Starstruck (Heartstrings Duet #1)

59. one night

[ 59 ]

ONE NIGHT

LENNON

Two Months Later

October

“HEARTBEATS” BY JOSé GONZáLEZ

I stand in the VIP section at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, watching as Baxter and the guys take the stage. The crowd around me goes wild, and I smile to myself, knowing in a few minutes, Baxter’s going to surprise them with the drop of his new album, which wasn’t supposed to be out until next month. They’ve had it ready for a while now, so he decided it would be fun to do a surprise drop tonight.

Today marks one year since the accident. Three hundred and sixty-five days since my life changed forever. If you’d asked me a year ago what I thought I’d be doing when this day rolled around, the last thing I would’ve said is standing in the audience at a Baxter James concert, who just so happens to be the love of my life, my siblings and their spouses on either side of me and Isa’s arms wrapped around my waist, with a massive smile on my face.

Actually, correction: The last thing I ever expected to be doing today is smiling. But as I stand here now, doing just that, I know with absolute certainty that this is the life my parents always wanted for me.

“Hey, Toronto!” Baxter greets as he moves toward the microphone stand. “How are we all feeling tonight?”

The response he receives is loud and full of excitement—every person in this stadium screaming for the beautiful man onstage. He smiles against the mic.

“Glad to hear it.”

He strums a few chords on his maroon Les Paul as he continues. “As you all know, today marks one year since we lost two of the biggest names the rock and roll genre has ever known: Audrey Rose and Brennan Thorne.

“Together, they made up the duo Thorned Roses and sustained a forty-year music career, all while raising three kids. They were nothing short of incredible, and though I didn’t know them personally, I’ve come to know their three children quite well.”

My eyes begin to water. I had a feeling he’d bring up my parents tonight, given they were also his biggest musical inspirations and who the title track of his new album is about. Their deaths changed things for so many people, and I know Baxter was one of them.

He smiles in our direction before he continues. “The biggest thing I’ve learned in the past year is this: The Thornes were a family just like any other. They would fight, they had their flaws, and I’m sure they hated each other at times. But even more than that, they loved each other unconditionally.”

He pauses for a moment while the crowd sends out a cheer in memory of my parents, and his eyes meet mine from across the stage.

“Brennan and Audrey may have been the world’s biggest rock and roll duo while their kids were young, but that didn’t stop them from being the best parents they could be. Those kids never went a single day without knowing they were loved, no matter how much time or distance came between them. The Thornes are no different from all the other families, and yet they are at the same time. Because no other family is like them . ”

The energy in the room is electric as every single person here, young and old, cheers for his words about my parents. Paige wraps her hand around mine while Dylan roughly grips my shoulder, tears welling in all of our eyes as Baxter keeps talking.

“Brennan was the kind of man who people looked up to. He was handsome, successful, talented, kind—kind of like me,” he teases, and a laugh bubbles out of me through my tears. “He created a beautiful life for himself, and I’m sorry I never got to meet him. There aren’t many people in this world who haven’t heard his name, yet he never let the fame go to his head. His priorities always remained the same: his family and music. And that in particular is why people love him. He was insanely talented and the proudest man to ever live. People idolized him, and if you ask me, he was the best person for the job.”

He really, really was.

“And then there was Audrey. Audrey Rose was a thing of beauty, just like her daughters,” he says with a wink in my direction.

Paige chuckles, squeezing my hand with a smile as we look back to the stage.

“She was someone who always believed the best in others. She was always there for people when they needed her most, and she never hesitated to remind them just how loved they are. Kindness seeped from her in a way that made everyone who crossed her path feel safe. She was supportive, smart, talented, brave, and so damn proud of the incredible children she raised. She may not have always been the best mother, but she did her best, and that’s what matters most.”

He says each word while looking directly at the three of us, and I swear my heart triples in size for the man onstage.

“Audrey and Brennan changed the lives of so many people, mine included. For as long as I can remember, they were my biggest inspirations. And now, their youngest daughter is.”

A blush rises in my cheeks as a chorus of awww s breaks out in the crowd.

Baxter chuckles. “It’s funny how life works out. I wish Audrey and Brennan were still around, but I likely never would’ve met Lennon if they were.”

He exhales deeply, letting the anticipation build before he finally says, “That’s why I’m dedicating my new album, Rockstars Never Die , which drops tonight, to them.”

I gasp, my hand coming up to my chest as a sob racks through me and the crowd erupts with cheers.

I can’t believe him.

“Did you know he was going to do that?” Dylan asks, his brows furrowed as Emma wipes the tears from her eyes.

I vaguely notice Paige wrapping her arms around Trevor in my periphery, but I’m unable to tear my eyes from Baxter. The man in question holds my stare as I shake my head in disbelief, tears streaming down my face.

“I had no idea.”

Baxter reaches down beside him to pick up his bottle of water and then raises it in the air. The crowd mirrors him, raising their own drinks. His eyes find mine again, and though I can barely see him through the blur of tears in my eyes, I know he’s smiling at me.

“So here’s to Thorned Roses, who I owe just about everything to.” He takes a sip of his water as Colt begins strumming chords on his guitar. “This is for you.”