Starstruck (Heartstrings Duet #1)

60. us against the world

[ 60 ]

US AGAINST THE WORLD

BAXTER

“ALL OR NOTHING” BY THEORY OF A DEADMAN

In the quiet of the night, under plumes of smoke,

The city chants your name, the world evoked

The words you have shared which remain in the sky,

Because in the heart of the music,

Rock stars never die.

I drag out the final line, basking in the cheers from below as the album’s title track fades out.

“Thank you, Toronto!” I shout into the mic, eager to finish the concert. “Don’t forget to stream Rockstars Never Die , dropping tonight at midnight!”

All I hear are the echoes of the crowd as I turn to run offstage, Levi and Colt following me. I don’t stop for anyone, immediately heading straight to my dressing room where I know Lennon will be waiting for me. I saw her leave the VIP section midway through that last song, and I had to fight not to rush my way through it, impatient to get back here and see her .

I open the door to find her standing at the vanity. Her eyes meet mine in our reflection before she turns around to face me.

“Hi, Lover Boy.”

I cross the room in long strides to get to her, the door slamming shut behind me. I pull her into my arms, wrapping them tight around her. She does the same as I press my lips to the top of her head.

“Hi, Trouble.”

She pulls away slightly, her face tear-streaked, but she’s smiling. I brush my thumb over her cheek to wipe a tear away, and she closes her eyes briefly, leaning into my palm.

Her long lashes frame her honey-coloured eyes as she looks at me.

“You dedicated your album to my parents.”

My mouth quirks up. “Not just them,” I tell her, pressing another kiss to her forehead as I move past her toward the vanity. “I have a gift for you.”

She spins around, her eyes tracking my movements. “Another one?”

I chuckle and open one of the drawers and pull out the first vinyl record of my album, a photo of Lennon basked in red light on the cover. Goddamn, she looks so damn fine, but she has no idea I used it for the cover art. Hence why I’ve only had one copy of the sleeve printed so far.

I spin around with a smirk on my face and hand it to her.

“Oh, my god, you didn’t,” she gasps, taking in the image in front of her. “Bax, what the hell?” Her words seem angry, but she’s laughing, which I’m taking as a good sign.

“Open it.”

She raises her brows but does as I say. She pulls it out of the plastic and flips the sleeve open, revealing a collage of photos on either side. Her jaw drops as she examines them, her mouth forming a perfect O.

On the right are mostly photos of me, alone and with the guys, writing and performing, but I snuck a few of Lennon and I in there as well—my favourite being one of us singing at the benefit concert, even though we weren’t us at the time.

On the left is a collage of Thorned Roses over the years, photos of Lennon’s parents and her family littering the page. The actual dedication is written in script in the top left corner.

She inhales sharply as she reads.

Dedicated to Audrey Rose and Brennan Thorne of Thorned Roses. I hope someday I can be half the star you two were. Rock and roll will never be the same without you.

You gave me the two best gifts I could’ve ever asked for: Music, which was my first love.

And Lennon, who will be my last.

This is for her. And this is for you.

Rock stars who will never die.

Tears escape her as she looks up at me. “Baxter…” she whispers, her voice cracking.

I close the sleeve to show her the back, where her favourite photo of her family when she and her siblings were kids creates the perfect backdrop to the tracklist. Next to “Trouble,” I signed my name and wrote the two words I’ve been dying to ask her.

She gasps. “Oh, you’re just full of surprises tonight, aren’t you?” she teases, her voice shaky as she laughs through her tears.

The corner of my mouth tilts into a smirk. I get down on one knee and pull a small, maroon, velvet box out of my pocket. I’ve been carrying it around all week, letting it burn a hole in my pocket as I waited for the right moment. I was going to do it on her birthday in a few weeks, but as my eyes found her in the crowd, I realized if there’s anything this past year has taught us, it’s that there’s no time like the present.

I don’t want to waste another minute of her not being my fiancée .

I take her hand in mine. “My parents were a bad example of love. I grew up watching them fight daily, my mom always so sad or angry, and my dad drinking himself into becoming an abusive asshole. So that’s what I always expected love to be like, and I never wanted any part of it. Until I met you.

“The last thing I ever expected was for my brother’s drunk driving to lead me here, to you.” I pause, clearing my throat. “And I am so, so sorry that his actions led to your parents being taken from you. I will never not regret not trying to stop him sooner just to take away some of the pain life has caused you. If I could go back in time and bring them back, I would. Even if it means we never would’ve met.”

She presses her palm to my cheek, a sad look on her face.

“Although, we’re linked in ways that run deeper than that, aren’t we, Lenny girl? I’ve always been yours, and you’ve always been mine. I never thought that when I walked into that dive bar ten months ago, I would end up here, down on one knee and proposing to the goddamn love of my life. But I’m so fucking glad that I did.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it quickly, letting me finish.

“I know it’s soon. But the love we have is like the ones your parents had, and I would be a damn fool not to recognize how special you are and how lucky I am that you chose me . We both know that life is too damn short not to live it in a way that makes you happy. And you, my Trouble, make me happier than I ever could’ve dreamt of. I wouldn’t admit it then, but I started falling for you the moment you first called me Lover Boy, and I’ve been falling deeper and harder every day since. You make my world turn, pretty girl, and I would be lost without you.”

I open the box to reveal the ring that her father proposed to her mother with—a kite-cut garnet with diamonds framing the stone on a silver band. It, along with the matching wedding band, was left to Paige in their will. She’s keeping the band, rightfully so, but when I asked her and Dylan for their blessing, she insisted I use this to propose. I plan to have my band made to match it—silver with a strip of garnet stones down the middle. And I have to say, no ring out there is more perfect for Lennon than this one.

A sharp breath escapes her as she looks at it. “That...that’s my mom’s ring.” She glances up at me, her eyes watery. “This belongs to Paige.”

“It did. Now it belongs to you.” I smile, continuing my speech. “For most of your life, this day was a good one. Then last year, it was tainted by something so horrible and tragic. The pain from that day will never fade completely, but that’s not going to stop me from trying my damnedest to make all your bad days good again—starting with today.

“So, Trouble, what do you say? Can you make this day the best one and tell me you’ll marry me?”

Lennon stares at the ring in awe, full on sobbing now. “You don’t even have to ask,” she says with a nod, a smile forming wide across her face.

My smile mirrors hers as I stand, slipping the ring out of the box and onto her finger. As soon as it’s secure, she reaches up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around my neck, pulling my face down to meet her lips. Our tongues tangle together in a dance as I move toward the couch, pulling her to my lap as I sit.

“Do you like the ring?” I ask, breaking the kiss.

She moves to sit next to me, her head resting against my chest as she holds it up again, the red stone glimmering when it catches the light. “Are you kidding? I’ve always dreamed of wearing this ring. Are you sure Paige is okay with me having it?”

I nod. “It was her idea.”

She grins up at me before looking back at it. We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, our fingers tangled together, and I realize this , right here, is all I could ask for in life.

If this album flops, if I never sell another concert ticket, if none of my dreams ever come true again—I know I’ll be okay .

Because Lennon is everything I’ve always needed but didn’t know I wanted. The dream I never even knew I had.

And as long as I have her, I will always be okay.

“It’s you and me against the world, Lenny girl,” I whisper, pressing a soft kiss to her head. “Always.”

She glances at me with a soft look in her eyes, smiling. Reaching up, she places her hand on my cheek, and presses a gentle kiss to my lips.

“And forever.”