Page 42 of Everything In Between
THIRTY-FIVE
hayes
“Good evening, New Jersey!” Jersey says boldly into the microphone before giving the thousands of people in attendance a blinding smile. My chest expands with a sense of pride again like it did when she first stepped onto the stage earlier tonight.
That’s my girl up there.
The crowd goes wild and Jersey has to take a step back from the microphone.
The camera follows her every move, putting her gorgeous face up on the screen so everyone can see her.
Her eyes sparkle with eyeshadow and the overwhelming gratitude she has for the fans cheering her name.
Her lips are plump and filled in with a lipstick that I want to kiss right off her, especially when she grins like that.
She laughs a few times, shaking her head in awe before she steps back up to the microphone and waits for the noise to die down a bit.
“I am so excited to be here tonight. I’ve been looking forward to playing this stadium for the entire tour! This state is my namesake, which means tonight’s show is extra, extra special!”
Jersey waves both her hands to the crowd before spinning on the toe of her sparkly heeled boot, brown silky hair flying across her shoulder as she spots the guitar that’s been perfectly placed for her.
The stadium lights go dim around her, and then there’s one purple spotlight directly on her.
She starts strumming a few chords on the guitar and steps up to the microphone for the acoustic section of the concert.
Her lips pull into a wide smile as the crowd goes insane as she delivers the opening line of her song, “Good Times Roll.”
I nod along to the beat, a small smile resting on my lips as I watch Jersey have the time of her life up there on the stage.
“She’s really something, isn’t she?” Bethany asks next to me.
Turning, I glance her way for a brief second before looking back to the stage, not wanting to miss a second of Jersey doing what she does best. I hadn’t realized Bethany had snuck into the VIP box.
“She really, really is.” Then a thought occurs to me.
“I figured you’d be backstage just in case Jersey needs something mid-show. ”
Bethany shakes her head. “There are too many people backstage, and plenty of people around if she needs assistance. Besides, I love watching her sparkle as much as you do. She’s going to lose her mind when she finds out you’re here. It’s going to make her whole day.”
I can’t wait to see how excited Jersey will be at my surprise attendance. The anticipation is killing me. “Thank you so much for helping me pull this off last minute. It means a lot to me.”
Bethany dips her chin. “Well, Jersey means a lot to me, and I’ve really loved getting to see her happy since she’s been with you. I’ll do anything to keep her that way.” She pauses and gives me a pointed look. “So don’t mess it up, otherwise I’ll come for you.”
Jersey and her dancers have pulled my attention back to where they are doing a choreo-break as they transition into the next song. “Trust me, I have zero intentions of messing anything up with her.”
Bethany purses her lips off to the side, clearly fighting off a smile.
She nods sagely. “I’m glad to hear that.
” Bethany nudges my arm gently. I pry my eyes away from Jersey on the stage.
She tilts her head toward the door. “We should probably get down there if you want to surprise her. There’re a few songs left, but you’re a little slower than you used to be. ”
Her eyes dart down to my braced knee. I wince. Even though I know she’s teasing, the reality still stings. I’m getting stronger every day, but there’s still plenty of work to be done until I’m back to full speed.
Jersey has been a big part of my recovery journey.
Every day she encourages me to push harder to keep working toward my goal.
When she’s home, she sits next to me while I do my exercises for my knee, strumming the strings of her guitar and humming quietly to herself.
When I pause what I’m doing to watch her, she feels my stare, meets my eyes, and hits me with “Ten more reps, MVP.”
I follow Bethany’s lead and trail behind her out of the VIP tent and through the crowd on the floor. Thankfully, we go inconspicuously for the most part, aside from a small group of fans who recognize me right off the bat.
They wave me over and Bethany allows me to stop to take a picture with them. I give the camera a big thumbs up and thank them for coming to support Jersey. The girls all share excited glances and say “thank you” to me.
Laughing nervously, I wave and continue my trek toward the side of the stage. Jersey is at the other end. She does a twirl and then spins again on her toe, skipping up the stage to where Bethany and I are standing.
As she gets closer, my pulse picks up, like I’m some teenager about to talk to the prettiest girl in school.
It doesn’t matter that Jersey has practically been living with me for the last few months or that I know her as intimately as one can know another person.
All that seems to matter is that she’s coming closer to me, and I can’t wait for her to see me standing here.
Jersey stops down the stage from me. She points out to the crowd, singing boldly into the microphone.
The fans in front of her on the floor raise their hands, waving them in the air.
The noise from the stadium is deafening with the mix of her loud music, her voice, and the voices of all of her fans singing along to every word.
I’ve seen a lot of people be the center of attention for a stadium this big, most of them part of a football team or other performers.
There’s just something about the way Jersey owns the stage when she’s up there.
It’s clear she was born for this. She was born to bring these songs to life and to give these fans something to sing for.
Those thoughts in mind, I’m not surprised when my throat grows a little thick, watching the woman I love smile widely as her attention lands on a young fan right at the edge of the stage.
She bends down onto her knees, all her focus on this one person out of thousands.
Even from where I am standing, I can tell this young person is living out one of their biggest dreams. I have no doubt that if Jersey could hop down from that stage and wrap them up in a big hug, she would.
That’s who Jersey is, I’ve learned. She’s got a big heart for those around her.
Which makes it so much worse that her label takes advantage of her. There’s nothing I want more than to see her succeed without the restrictive constraint of the people managing her career. Watching her on stage now, I know she’d be unstoppable if only they’d give her the chance.
The song ends, and Jersey gives the young fan one more enthusiastic wave before pushing herself up to her feet again. She continues to head back to the main stage, strutting in my direction.
My chest grows tighter the closer she gets to me. I’m so damn excited to see her reaction.
Jersey doesn’t disappoint.
Mid-stride, Jersey spots me right as she’s strutting past. She falters for only a second, her expression going blank as her eyes register with her brain what she’s seeing.
It takes only another second before that blank expression is morphing into something far more beautiful—gripping enchantment.
She smiles so widely I wonder if it’s hurting her cheeks and her eyes glisten with unspoken emotion.
My whole world stops at the sight of her. Jersey lifts her microphone to her mouth to sing the next lyric, but doesn’t tear her eyes away from mine. I do the same, unable to take my attention off her. Eventually, when she has to look away, I can still see the smile playing on her lips.
For the rest of the song, Jersey’s eyes keep drifting my way, making sure I’m still there.
I watch her, raptly, loving that I get to see her do her thing for such a responsive audience.
I’ve played in this stadium before and I don’t think the crowd was close to being half as engaged as they are now.
She’s a sight to behold, and I’m grateful I get to see every moment of her creating her empire.
When the song winds down, Bethany grabs hold of my elbow and leads me away from the side of the stage around the riggings to the back, where she tells me we’ll wait for Jersey to finish.
The echoes from the crowd ring in my ears, and I can picture Jersey standing on the stage, waving at each and every one of them, giving them all one last glimpse of her before she disappears behind the backdrop of the stage.
The lights to the stadium turn on, giving me the hint that Jersey has successfully gotten herself backstage. Still, cheers echo from outside in the stands, but they slowly die down with each second.
“She should be here in just a moment,” Bethany tells me offhandedly. I glance at her to see her attention solely on her screen as she types an email.
As if she heard us summoning her, Jersey comes around the corner. She pauses a few feet away from me before taking off into a lopsided sprint. She’s still wearing her costume from the last set, and I’m slightly worried about her running in those crazy stiletto boots.
I shouldn’t be, though. Completely unfazed by the high heels, she throws herself into my arms and I do my best to catch her while keeping my balance.
My knee screams a little at the pressure, but I ignore it, focusing on the woman in my arms. I bury my face in her neck, breathing her in.
Her skin is hot and sweaty, but she still smells undeniably like Jersey—sexy.
“You were incredible,” I whisper into her ear.
She holds me tighter. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it.” I pull back and cup her face, tilting her chin so I can lean down and kiss her. When we break apart, her cheeks are flushed for an entirely different reason. “I love you, Jersey. You’re magnificent.”
Her brown eyes widen and glisten over. She hugs me again and murmurs, “I love you too. More than you could ever know.”
My heart soars at hearing those words leave her pretty mouth.
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing her say those words to me.
If I had it my way, I’d be whisking her back home, just so I could keep her all to myself.
I’d make love to her all night, worshipping her body in such a way that she’d never doubt how irrevocably obsessed with her I am.
I instantly notice her absence when she pulls out of the hug. Her hands raise to cup my cheeks. Her thumb strokes along the light stubble on my cheekbone.
The world seems to disappear around me, the only person present, the beautiful woman right in front of me. Her brown eyes flutter over my face, as if she’s committing this moment to memory—and I’m doing the same. I want to remember everything about this moment here with her.
“All right, you two lovebirds, let’s get you into some privacy before everyone watches you two get naked,” Bethany interrupts the quiet, intimate moment between us and points behind my shoulder. Jersey follows her finger and I peer back to see too.
The outermost part of the stands are in full view of where Jersey and I are embracing. All of her fans cheer and shout, waving and jumping up with excitement that she’s looking their way. Their phones are all aimed directly at us, capturing this moment for all of eternity.
I bark out a laugh, wondering if by some chance I’ll get to see it soon on the internet.
Any other man might have an issue with the cameras and the attention, but I don’t mind one bit. It comes with the territory of being with Jersey Matthews. Especially being here with her at her concert.
Luckily, I’ve been trained and briefed on how to interact with the media and rabid pop music fans.
Flashing a wide smile, I raise my hand and wave right back. This only spurs them on and they cheer even louder.
Before I can do anything else to encourage them, Jersey grabs my arm and entwines our fingers together. We walk hand-in-hand down the tunnel and out of the sightline of her fans.
Jersey is shaking her head. Her lips twisted in amusement. Once the sound has died down, she says, “I should’ve known you’d eat that up.”
I chuckle and wrap my arm around her shoulder, dragging her to my side. She leans into me, placing her hand on my chest to stabilize herself. I’m walking a little slower than I would normally, but she doesn’t seem to mind, sticking close to me the whole way to her green room.
Once we make it, she lets go of me to get cleaned up. I give her the space, taking a breather on the couch so I can prop my knee on a pillow. The hours of PT paid off tenfold tonight. Even with that, it’s starting to ache and I don’t want it to swell too much.
Thankfully, Bethany seems to read my mind, and she brings me a bag filled with ice. I suppose it’s a perk of performing in a professional athletic facility.
About twenty minutes later, Jersey comes out of the bathroom in a completely different outfit, fresh makeup, and her hair tied back into some kind of twist, which is clipped to the back of her head.
She does a little spin and I give her a slow clap. Her face is alight with energy and if I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t have guessed she just performed a two-hour show for thousands of screaming fans.
She settles on the couch next to me, kissing the side of my neck. I wrap my arm around her, cup her cheek, and tilt her chin up so I can kiss her properly again.
When she pulls away, her brown eyes are alight with joy and that alone is worth everything.