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Even if the timing is shit. Even if I’m about to hit the road for months.

I adjust my cap and head backstage, my heart thrumming a little harder than it should.

Backstage is a controlled storm of movement. Crew members dash past, adjusting mic levels, checking stage cues, and coordinating last-minute details. The hum of amplifiers and the distant soundcheck of an opening band echoes through the cavernous space.

I grab a mug of warm lemon and honey from a table, taking a slow sip. The warmth soothes my throat, but it does nothing for the knots tightening in my stomach.

Dizzy, my Viking of a drummer, claps a heavy hand on my back. “Ready to blow some minds tonight, boss?”

I smirk. “Always.”

Isla, my badass bassist, tunes her instrument with practiced ease. “Better be. The crowd’s already wild out there.”

Jay, ever the mellow one, leans against his keyboard. “Man, I love this energy. Feels like a good night.”

Lola and Katie, my backup singers, warm up their voices nearby. Lola shoots me a grin. “You gonna make ’em cry with ‘Midnight Dune’ again?”

I exhale, rolling my shoulders. “Thinking about dedicating it tonight.”

Jay arches a brow. “Anyone special?”

I don’t answer. Instead, I take another sip of my drink, letting the chaos of backstage fade around me. My mind is already somewhere else, caught between the music, the past, and the girl whose voice I can’t get out of my head.

Tonight, ‘Midnight Dune’ is for her.

I stand justbehind the curtain, the roar of the crowd vibrating through my chest. The opening band had just wrapped up, their lead singer hyping the audience one last time. The energy is electric, a crackling force that surges through my veins. This is the moment I live for.

I pop in my earpiece as my name echoes through the stadium, the screams hitting a fever pitch. My pulse thrums in sync with the pounding beat of the intro music.

Stepping forward, I cast a gaze over the crowd, my eyes instinctively searching for her.

And then I see her.

Laney stands in the VIP section with her friend, her expression caught somewhere between awe and disbelief. The stadium lights flash across her face, illuminating the stunned look in her eyes. I can’t help it—I smile and tip my cowboy hat before winking. Then, turning back to my band, I nod.

Dizzy grins, tapping his drumsticks together. Isla snickers, her fingers flying over her bass in a mini solo that has the crowdgoing wild. Jay turns his baseball cap backward, shaking his head with an easy smile as he plays the opening keys. Women in the audience scream our names, and I soak it all in, letting the energy flood my veins.

Gripping the mic, I let the noise settle just enough before speaking. “Damn, it feels good to be home,” I say, my voice raw with feeling. The stadium erupts, waves of cheers crashing against the stage.

I grin. “I missed y’all. Let’s make this one hell of a night!”

And with that, the music explodes, and the show begins.

The crowd is electric, pulsing like one living thing as I feed off their energy. Each song fuels the fire in my veins, the music lifting me higher, the cheers wrapping around me like a lover’s embrace. My band is in sync, each member locked into their groove—Dizzy pounding out powerful rhythms, Isla’s bass thrumming like a heartbeat, Jay weaving in bright piano notes, and Lola and Katie’s harmonies soaring through the air.

And then there was her.

Laney.

She is in the VIP section, singing along, her face glowing with joy. The way she moves to the music, her hair catching the stage lights, the pure excitement in her eyes—it makes me feel untouchable, like a king ruling his kingdom.

I step toward the mic, my breathing still heavy from the last song. “Y’all have been incredible tonight,” I say, adjusting my cowboy hat. The crowd roars back.

I glance toward Laney, and something inside me clicks into place. “This next one’s special,” I continue, my voice softer now. “I wanna dedicate it to a little songbird with the voice of an angel—someone I was lucky enough to hear sing in a park one night.”

A hush falls over the stadium, the anticipation thick.

I meet Laney’s eyes, and in that moment, it’s just us.