There isn’t a doubt; my love runs too deep.
With my blood in my veins, it controls my heartbeat.
Baby, you’re the reason I am.
Oh, baby, you’re the reason I am.
I need you to breathe, to walk on this earth.
You’re my sole purpose, my cause for rebirth.
You are the reason I am.
You are the reason I am.
Side by side, they strummed the last chord before turning to smile at each other. Big to small, sharing in one monumental moment.
It took a few long seconds before the thunderous applause from the sold-out arena exploded like a volcano erupting without warning. When his large hand gripped the smaller shoulder, I just about lost my shit.
Jack stepped forward out of the shadows, swiping away his own tears, and not caring in the least they were visible for the world to see. A dazzling smile spread as he grabbed the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen… please give another round of applause for my brother, Trey Taylor, and my son, Shane Lair!”
The arena went nuts, and if at all possible, the noise grew even louder when Trey picked up Jack’s son and hugged him tightly to his chest.
They had all come so far over the past year. And being there side stage, watching with my hand firmly clamped in Cannon’s, was a validation of our own journey.
Knowing it would take a few minutes for the band to gather themselves and exit the stage, I tugged Cannon down the corridor toward the room that had been prepped for an epic after-party.
It was hard to believe I had almost allowed Jen to ruin the best thing that had ever happened to me. If it weren’t for Jack and Leila starting their own label, signing Cannon the moment he closed his Loose Cannon tour, I had no idea where we’d be. Part of me felt I would have eventually found my way back to him, but I had no confidence he’d still want me when I did.
Life has been wonderfully insane for us. As promised, I quit LRV and joined Cannon on tour twenty-three days after his opening night. Traveling the country with him, watching his popularity explode, being with him twenty-four seven was the best gift the universe could have given me.
Once the tour had ended, he’d left LRV, leaving them all in shock. They had no warning he would be doing so. Because we’d kept it all to ourselves, they had no chance to sabotage or derail his success. That didn’t mean Jen hadn’t tried to make my life miserable every chance she got. But knowing our days of having to deal with her were numbered had provided a level of humor to her pathetic attempts.
His album had gone platinum, there was speculation he’d be nominated for several Grammy awards, and through it his fame hadn’t changed him one iota. He had remained humble and down to earth. Most of his money had gone to his mother and sisters, while the rest had gone into his savings.
Cannon had gone from ending one obligation to jumping on another. During the few short weeks after leaving LRV, I had moved into his place until he joined Devil’s Lair on their tour and opened for them nightly.
We discussed where we would live once we finally stopped touring and had decided on New York. We’d even discussed marriage and kids. Cannon wasn’t a procrastinator. He lived in the moment and never took for granted the blessings he received would be there forever… provided I was there forever.
But until all those wonderful things came, we’d continue to live together on that tour bus and travel with the only family I really ever had. DL accepted Cannon and made him one of their own. Every day I pinched myself grateful for my life. Grateful that this man who’d fallen in love with me never cared I was older, damaged, broken.
Regardless, he’d relentlessly pursued me and cracked me open in the process. Out of that shell had emerged a woman who no longer needed to prove she was better off alone. I now know it was okay to give everything to someone. It was okay to hand over my heart and trust he’d treasure it.
“That was amazing,” Cannon said once inside the large party room. Bars were set and ready for the celebration that was about to occur. Servers manning the food-lined table waited for the band and their closest friends to appear.
We approached Dylan and Krista where they stood near the bar. They were now part of JLL Productions as well. “I can’t believe he’s back,” Krista said in awe. “The looks on their faces when he stepped on the stage were priceless.”
“It looked like he never left,” Dylan admitted with a smile.
It was true. After such a long absence, none of us would have expected Trey to suddenly appear tonight and casually walk on stage with his former band like he had so many times before his disappearance. And for him to play that song with Jack and Leila’s son, Shane, at the end solidified he was back for good. Shane idolized his Uncle Trey.
At seeing him, I worried Trey being there would upset Cannon. But, my man had continued to amaze me with his maturity and logic. He was comfortable in his own skin and confident in his feelings for me. Yet again, I felt the need to take a page out of his playbook and learn from it.
“He’s back where he belongs.” No sooner had I said that than Devil’s Lair came storming into the room.
The adrenaline they all felt electrified the air. They dove right into their celebration, a well-deserved one that was long overdue.
Cannon’s attention focused on someone over my shoulder, forcing me to turn. “Hey, Lor,” Trey said with an easy smile.
“Trey,” I replied emotionally.
He hugged me tight and after releasing me offered a hand to Cannon. “It’s great to officially meet you, Cannon.”
Cannon seemed starstruck as he shook my ex-lover’s hand. “Same here, man. You’re such an inspiration.”
Trey grinned and shook his head. “Definitely not, but I’ll settle for a work in progress.” He slid his gaze back to me. “You look good, Lori.”
“You too. How are you?”
“I’m really good,” he said with pure conviction. And I believed him. Gone were the shadows that had haunted him after his wife had died, and back was the cocky, arrogant, wiseass demeanor Trey Taylor was known for.
He leaned closer as if he was about to tell us a major secret and whispered, “I’m happy.” The shock on my face caused a deep chuckle. “Right? And the world is still spinning.”
“I’m glad. You deserve to be happy.” Smiling at Cannon, I wrapped an arm around his waist and added, “We all do.”
Trey eyed the two of us together and nodded before a devious expression crossed over his face. “Except for Hunter and Scott. They deserve to be tortured, and I can’t wait to be the person to do that.”
It was my turn to laugh with abandon. Trey was notorious for pranking his bandmates, and I couldn’t wait to watch more of his shenanigans from my front-row seat.
“Trey!” Leila called from across the room and frantically waved a hand, summoning him to her. Beside her, Jack fought to hide a grin as Hunter and Scott rambled red-faced and animatedly.
“Speaking of, I guess the jackass twins aren’t so happy I’m back.”
“Oh no. What did you do?” I asked, pretending to be shocked, even though nothing Trey did could shock me.
“I may or may not have used a compromising picture of them on my social media account announcing my return.” He walked backward to where the commotion between his band grew, shrugging and grinning with his arms spread to the sides, and leaving Cannon and I laughing out loud at how quickly his role in Devil’s Lair had resumed.
During the party, we laughed and cried, reminisced over the past, and excitedly talked about the future. But most important, we celebrated the present.
The End
Thank you so much for taking this amazing journey with these characters. I wish so badly they were all real. They have become a part of me, and I thank all of you who have fallen in love with them as well.
Would you like to read more about Jack, Leila, and the band?
You can in The Back-Up Series.
Available here
Would you like
to purchase the exclusive Back-Up Series song, “Reason I Am”?
Available here
The Back-Up Series Playlist
Listen on Spotify
Reason I Am ~ A. M. Madden / Mike Martone
Can’t Help Me Now ~ Rob Thomas
Angel ~ Aerosmith
Lose My Cool ~ Brennin Hunt
Red Headed Woman ~ Bruce Springsteen
Shape of You ~ Ed Sheeran
Closer ~ The Chainsmokers (featuring Halsey)
I Can’t Not Love You ~ Every Avenue
Walls ~ Trevor Holmes
You’re My Person ~ Kerry Degman
Teenage Dream ~ Katy Perry
This Feeling ~ The Chainsmokers (featuring Kelsea Ballerini)
Just Give Me a Reason ~ Tiffany Alvord & Trevor Holmes
Acknowledgments
I say this at the end of each book. Thank you to my family for always putting up with my “one more paragraph” excuses. I love you guys, and you’ve supported me through this crazy journey since day one. J~A~R, you are my lifeline.
To my soul sister, Joanne Schwehm, I love you. With each book I write, you’re right there helping, advising, critiquing, and supporting me unconditionally. Thank you for coming into my life. You are the rare jewel in my author crown.
Thank you to all the bloggers who have supported me since my first book, and all the new bloggers who discover me with each release. You guys make it possible for all the wonderful, faithful, passionate readers to find us. Your commitment to our romance world is amazing, and I appreciate all you do to get our books and names out there.
Thank you to my editor, James Gallagher. You are so easy to work with, so accommodating, and so good at what you do. I’m so glad I found you. And to Tami Norman at Integrity Formatting, thank you for always making my books look so pretty.
Sommer Stein, you never fail to blow me away with your talent. Thank you for another kick-ass cover. I truly love it.
To the team at Give Me Books PR, thank you for handling my blog tour. Your organizational skills made it a pleasure to work with you when an author is usually running ragged to get it all done.
Finally, my biggest thank-you goes out to my readers. My appreciation is immeasurable, and it often causes me to fumble with my words. “Thank you” is simply not enough. You all continue to rock. I hope I can continue to rock your worlds with my stories. Love you all so very much!
One last thing: After you’ve read a book, please take a few moments and post a review. It’s the single best way to thank your authors.
xoxo
A.M.
More by A. M. Madden
The Back-Up Series
Back-Up
Front & Center
Encore
Backstage
The Devil’s Lair
Backstage Pass
Sold Out
A Lair Novel
Shock Jock
Liner Notes
True Heroes Series
Stone Walls
Glass Ceilings
Dark Corners
Breaking the Rules
LOVE on the Horizon
Hostile Workplace
Stand-Alone Novels
Vanishing Act
The Shortstop
Finding Mr. Wrong (cowritten with Joanne Schwehm)
Taming Mr. Flirt (cowritten with Joanne Schwehm)
Scoring Mr. Romeo (cowritten with Joanne Schwehm)
Craving Mr. Kinky (cowritten with Joanne Schwehm)
You can purchase any of the above here: www.ammadden.com/books/
About A. M. Madden
USA Today bestselling author A. M. Madden is a wife, a mother, an avid reader of romance novels, and now an author. A self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, she loves getting lost in a good romance book.
You can contact A. M. Madden at
www.ammadden.com
Follow A. M. Madden
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorammadden
Twitter: @ammadden1
Instagram: ammadden1
Email: [email protected]
Book Bub: www.bookbub.com/authors/a-m-madden
Liner Notes Page 27