Page 66 of Legendary Rock Star

“You too.” I squeezed their hands. “The tour is going to be fun.”

The lights were on for the cameras. I could see Phoenix with the others on the side of the stage. My heart lurched. This was it.

The judges all spoke to the camera, but I didn’t hear.

Torturing us, the lights went off. Phoenix winked at me as he and the others headed backstage to the lounge where I’d meet him later.

A moment later, the lights were in our faces again.

The host came over and said, “Only one of you will be our final winner tonight. Are you nervous?”

“Yeah,” we all said, pretty much in unison. Then I said, “Jane and Rihanne are like the sisters I never had, right now.”

“And you’re dating Phoenix Steel.” The host put it in my face.

I sucked in my breath. I nodded and said, “Yes, but I’m here to compete for the album and the tour.”

The host said, “Well, Maggie, step forward.”

My heart beat a mile a minute. This was crazy. And then he said, “We’ll need you to sing your song again now … because you’re our winner, Maggie Carrigan!”

I turned around and hugged the others. “I love you both.”

I could see on the monitor that Phoenix was clapping wildly in the back room and I took a breath.

I’d done it. I was the headliner.

I closed my eyes, and I swear my fingers felt Phoenix holding my hand as I sang again.

The love song came from my soul.

As the notes ended, the lights went out.

It was done.

I walked off stage and Phoenix grabbed me and hugged me. I was in tears as he lifted me off my feet. When he put me down, I said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too” He turned to me and his shoulders slumped as he said, “So you won. You get to buy your red couch.”

I’d been a pile of nerves when I said that, and honestly, it was only because I couldn’t come up with a better idea on what to actually bet. As we walked through the set, I looped my arm in his and lifted my chin and said, “I … it was a bad joke.”

His lips were thin. He shook his head and said, “You won. And you live there now, so you can do what you want.”

No way would I mess up his Zen respite in the house, but I batted my eyes and said, “I’ll decorate some other time, maybe after our tour.”

As we made it out of the building and into the night air, his limo came toward us. His forehead wrinkled and he asked, “What do you want to do now?”

“We’re skipping the party tonight and going home.” The idea of singing naked next to him was now a thought I could see in vivid colors in my mind. I said, “We’ll head into the studio—and we’ll keep the furniture sterile and black.”

“Okay,” he said and the color came back into his face again.

I cupped his face and came closer to smell his woodsy cologne. “And …”

He rested his forehead on mine and said, “I’m in if you want to go to the party.”

Seriously, he was a keeper and that was why I wore this ring, but I let out a small sigh and said, “That wasn’t what I wanted to say.”

He held me and asked, “Then what?”

I bit my bottom lip and decided to be daring. I ignored the butterflies in my stomach and said, “Let’s sing naked in the studio. But you have to be naked too.”

“Deal,” he said, and his smile grew to show off those dimples of his.

Bubbles of happiness were around me and I hugged him closer and said, “You’re too easy.”

“Only because I love you,” he said, and then he kissed me.

My left leg lifted of its own accord. Winning on the show was amazing. But what was even more amazing was that I’d won Phoenix. With him, I had everything I’d ever want. There was nothing better and I was happy, here, in his arms, always.