Montana Sky

Chapter 16: We Will Always Be Loved

A/N: I hope people aren't getting very bored with this story - I know it has a lot of happiness and romance but hopefully not too much (I'm planning a bit of drama later on, but I'm not one for writing anything very... tragic or what have you). I also know it's moving unbelievably slowly, I have somehow managed to spend 16 long chapters on a period of a week and a half - that has got to be some sort of a record:) I really want to give huge thanks to everyone who has voted and commented, I appreciate you all very much!

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So promise me something, right here and now,
You'll never lose me in a sea of a faceless crowd
Scream it from mountains, love me out loud,
In quiet whispers you'll remind me what you found
And I swear to not give up on you, I swear that I'll always be your truth
I swear to bring you light in the darkest nights
Come, we will always be loved
It's scary, it's freeing, it's twirling in meaning
It's hiding from all you can and can't see
Romance and love, romance and love
– Reba McEntire: Promise Me Love –

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Faint sounds of a piano pulled him from deep sleep, a ray of bright early morning sunlight streaming into the room and Bradley blinked slowly, yawning. It was Saturday, only a little after seven, their last half-day in Los Angeles, and he was quite eager to get on the plane back to Montana already; this visit had been amazing, therapeutic, healing many old wounds from his soul, but he missed Lea and the ranch, couldn't wait to get home to first hug his daughter and then go for a nice, long ride. These two days had made him and Stefani even closer, there had been a lot of talking and a lot of passion; yesterday they had spent a very leisurely morning in bed and then a few hours chilling out on the beach, between the two visiting her lovely house in Laurel Canyon and meeting some of his old friends for lunch. Both his recovery journey from alcohol and his abrupt departure from Hollywood had really made it obvious who his real friends were, who had stood by him throughout; introducing Stefani had been a true pleasure, bringing out some very surprised but happy reactions in the people who hadn't yet known of her presence in his life.

He got dressed and made his way downstairs, halting on the bottom step; from here he had a direct view to the living room and towards a very, very beautiful vision, one that he would never get tired of seeing. Stefani was sitting by the piano, her eyes closed and her slender fingers dancing on the keys, half of her blonde hair tied to a messy bun and the rest flowing down her back against a black strapless top; the instrument was massive, dominating the room, and compared to it she was tiny, but still the piano appeared to be perfectly under her governance, responding to her every command. Bradley listened for a long while, amazed by the beautiful melody that was emerging; he wondered if it was new, if she was creating it right there and then. She hummed something softly, singing quietly; he couldn't make out the words for certain, but one of them sounded like doves.

Finally, he cleared his throat carefully, not wanting to startle her; Stefani opened her eyes and smiled at him, continued to play for a moment longer. He walked closer slowly, gaze tightly on her, still blown away by the fact that he was getting to witness this privately, this magical woman and her breathtaking talent.

"Good morning," she whispered, lifting her fingers from the keys and reaching for his hand. "I'm so sorry; did I bother you? I woke up with this idea and I had to come work on it."

"Morning. Don't worry; it's very nice to wake up to you playing," Bradley grinned, leaned to kiss her softly. "Another new song then?"

"Maybe." She winked at him, gave a little smile and he chuckled, knowing not to ask anything more; she spoke of her work when she wanted to, occasionally mentioned new lyrics ideas in his presence, scribbling them down to whatever piece of paper she could find, but there were also times when she didn't want him to hear or see anything, and he respected that fully. Sarah had confirmed on the phone yesterday that the tuner had visited the ranch and his grandmother's piano was now ready for use; Stefani had stared at the instrument longingly ever since it had been brought in on the preceding weekend, spending quite a bit of time just sitting by it before they had left for LA. It seemed to have offered inspiration, and Lea had obviously wanted to be a part of her work, contently sitting on her lap and on occasion offering opinions in her own baby language, making the blonde laugh. Seeing her doing what she loved was so amazing to witness, a privileged glimpse into the creative process of a world-renowned artist, and he was very much looking forward to finally hearing the old piano at home come back to life under her touch.