Epilogue

Laney

And that's the whole story of how I accidentally fell in love with a popstar.

Sometimes, I still don't believe it myself. But I have a feeling it's going to feel much more real after tonight.

The Ben King Arena in Nashville is packed—the show sold out in less than six hours--and the energy among the fans is everything I expected and more.

The last three months have been bliss--a whirlwind of press events and Midnight Rush rehearsals punctuated with luxurious weeks in Lawson Cove hanging out with the dogs, catching up on work, and enjoying time where we can simply be together. Just the two of us.

But tonight—the concert is what we've been waiting for—planning for.

The guys are ready. Their last week of rehearsal went great, and when I left them in the green room, they were buzzed and happy and excited to be performing again .

Ivy gave me the option to watch the concert from backstage, but I want the full experience, so I've got seats in the front row with Sophie, Sarah and Jake, Percy, and his new boyfriend, Jamal. I might sneak backstage before the end of the show, but for now, there's nowhere else I'd rather be.

The lights dim, strobe lights flashing around the arena, and the crowd goes wild. Sophie jumps up and down beside me, grabbing my hands. "Are you losing your mind right now?"

I smile and laugh. It is pretty surreal. Similar in so many ways to the first Midnight Rush concert I attended, when I was only a little bit younger than Sophie. But this concert is different, too. I'm older now, more grounded, more sure of myself.

I know my own worth, what kind of love I deserve, and I've found a person who makes me feel like the very best version of myself. That doesn't have anything to do with the fact that he moonlights as a popstar.

Though, it is a very delicious bonus.

The lights on the stage go black and a hush falls over the arena. When they come on again, Midnight Rush has taken the stage and the opening notes of "Curves Like That" blast through the arena.

Adam hits every dance move perfectly, but I don't miss the relief on his face when the song ends, and the crowd erupts into another round of cheers. Song after song, the guys are on. They sound amazing, they look amazing, the energy in the crowd is amazing.

I'm going to lose my voice if I don't stop screaming, but I don't even care. It is so much fun to watch Adam on stage, especially knowing what it took for him to get here.

During the chorus of "Never Say Never," the four of them spread out across the stage, reaching down and touching hands, interacting with the fans.

Adam comes over and reaches for my hand. When he lifts it and presses a kiss to my knuckles, the crowd goes wild, and Adam smiles and lets me go, but he keeps his eyes on me as he touches his palm to his chest just over his heart.

The mood settles for the next song, the guys lining up on stools, and Adam retrieves his guitar from backstage.

"So, this next song is about what it feels like to fall in love," Adam says as he sits next to his bandmates. "The trouble is, I wrote it before I'd ever experienced it for myself." He looks over at me and smiles. "But now I do know, so we've reworked the song a bit, and we hope you like it. This is ‘The Start of Forever.'"

"Oh my gosh," Sophie says from beside me. "You are living the plot of a romance novel."

As Adam sings the words that were seared into my heart three months ago, I actually disagree with my little sister.

This is better than a romance novel.

Because it's real.

The last three months have not been perfect.

I had my first real panic attack when a very enthusiastic Midnight Rush fan showed up at work with a dog she "borrowed" from a friend so she could get close to me and ask a million questions about the band.

Adam and I had our first very stupid fight about communication and timing and responding to texts when he's on the other side of the country.

And we've both struggled to keep up with work at the rescue and my responsibilities at my father's practice without taking advantage of the people who pick up the slack when we run off to do Midnight Rush things .

But through all the ups and downs, we've only grown closer. We've learned how to communicate, how to fight in a way that makes it very easy to make up after. And we're stronger for having worked through the hard and the easy.

Hours later, when the concert is over and the arena is empty, Adam and I are alone in our hotel room, but we're too buzzed on adrenaline, and for him, the high of performing, to actually fall asleep.

We're stretched out on the bed, my head propped on his shoulder, and I'm scrolling through all the Midnight Rush posts on Instagram. The general consensus seems to be that the band sounds better than ever, the concert was a magical experience, and can they please release a new album so the Midnight Rush magic can last forever.

Adam says they've talked about a new album, but who knows if it will ever be more than talk. Freddie has a solo album dropping next month, and Leo isn't sure he actually wants to be on stage when he loves being in the production studio so much more. But there's still time to figure all that out.

"I want to ask you something," Adam says.

I put down my phone and roll onto my side to face him. "Okay."

He pushes up on his elbow, mirroring my position. I see the scar from his fall into the ravine, the first time I saw him run away from something. "I don't want you to freak out."

I narrow my eyes. "Okay."

"Because it's fast."

My heart starts to beat a little faster.

Then Adam pulls a ring out of his pocket and sets it on the bed between us.

"Maybe because we've been pretending all this time, I have a pretty good idea of what it feels like to be engaged to you, and I really like it. So I thought…maybe we could make it official."

I pick up the diamond with trembling hands. It's beautiful—an oval stone set in a circle of tiny sapphires.

"It's my mother's ring," he says softly. "I talked it over with Sarah, and we decided Mom would want you to have it."

I close my eyes, and tears slide down my cheeks.

"Will you marry me, Laney?"

I lean over and kiss him, ring clutched in my fist, and he lifts his hand to my cheek, wiping away my tears.

"Of course I'll marry you."

I open my palm, and he picks up the ring, slowly sliding it onto my ring finger.

As fate would have it, it's a perfect fit.

Adam kisses me again, and I lean back onto the bed, pulling him down with me.

We've kissed countless times in the past three months. Six-second kisses. Much longer kisses. But this one feels different. This one feels like a beginning.

It's the early hours of the morning, the sun turning the sky purple and orange as it rises above the Nashville skyline, before we're finally ready to sleep.

My head is on Adam's shoulder, my eyes getting heavier and heavier when he murmurs, "The forever I want really did start in your eyes."

I lift my head and prop it on his chest. "Are you seriously quoting your own lyrics to me?"

He grins without opening his eyes. "I probably need some new material, don't I? "

"Yes, please," I say as I settle back down. "An entire album of love songs."

"Done," he says. "I've got all the inspiration I need right here."

I chuckle. "That was cheesy, Adam."

"You're cheesy."

It's the last thing he says before he finally drifts off to sleep.

The truth is, we're both pretty cheesy. At least when we're talking about each other.

But love can do that to you.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you for reading Once Upon a Boyband!