.