Following Me(93)

“You were beautiful,” he said, letting his hands rest on the guitar.

“Thank you. It’s been so long since I’ve sang anything.”

“Fooled me.”

“I’m a fool for you,” she said with a giggle, leaning forward to kiss his lips. Devon sighed, debating if she could go through with what she was thinking. Plucking up the courage, she asked, “Do you mind…if I try something? You know…since we’re here.”

Brennan smiled that gut-wrenching smile and nodded. “What did you have in mind?”

Devon reached into her purse and pulled out the notebook that she always carried with her, the one she never let anyone else see. She flipped it open to a page near the back and left it resting on her lap. “You know that new song you’ve been strumming all week?”

He bit his lip like he was considering something, and then he started picking out a tune. “You mean this one?” he asked.

“That’s the one.”

“What about it? I’ve just been messing around.”

Devon glanced down at her notebook and then back up at him, trying to draw on the courage he always gave her. “I wrote lyrics for it.”

“You did?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah. It seemed stuck in your head, but you weren’t going anywhere with it. I could hear it, um…the words. I could hear the words you wanted to sing but weren’t there yet. So, I wrote them down,” she told him, looking up into his eyes. “I didn’t think I would ever show you, but I think I could try…if you want.”

“Of course I want to!” he said with an even bigger smile. “You’re something amazing. You know that, right?”

Devon smiled hesitantly as he started the song from the beginning. The words flew out of her, like she had been waiting all her life to sing this song. She sang of knowing when to be strong, finding the strength buried within herself, and loving the person who showed it to her. She sang about Brennan and hope and acceptance. She poured her soul into the words until a tear fell down her cheek.

When she closed her song, Brennan set the guitar aside and held her in his arms.

“Devon, I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s a first,” she said with a chuckle.

“I’ve never had anyone do that before. It’s like…you were in my head.”

Devon sighed, planted a kiss on his lips, and then pulled back to stare into his eyes. “You know, my mama always told me that you are given a chance at greatness once in your lifetime. She found her greatness in my dad through music. She said, ‘When it hits you, you won’t know how you could have ever lived a day without. It’s like the universe aligned itself perfectly, just for you.’ I gave up hope on that a long time ago, I think.”

“Belle…” he said softy, reaching for her.

“But I think I’ve known…well, especially after today,” Devon said, “I think I found what my mama was talking about. You’re my greatness.”

The End