Rock Hard: A Bad Boy Rock Star Romance (32 page)

I breathed a sigh of relief at that. If this is how the crowd acted when we were outside the arena I didn’t even want to think about how bad it would be when we got in there and were in the middle of the crowd. I could only hope that people wouldn’t get as rowdy inside the arena as they did outside.

I felt like Cinderella going to the ball as we made our way through the backstage parts of the arena. I wondered if we were going to go through the area where the band was getting ready, I thought I could hear the sound of electric guitars being tested somewhere in the distance, but unfortunately we didn’t see any of the guys.

Or maybe that was fortunately. Being in the arena, knowing he was around here somewhere, thinking about everything he’d said on the interview earlier and what an idiot I’d been, if I did happen to see Grant backstage there was a good chance I’d jump him right there and then he wouldn’t be able to get anything done because he wouldn’t be able to take the stage.

I could see that headline just as clearly as I could see the one about getting ripped to shreds, though this one was a little more pleasant. For me at least. “Thompson Misses Concert Banging Love of Life.” Love of his life? Maybe that was taking things a little too far, but a girl could dream right?

Finally we were passing into the arena proper under the watchful eyes of Jake and his security people. We were moving up to a seat in the front row center. They’d apparently changed the configuration of the concert for this second leg of the tour because there wasn’t a giant phallic stage thrusting out into the middle of the crowd where they could walk around and interact with people.

We took our seats and I breathed a sigh of relief. What a night. Going from having no idea Grant was in town to coming down to the arena and nearly getting ripped apart to sitting front row center where I was finally going to hear this song he’d written that seemed to be tearing up the charts. Talk about one hell of a roller coaster of an evening, and it wasn’t even over yet.

I looked over to Kayla and grinned. She did the same, reaching out to take my hand. She gave it a squeeze and we both turned to the stage staring with the sort of anticipation that was usually the sole domain of crazy fan girls.

I suppose that was another big change from the last time I was at a Twenty Promises concert. I might not be as crazed as some of those girls I’d seen out in front of the arena, but I was definitely feeling like a crazed fan girl. I was about to see Grant Thompson and I couldn’t wait. My body was on fire thinking about that moment when he was going to pop out on stage with his guitar in front of him looking every inch the sexy rock god that he was.

The lights went down. The crowd started screaming all around us, and I was screaming right along with them. I couldn’t wait for Grant to take the stage.

Kayla had fulfilled that old middle school promise at long last. I fucking loved Twenty Promises. One member of Twenty Promises in particular. I just hoped he was still willing to love me back.

I was about to find out.

32: The Concert

I was so fucking nervous. I hadn’t been this nervous about a performance since the first time I went out on stage years ago. Back then I’d been terrified that the crowds would decide they didn’t like us. I’d been terrified they would boo us off the stage and it wouldn’t matter that we’d already had a platinum album tearing up the charts.

I’d been in that weird fucked up headspace that was the unique domain of creative types where I was convinced that everything I’d done up to that moment was a sham and the live performance was going to be the moment where the world finally realized that the emperor had no clothes. That the biggest band in the world at the time wasn’t as great as they seemed.

Of course that was a crazy thought back then even as it was a crazy thought today. The crowds had loved us. We went onto a few successful years of touring before the Incident pulled the band apart and I found myself unable to write something new. Before I learned that the world only cared about you if you had something new and shiny to show them.

Well that had changed a little. This tour had showed that the world still cared about us even if we were only playing the old stuff. The crazy success of Mia’s song, the first creative piece to come straight from my heart in over a decade much the same way that Mia was the only girl to go straight to my heart in as much time, was proof that I still had it. Everything was looking up for Grant Thompson and Twenty Promises.

That didn’t stop the nerves. That didn’t stop that nervous feeling from threatening to drive me to distraction. Because it didn’t matter if there was a screaming crowd of thousands of women, and some poor schmucks who were dragged along with them, waiting to see us. No, there was only one girl out there in that crowd who mattered. Only one girl whose opinion mattered as far as I was concerned.

Assuming she was even out there. I hadn’t heard anything from Jake even though I’d put him out there to keep an eye on the crowd and make sure nothing bad happened. She was the only thing that mattered, and I was getting opening night jitters the likes of which I hadn’t felt in over a decade thinking about her hearing her song in person.

“You okay man?” Blake asked, coming up to me and putting a hand on my shoulder. I reached up and patted his hand. Blake might be part of the reason I found myself in this situation in the first place, but at the end of the day he was a good guy who only wanted the best for me. He was like a brother, and one thing about having brothers was you fought from time to time.

Besides, Mia’s song was probably the success it was because of the help he’d provided. If he’d been the one to chase her away with a text that was as much my fault as his then he’d also have a part in reeling her back in with that song.

“Just a little nervous,” I said. I could hear the crowd shouting off in the distance. We’d be going out there pretty soon. I’d find out one way or another if Mia was out there, and the anticipation was killing me. No opening act to break the ice at this one. There hadn’t been time to arrange it for the second leg of the tour.

Not that it was necessary. Venues our manager had to beg and plead with the first time around, before we realized just how well the tour was going to sell out, were begging us this time around thanks to that song. It was nice, and it was also pretty damn fun making sure everyone who’d nearly turned us down the first time around had to grovel just a little bit to get our attention this time around.

“Hey man!” Todd said, walking up behind me and slapping me on the back. “You ready for the big performance?”

I took a deep breath and fought down the shudder that was threatening. Damn. I hadn’t been this psyched out for a performance since forever. I was imagining walking out there and seeing Mia there. I was imagining walking out there and not seeing Mia. Both thoughts were terrifying, but the latter was far more terrifying than the former.

“I suppose,” I said.

“Well it’s all about you in the opening,” Eric said, coming up beside me. I realized I was surrounded by the guys in the band, and it felt good. Sure we’d hung out and we’d been together on this tour, but it hadn’t been like the old days. It had been every man for himself for the most part, with the exception of Blake coming around to my bus of course.

It was different now, though. Suddenly it felt like we were the four musketeers again. And yes, before you go correcting me there were, in fact, four musketeers by the end of the book. Go read the book or watch a movie sometime.

The point is we were together. It felt like old times. It felt like we were about to have fun and rock this, and I couldn’t wait. I was giddy. The crowd was roaring and then a PA was walking through telling everyone to get in their places.

Of course the guys were going to have to wait for just a little bit. This was going to truly be the Grant show for the first little while. I closed my eyes as I stood on the edge of going out onto the stage. I allowed the screams of the crowd to wash over me as I stepped out on the stage. It was completely dark, but there were plenty of lights flashing throughout the arena as girls held up their cell phones which had replaced lighters well before my career as a rock star had started.

Which was too bad. I still had good memories of going to concerts with my dad where we were surrounded by people holding up lighters. I’d always dreamed of that moment with my own music, but I suppose it wasn’t going to happen now.

None of that mattered now, though. What mattered was that the lights flipped on and then the crowd really went wild. I let my guitar fall loose, the strap feeling comfortably familiar tugging on my neck, and I held up my other hand. The screaming reached a fever pitch, washing over me like a wave of humanity trying to knock me over with the force of the massed sound, but I let that wave break over me just like I had so many times before.

Besides, my attention wasn’t on the crowd. No, it was on the front row and the seats I’d reserved for Mia and Kayla. I looked straight to that spot, I had it memorized from prepping before the arena opened to people, and my breath caught as I saw the two of them sitting there. Smiling up at me.

God she looked beautiful. I wanted to jump down from the stage right now and pull her up in my arms, but I still wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about me. I still wasn’t sure if she was more likely to slap me or hug me if I approached her, so I figured it would be a better idea to test the waters first.

Luckily I had just the thing. I walked over to the chair that’d been set out on stage. It was alone in the center and it was a departure from our usual concerts where things were driven by massive electric guitars.

No electrics right now, though. Just an old fashioned acoustic with a mic on it that was ready to go. Ready to launch into Mia’s song.

I sat and the crowd went silent. I plucked a couple of notes from the song and they started screaming again, but started quieting down as I stopped playing. I looked up and grinned at Mia, held her eyes as I launched into the song. As I poured my heart out. As I played a piece of music that encompassed so much. My past leaving a trail of broken hearts across the country. My experience with the Incident and how it tore the band apart for almost a decade. How I couldn’t write anything new until I found her. Until she unlocked the music trapped inside me, as ridiculously cheesy as that sounded.

I played the song effortlessly. All the nervousness I’d been feeling when I was walking out on stage and getting ready to confront her melted away. I felt right with the world again, and I realized I was feeling right with the world precisely because Mia was right there in front of me.

It was an amazing feeling. I almost felt drunk. Of course I’d had a bit before the concert for good luck, but not enough to account for this sudden incredible feeling. I finished playing and the crowd was silent.

Huh. That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. Usually the crowd was screaming at this point, the song was that damn popular, but I could’ve heard a pin drop.

I turned and looked up at the monitors and it suddenly became obvious what was going on. Why it was suddenly so quiet. Mia was up there on the screen, and she must’ve realized she was up on the big screen because she was blushing and it was pretty damn obvious when she was up on the jumbotron.

I turned back to her. I leaned into the microphone and figured it was time for an apology.

“Mia, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I don’t want you to be one of them. This song is for you. It’s all for you. You’re the one and only for me, and I really would like it if you’d give me a third chance to prove myself.”

There. It was out there. I poured my heart out to her in front of all of these people. I’m sure plenty of those people were recording everything on their phones and this was going to be all over the Internet in a matter of minutes. Everyone seemed to be obsessed with who Mia was and what the story was behind the song for some reason. Well they were about to find out. Plus I figured that kind of video getting out on the Internet would be much better than my bare ass swinging in the breeze which had been the big topic for the past couple of months.

Those people recording this were also about to see the final step of the drama. Whether or not it was a happy ending or I was going to reap what I’d sown from my past life tomcatting around the country. I held my breath in anticipation.

Mia smiled. She stood and moved towards the stage with a huge grin on her face and I let a breath out. I moved forward and reached a hand down. Her hand clasped in mine and it was so warm. So inviting. It reminded me of the feeling of her body under mine as I pulled her up on the stage and smiled down at her.

“So do you accept my apology?” I asked.

Mia looked at the crowd surrounding us. She looked back to me. A huge grin split her face and she didn’t answer in words, but she did jump and wrap her legs and arms around me. I barely managed to catch her and go stumbling back as her mouth descended on mine and then we were practically making out on stage in front of thousands of fans.

Thousands of fans who finally erupted in a deafening cheer that was so much more intense than anything we’d had at any other venue.

33: Backstage Again

I held myself in Grant’s arms as the crowd erupted around us, but I didn’t care about any of that. No, the only thing I cared about was that I was in his arms. Was his lips pressing against me. Was his hard body pressing against me and making me feel once more like everything was right in the world.