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“I told you she was going to come,” Nico said, dropping back into a warrior pose. He tilted his head towards the television mounted on the opposite wall. “Turn that up. They’re about to announce the winner.”
Logan obliged, turning up the volume on the television. “It’s going to be the Australian and the scuba diver.”
“No way. They brought my girl Lacey back. It’s her and the lumberjack,” Nico argued.
“They brought her back too late. The audience had already moved on,” Logan said.
“So did the lumberjack,” Zach said.
“You guys are too cynical. You have to trust the process,” Nico said.
“The process of ten half-naked twenty-somethings making out with everything that moves until they find love on a reality TV show?” Zach said.
Beckett ignored his bandmates’ bickering, instead gesturing for Derek to follow him to the opposite corner of the green room. “Is everything ready?” he asked.
Derek nodded. “I confirmed with John that the confetti blowers are good to go on your cue, and Lenny is handling the rest with the front of house. Now it’s just up to you.”
Beckett scraped his hand over his mouth, nerves making him restless, like he needed to move or he’d shake out of his skin. “What if she hates this?”
“She’s going to love it.”
“I must be out of my fucking mind,” Beckett muttered.
Derek barked a laugh. “We all are when we find the one. You remember what a poor bastard I was when I thought I’d lost Jo.”
Beckett chuckled. “You really were pathetic.”
“And you all helped me win her back.” Derek’s expression softened, going serious for a minute. “Glad I can return the favor.”
Two sharp, even knocks on the green room door. Gideon opened the door and headed straight for Beckett and Derek. “They’re here.”
“You’re sure?” Beckett asked.
Gideon nodded. “Confirmation from Rodney at the front of house. They’re being taken up to the VIP Suite now.”
“And someone will bring them down to the floor before the encore?” Beckett asked.
“I’ll handle that part personally,” Derek said.
They’d been over the plan a dozen times in the last twenty-four hours, but he couldn’t help it. It was still new and strange to him to trust someone else to help him with something so important. But glancing around the green room, at these men who truly were more like family than friends, he knew everything would be alright.
Chapter Forty-Two
“It must be weird to watch from the audience,” Jo said.
“It’s like seeing a whole new show,” Kat agreed.
Though part of that could have been the fact that the famous fivesome was down a member. The band did an incredible job covering for Jackson’s absence, however, with Zach and Nico taking over most of his solos and only minor alterations to the choreography and screen configurations.
Beside her, Jo grinned at her phone, texting furiously.
“Not that you’ve seen most of the show,” Kat teased.
It took Jo a moment to register what Kat was saying. The blonde pressed her lips together, unsuccessfully hiding her growing smile. “Sorry. This is the longest Derek and I have been away from each other since the wedding.”
The music transitioned to the next song and Kat’s mental checklist for the final few numbers started automatically scrolling through her mind. She wondered if John had found the right angle for the confetti blowers in this venue, how they would handle the twins’ guitar interlude without Jackson, if the trap doors and safety rigs had been properly tested during load in. Not that those things were her problem to worry about anymore, but she couldn’t help it.
On stage, Beckett leaped onto the platform with the musicians, grabbing his guitar. The backing band’s lead guitarist stepped up to join him on the interlude, easily taking over Jackson’s parts. Kat watched as Beckett’s fingers flew over the strings. The scowl on his face could be mistaken for concentration, but she knew better. He was nervous. It set her own nerves on edge, her eyes scanning the stage for any potential issues that might have been missed.
