Yep. Pathetic, she told herself as they made their way into the bar.
She had gotten to the rehearsal extra early so that she could see Sage arrive. She had wanted to prepare herself, knowing the sight of him would completely devastate her senses. She’d been right. Watching him walk up with Noelle, smiling at something she said, had made Rosemary long to go up to him just to say hi and hear his voice.
Her pride kept her from doing so. He might not have wanted to rise to Monique’s challenge for her, but Rosemary didn’t have to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much that hurt her.
Instead she had studiously ignored him, making sure she kept herself busy and surrounded by other people throughout the rehearsal. Focusing on the happy bride and groom had helped her get through it. It had also given her the satisfaction of a job well done. The transformation of Lily and Archer’s wedding into Sydney and Keith’s had made national news. Rosemary and Monique had put in nearly twelve hours a day for the past ten days to pull it off on top of handling the other weddings on their busy calendars.
The ultimate reward for their efforts was that Ines had officially offered them partnerships. She had presented them with the paperwork just that morning. So this evening was just as much a celebration of that treasured achievement as it was a celebration with their friends.
And I’m celebrating alone, Rosemary mused as she followed her friends into the crowded karaoke bar.
They had gotten reservations ahead of time, knowing the place was usually packed. A table for ten was waiting for them near the middle of the room. Rosemary chose to ignore that one of the seats would be vacant and focused instead on the great table they’d scored. It was a choice spot that she had thought was usually reserved for VIPs. It had the best view of the stage, the best acoustics, and the easiest path to get up to the mic.
“Sweet,” Fernando said, pulling out Monique’s chair for her in a gentlemanly gesture that made Rosemary sigh.
“You doing okay?” Monique asked her in a low voice.
“Yeah,” Rosemary said as she sat beside her. “Have you thought about the first song you’re going to sing?”
It was the right question to deflect her friend. Monique promptly starting listing songs on her must-sing list. Findley threw in a few suggestions from across the table. Beth and Sharon already had their heads together over a songbook. Rosemary smiled, knowing Monique would sing “I Will Survive” first just like she always did, Beth would stick to 80’s ballads, Sharon would do her best to compete with Whitney Houston, and Findley would wait until she got good and tipsy before singing Abba’s “Dancing Queen.” There was some comfort in knowing that some things never changed.
Two servers appeared at their table shortly after they were all seated. Rosemary exchanged baffled looks with her friends. The bar wasn’t exactly known for its speedy service since there were so many patrons and nearly all of them were drinking.
“I’m Frank and this is Kelly,” the male server said, indicating the female standing with him. She gave them all a smile and a wave, making Rosemary wonder if she was in training. “We’re your dedicated servers for the evening. If there’s anything you want, please let us know.”
Everyone exchanged puzzled looks. “Did you guys plan this?” Sharon asked Rosemary and Monique. She hadn’t stopped talking about how excited she was over the limo they’d surprised everyone with.
“Nope,” Monique said as Rosemary shrugged. “I think they might have us mixed up with another group, so let’s take advantage of it while we still can.”
They all laughed and placed their food and drink orders. Rosemary wanted to drink at least half a pitcher of margaritas. Only the knowledge that she had to be up bright and early helped keep her in line. She settled for sharing some nachos with Monique and Fernando and vowed to cut herself off after her second margarita.
Okay, maybe her third. What the hell...she only lived once.
Those among their group who would be singing went up to submit their requests to the karaoke jockey, or KJ. Before long, they had all received their orders and were enjoying their drinks while observing a rather poor rendition of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” performed by someone who had undoubtedly never done karaoke before.
When the poor guy finished, everyone clapped politely. The crowd tended to be more forgiving later in the night after the drinks had been flowing for a while.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the KJ announced into the microphone, “we’re going to take a break from the action here for a few minutes.”
A loud groan of complaint went through the crowd. Monique mumbled, “We haven’t gotten to a single one of our songs yet.”
“Don’t worry,” Rosemary said, patting her friend on the back. “Gloria isn’t going anywhere.”
“Now, now,” the KJ said, lifting his hands to appease the crowd. “This is a little unusual, but sometimes a request is made that just can’t be denied. So tonight we’re happy to feature something different for your listening pleasure. A special mix created by someone I’ve admired for years...a mix made for one of you.”
At the words “special mix,” Rosemary’s heart started pounding.
Another wave of sound made its way through the crowd as everyone wondered what was going on. Heads swiveled. Shoulders lifted and fell. Most of the crowd went back to their previous conversations.
Rosemary stared at the stage. She watched as the KJ lifted a black tablecloth over a mixing board and other sound equipment separate from his own. She saw Fernando lift a little out of his seat to get a better look at it. He let out a low whistle.
“Damn, that’s some good shit,” he said.
And Rosemary’s heart went into double-time.
She watched as Sage emerged from behind the stage and took his place at the mixing console. The entire bar went silent. The only sound was of dishes clanking from somewhere in the kitchen.
Sage looked into the audience. His gaze met hers.
“Hi,” he said into the microphone.
Just like he’d said the day he came to Petit Planning.
Rosemary’s eyes filled with tears. She felt Monique put an arm over her shoulder. She knew her other friends were wondering what in the world was going on. She hadn’t shared the details of her relationship with Sage with anyone but Monique and Ines. Fortunately, only a few tidbits had made it onto House of Archer so far.
“Thanks for letting me interrupt your performances for a few minutes,” he went on. “It’s been entertaining watching from backstage. It’s a unique perspective for someone who’s usually the one performing.”
There was a round of laughter followed by a surge of loud murmurs. People who recognized Sage were spreading the word among their friends. The buzz of excitement over having a celebrity in their midst helped kill any of the lingering grumblings over the interruption. Rosemary saw more than one camera aimed at the stage.
“The thing is,” Sage was saying, “I’m not a singer. I’m not much of a dancer. I can strum a guitar, but I won’t be replacing Keith or Xander anytime soon.”
Rosemary laughed, as did other Void fans.
“I’m also not a songwriter. Actually, I’m terrible at putting my thoughts and feelings into words.” He looked again at Rosemary, who did her best to mop at her tears with her cocktail napkin. “It’s for that reason I’m here tonight. I hurt someone very important to me because I completely failed at communicating my thoughts and feelings to her. And while I’m awful at writing songs, I’m pretty good when it comes to manipulating them to convey a message.”
Monique handed Rosemary a handful of tissues. Rosemary knew she’d need every one of them.
“Rosemary,” he said, earning another buzz from the crowd as everyone looked around to try and identify her, “God only knows why you like nineties music so much.”
She laughed again. That and her tears were what finally clued people into her identity.
“But since you do, I thought it only appropriate to convey th
e message I want to share with you through the songs you love. So this is for you.”
As Sage turned his attention from the microphone to his sound panel, Rosemary’s friends all leaned forward, demanding an explanation. Monique waved them all back, shushing them. Rosemary didn’t stop looking at Sage as the mix he created began to play.
When she heard the chorus from Beck’s “Loser” kick it off, she laughed again. She didn’t need to hear any more than that to know the song was going to be one big apology.
It was really a work of art. The samples he chose all conveyed a story of love, heartbreak, and regret. The “story” began with Millencolin’s “Friends ‘Til the End,” a man expressing how he hadn’t been the best kind of friend but he wanted to be better and more understanding of his friend’s needs. It transitioned to samples from Toni Braxton, Third Eye Blind, The Offspring, Lil Kim, Natalie Imbruglia, and Fiona Apple, continuing the story with lines about friends and lovers, then about love, sacrifice, and pain. The melody admitted fault for breaking the listener’s heart, begged for forgiveness, and declared undying love.
When it ended, the room filled with applause and cheering. People got to their feet, blocking Rosemary’s view of the stage. She didn’t realize Sage had stepped down from the stage until he was standing at her table.
The room again fell into silence. When people on the outskirts of the room started complaining, everyone once again took their seats.
Rosemary stood up. So did Monique. Sage looked between them before settling his gaze on Rosemary.
“I’m sorry, Rose. I know you don’t want to talk to me after how everything went after the tour and I can’t blame you for that. But I couldn’t live with myself without making sure you knew how I truly felt. That’s the only reason I’ve been trying so hard to reach you these past few weeks.”
Her mouth fell open. “What? When did you try to reach me?”
He frowned. “I’ve been texting and calling you. You...you didn’t get my messages?”
She looked at him in disbelief as realization struck. “I had to switch cell phones almost a month ago. Oh, my God. You’ve been trying to reach me this entire time?”
“Yeah. I even tried to see you again at your office. I left a message with the office manager. When I didn’t hear from you, I got the hint. But I still had to tell you how I feel.”
“You left a message with Harriett?” Rosemary asked. “When?”
“That one’s on me,” Monique said, her gaze on Sage. “I kept the message from Rosemary. Quite frankly, I’m still not sure you’re what’s best for my bestie.”
Before Rosemary could get upset with her friend, Sage nodded. “I get it,” he said. “Rose is really lucky to have friends who look out for her like you do. I hope if things were reversed, my friends would protect me as admirably.”
Monique lifted her chin and gave him a searching look. “How long did you have to rehearse that to get it to sound that smooth?”
“At least a week.”
When Monique’s lips twitched, Rosemary knew her friend’s resolve was weakening.
“Rose,” Sage said, stepping forward and reaching for her hands. “My heart belongs to you. It has since I knocked you to the ground with my mixer. I’ve never known anyone as kind, selfless, and genuine as you are. I admire your incredible talent and loyalty to those you love. I miss your smile and your laugh, and your wonderfully weird candy combinations.”
Her laugh came out as close to a sob. He had her emotions all over the place.
“I’ve got a lot to be thankful for in my life,” he said. “This has been an amazing year. But nothing that I’ve achieved comes close to making me as happy as you do. This time away from you has been the worst thing I’ve ever gone through.”
She didn’t immediately reply. She couldn’t because her throat had closed up.
Monique gave Sage her steady stare, her arms once again crossed over her chest.
“Not yet there?” he asked Monique.
She shook her head.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded and said, “Okay then. I had planned to reveal something to you privately, Rose, if you agreed to give me another chance.”
He started unbuttoning his shirt. The KJ took the opportunity to cue up a cheesy stripper song.
Rosemary laughed, making Sage grin. He unbuttoned his outer shirt and shrugged it off, tossing it to the side like he was doing an actual striptease. When he grasped the bottom of his T-shirt, Rosemary took her lower lip between her teeth. She’d been fantasizing about his magnificent body since Las Vegas.
Monique elbowed her in the side. Then her jaw dropped as Sage slowly began lifting the shirt and revealed his taut, tattooed body.
Rosemary’s lust was temporarily tempered when she saw the new tattoo over his heart. Where there had once been bare skin there was now a tattoo of the origami rose she had made for him. She saw the words “I love you, Rose” scripted on it in Sage’s handwriting. She understood that he had flipped the meaning of the sentiment. Rather than it being a message of love from her to him, the tattoo declared his love to her.
He was telling her he loved her more than anything else in the world.
The tattoo didn’t have the red, angry look of fresh ink. No, it had clearly been done a while ago.
After studying the tattoo for a long moment, Monique tossed up her hands. “I got nothing. You kids have my blessing.”
Sage smiled. Rosemary moved closer to him, reaching out to trace the petals of the rose tattoo. He lifted a hand to brush the backs of his fingers over her cheek, brushing away another tear.
“I love you,” he told her.
“I love you too.”
They leaned forward and their lips connected. The bar filled with more cheering. Rosemary barely registered it over the feel of once again being in Sage’s arms.
He pulled away from her before she was really ready. “Come with me,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her through the crowd.
Her face filled with color as several more cheers and some rather lewd suggestions were tossed their way as they passed. A minute later, they were in a small room that looked like it was probably the KJ’s office.
Sage pulled her against him the moment the door closed behind them. Rather than kiss her passionately, he simply held her close. She pressed her cheek against his bare chest and breathed in his enticing scent.
“God, I’ve been waiting forever to hold you like this again,” he murmured. “I can never tell you how sorry I am.”
She leaned back and brushed her lips over his. “You know what? Maybe we should put the apologies behind us. Let’s begin again. Hi, my name is Rosemary Montgomery and I’m in love with you.”
He smile was slow and sweet. “Hi, Rosemary. My name is Sage Strickland and I’m so in love with you.”
“I’d say we’re off to a good start.”
He kissed her again, this time longer and deeper. By the time he was done, she was clinging to him and fighting for a proper breath. He grinned down at her when he saw how the kiss had affected her.
“I can’t help it,” she said, giving him a light pinch. “You’re too hot. And that little strip tease you did out there? That is seriously going to blow up YouTube.”
“Liked that, did you?” he said. “There’s more where that came from.”
“I’m a little light on protection at the moment,” she teased.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a string of condoms. It only took her a quick glance to realize that there were seven condoms there...the exact same number left after their encounter in Vegas. It reminded her that even though he kept his promise to Kaila to give their relationship a try, he didn’t sleep with her.
“I’ve made you two promises,” he said, his voice low and tender. “I promised to attend this outing with you and to make sure we didn’t have sex just once. I intend to fulfill both of those promises tonight. And I’m also making you a new one.
“I will always, alw
ays love you.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“I’d say our wedding was a great fit for Keith and Syd,” Dane observed to Lily as the reception kicked into high gear.
“I’d say you’re exactly right,” she agreed.
They were taking a break from their time on the dance floor, sitting at the head table and observing the action around the room. Sydney and Keith were in the middle of another spin around the dance floor. The song had some pep to it, so it was surprising to see Keith out there. He seemed willing to do just about anything to make his new wife smile. Sydney looked radiant in her beautiful white A-line gown with its long lace sleeves. The crystal accents within the bodice and skirt glittered in the dance lights.
She had looked like a princess when she walked down the aisle. Lily had been stunned speechless when she saw Keith rub moisture from his eyes when he saw her. That had to be the most romantic thing she’d ever witnessed.
“They have no idea how much their lives are going to change.”
Lily glanced over with surprise to see Sydney’s mother, Suzanne, take the empty seat beside her. “What do you mean?” Lily asked.
“I mean that a baby changes everything,” Suzanne remarked, watching her daughter twirl and laugh on the dance floor.
“Um,” Lily said, not knowing how to reply. The pregnancy was a secret that very few people knew. Sydney’s mom was the last one who should have known.
“It’s okay,” Suzanne said with a soft smile. “I figured it out myself when I saw one of the servers switching her champagne with sparkling cider. The quick wedding is always a red flag too, even though you did your best to convince everyone that it had been a publicity stunt. I’d like to thank you both for that kindness, as well as for gifting my daughter this magnificent wedding. It’s far more than her father and I could have ever done for her. It means so much to both of us that Sydney will have this memory to share with her son or daughter...my grandson or granddaughter.”
Her eyes grew damp. “I intend to play along with the ruse,” she said, avoiding the word “lie.” “It will save Sydney and the rest of the family any awkward judgments from our friends and neighbors. I know Sydney values my opinion and wants my approval, which she would have had whether she married Keith or not. But I’m truly happy she did.”
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