Music of the Heart (Runaway Train, #1)(71)

With a little twirl, I spun around to give him a view of the dress. Although the bottom was made of chiffon, the bodice had intricate white beading and sequins. With its spaghetti straps, it did an amazing job showing off my cleavage. It was tasteful, but sexy all in the same token.

Jake licked his lips. “Oh Angel…you look absolutely breathtaking.”

I grinned. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Jake, it’s time,” Rhys called from the doorway.

“One sec,” he replied.

With a nudge, I pushed him to the door. “You need to go. After all, you can’t keep your adoring fans waiting.”

Jake’s expression grew serious. “There’s something I have to say to you before I go out there.”

My heartbeat accelerated so fast I felt lightheaded. “Okay,” I murmured.

Cupping my cheeks in his hands, Jake stared intently into my eyes. “I love you, Angel.”

I jerked back at his declaration. “You do?”

He smiled as he ran his thumb along my cheekbone. “Yeah, I do.”

Blinking in disbelief, I continued to stare at him. Finally, I whispered, “Oh Jake,” before I threw myself at him. “Say it again,” I commanded, my voice muffled against his chest.

“I love you, Abby,” he whispered into my ear.

“I love you, too. So very, very much,” I replied, squeezing him tight.

“I never thought I’d ever hear you say it.”

After he wrapped his arms around my waist, he pressed his forehead against mine. “I could say the same about you.”

“Jake!” Rhys called again.

“Fuck, I don’t want to go out there. I just want to stay right here with you.”

“We’ll have time together after the show.”

Jake’s expression darkened. “It’s never enough time, especially since you have to fly back tomorrow.”

“We’ll figure something out. We always do.”

“Maybe next time instead of those douchebags from Vindicated we can have Jacob’s Ladder open for us.”

I laughed. “That would be awesome.”

“I’m totally serious, Abby.”

When he used my real name, rather than Angel, I knew he really was. “But—”

He pressed a finger against my lips to silence me. “All I have to do is bring it before the suits, and usually when I go after something, I get what I want.”

I shook my head and couldn’t keep the smile from forming on my lips. “There you go with that ego again.”

“Come on.” He then took me by the hand. He led me along the darkened corridors. We reached the stage just as AJ was making his usual grand entrance. Jake pulled me almost to the edge of the wings. “Stay here for the show, okay?”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Right here? I’m practically on the stage,” I protested.

He laughed. “I’m serious, Angel.” He leaned over and kissed me. Just as his tongue brushed against mine, we were interrupted by the announcer saying, “And lead singer and guitarist, Jake Slater!”

Jerking away from me, he regretfully said, “Gotta go.” He then proceeded to smack my ass playfully before strutting out on the stage with more swagger than I’d seen him use before.

Lily wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “So I take it all is well with you guys, huh?”

I couldn’t keep the goofy grin off my lips. “Yes, it is. Thank you so much for coming to talk to me.”

“You’re welcome.” She gave me a knowing smile. “I’m pretty good about spotting true love when I see it, and you and Jake are the real deal.”

My heart fluttered at her assessment. We then fell silent to watch our men perform. When a technician brought Jake a headset and took his microphone, my brows furrowed in confusion. I didn’t know that they had added a different part to the show.

After he adjusted the headset, he turned to me and winked. “So as some of you may know, this is usually the part of the show where I have a fan brought up on stage to sing to. But tonight I want to change things up a bit.” Jake paused for a moment like he was trying to find the right words. “Three weeks ago a girl fell into my life. Well, actually she accidentally fell into my bed, but that’s another story.”

I gasped as the audience whistled and catcalled. “Before her, I may have sung about love, relationships, and being with that special someone, but I really didn’t believe in it. But through her physical and inner beauty, she taught me about the gift of giving your heart to someone.” Jake drew in a ragged breath, and my chest clenched as I could tell he was fighting his emotions. “In so many ways, she saved me from the hell surrounding me. She is truly an angel—she’s my angel.” Turning to the wings, he met my gaze and smiled. “So come out here, Angel.”

Frozen, I couldn’t blink, least of all move. Lily had to nudge me forward, or I would have remained rooted to my spot. On trembling legs, I strode across the stage to where Jake stood beckoning me. At my appearance, the crowd went wild, causing my ears to ring from the noise.

A wide grin curved on Jake’s lips as he took my hand in his. He brought it to his lips and gallantly kissed my fingers, which caused the audience screamed in approval. “Atlanta, this is Abby, but to me she’s Angel.”