Page 63 of From Drummer to Gamer

I sighed. This man was too good to be true. Any other man in his position would’ve sought some way to profit off this, yet here he was, like a true knight who kept his word. Like the prince in the fairy tales, his words were true and kind.

“I want to wrap this up by saying thank you to each and every one of you here tonight. Your immense support means a lot. And a big thank you to all the benefactors who have donated tonight. One hundred percent of this money will go toward the artist and the artists only. I want to thank my bandmates, Emmie, Mikey, and Lan, for always being on my side and jumping on this train without a single question. Your trust in me is what keeps me going.” He nodded toward the guys who stood by the sidelines, beaming.

“Thank you to my twin, without whom none of this would’ve been possible.” His eyes flashed to Katy, who gave him a proud smile.

“And last, I want to thank the person who helped name this label.” Those green eyes fixed straight on me, and my heart drummed a beat in my chest I couldn’t recognize. “I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you,” he added the last sentence softly.

For a second, his eyes stayed glued to mine, like he was speaking right to me before they shifted.

The applause that went around the room was a low buzz to my ears because heat unlike anything swathed my body like a heavy blanket on a hot summer day.

The intensity of my heartbeat did nothing to help that.

It felt like I was on the verge of breaking out of a fever in the middle of a cold room.

Did Matty Evans just thank me?

Thank me in his speech for the most important project of his life.

Me?

A nobody from nowhere who worships the ground he walks on.

Hedidwant me here.

“Looks like you’ve got him hooked, Sister,” Raphael mumbled, his tone laced with amusement.

His voice snapped me from the daze, and it was only then that I realized everyone at the table was staring right at me with knowing smiles dancing on their faces.

A scorching flame unlike anything brushed the skin on my cheeks.

I averted my gaze to the glass of water in front of me. My shaky fingers picked it up, and I washed away my dry throat.

Thankfully, by the time I set the glass aside, all their attention was back to the stage, where a small fundraiser auction was happening.

To me, it was just a blur because my mind was still reeling over what Matty said. I think my inner fangirl would forever be reeling over that.

Thirty minutes later, the boys returned to the table.

“You were amazing,” I whispered to Matty just as he took his seat beside me.

He paused, his gaze focusing on me. “Thank you,” he mumbled.

I nodded, trying hard to douse the fire in my cheeks.

The chatter around the table continued for a while before the boys ventured to mingle with everyone and dragged Raphy along with them, leaving me alone with the girls and three other men whose names I still didn’t catch.

“Nice to meet you, Sierra. We couldn’t get properly introduced earlier,” Evy said, smiling softly at me as she held out a hand. “I’m Evy.”

I smiled, grasping her hand gently. “Sierra, so nice to meet you as well.”

“Matty never told me about you,” Lily added, her curious eyes twinkling. “I’m Lily, by the way, and this is my friend, Jack.” She pointed at the charming brown-haired man sitting next to her, who gave me a nod.

“And that’s Gabe and his boyfriend, Rory.” She jutted her chin toward the couple beside Evy. “Gabe helped Katy plan this event tonight.”

Ah, I recall Katy mentioning him. “You did a wonderful job,” I exclaimed.

“Thanks, darling,” he said, leaning forward with a smirk. “But back to what Lily said. I didn’t know grumpy old Matty was living with someone so pretty. Damn, he’s been keeping secrets.”