30. Epilogue

Two months later

I peered out at the sold-out arena. Seventy-five thousand screaming fans had showed up for the first stop on our tour in my hometown of L.A.

I was a whirlwind of nerves and excitement, pacing back and forth in the green room of the sold-out arena like a caged tiger. The buzz of the crowd seeped through the walls, a constant reminder that they were there for us, for our music. Church stood in the corner, a pillar of calm.

I still couldn't believe he was with me, still here, still cheering me on. It was hard for him with all the noise and the loud music, but we'd worked out a way for him to be close by without it being too triggering. The soundproof headphones he wore around his neck were the best idea I'd ever had.

"You're ready for this, Dante," Church said, his voice firm but gentle.

I ran a hand through my hair. "I know, but what if I mess up? What if I forget the lyrics or freeze? I'm not used to doing this sober. "

Church stepped forward, placing a steady hand on my shoulder. "If you forget, just think about me making you pancakes in nothing but an apron." He cracked a grin and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I hummed and leaned in to run a finger down his chest. "Maybe I'll imagine you without the apron."

"Imagine me however you want as long as I get to keep everything on while we're on the bus."

I snorted and leaned forward to lightly bite his chin. "You'd better. I don't want Jake eye fucking my boy toy."

He chuckled. "If I can live with all the love letters and proposals from your adoring female fans, you can deal with Jake's eye fucking."

"He can get his own man. I don't share," I said, kissing him. "Be in my dressing room after the set so I can fuck you until you beg me to stop making you come."

"That'll never happen," he said with a huff. "Why would I ever beg you to stop?"

I smirked. "You'll see, kitten. I have plans for that gorgeous ass of yours tonight."

Whatever distraction he was using to keep me from thinking about how badly I needed a drink to calm my nerves, it was working. Sometimes when I was next to Church, I felt like I was already drunk. He made me giddy and lightheaded, and I loved every second of it.

"Church!" A child's voice cut through all the noise backstage and a tiny little demon pushed her way through the crowd to wrap herself around Church's leg.

He chuckled and pried the girl off, lifting her promptly onto his shoulders. "Why if it isn't little miss Amy Deluca!"

I frowned. "Babe, why don't you ever carry me on your shoulders?"

Amy, my six-year-old niece, giggled. "You're too big, silly! "

"Oh, I don't know. My boyfriend is very strong. He lifts heavy things for me all the time." I trailed a hand down his biceps and grinned at how pink his cheeks turned.

"Amy! There you are!" My brother Darwin appeared and adjusted his glasses, which were still too big for his face. "I told you not to run off like that!"

"She's all right," Church assured Darwin. "She's in safe hands."

My mom wandered over shortly after, wearing a bright green sun dress, her brown hair back in a braid. She beamed when she saw me and my heart melted. We'd been seeing a lot of each other ever since I'd come back from Ohio. It helped that the band had hired Darwin's wife to be the band's new manager. She didn't have a lot of experience managing big bands, but she'd been working in the music industry as a cellist for years. I couldn't believe I didn't know that.

"Dante, there you are!" She smiled and kissed each of my cheeks. "I wanted to catch you before you went up there tonight and make sure you got this." She pressed a small woven bracelet into my hand. "I know it's not much, but…"

"I made it!" Amy volunteered with a big, toothy smile.

"Then it's a treasure I will wear proudly on stage." I slipped it onto my wrist and showed it to her.

"No ring yet, I see," Mom said, feigning sadness.

"Mom, it's only been two months." I rolled my eyes at her before winking at Church. "But in case anybody wants to know, I'm a size ten and I adore huge, gaudy diamonds."

Like the one I found tucked into his luggage that morning. He didn't know yet that I'd found it, and I didn't know when he planned to pop the question, but that wasn't so bad. It was definitely coming sometime during the tour. I hoped he planned to make a huge spectacle of it and come out on stage in front of everyone. There wouldn't be a dry eye in the house if he did.

Church shrugged off my mother's good-natured badgering with a chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind if anyone asks."

The noise of the crowd grew louder, and my bandmates got up, moving toward the stage. Remi tapped my shoulder. "You ready, bro?"

"Almost." I pulled Amy down from Church's shoulders and then hauled my big, hulking bodyguard down for a messy kiss. "There. Now I'm ready."

"Break a leg, Dante," Church called after me as I jogged up the stairs and onto the stage.

The floodlights beamed down on me as I grabbed the microphone, my heart pounding in my chest. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, the energy of their excitement washing over me.

I waved and leaned into the mic. "Happy Friday Los Angeles! How are we doing tonight?" I waited for the roar to calm before speaking again. "I want to open tonight with something brand new. A song dedicated to the most important person in my life. My rock, my hero, and a man I am proud to call the love of my life. This is "Boyfriend Material" for my man, Christian Bishop!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as I began to sing, washing away any lingering nerves. We played through a whole slew of new songs we'd written since firing Sam, including "Goodbye Sam", which we'd perfected that first night while eating junk food. We even played "Electric Love Song", though all of us were tired of it. We jazzed it up with some silly dances that made it easier to get through.

By the end of the two-hour set, I was exhausted and sweaty, but I still had to get through the VIP meet and greet afterwards. That was the part I'd been dreading all day. I couldn't shake Oscar from my head and worried there might be more people like him out there. The last thing I wanted was to run into another one.

But Church and the rest of his security team had promised all the VIPs had been fully vetted, and I trusted Church. Still, I was on edge until he appeared at the meet and greet next to me and placed an arm around me. The move drew some looks and knowing giggles from the fans, but I grinned and played along, giving his ass a good squeeze.

"What took you so long, kitten?" I whispered.

"Sorry, I had to make a job offer," Church replied with a mischievous glint in his eye.

I cocked my head to the side. "Here? Tonight?"

"Orlando!" Remi suddenly exclaimed beside me and shoved through the crowd.

My heart melted as Remi ran up and embraced our former bodyguard, and Orlando bent down to engulf Remi in a hug back, one he never would have dared to give when Sam was still around. And then my eyes widened when I realized Orlando was sporting a jacket bearing the Junkyard Dogs West logo.

I turned to Church. "You hired Orlando back?"

"Well, not exactly. He doesn't work for After Atom so much as he works for me now, but seeing as how he has such a good rapport with the members of your band…" He grinned and shrugged. "I see no reason not to assign him to the job, at least on a trial basis."

I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. You're amazing. Have I told you that lately?"

"Probably, but you can keep saying it."

"You're amazing," I repeated and squeezed his hand.

The VIP meet and greet went by in a blur of flashing cameras, excited fans, and autographs. As we greeted each fan, signed autographs, and took photos, Church's hand rested subtly on the small of my back, a comforting and reassuring touch that grounded me. I could do anything as long as he was with me, and he was soon going to be mine forever.

The last fan stepped up for their turn, a young man with bright orange hair and a wide smile. He held out an album for me to sign and I moved to scribble my signature across it. "Thank you," he said. "For coming out publicly like you did a few months ago. It um…" He chewed on his lip. "It gave me the opportunity to come out to my parents as bi. I didn't know how to tell them, but when they saw your interview, it was just…It made it easier, you know? They understood."

I smiled and finished signing the album cover. "I hope they were supportive."

He smiled widely and nodded. "They're cool with it. I just wanted to thank you because I was so nervous, and I didn't know what to say to them or how they'd react. People act like this this big secret we can't talk about. Like we should be ashamed or something. But you're not. That means a lot to me."

"That's amazing," I replied, genuinely touched by his words. "Glad I could help." I handed the album back to him and flashed a warm smile.

As the last of the fans left, Church squeezed my hand affectionately before leaning in to whisper in my ear. "You are truly something special, Dante."

I turned to face him with a smile. "I know, but can you say it again? Maybe while you're on your knees in my dressing room? Maybe with my cock in your mouth?"

He snorted. "It'll be a little difficult to talk with my mouth full of your cock. Maybe you'd better bend me over the vanity first if you want to hear how amazing you are."

"Oh, I like the way you think. "

We shared a laugh, and as we stepped around the corner, Church pulled me close, his lips brushing gently against mine in a fleeting but intense kiss that promised more to follow.

"Let's not keep that vanity waiting," he murmured and took my hand.

As we made our way back stage to the dressing room, my thoughts were a whirlwind of excitement, not just for the intimate moments ahead, but for everything. The tour was just beginning, and with Church by my side, it felt like we could take on the world together. My family and I were talking, and I was getting along with my bandmates better than ever. It wasn't perfect, but life was pretty damn good.

I squeezed Church's hand, my heart fluttering when he smiled at me. And it can only get better from here .