***
This was it. The closing show. We were in Kentucky at the KFC Yum Center. It only felt right ending this tour back in my homestate of Kentucky since that's where it ended the first time around. Emotions were pretty high tonight, but that was to be expected.
It was 5:00. There was only two hours until the show. I walked around to the back of the building and looked out the window that overlooked the Ohio River. I couldn't believe this was the end. Nearly a year ago, we started this adventure and so much had happened. My daughter got married, my other daughter had a son, my husband and I had been married almost twenty years. This has been such a wild ride, but I couldn't have imagined my life going any other way.
***
Hours had passed. Ryne, Jase, Isaiah, and Ridge had all performed. Maddie and Tae were getting ready to go on. I was standing with them while they were getting their mic packs on. I always hugged them before they went out.
"I don't want this to end" Maddie says while I was hugging her.
"I know. Me either" I say.
"We've done this a long time and it never gets easier" Tae says as I hugged her.
"It's the best life I could've imagined for us" I say.
"I second that" Maddie says. Tae looks over at her and smiles.
"Let's get this, baby" Tae says. They walk hand in hand to the platform they go up on. I watched them go up for the last time singing 'Tourist in this Town'. I never realized how much I loved this until now.
I watched everyone's sets with so much love. I never realized how sappy and emotional I got when tours ended. I wasnt this way on any if the other tours I had been on. Not even the couple that I've headlined, but there was something special about touring with all these women I was with. They were all so much more than just friends to me and I think that's why letting go of this chapter was so sad to us all.
Runaway June went on and I was getting even more emotional. I was taken back to the first closing night that we ever had on the first Women of Wilder tour. I remember hugging each of them telling them I loved them and watching them onstage with my baby girls for their final song. I couldn't believe I was now watching my baby girls on that stage tonight. I knew that I wasnt ready for what came next though.
***
Before I went on stage for the final time on this tour. I hugged all the girls and kissed Easton on the cheek. I took a deep breath while standing on my platform. It raised me up and I started my set. The whole time on stage, I forgot this was the last time. I just loved looking out seeing the crowd so excited and pumped to be there. It was the most rewarding feeling of the tour. Before my last song, which was 'Roses', I took some time to talk to my audience.
"Louisville, Kentucky. My homestate. Twenty years ago, I did my last show on my first ever tour with these women and now here I am again doing it again. Things changed, I've got three daughters, a son in law, a grandson, and I could go on. The one thing that remained the same over these twenty years is the love that I've got for all my tour mates. Carrie Underwood, Maddie and Tae, and Runaway June. Without them, I wouldn't have got to be here. And theres also my husband to thank too. He's the best man that I know and he packed both of us up to move to Nashville because he saw something in me that I didnt. He now is the co owner of Wilder Records and the manager of most tours that I've been on. He's sitting back there with one of our girls and one of our nieces now running tech. I love you, baby. You're my rock and world, but for some reason every time I loo at you, I always see that boy that inspired this song. No matter what life throws at us, Tuck. Remember that we were roses!" I say. The crowd cheers as I go into singing the song. I took my bow and the platform lowered me down, but if course that wasnt it. We were all then raised back up to sing what we did in our first closing night. Ridge even said she didn't want to join in for it because it was ours first.
"Let's go girls!" Carrie says. We all jump into singing our favorite Shania Twain song. When it was over, we all spoke.
"Lousiville, My name is Carrie Underwood and I love you all so much. Thank you letting us be here with you tonight!" She says. She was then lowered.
"Louisville, my name is Naomi Cooke. This is Hannah Mulholland and Jennifer Wayne. We are Runaway June and we are so grateful to be here with you guys tonight. We will be back. We love you!" Naomi says before the three girls were lowered.
"I'm Maddie".
"And I'm Tae"
"And we are so so so incredibly thankful to sign to fans like you all every night. This isn't the last you've seen of us" Maddie says.
"We love you, Louisville. Goodnight" Tse says. They were lowered. I took a minute to look at the screaming fans.
"Lastly, my name is Eliza Rose and I have no words to say except that I love you all. I-I don't know if we see ever going to tour like this again, and if we don't, there's no other way of love to end this chapter. You all have see us grow up, and live our dreams. Thanks for believing in us, Lousiville. Thank you for taking a chance on me. I love you all. And Tucker, Maddie, Tae, Carrie, Mike, Isaiah, Hannah, Naomi, and Jennifer, you all have been with me from the beginning...Thank you for the best twenty years of my life. This little Kentucky girl has made it on top of the world and I couldn't have done it without you. Louisville, We've had twenty good years, but now I think we should take on forever".
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nashville reborn (sequel to NN)
Fanfictionseventeen years had passed since the world first met Eliza Rose. she was older now, and wiser, but still found herself dealing with the same old good times, bad times, and life changing moments. the only difference was this time she had her girls al...
