Hero on the road, p.14
Hero on the Road,
p.14
The crowd went wild, as he must have known they would, but he wasn’t done yet.
“Even if it’s slow and sappy?”
More cheering and screaming, and I could see people getting their phones out to record whatever was coming.
Connor always had known how to play to the audience. But I wondered what he was up to. Had he written something new that he hadn’t played for anyone yet? Awfully risky to play it in front of a crowd the first time if you didn’t know what their reaction would be. But it was his show, I guessed.
“Well if you’re sure….” he continued, though he must have known he already had them eating out of his hand.
When the crowd screamed again, he strummed a single chord to warm his guitar up, and a thrill ran through me.
I knew that chord.
“Like all of us here, I’m guessing, I’ve been through a lot,” he said. “My dad’s recovering from cancer, we had to sell the family farm, and I’ve lost a few trucks along the way.” He grinned at the laughter. “Worst of all, though, I found the girl I loved. I’d loved her most of my life, and when we finally got together, I thought I’d found heaven. We spent one amazing month together, out on the road in Montana. And then I lost her again. This is a little song I wrote about her, a couple months ago. It’s not new, but I’ve never played it before. I hope you’ll give it a chance.”
And with that, the chord I’d already recognized grew and became the song I’d heard him playing only once before, that day in the studio when he hadn’t known I was listening. I’d never even mentioned the song on the road and he’d never brought it up. It had obviously been too personal to him to want to play it.
But now he was up there on stage, singing it out for an entire audience to hear. And his voice was cracking at the soft parts, his fingers gentle on his guitar strings. The light had faded to a soft blue and everything was so beautifully sad and wonderful and…
And my heart was breaking.
Because I was thinking now that Connor wasn’t moving on with his life the way I’d thought he was.
If he was singing this song and looking like he was about to cry, it was because he missed me just as much as I missed him.
CHAPTER 31
Connor
I was leaving the stage before I saw her.
I’d put down my guitar and bowed to the crowd, telling them that I appreciated them coming out to see little old me in my first appearance. I’d taken a moment to appreciate how surreal this all was, that these people had come out here to see me. No one else.
I’d taken another moment to truly feel how lonely it was to be up here on my own, rather than taking this bow with Olivia at my side. Yes, I’d been able to sing some of our songs—which she’d told Atomic she would sign over to me—but they hadn’t been the same without her. If anything, it had felt wrong to sing them without her next to me.
And then I looked up toward the bar and found myself looking right into a pair of gray/blue eyes that I knew nearly as well as I knew my own. I gasped and checked again, looking at the cheeks, nose, lips, hair.
Yes, that was Olivia Johns.
She was near the back of the room, standing on a barstool so she could see over the people in front of me. And she was looking at me with her face wide open and telling me everything she hadn’t been able to tell me before.
She was so beautiful, so unexpected, that I lost my ability to breathe for a moment. My entire body seemed to have lost its ability to do what it was supposed to. I wanted to be running to her, taking her in my arms, telling her everything I’d been thinking for the last three months, and yet I was standing on the stage staring like some dope who didn’t know how to human.
What the hell was I doing?
I jumped off the stage right into the crowd of people and lost sight of her for a moment, but pushed toward where I’d last seen her, praying she wouldn’t move. The crowd, elated at the sight of me in their midst, soon noticed that I had eyes only for one area and started to part like the Red Sea—which was ridiculous. There were only about fifty people in here. It wasn’t like I was playing a stadium or something. But the people who were here got out of the way as soon as they realized I was on a mission.
And then she was in front of me. She hadn’t moved. She was still standing on that barstool, staring at me, and I realized she’d been able to see me during my entire trip from the stage.
She’d stood there and waited for me instead of running away.
Finally.
When I arrived in front of her, I stopped and looked up.
“You came,” I said.
She shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I heard about your show on the radio and thought I might as well come to see if you had any new material.”
I reached up, took her beneath her armpits, and brought her down to my level, setting her feet gently on the floor. “Some new stuff,” I said. “But I’m having trouble writing, these days. I can’t find the right chords.”
“I’m having the same sort of problem. Only it’s the lyrics, for me. The words aren’t working.”
I almost sobbed right then and there, my heart was so full. This was it. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. The moment when I could finally tell her what I’d been feeling for so long, and the moment when she was finally open enough to actually hear me.
“I can’t do it without you, Olivia,” I whispered. “And I think it’s because I don’t want it. I don’t want the contract or the tour or the music unless it includes you. I don’t want stadiums or tour buses. I just want you. I want our van. I want us traveling together. Forever. And I’ve thought about it a lot. I want us to do it on our own. We’ve done it before and we can do it again. Just us. Us actually together. Like, a lifetime together. Do you want to try it with me? Please say yes.”
It was all a jumble of words and way more than I’d intended to say, and yet…
It was right. We’d always been a jumble of words and notes and chords. And it was somehow the perfect recipe for us.
But only if she said yes.
She jumped at me so quickly that I almost didn’t catch her, and ended up straddling my waste with her arms around my neck, the grin on her face so big it looked like it might hurt.
She was crying.
“Yes,” she whispered. “A million times yes. Just you and me. Let’s do it.”
I kissed her the way I’d been dying to kiss her since the very start—like she actually belonged to me and I had a right to kiss her in front of everyone else, and damn the consequences. Because finally, finally, this girl had come to me and promised to stay.
And I was going to hold her to that.
No matter how hard I had to work for it.
Epilogue 1
COLIN
Okay gang, it’s time for some rumors.
Or are they just rumors?
I may or may not know the truth about it all. Because I may or may not have been invited out on the newest Mystery Tour, featuring none other than Olivia Johns and Connor Wheating. So I may or may not have the inside story.
Oh, who am I kidding? I AM ON TOUR WITH THEM AND I DO HAVE THE ENTIRE STORY.
But I’ve been sworn to secrecy on so much of it that we’re just going to be covering the rumors here, and there are plenty of those.
First. Yes, you heard correctly. Olivia Johns and Connor Wheating are in fact on tour together once more, and though they might not be coming to a town near you, there is a link on their website that gives you an option to request them, and they’ve promised to take all of those requests into consideration on their next tour.
Next bit of gossip: Yes, they’ve both left Atomic Records. Country music’s too-cute It girl, Avery Dawson, recently decided to start her own label, and Connor and Olivia were her first artists. They’re touring on Avery Records’ dime, but that doesn’t mean anything’s changed. They’re doing some stadium shows and a whole lot more little shows. They’re hitting up the bars and tiny theaters. And they’re playing in every park they can find, for old time’s sake.
The biggest change is that they have opening acts this time. The Leathers are opening for them, and they’ve got Global Writers for half the tour, so you’ll get more bang for your buck if you get to see them. The real stars of the show are, as always, Connor and Olivia.
And the ring Olivia is now sporting on a certain finger.
Oh don’t look at me like that, you can’t see her in person without noticing it. The thing is huge. Now, there are no reports about who it may have come from, but there’s one guy who she happens to hang out with all the time, and we’ve all seen how they look at each other on stage.
So I guess the only question left is whether everyone’s favorite songbirds are not only ready to finally admit that they’re together, but also make it official.
I don’t know about you, but I sure hope so. Because yes, I loved Olivia at one time. I thought she and I were meant to be. But it turns out she’s meant for someone else, and between you and me, I don’t think anyone deserves to be happy more than these two. They faced the Montana wilderness together. They sang for their supper. They single-handedly reinvented what it means for artists to be on tour.
They fought a freaking bear together.
And as far as I’m concerned, all of that? That makes true love.
If the two of them can both manage to admit it.
Once again, I’ll see you out there on the road!
-C
Epilogue 2
COLIN
Fam, this is going to be quick because I’m... well, I’m in the middle of something. But I had to stop and give you some news.
And this is big, so I hope you’re sitting down right now. Or standing up. Or whatever.
Okay, here it is. Olivia Johns and Connor Wheating are married. How do I know? Because I’ve seen the pictures. Olivia, Connor, Avery Dawson and her husband Jackson, Parker Pelton and her husband Dev, and Taylor James—the agent everyone has heard so much about—were photographed in Great Falls, Montana with a stranger. They were at the top of the falls. And Olivia and Connor were seen kissing while everyone else cheered.
And if that’s not a wedding to stop the presses, I don’t know what is.
A fitting next step to a story that started in that very town with a tour that went all wrong, no?
I’m taking a break from the road because I have some other things going on—which may or may not include a record contract of my very own. But you know the blog will always be here with all the gossip! And who knows, next year you might actually see me on tour with Olivia and Connor themselves!
Until then, keep singing.
-C
LOVE THE BOOK? Please review! Authors like me survive on reviews from readers like you, and without them we wither and die. Please find this book on any retailer, Goodreads, Bookbub, and StoryGraph and tell me what you thought! If you review on TT, Insta, or FB, tag me so I can see! If you’re pressed for time (and aren’t we all?) a rating will do just as well. Thank you so much!
-Q
Playlist
Okay kids, we all know I recycle my playlists BUT in this case, the playlist already belonged to Connor and Olivia! I put it together for Christmas Music last year and it carried me right through this book. You can find it here on Spotify.
And if you’re wondering which of the songs was their theme song (besides Magical Mystery Tour), you’ll need to join the newsletter, where I’ve been giving some backstage secrets about their relationship, their tour, and what their future might hold! Find the newsletter sign-up here and get a free copy of one of my books!
About the Author
Quinn Marlowe is a fan of red wine, cheesecake, perfect hash browns, and really good punk rock. She’s also obsessed with everything piratical—though she refuses to admit any actual connection to pirates. She studied English and Film at UCLA and, when forced to choose a career, chose publishing rather than teaching or being a film maker. Quinn is a competitive equestrian and lives in San Diego with her husband, dogs, and far too many cats.
Find her on all the socials, and join her mailing list for inside info, sneak peeks, and giveaways.formatting done
Also by Quinn Marlowe
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Her Hero. A kidnapping gone wrong. A girl in need of a hero. And a hero who might be in over his head.
Her Target. A girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing. A man who knows exactly who and what he is. And a week that will make them both question everything.
Her Keeper. An investigation she didn't want. A weakness he didn't need. And an alliance that will rock them both to the core.
Her Rebellion, starring Dante Rossi, coming in July 2023 to retailers everywhere
Her Master, starring Dante Rossi, coming in July 2023 to retailers everywhere
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NEW YORK ROGUES: BROOKS PETERSON
Dare You, coming fall 2023
Tell Me, coming this fall to retailers everywhere
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SOUTHERN HEROES
Christmas Music
Hero in Waiting
Hero Next Door
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ROCKSTARS & COWBOYS SERIES, STARTING SUMMER, 2023!
THE PERFECT FIVE SERIES, STARTING FALL, 2023!
SEVEN BROTHERS SERIES, COMING IN 2025!
Quinn Marlowe, Hero on the Road
