Chapter 38

CHAPTER 38

NOAH

O n New Year’s Eve, the guys and I were getting ready for our performance while Gemma put the finishing touches on the venue. Any minute now, guests would start arriving, and the last time I’d been in the hall where the party was being held, everything had looked perfect to me, but she’d rushed over to one of the tables to straighten a napkin.

After that, she’d insisted on doing final checks while I had to come back here to change. Wardrobe had dressed us and the stylists were almost done with Brandon, who was the last of us to be ready tonight.

He sat on a chair in front of a mirror, smirking when he caught my eye. “Excited for it to drop?”

I nodded, kicking back on the chaise lounge I was on. “Yeah, man. Of course. I always am.”

He rolled his eyes and waggled his brows at me. “I wasn’t talking about the album as a whole .”

“I know that.” I laughed. “I’ve been keeping it as a surprise, but I’m starting to wonder if I should’ve said something.”

“Nope.” Lewis grinned from the armchair beside me. “She’s going to love it, and we get to help you put on a romantic surprise. This is good. I like it.”

The stylist finished with Brandon, fluffing her fingers through his long strands one last time to muss them carefully before she nodded. “Alright. Anyone need a touch up before I go?”

I shook my head, and so did Lewis and Jack. We didn’t often have time alone before performances, but I’d asked for five minutes before this one, and I was pretty eager to get them. After looking around to make sure we were all good, the stylist nodded and left, and I straightened up.

Brandon immediately stood up to spin the chair he’d been on around, sitting down again but this time with his chest against the backrest. He cocked his head at me. “So, what’s this all about?”

Lewis leaned forward and Jack’s gaze met mine. I drew in a deep breath, looking at each of them in turn. “I’m in love with Gemma.”

“Yeah, man.” Brandon chuckled as he arched an eyebrow at me. “We know.”

“No, I mean like, in love , in love.” I stuck my hand into my pocket, straightening my legs to be able to pull the box out of my jeans. “Like, I bought a ring, in love.”

Lewis’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, incredulity swimming in them. He blinked fast and way too many times. Jack just stared and Brandon’s eyebrows tugged together, his gaze locked on mine, searching.

“Let me just wrap my head around this.” Lewis swiped his tongue across his lips. “A ring. An engagement ring? A promise ring? A cock ring?”

“Why the hell would I tell you about a cock ring?” I popped the top of the box open and showed them the diamond-encrusted band with the brilliant-cut stone sitting proudly on top of it. “What do you think?”

Jack bent over to inspect the merchandise before glancing at me as he let out a low whistle. “Dude, that’s…”

“That’s a fucking ring .” Brandon was staring at it with his mouth slightly open, gaping until his gaze came up to mine. “This is insane. I love it. She’s totally going to say yes.”

His sudden excitement snapped Lewis out of his shocked surprise and he started laughing, nodding at me. He stood up and held his fist out. “Congratulations, man. The first of us to take the leap. I didn’t see that happening, but I’m so damn happy for you.”

Brandon leaped up and raced over, catapulting himself onto me as he started cheering. “You’re getting married, bro!”

He threw his arms around my shoulders, squashing me and crushing my windpipe, but I didn’t give a shit. The fact that they were hyping me up instead of trying to talk me out of it meant everything, and their excitement skyrocketed my own.

My heart was racing and my palms were suddenly sweaty, but I couldn’t remember ever having felt this good about something. I laughed as I hugged Brandon back. When he finally climbed off me, he smirked and walked back to his chair. “When are you going down on your knee?”

“I’m going to follow my gut, but I’m hoping for some time tonight. I guess it depends how it goes.”

They all went wild, but then our door opened and I quickly snapped the box shut and shoved it underneath me.

Alana walked in. She wore a stunning smile and aimed it right at me. “Your girl has done a terrific job out there, Parks. Really. Good call on hiring her. I wasn’t so sure it was a great idea when I found out the company belonged to a woman you were sleeping with, but she’s outdone herself.”

“Thanks, but you should tell her that too, and also, I’m not just sleeping with her, Alana. You know that.”

“Sure, now I do, but I didn’t when I first found out who you’d brought onboard for this,” she said before turning to the others. “Are you all ready? Remember, there’s a big countdown clock on a screen behind the stage, ticking down to when the album will be live. Keep your eyes on it and make sure you don’t miss any cues.”

As each of us nodded, she hugged her tablet to her chest with one hand and waved at the door with the other. “Well, then, what are you waiting for? There’s less than ten minutes left on it right now, gentlemen. It’s time to go.”

“Time to go.” Brandon grinned at me. We headed out together with Jack and Lewis bringing up the rear.

When we got upstairs, we grabbed our mics, waiting for Alana’s signal before we ran onstage. We all made sure to bring that infectious energy to the stage that our guests would expect. Lights flashed dramatically, bathing the venue in purple, blue, and green, our band started an energetic drumroll. The stage lights came on, each of us standing in our own pool of light, heads down and waiting for the drums to break.

Our arrival officially kicked off the party and there were tons of people out there. The venue was a massive conference facility on the water with panoramic views that could handle over sixteen hundred people.

The entire building was made of glass and concrete, with living, green walls and exposed bulbs for lighting. I hadn’t been too sure of it when Gemma had first shown me the pictures, but I loved what she’d done with the place.

A stage had been set up for us on one side of the upper level, a bar running along the length of the other. Up here, there were no tables, but we’d figured no one would want to sit down for the show. On the lower level, there was enough seating for everybody and several makeshift lounge areas. The balcony outside had been set up as an extension of the bar where we would be able to watch the fireworks later.

There were lots of screens scattered throughout the venue to show our performance but also to watch the ball drop later. Everything was super classy and elegant, and yet, since it was Gemma, she’d also sprinkled in some touches of warmth.

Like the lounge areas, blankets available outside for those who’d want them, one of those artisanal coffee trucks outside, and draping wrapped around the ceiling beams to soften the place. As I looked out at the crowd, I saw her in the back and I winked as a smile spread across my lips.

I couldn’t help it, and I didn’t want to.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” I hollered into my mic when I finally tore my gaze away from hers right on cue. “Thank you so much for joining us tonight. As you can see behind me, we’ve got less than three minutes before our new album will officially be out there, so before that happens, let me assure you that our new songs suck less than the old ones.”

Laughter rang out and I grinned. Lewis tossed me a fake, questioning look. He sighed as he brought the mic up to his lips. “The old ones didn’t suck, Parks.”

“Maybe not,” I agreed. “The new ones really don’t, though.” I turned back to the crowd. “We’re really proud of this one, folks. But we’ll let you decide for yourselves what you think. This first one is called Lighting Up , and it’s not about what you might think.”

I winked at them as the band started playing the intro to the song, and then we were off, playing it for the first time not only to the people present in the venue but also those who’d purchased tickets for a live stream of the event. Gemma had suggested it, and since all the money from the ticket sales was going to charity, we’d readily agreed.

Shockingly, Jack had written this song, but it was about Gemma and me, and how we both lit up whenever the other was around. It was upbeat, happy, and the perfect summer party song, but it also worked for tonight. Just as we launched into the chorus, the clock had ticked down and our album was finally live.

Brandon let out a whoop and we all gave it our best, leaving nothing in the tank as we moved from that song to the next. Since we knew people liked it this way, we scattered some of our older, more popular songs into the performance as well, and when it was time for our last song, I spoke to the crowd again.

“This one is super special to me,” I said to a chorus of oohs and aahs. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, seeking out Gemma’s face in the crowd. “It’s dedicated to a cute girl I met on a plane to New York, and she absolutely has my whole heart. It’s called She’s a Gem , and I hope you like it.”

I’d written it that day when I’d run into Gemma and Mariam before I’d gone to the studio in New York. The day after the first night we’d spent together, and the name of it was a play on hers that I hadn’t been able to resist. Although I’d literally met her only the day before, it was about falling in love with her at first sight and how I’d never believed it when people had said “when you know, you know,” but suddenly knowing that they’d been right.

She really was a gem, a precious, sparkling treasure that I’d known somehow from the very first time we’d talked that I’d never be able to replace. When I’d known, I’d legitimately just known—and then I’d written this song about it. I’d been adding things to it ever since.

When I learned something new about her or as our story had developed, I’d come back to it, not happy to leave it alone until the last possible minute, when I’d crammed as much of us into it as I could before we’d had to record.

Throughout the whole performance, I kept looking at her, seeing the big smile on her face and the tears streaming freely down her cheeks. She blew me a kiss, and my heart swelled to triple its normal size.

In the couple months it’d been since that flight, my entire outlook on life had changed. My hopes for the future. My way of thinking.

It was all different these days because it was all centered around her . She had become my north star. My gravity. My wings. My sun, moon, and stars, and soon—hopefully—she would have my ring on her finger to prove it.