Demon’s Wings was preforming tonight as part of my contract for this season, and I was using it to my advantage. Emmie had helped me make the biggest of the arrangements, and I had spent days going over exactly how it was all going to pan out. Every last detail had been taken care of, and now all I had to do was wait.
Waiting fucking sucks!
Shane slapped me on the back as he came up behind me. We were back stage getting ready for the show, and the makeup artist was shooting me irritated glares because I kept sweating off the shit she put on me. “Bro! I can’t believe you are doing this. I’m happy for you, man.”
“Be happy for me later, after this night is over,” I told him, waving the girl away when she tried to go for round three with some kind of brush to my face.
“I know how this night is going to end. So I’ll be happy for you now and later.” My brother grinned as he picked up a hair brush and smoothed out his hair. “I’m going out to sit with the girls. See you in a few.”
I watched in the mirror as he walked toward the door that led out to the audience. When he reached it, he paused and turned around. “I really am happy for you, Dray. I love you, brother.”
My throat felt tight and I had to clear it before I could speak. “I love you too.”
I was on pins and needles over the next forty-five minutes. Never before had I been nervous to perform live, not to this extent. As the show went on and the last of the dwindling hopefuls took the stage, I thought I was actually going to throw up. When I should have been paying attention to the girl on stage singing her heart out for me and millions of viewers at home, my gaze kept drifting to the front row of the audience.
Layla and Lucy sat on either side of Lana, having flown out with Jesse to watch the show tonight. While Lucy had no clue what was about to happen, Layla did, and she shot me a wink when she saw me looking their way. Lana raised a brow when she saw that my attention was on her and not work, but she blew me a kiss.
Mia sat on Layla’s lap and was entranced by the goings on around her. I was sure that one year old babies would normally be going crazy, wanting down to explore everything, but Mia was content to just sit on “Tee-tee Lay’s” lap and watch while her mother took care of business backstage. Shane sat behind Lana with Harper, Dallas, and Linc. Lana’s old roommates were still a big part of her life, and I was glad to have them here tonight for this. Harper waved and I nodded my head in her direction, wondering for the hundredth time if that girl was ever going to put my brother out of his misery. Shane had it bad. He didn’t screw around these days, and it was all because of Harper…
Axton nudged my leg, and I turned around, realizing that the song was about to end and I was expected to give the first critique on the girl’s performance. I don’t know what exactly I said, I was working on only a half a brain, but it must have been good enough because everyone was cheering and clapping, agreeing with whatever it was I happened to say.
Ten minutes later, I was backstage, gearing up for the ending performance. My band brothers all pounded me on the back a few times, Jesse harder than the others because he still hadn’t gotten completely over Lana’s confession from months ago.
As Jesse stepped back, Emmie hugged me tight, wiping a tear away as she smiled up at me. “Good luck. I love you.”
I dropped a kiss on top of her head. “Thanks, Emmie. For everything.” Before I could say anything more, the host announced Demon’s Wings and the audience went crazy. I rushed to take my place before the rotating stage turned.
Jesse was already starting us off before the stage was completely turned around. My knees felt weak as I let my fingers work across my Fender. The whole stage was in complete darkness and the fans in the audience were shouting because they knew the tune that we were playing, but it wasn’t a Demon’s Wings song.
My voice filled the speakers, coming out clear and steady. No one was expecting me to sing, and at first there was a pause in the crowd’s reaction as they realized it was me and not Nik singing. Heaven was a clichéd song, one that a lot of guys proposed to their girlfriends with. But not many of them could sing it on stage in front of the entire world.
My eyes sought out Lana as soon as they adjusted to the lighting, but she was sitting too far back into the shadows, and I couldn’t see her or anyone else. I had no clue what her reaction was, or if she even realized what I was doing as I continued to sing the song that Bryan Adams had made so popular.
Oh once in your life you find someone
Who will turn your world around
Bring you up when you're feelin' down
Now nothin' can change what you mean to me
My heart was literally beating me to death, and I could feel the sweat pouring from my face. If there was ever a time to want a drink it would have been now, but I had vowed that I was never going to touch another bottle in my life. I would not put myself in a position where I could possibly lose Lana again. The only whiskey I needed stared back at me in Lana’s eyes every day.
I stepped forward letting Nik, who had been singing backup for me, take over. I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out the box that I held the ring I had spent weeks searching for. I knew that my angel would never accept something over the top. The simple diamond I had chosen for her was perfect. Not ostentatious or even flashy.
It was a two carat, princess style cut diamond that suited Lana perfectly.
I moved toward the end of the stage and hopped down. The lighting was dim, but before long a spotlight was soon on me, and I could finally make out Lana’s expression. Tears poured down her face, but she was smiling. That smile eased the tightness around my heart, and I fell to my knees in front of her.
My fingers were trembling as I opened the box. “I feel like I’ve waited my entire life to find you, and now that I have, I don’t ever want to be without you. Will you marry me, Angel?”
With a sob she flung her arms around my neck. “Yes,” she whispered through her tears. “Yes. Yes. YES!”
The crowd exploded into applause around us.
Lana
I had everything I could possibly want in life: a loving family, friends that meant the world to me, even a dad that I was trying to get to know now that I was learning to let go of the past and accept him as part of my future. It had been hard to do at first, but Cole really was trying hard to be a part of my life, and I was tired of fighting it.
It was impossible to be happier than I was right then.
I lay on our bed, my gaze on the hand that held the most incredibly beautiful engagement ring I had ever seen in my life. It looked so perfect on my finger, so right. With a contented sigh, I turned onto my stomach, impatiently waiting for my fiancé to come out of the bathroom where he had disappeared when we had gotten home just a little while ago.