“You make it sound so easy.”
“I don’t know about easy, but it should at least be fun. Otherwise what’s the point?”
She nodded.
“What do you say? Wanna go in there and take one more stab at it?”
She brightened and squeezed my hands. “Thank you.”
“Hey, what are partners for?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Layne
“What do you think?” Wyatt asked from the seat next to me at the sound board.
“That wasn’t half bad,” I said, pulling the headphones off. “I think we’re almost there.”
“Coming from you, that means it must’ve been incredible,” Wyatt said.
“I’m still not sure it’s good enough to upload to the voting page.”
“I have an idea about that.” Wyatt hedged.
I didn’t like the uncertainty in his voice. “What kind of idea?”
“Like you said, we’re almost there. But I think there’s one missing ingredient.”
“What?”
“You.”
I blinked at him, not getting his meaning.
“Your voice,” he clarified. “I think the song needs you on the track.”
“Wyatt—” I started, but he cut me off.
“Before you say no, hear me out. I think if you at least came in with me on the chorus it would help balance out the sound and actually add some tension. I mean, this line,” he pointed to the part about the kiss. “It’s basically a duet. Having two voices gives it that push and pull it needs.”
“I’m not a singer,” I replied.
“Sure you are. You sing with me all the time.”
“That’s different.”
“How?” he challenged.
I crossed my arms, unable to articulate my feelings. “I don’t know. It just is.”
And it was. I wasn’t afraid of Wyatt. Actually, I trusted him. Singing in front of Wyatt had become strangely settling. But the idea of letting strangers hear me sing . . . “I’m too nervous to sing in front of anyone else. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I’m going to puke.”
“Okay. But can you at least admit this song could benefit from a female vocalist?”
“Yes, but since we don’t have one, it doesn’t matter.”
“We do, she’s just as stubborn as an elephant.”
“You did not just refer to me as an elephant!”
Wyatt leaned back in his chair groaning dramatically as he rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. “Okay,” he said, straightening up. “What if I can prove it to you?”
“Prove what?”
“That this song needs your voice.”
“How are you going to do that?”
Wyatt glanced at his watch, then back at me, a playful grin pulling at his lips. “I might know a way.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, but you’re not going to like it.”
I laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Do you trust me?”
“Do I have a choice?” I asked.
“No.” Wyatt grinned and grabbed my hand, pulling me off the couch. “Come on, my little diva.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“No, way! I’m not going out there, Wyatt.”
“Why not?”
I shouted to be heard over the current performer. “For very obvious reasons!”
“Nope, we took care of all your lame excuses,” he replied, holding up his fingers as he ticked them off. “We’re not in Northwood, no one knows who you are, and you’re in disguise just in case.”
“Your hat and sunglasses aren’t a disguise,” I hissed.
Wyatt smirked and slipped out of his leather jacket, draping it over my shoulders. “How ‘bout now?” he asked.
“Wyatt! No! I look ridiculous.”
“I was going to say I think you look hot,” he said, leaving me even more speechless than the idea of walking out on a karaoke stage.
“What’s it gonna be, Penny Layne? We’re up next.”
I swallowed hard, wishing I had it in me to face my fears. Not just for me and the future of my music, but for Wyatt. I wanted so badly to be the girl he thought I was. I couldn’t ever remember someone believing in me this much. It was overwhelming. But I still couldn’t do it. I wasn’t the fearless girl he wanted me to be and I never would be.
Maybe it was time I faced the facts—not everyone has what it takes to capture their dreams.
Applause broke out, making my decision for me as the current performer bowed and jogged off stage.
The MC’s voice boomed into the microphone. “Thank you, that was lovely. And thank you to all our patrons for coming out tonight to show your support at Journeys, where anyone can be a star.” More applause. “Don’t miss your chance to perform with a live band. There’s still time to sign up, but for now we’ll be entertaining you with the sweet sounds of Donny and Marie from Northwood.”
The crowd cheered and Wyatt’s bright green eyes searched mine. “That’s us. You coming out there with me, Penny Layne?”
It killed me to dash his hopes, but I firmly pressed my lips together and quickly shook my head.
To my surprise, he didn’t look disappointed. He just winked and walked out onto the stage like he’d been born there.
“Looks like it’s just Donny tonight,” the MC said when Wyatt gave him a nod.
I slinked back to my seat again, sipping my Shirly Temple while I watched Wyatt light up the stage with his rendition of the twangy duet. He strutted around the stage singing and acting out both parts of the song, delighting the audience. Even his Franken-boot couldn’t stifle his charisma.
Wyatt owned the stage and I couldn’t help grinning as I watched him twirl the mic and give pretend hair flips every time he sang Marie’s parts. With the live band behind him he was actually pulling it off.
By the time the song ended, I was breathless with laughter. I jumped to my feet with the rest of the crowd to cheer like wild for Wyatt’s hilarious performance. He looked winded when he took a bow, waving to the crowd, but I’d never seen him look more alive.
Had I ever looked that alive?
It almost made me wish I’d been brave enough to go up there with him.
The MC came back on stage to take the mic from Wyatt, but I watched him whisper something to the guy instead of handing it over. Wyatt pointed at me and the MC’s gaze followed. I shrunk in my chair instantly feeling my cheeks flame.
What in the world was Wyatt up to?
If he thought he was going to get me up on that stage with him now that people were staring at me, he was crazy. I tipped Wyatt’s black fedora lower on my head as I watched him grin, nodding at the MC who shrugged and finally took the mic back.
I relaxed when I saw Wyatt moving out of the spotlight. For a minute there, I’d thought he was going to pull some stunt to get me on stage. I really needed to get a grip on my paranoia.
I took another sip of my drink as the MC’s voice filled the room once more. “Well, folks you never know what’s going to happen here at Journeys but that’s half the fun, isn’t it? Who enjoyed that last performance by Donny and, um, Mr. Marie?”
I clapped along with the crowd waiting for Wyatt to rejoin me.
“Well,” the MC continued, “You’re in for a treat because he’s got one more for ya.”
The stage lights dimmed, and Wyatt walked back into the lone spotlight wearing a guitar. He shook hands with the MC who passed him the mic. Time slowed as I watched Wyatt secure the mic in the stand. His magnetic grin had people cheering before he even opened his mouth.
“How’s everybody doing tonight?” Wyatt asked.
The crowd cheered. They were pretty rowdy and seemed primed to cheer for anything at this point.
“Alright, it sounds like you’re feeling pretty good.”
More cheering.
“Well, I’m feeling pretty good, too. And that’s w
hy I’m gonna go out on limb here and ask if you mind hearing something original tonight?”
The applause thundered through the crowded bar, but still it did nothing to drown out the pounding of my heart.
“Well, okay then. I’m Wyatt Nash, and this song is called Bent.” His eyes found mine. “I’m dedicating it to you, Penny Layne.”
Tears filled my eyes the moment the first chord of my song rang through the speakers. Listening to Wyatt sing my words back to me did something that I couldn’t explain. For the first time ever, I felt the words and the power behind them. Each verse filling my heart until it was near bursting.
I’d written this song for everyone in the world who felt crushed and alone as an anthem to tell them to rise up, that they were stronger than they knew, that they couldn’t be broken. And in all the times I’d spent singing that song, I’d never fully let the words sink in. I’d never really sang it to myself.
And the funny thing was, the person that needed to hear this song most, was me.
How had I missed it?
As if in a trance, I stood and moved toward the stage as Wyatt crooned the next verse. The rowdy crowd had fallen silent, spellbound by his commanding presence. Even I couldn’t resist his pull as I moved further away from the safety of the shadows.
Wyatt spotted me and grinned as he sang the chorus. I stood against the stage now smiling back at him with tears in my eyes as I waited for him to start the next verse. But to my surprise, he didn’t. He stopped playing all together and moved closer to the mic, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I’m sorry to leave you hanging, but it doesn’t feel right singing this song alone when the incredible girl who wrote it is standing right here. What do you say, Penny Layne? Will you come up here and sing with me?”
“Do it!”
“Sing with him!”
The crowd was cheering like crazy, demanding I join Wyatt on stage. I didn’t know if it was their encouragement or the way he was smiling at me. But the hope in his eyes was heartbreaking and I couldn’t look away. So, I did it. I reached up and took the hand Wyatt offered and let him pull me onto the stage.
He grinned so wide it was almost painful to witness. But I couldn’t stop my heart from soaring as he winked and pulled me to the mic stand, dropping my hand to strum the chords again.
The instant Wyatt’s hand let go of mine, I regretted my decision.
I stared out into a sea of expectant faces and broke out in a sweat.
What was I doing?
There was no way I could sing in front of all these people. I felt like I needed a fire extinguisher to dowse the inferno of humiliation engulfing me. I gulped down air as I stood frozen in the spotlight like a deer facing down a tractor trailer.
But then Wyatt’s voice filled the air, and I remembered to breathe. I let his voice wrap around me, listening to the words—my words—as they settled under my skin, filling me with that strange powerful sensation again.
Wyatt moved closer to me as he came to the chorus. His shoulder grazed mine as he coaxed me toward the mic. He took a breath and turned to look at me. We were so close his breath ruffled my hair when he spoke. “Stop running from your fears.”
I knew they were the next words in the song, the words he wanted me to sing with him, but they hit me with more meaning than I’d ever expected.
In that moment, I suddenly realized I was afraid of so much more than I even knew. I was afraid of reaching for more, afraid of wanting what I couldn’t have, afraid to fail, afraid to let anyone in . . . but what good was all that fear?
Wasn’t it worth facing if I could feel like this for even one second?
Because as I stepped up to the mic, my eyes locked on Wyatt’s, I couldn’t imagine anything being scary enough to keep me from reaching for this feeling again and again.
I opened my mouth and let go, my soul igniting as I let my fears pour out.
“Stop running from your fears
Your kiss, your lips, your lies.
Speak the words
Let me in.
Even if your lips drip nothing but sin.”
I felt electrified as Wyatt and I sang together. The world disappeared as I gazed into his eyes. I felt like I could slay dragons with this boy by my side. And maybe I could, because standing here on this stage, making music with Wyatt, I felt alive—probably for the first time in my life. And I owed it all to him.
We finished the song, and the world came back into focus slowly at first as I caught my breath—my chest heaving to the same thrilling rhythm as Wyatt’s, his eyes wide with exhilaration.
For a brief moment of disbelief, I thought I might be dreaming. But when the first of the applause broke through my reverie, the world came crashing back in with a vengeance.
I was truly standing on a stage in front of a roaring crowd and more importantly, in front of a boy who cared enough to make me do it. He took my hand, lifted my arm and faced the crowd, pushing his guitar to his back as he prepared to bow, but I lost myself in the moment and pulled him toward me, throwing my arms around his neck instead.
Wyatt’s laughter rumbled through me. “Does this mean you don’t hate me?”
I pulled back enough to see his crooked grin. The joy sparkling in his eyes made my heart do somersaults. No, I definitely didn’t hate him. Quite the opposite actually. But my brain couldn’t find the words to say so.
So, I did the only other thing that came to mind.
I kissed him.
For once, I stopped thinking and followed my heart, letting my lips crash against Wyatt’s smile, until we were locked in a kiss to end all kisses.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Wyatt
“What?” Layne asked, when she caught my eyes on her instead of the road as I drove us home.
I was honestly having a hard time keeping my eyes off of her, and it wasn’t just because of that kiss. Okay, well the kiss had a lot to do with it, but something had changed in Layne tonight. Conquering her fears on that stage had done wonderous things for her. She seemed to glow with a new confidence that I found intensely appealing.
I’d always known she had it in her, but now that she knew it too, she’d be unstoppable. And that made me almost as happy as her surprising kiss had.
“Wyatt!” she exclaimed. “Stop smirking at me like that.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Well, can you at least try? I feel like you’re laughing at me.”
“Oh, I’m definitely not laughing. I’m still in awe of how you rocked that stage.”
She laughed. “I was pretty incredible, wasn’t I?”
I let my eyes slip from the road again to take in her radiance as she grinned, reminiscing about our night at Journeys. I loved seeing her like this, so carefree and happy. I also liked that she was still wearing my hat and jacket. She looked distractingly adorable in my clothes and it was wreaking havoc on my nerves.
“You’re doing it again,” she warned.
“What?”
“You’re smirking at me.”
“So?”
“So, I don’t think I like the mischievous twinkle in your eyes. It means you’re scheming.”
“Ah, yes. Well, I’m definitely scheming how to get you to kiss me like that again.”
I could practically feel the temperature in the car rise as Layne’s cheeks burned. “That was a victory kiss.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I feel I should tell you, if this is your way to incentivize me to plan more victorious moments, it’s working.” She laughed, and I shook my head. “And here I thought I was the kissing tutor.”
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I think I just got carried away in the moment.”
“Don’t apologize.” I said, giving her fidgeting hands a squeeze. “Tonight was a victory.”
“Thank you,” she said, returning my squeeze. “For everything.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Everything? Even the kiss?” I couldn’t help myself. She was just so cute when she w
as flustered.
“It was a pretty great kiss,” she said, surprising me. But then she added, “In terms of research, of course.”
I grinned. “Of course.”
“So, what do you want to do for the rest of the night?” Layne asked, deftly changing the subject.
“It’s your night, diva.”
“Am I a totally lame diva if I just want to watch a movie? I’m exhausted.”
“Already bored of your fame?” I teased, shaking my head. “No, I think that makes you a true diva.”
“I’m so not a diva, and it’s never been about fame for me.”
“Really?”
“Does that surprise you?”
“Yeah. I mean, every musician wants fame, don’t they?”
“Not me.”
“Alright, I’ll bite, if it’s not fame, then what do you want?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I just want to make my mark.”
“Isn’t that the same thing as fame?”
“No. Being famous is all about being celebrated and well-known. I don’t need that. I just want to know that I made a difference in the world, that my existence meant something, ya know? Having my music mean something would mean I meant something. Like, I was here, world. I’m not forgettable.” Layne laughed uncomfortably. “I know, it sounds silly when I say it out loud.”
“I don’t think it sounds silly at all.” I swallowed thickly. After a moment I asked, “What makes you think you’re forgettable?”
She shrugged and looked down, picking at a thread on her jeans. “My dad,” she said softly. I watched her throat bob as she swallowed back her emotions. “He had no trouble forgetting me.”
“I see.” I gripped the steering wheel tighter, fighting the flash of anger I felt for a man I’d never met. “Well, don’t make the world suffer for one blind man’s mistakes.”
Layne huffed a quiet laugh. “Thanks.”
I pulled to a stop at a red light and turned to face her, taking her hand so she’d look at me. “I mean it, Layne. I don’t even know the bloke, but I know he’s daft, because you’re probably the most unforgettable girl I’ve ever met.”
Kissing The Hero (The Dangers of Dating a Diva Book 2) Page 13