“I know this tour has been . . . a ride.” She chuckles. “But I want to thank all of you for coming to our shows and giving us such amazing support—not just for us, but for Sanctuary as well. I think we can all agree how incredible they are, can’t we?” She holds the mic out, and the crowd screams. “I know I’ll be looking forward to their very own tour, but for now, I want to thank them for becoming such good friends and for being in our corner the entire time. I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of people to do this world tour with.”
We bonded, and I’m going to miss our nights in the green rooms and buses. They’ve quickly become some of our closest friends in this industry, and their support has been invaluable. When we came back on tour, they included rainbow lights in every one of their shows for us and also encouraged everyone to love who they want.
Beck hands me the mic, smiling widely. “Any last words?”
Taking it, I glance at my band, and they nod. “I want to thank everyone again,” I tell the crowd. “We wouldn’t be here without you. I also want to thank Dead Ringers, who took a chance on a nobody band. We love you. We’ve had the best time on this tour, and we are going to look back on these memories for the rest of our lives. We’ve learned trust, friendship, patience, and forgiveness, but most of all, love and community. We have no plans to make that stop now, so next Tuesday at noon, our brand-new album will be dropping!”
The crowd goes wild, and I laugh as I lean into Fox, waiting for them to calm down. “We can’t wait for you to listen. It’s raw and brutal, and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before. It’s our story. It’s our home, our sanctuary, and now it will be yours! Until then, goodnight, and remember to rock on!”
We spend a few more minutes waving and blowing kisses to the crowd before we take one final picture, our backs to the audience, and Fox’s hand finds mine as we smile at each other. I know it’s going to be my new favorite photo.
My family is together, and our future is wide open before us.
What could be better?
EPILOGUE
One year later . . .
“Are you ready?” Po asks in the wings.
“Born ready, Daddy!” Dash chimes in.
“Ready to melt their faces,” Strike yells.
Shaking my head, I look at Ry as he grins. “Ready, bitches.”
“I’m ready.” I lay my hand out. “Hands in, fuckers.”
One by one, they place their hands in, including Po. “Sanctuary!” we chant as we throw our hands back before turning and heading out to take the stage.
It’s the first show of our world tour, and we are brimming with excitement. Our last two albums have done better than the label thought possible, sweeping awards and propelling us higher. Our fanbase has grown worldwide, and our tour sold out in every city in under five minutes. It was terrifying, even though it was exciting, and now I get to travel the world with my best friends and the love of my life, playing music for the masses.
As the lights dip and we wait for our cue, Ryker’s hand finds mine, a stolen touch. We don’t hide that we are together, but sometimes we like these moments just for us.
Our rings smack, and my smile grows. We were married two months ago in a secret ceremony, and no one else but our immediate friends know. Our love went from private to public, but this is still between us. Our fans get everything else, but not this.
I’m so glad I stopped resisting and took that step because I have everything I could have ever wanted. I’ve never been happier, and as I lean into my husband, I can’t help stealing a kiss.
“I love you, baby,” I whisper as the heartbeat backing track sounds. “Let’s make rock history.”
RYKER
As the last note of our brand-new love song fades away, a song we didn’t expect people to love as much as they did, I stare out at the crowd. Their phone lights fill the arena, and I can scarcely believe it. We aren’t a supporting act. We are here, and they are here for us. They scream our songs back to us and they wear our merch and know our names. We have seen our fair share of the dark side of fans, but the majority are incredible, and we wouldn’t be on stage without them. They gave us our dream, and now I’m going to fight for it for the rest of my life.
I was lost not too long ago, everything slipping through my fingers, but now I have everything I could need. I have best friends who support me in everything and anything. I have an incredible manager who pushes us to be better and a label willing to give into our demands and ideas. I also have Fox.
My Fox.
My husband.
It still feels strange calling him that, but every time I do, he gets this look in his eyes, and I usually end up coming so hard, Ican’t walk. Our lives together haven’t been easy, but we are each other’s safe places. With him, I’m just me—not Ryker, a rock god, or a symbol. I’m just me, a man who wanted to be loved and finally accepted that. He took me in, even with all of my flaws and mistakes, and he let me live within his heart and gave me a second chance.
Looking at him now as he slings his arm around Strike, I can’t help but fall even more in love with him. “That has to be my favorite song,” I say into the mic, and he looks at me as I smile. “For anyone who has ever found their other half, that’s for you. Before Fox, I never knew what it meant to be loved. It’s in the little things he does for me, like remembering the way I drink my coffee or waking up to warm the house so I’m not cold in the morning. It’s the daily, little, mundane things where he shows me he loves me every single day. He is my best friend, a safe pair of arms to catch me when I fall, and now we get to sing our story to you.” I look back at the crowd. “This is where we will stay, together and with you. That is what Sanctuary means to me. It’s a place of people I love. It’s a safe haven, and now we get to share that with you.”
“You big softie,” Dash teases into his mic.
Chuckling, Fox wraps his arms around me and leans into me to speak into the mic. “I think our lead singer is feeling a bit emotional tonight at seeing you amazing fans, so how about we show him some love?”
The crowd shouts.
“You can do better than that! Scream for me!”
They cheer even louder, and I smile up at Fox as he kisses my cheek and swings his guitar around, shredding the intro to the next song as I watch him. I almost miss my cue, but his eyes find mine, reminding me, and I start to sing, losing myself in those dark depths just like I have since the moment I met him.
I don’t know how long this fame will last, but there is one thing I know for sure.
I will always have him, and we will always be legendary.
THE END
