by L. V. Lewis
“Not happening today. I have something to live for, Stephen. In Kim’s memory, I hope you find something to live for, too.”
Malik takes him away, and I realize I’m not happy about it. I’m saddened by all the hurt and damage that’s happened in Kim’s name. All I can do is move on and hope she would want that for all of us too.
Epilogue
Los Angeles, California
Rose Bowl
SKY
Tonight is a relief as I wait to go back on stage with Brody by my side. I love performing, but this tour has been a roller coaster that I am ready to get off for a while. Maybe take an actual vacation, which Brody’s been dropping all kinds of hints about. Mother never believed in them, but now that Brody and I are free, I want to take a nice long trip with just the two of us and no one else. Alyssa and Malik need one too, separately, although they’ll both probably deny it.
With Stephen locked up, I feel like I can breathe again. News is out about what happened now, and people are being kinder to Brody. He’s told me that he wants to retire from singing altogether. From here on out, he wants to be my songwriter, manager, and boyfriend. Singing is something he loves, but he wants to put that part of himself in the past. He promises he’ll still sing for me though. I’m happy I get to share that intimate part with him.
I convince him to do one last song with me on stage to take his final bow. I thought he’d fight me on it, but he actually agreed to it right away.
“I couldn’t think of a better way to say goodbye to Savage Saban,” he tells me.
“Are you sure you want to say goodbye to him for good?” I ask.
“It’s time for a new chapter, and I can’t do that as Savage. You know something?”
“What?” I ask.
“I think I finally get the full meaning of Masquerade now. It’s not just about the façade you wear for others on the outside. It’s about unveiling your inner self to you, too.”
“Very profound,” I say. “Is this the kind of Brody I’m getting back after this is over?”
He grins with a wicked smile. “You’re getting all kinds of Brody when this is over. Some you’ll love and others will grow on you.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I say.
We step out in the spotlight together as I announce him. “Thank you for being my last tour stop, Los Angeles. It’s been fun. To close out this amazing experience, I thought I’d bring my love on stage to join me. Is that okay with you?”
The audience screams their approvals. Brody is a hero in their eyes and in mine. I’m so happy to see his final stage moment as a positive one.
“In that case, here for the final time of his career is Savage Saban!”
I’m ready to sing Masquerade with him, but I realize the tune is different. I stare at Brody as he plays strings that float through the air and turns into a beautiful melody.
“If you notice the look on my beautiful Sky’s face, you see she doesn’t know this song. Can I ask you all to put your phone lights up, so I can ask her an important question?”
I can’t breathe as he stares into my eyes. It’s like there’s no one else but him and me. I don’t know how he does that when thousands of people are around us, but I don’t question it.
I’ve been through many things and many places.
It’s like a rolling whirlwind in a sea of many faces.
But one thing I’ll always take away and see
Is the love you’re forever giving back to me.
It gives me the courage through the rain
And erases all of my troubled pains.
There’s only one thing left for me to do,
So I’ll ask if I can spend my life with you.
Marry me and make me yours so I can say
That we belong to each other from this day.
Marry me and I’ll cherish all that you are.
The good and the bad don’t seem that far.
Marry me and I promise everything to you
And support all you are and all that you do.
Oh, marry me, my Sky. Oh, marry me.
Oh, marry me, my Sky. Oh, marry me.
We’ve come this far and can’t go back now
To the life before we took the desired bow.
Lights may be blinding to keep away the dark
But it’s your love for me that sets off my spark.
Don’t ever doubt that it’s you I’ll always want.
When you leave it’s still me your memory haunts.
So there’s only one question for me to ask,
Will you love me even after I unveil my mask?
Marry me and make me yours so I can say
That we belong to each other from this day.
Marry me and I’ll cherish all that you are.
The good and the bad don’t seem that far.
Marry me and I promise everything to you
And support all you are and all that you do.
Oh, marry me, my Sky. Oh, marry me.
Oh, marry me, my Sky. Oh, marry me.
He gets on one knee at the very end and pushes his guitar around so it hangs at his back. That’s when I see the box. I can barely see him through the tears blurring my vision, but that box is bright blue and hard to miss. When he opens it, the stage lights bounce off the sparkling ring and make it glow.
I know when he sings to me like this, it’s the deepest part of himself I could ever have, and now he’s not only asked me an important question, he has sung it to me.
“So Skylar Samuelson,” he says with a sexy smirk I’ll never grow tired of, “will you make me the happiest man in this stadium, in this entire universe, the happiest man possible? Will you marry me and be mine?”
I nod. “Yes, Brody. I’ll be yours. Have been since I met you.”
The crowd screams and stomps so loud that it becomes one combined sound.
“Then I’m going to need that left hand, beautiful,” he says.
I slip my hand into his, almost forgetting that part in the thrill of it all. The ring is beautiful, not that I would have cared. Having him do this for me is more than everything I could ever want. He knows that my fans have been with me since the beginning of my career, and now they’ve been a part of my engagement.
He kisses me, and the screaming grows louder. It’s utter chaos in the audience, but I still hear him when he hugs me and whispers in my ear.
“I’ve been yours since we met, too,” he says. “I’m yours forever, Sky. Forever and long after that.”
That’s more than a woman like me could ever ask for from a man like him. His love for me, and who I truly am, is all I will ever need.
THE END
AUTHOR BIO
Growing up, L.V. Lewis wanted to be an internationally known rock star, but she unfortunately lived in the wrong part of the country to pursue that career (and neither American Idol nor The Voice were available at that time) An early love for the written word gave her the “Plan B” she needed. Now, she pens romance novels that let her live vicariously through rock stars and other fascinating archetypes.
Learn more about L.V. Lewis at: https://lvlewis.blog .
Also, subscribe to L.V. Lewis’s newsletter at: https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/g4y1z8 and receive notifications about new books.
Can a relationship that never got a fair start be revived by love?
ALYSSA
I knew not to date a musician. Hell, I am one. Our lifestyles don’t translate into healthy relationships—unless you’re Skylar, my pop star bestie, and her boyfriend, Savage, a rock legend, and you tour together.
Living out of a suitcase the better part of every year sucks if you’re looking to find love, and I knew this when Dylan Castle, the drummer of Savage Saban’s legendary rock band, The Savages, showed up on our tour ten months ago.
Our chemistry had been off the charts, and he took me on an epic first date, romanced me for a few weeks…
Then he ghosted me.
&nb
sp; It’s not the first time that’s happened, given my demanding career, but why did this time hurt so bad?
DYLAN
Reuniting with my long lost band mate, Savage, has been the highlight of my year. The band and I thought he might be up for us getting back together since he was now touring again with Skylar.
We were wrong.
The Savages would not be revived with Savage as its front man. While not getting the band back together has been a bummer, meeting Skylar’s best friend, Alyssa, gave me hope that she and I might make some beautiful music together.
Fate had other plans.
Alyssa was the first woman I’ve ever had any desire or inclination to date seriously. A call from my physician with the results of a routine physical made me rethink that idea.
Now Savage and Skylar wants us all to fly out to a resort in the Maldives for two weeks prior to their wedding. How can I see Alyssa again without reviving feelings for her? I’ve tried for almost a year to bury every memory of those two blissful months we spent together—that is, until my medical condition improved.
Will I be able to convince her the feelings we shared a year ago were real enough to resume building a relationship together, or will she ghost me now?
BONUS: EXCERPT – REVIVAL: A Rockstar Romance (The Rock Legend Series, Book 3)
Prologue
IT’S WEDDING BELLS FOR SKYLAR AND SAVAGE
Los Angeles (AP) – Pop icon, Skylar Samuelson and rocker Savage Saban, the former lead singer of the legendary rock band, The Savages, have finally set a date after he sang his proposal to her at the final stop of the songstress’s World Tour ten months ago. The two will tie the knot on a tiny island resort in the Maldives where they will be joined by family and close friends to enjoy a two week vacation prior to reciting their vows on June 15th.
Brody Kent aka Savage Saban, who’s been Skylar’s manager since she ousted her mother early in her European Tour, distributed press releases to every major media outlet in the World to announce their upcoming nuptials and the final concert Skylar will perform before taking a brief hiatus.
“We’ll get some much-needed R&R, settling into married life after hosting our friends for a lovely vacation, and return next Spring for another tour,” Skylar was quoted as saying.
It seems as if the rock and pop icons have taken a page out of Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s playbook and will have a drawn out affair to begin their new life together. A two week vacation in the Maldives beginning on June 1 will culminate with the wedding on June 15th, after which Saban and Samuelson will enjoy a honeymoon alone in an undisclosed location.
Grunge Nation has also confirmed that Alyssa Lawrence, Skylar’s best friend and opening act during the tour, will serve as maid of honor and Dylan Castle, drummer of The Savages, will serve as best man.
While Lawrence and Castle met previously during Skylar’s tour, speculation that they were an item ran rampant for a short time during the second leg of the World Tour. Representatives for the two musicians have assured us that it was just a rumor.
Castle mysteriously dropped out of the limelight after the band’s failed attempt to have Saban return as front man of The Savages, which led many to speculate that there had been some bad blood between the two. But it appears that they have mended fences, now that the most important members of the wedding party after the bride and groom have been named.
The press release confirms that George Akron and Finn Lancaster, also former members of The Savages, will round out the groomsmen. While Skylar’s longtime friends from her TV show, Marnie Rios and Nicole Alto will serve as the bridesmaids. “Marnie and I are so excited to share in Skylar’s wedding festivities,” Alto said when asked about the upcoming event. “We’re definitely saving these dates to support our friend.”
Stephen Heart, the band’s keyboardist and brother of Kimberly Heart, The Savages backup singer, who died of a drug overdose six years ago, is conspicuously absent from the guest list. Many fans remember the dust-up he had with Savage at one of Skylar’s concerts during the failed bid to get The Savages back together. Our attempts to contact Heart’s family about Stephen’s whereabouts have not been returned.
When we asked Kent/Saban to comment in his capacity as manager of the Skylar Brand, his reply was “No comment.”
This wedding that has been billed as the event of the summer has banned the news media, but here’s hoping that Skylar and Savage will share a few photos with fans after the affair.
One
Los Angeles, California
ALYSSA
I hug the curves on the hillside up to my ex-best friend, Skylar Samuelson’s estate, hoping my Ferrari California doesn’t plummet off the edge of the cliff. Maybe that would save me from spending two whole weeks in an exotic resort with the man who made me feel for a brief time like love might not permanently elude me.
Not only was I going to have to play maid of honor to his best man for Savage and Sky, but I was also going to have to spend two wholes weeks playing nice with Dylan Fucking Castle—the man who ghosted me like I was one of The Savages groupies, or some shit. And as if that wasn’t enough, I found out about the elaborate wedding arrangements through an entertainment news article on the internet along with the rest of the goddamn world.
We’ve spent the past eight months in the studio with Brody recording new music for Sky and me and never once did either of them mention a vacation before the wedding. I took one long overdue trip to visit Jacob, my erstwhile father, who lost the right to be called dad a long time ago, and this is the surprise I get upon my return?
To say I’m pissed at Sky and Brody aka Savage right now is an understatement. I pull up so close to the ornate gate leading into her property my bumper is kissing it; I then have to roll back to punch in the gate code. Fuck!
Malik Thompson, Sky’s security chief is standing in the middle of the circular drive in front of the house as I pull up, arms folded, face settled into his signature scowl, when I brake a foot from his hulking frame. I step out of the car and slam the door.
“I’m not up for any bullshit right now, Malik. Where’s Sky?”
“She and Brody hit the gym when I left them after they finished up in the studio. What’s got you so fucking salty this early in the day?”
“You don’t want me to go there with you. Trust.” Besides, I don’t want Malik or anyone else other than Sky, who’s listened to me bitch and moan about Dylan since his disappearing act last year, to know that it was a dick move for her to pull this stunt without giving me as much as a heads-up about their change of plans.
Malik obviously takes me at my word, because he trots off in the general direction of his on-property residence and leaves me to enter the house alone. I find the happy couple frolicking on the mats in Sky’s home gym. I mean, that’s the only word I could conjure for what they’re doing. The music is on, so they don’t hear me come in, but they are laughing as Sky tries to mimic an exercise move that Brody keeps showing her, and she gets it wrong every damn time.
I won’t allow their cuteness to derail my anger, because Sky knows better than anyone how much Dylan hurt me, and because she and Brody are joined at the fucking hip, I’m sure he knows by now too that his boy isn’t someone I want to spend two weeks in a romantic location with. I turn off the music and they look up from where their frolicking has turned into making out.
“Hey—,” Brody says. He stops short when he sees the look on my face. He and Sky look guiltily at each other, then back to me.
“So, was I ever going to get clued in to this honeymoon you guys are planning for all your fucking wedding guests?”
Sky scrambles up and moves toward me, while Brody makes a feeble attempt at explaining it away, “It’s not a honeymoon it’s… it’s a vacation. Our honeymoon is after the vacation.”
“Alyssa,” Sky says, as she reaches for me and tries to take my hand, which I pull away from her. “We thought you’d be back way before the press releases hit the air
waves.”
“I didn’t go off-planet or some shit, Sky. I was at Naveah visiting Jacob as you well know, and last I checked my goddamn cell phone was still working. How about yours?”
Sky’s soft green eyes glisten and she twists her mouth in that way she does when she’s trying not to cry. “We…we didn’t want to tell you over the phone. We wanted to tell you in person.”
Brody’s joined our little circle and chimes in, “Sky only wanted to do this because she knows the guys and I haven’t spent any quality time together in years, and you and she haven’t had any time with Marnie and Nicole to speak of, so we thought a couple of weeks in paradise with our friends would be perfect.”
“Brody stop trying to take the blame. I know why Sky did this.” I refuse to let her puppy dog eyes make me feel guilty for this shit she’s pulling. “You’re no better than your mother, you know that?”
Cue the waterworks. Sky tries a half-assed apology. “Alyssa, I’m so sorry. I wanted you and Dylan to have a chance—”
“A chance for what? For me to make a goddamn fool of myself over him again, or for him to rub what happened between us last year in my face for two weeks?”
Brody puts his arms around Sky, who’s still reaching for me, and pulls her into his arms. “Blame me if you want to blame someone for introducing you to Dylan, okay. I knew how he was. I should have warned you.” He turns Sky’s pleading eyes away from me and gently toward him. “Aw, Baby please don’t cry.”
I feel like a fucking bitch for making Sky cry, but she and Brody crossed the line with this matchmaking shit. Now they’re cuddling and I’m feeling all third wheel again. Leaving them in the gym, I make my way to her den and help myself to her wet bar. I break the seal on the bottle and knock back a shot of Patron, then mix a pitcher of Margaritas. It may be too damn early to drink, but I believe this situation calls for some fucking alcohol.