Handle With Care - Book 4 in "What is Life" series

Chapter 24

A/N: Ollie is becoming quite the star; listen to Harry Styles above around the middle of the chapter to get an idea for what the moment was like for him to perform the song with his role models listening in.

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Over the next week it was back to work everyday. I was in the studio writing and recording my own tracks. I was planning on doing a live performance in Los Angeles in a month or so and needed to rehearse. I was also in the studio working with Jeff on Traveling Wilburys business. We needed to get together a plan for a few more music videos.

Our first music video dropped yesterday along with our first single and the album itself is already skyrocketing in the charts. The world is going absolutely mad over the formation of our super group and we needed to give the people what they want.

Although Ollie's big day is coming very quickly, he was joining us today to work on some of his own music. After his wedding and honeymoon we were gonna get back here full force and get his whole album done.

We were just messing around and strumming and then talking about life when Ollie walked in looking defeated. We weren't expecting to see him in this mood. This was supposed to be exciting.

"What wrong, son?" I asked him.

"You know what I want more than anything?" he said asking his own question and catching me off guard.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"To be as great as you," he said, "to be my own person-with my own name. To tour the world playing my own music and sell out arenas across the globe."

"We're here to help you make it happen," I assured him, I wanted that for him too, although I knew that fame came with a price... one I had paid.

"What's wrong?" Jeff then asked once more, "we can see something is on your mind."

"The wedding is off," he said grabbing his guitar from the corner of the room and acting as though he hadn't just dropped this news on us.

Jeff and I looked at each other and both turned white as a ghost. This we definitely weren't expecting.

He sat down and told us everything. He and Molly were mutually having second thoughts and they decided it didn't feel right. They have different aspirations for the future and he decided it wouldn't be right for him to tour the globe and leave her behind.

With only five days left to the big day I wasn't sure if they were making the right decision. They were so sure about getting married and everything was all set to go and now it was all over just like that.

I felt bad for my son. I hoped he didn't look at Lauren and I and our failed relationships and talk himself out of something he deserved.

"Does your mother know?" I asked him.

He nodded to which I was surprised. She was working so hard to help make sure everything was perfect for the big day.

"If you don't mind, I invited Tom to come work with us. He has a song he wrote that he said he thinks I could use."

"That's fantastic," I said switching subjects, if he wanted to shut the world out and just focus on music then that is what we would do. The best music often time comes from a place of hurt. Music also has a way of healing all on its own.

We waited for Tom and when he arrived he gave Ollie a hug. 

"How are you holding up?" he asked him to which Ollie tried to convince us all that he was fine.

"Lets see this song you have," Ollie said to him. 

"Okay but be warned - you need a high vocal range for the arrangement and that's why I cant do it."

Jeff and I laughed at the thought of Tom Petty singing high pitched since he had a deep voice and usually struggled to go to that high range, as we all did.

"Let me see," Ollie grabbed the piece of letterhead that Tom had the song type written on.

We watched as Ollie read and we all waited.

"Is this song about my mother?" 

Ollie asked this with a straight face and we all waited for an answer and then Tom burst out laughing causing us all to join in.

It was ironic that Ollie was going to try singing a song his future step father had written about his own mother.

"Okay now I have to hear this," I begged them both.

Tom did his best to sing the song the way he envisioned it and taught Ollie and I the arrangement. Jeff was on guitar while we played around on the piano. 

"I am good at piano," Ollie said, "but I would rather play guitar."

"Or you could just stand at the mic stand and focus on singing," Jeff said to him and let the backing band focus on playing.

Ollie thought about this for a moment and then wanted to try. This was not something he ever had even tried doing. His guitar playing was his happy place.

He put the words in front of him as we all played instruments softly and he belted out the tune.

What am I now? What am I now?
             What if I'm someone I don't want around?
                             I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling
What if I'm down? What if I'm out?
              What if I'm someone you won't talk about?
                              I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling

You said you care
                 And you missed me too                             And I'm well aware I write too many songs about you

(Falling - Harry Styles)

It was a song called Falling. And Tom quite frankly already had enough songs on the subject.

The only thing was that it was obviously a song written about my ex wife and Ollie's own mother but somehow the way he sang the words had us all in complete and utter shock. Tom's writing and Oliver's voice were the combination the world needed.

....

After rehearsing a few times we all grabbed some drinks and sat around.  We then switched our conversation back to the wedding.

"We have to send out something to alert all of the guests," I said, "we can't have everyone showing up here on Saturday if...."

"...wait," Tom cut me off.

"What?" I asked him.

"There's one happy couple that can make use of the day and the guests that will be attending," he said.

I wasn't following.

Jeff and Tom looked at each other and then a light bulb went off in Ollie's head.

"What if you and Olivia get married on Saturday and surprise everyone."

"A surprise wedding?" I thought out loud and then instantly actually loved the idea.

I jumped up to go and first tell Olivia the bad news but then beg her to take a leap of faith with me and become my wife sooner than we both expected.

Why wait?