Unexpected

Chapter 34

GABRIEL

I am finally breathing again.

It's been a while since I last sang a new song in front of an audience. I can't stop grinning, my pulse racing as I take in Jo's stunned face. Now and then, she takes a quick look at the people in the room, then her eyes settle back on me with a look of disbelief.

Gently strumming the last few notes of the song we created for her book, I sing the words in a soft whisper. "You know it's difficult to find someone who gets you when you're trying so hard to hide..."

The women in front of us throw their hands in the air, their joyous cheer echoing through the room. The crowd starts to clap and make comments about my looks, and I can almost hear Jo's sharp intake of breath as her eyes narrow. I take it as my cue to speak.

"Thank you." I adjust my guitar on my shoulder. "This one goes to the love of my life," I say, and start playing the song I wrote for her. My voice is thick and strained with emotion, but I need the world to know that I love her; that there's no one but her. With each note I sing, her eyes fill with emotion, and my heart swells in my chest.

Running her finger under her eyes, Jo starts singing along. She memorized the lyrics. God, maybe there's still hope for us.

With our eyes locked, I pluck the last chord of the song. This time, the cheering that follows is a soft rumble of appreciation. People turn their attention to Jo with newfound understanding, their eyes widening as they pieced the puzzle together. Yeah, I'm singing for her.

Maria whispers something in Jo's ear, and she looks down, her eyes growing wider with surprise. Taking a quick moment to think, she eventually nods and moves towards the stage. Appearing to be unruffled on the outside, I can tell she is a little overwhelmed as she meets my gaze and I hand her the microphone.

"Well..." She clears her throat. "I have no words to thank you all for doing this." She smiles at the guys before turning to the crowd. "When Gabe first proposed we wrote a couple of songs to go with my book, I could've never imagined how amazing it would turn out. I hope you all loved it as much as I did. Thank you all so much for all the support here today. It means more than I'll ever be able to put in words." She takes a deep breath as her voice starts shaking a little. "The guys will need to leave soon, but they have a couple more songs for you."

The sound of clapping hands fills the room as she hands me the mic, the crowd's enthusiasm palpable. Our gazes lock for a split second before she quickly hops off the stage with one of our security guards ushering her and Maria out of the room.

Josh takes the next twenty minutes singing some of our most popular songs, and it feels like the time is passing by excruciatingly slowly. Once we're done, the crowd is filled with excitement and eagerness for pictures and autographs, making me wonder how we're going to leave this place.

Thankfully, Justin, the head of our security team, has implemented top-level safety measures, so we can quickly evacuate the building before they organize for people to exit.

Putting together and executing a show at a bookstore was no easy feat, but it was certainly worth it in the end. The mix of confusion and awe on Jo's face when she saw us all gathered on stage is something that will stay with me forever.

But now comes the hardest part. As I roll to a stop in front of her house, I need to take a couple of deep breaths before exiting the car. The thought of her not wanting to be with me again scares the hell out of me.

Reaching into the back seat, my fingers wrap around a brown envelope, and I exhale a sigh of relief. This is it. I rush to ring the bell, my heart pounding in my chest.