"I didn't know this many people even lived around here." Erin said as she pulled the curtain back an inch and looked out over the crowded community center.
"Me either." Tiffany replied. She could not believe how quickly all of this had come together. The community center was decorated with bright lights and thousands of chairs were squeezed into the auditorium and each one had a person sitting in it. There were even people leaning against the walls and standing in the aisles as more and more people crammed in.
"Where's Lance?" Erin asked as she let the curtain fall back and looked around at the stage which was full of band equipment. Amps, microphones, drums, guitars and lights covered the floor.
"He and Parker are gone to pick up the other guys and bring them all back here. He's going to sneak them through the back so that the good people of Hardan don't have a chance to scare them away."
"It's not the people's fault. I don't think they've ever had one hot, famous man come here before and here we have three that are on their way."
"Don't you mean four? Lance is hot and he is famous and he is definitely a man." Tiffany said thinking back to all of the hot, fire filled kisses she and Lance had shared since their date on Thursday. Her whole body seemed to fill with heat as she thought about him and she felt her heart beat faster.
"Aww, you're in love." Erin teased as she flipped her curly red hair over her shoulder. "Of course I think that Lance is hot and I know he is a man but he is your man and since there are three others coming I figured that I would let you have him to yourself." Tiffany couldn't help but laugh even as she rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry to burst your bubble but all three men are married and for that matter, so are you!" she scolded. Erin laughed and waved her hand dismissively.
"Doesn't mean I can't look." she replied with a shrug. Tiffany just shook her head and walked toward the back doors to watch for Lance and the others. Erin had always been a flirt but she was a harmless flirt who was very much in love with her husband.
888
Hours later, the concert was in full swing. Tiffany and Erin watched from backstage as Keith Urban, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean all took turns performing. Tiffany noticed that Lance seemed to grow more nervous by the second as his turn to perform got closer.
"Are you okay?" she asked as she saw how pale his face was growing as Jason Aldean started finished up his last song. Lance forced a smile.
"I'm fine." he replied. Tiffany shook her head.
"No you're not. You look nervous."
"Maybe a little." he said rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
"Why would you be nervous?" Tiffany asked as she raised her brow. "You've performed hundreds of concerts before in places bigger then this." Lance nodded.
"Yes I have. And I already told you that I hated it. I get horrible stage fright." Jason finished up his song and walked backstage. He patted Lance on the back.
"You're up man." he said. Lance just swallowed hard and nodded as Jason walked away. The crowd began chanting Lance's name and he felt his chest tightening and his heart pounding. It was getting hard to breath and he was sure he was going to be sick when Tiffany laid a gentle hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her.
"You can do this, Lance. And I'll be right here cheering for you the whole time." She raised on her toes and pressed a light kiss to his lips. "I love you, now get out there and make the people happy." Lance's brain shut down momentarily when she said the words 'I love you'. Though he had said those words to her several times in the past few days she had not said it back until now.
"You said you love me." he said slowly. Tiffany smiled.
"Of course I love you." she replied. "Now you better get out there before they come back here looking for you." she added as the crowd grew louder.
Lance felt all this uneasiness melt away as she squeezed his hand and handed him his guitar. He smiled at her and she gave him a heart stopping smile in return and then she swatted his butt as he walked away and he was laughing as he walked onstage.
For the first time Lance did not feel the nerves and the uneasiness. He enjoyed this performance and he suddenly realized that what had been missing from his life all of these years was Tiffany. She made him a better man and gave him courage and faith in himself.
As he got to the end of the performance, he knew what he wanted to do. He just hoped he wasn't rushing things or wrong about the depth of Tiffany's feelings toward him.
"Thank you everybody!" Lance said as he gave a bow when he finished performing his last song. "That's all the songs we have for tonight but there was one more thing I was wanting to do if you guys could just hang tight for a minute."
Lance turned and looked backstage and saw Tiffany and Erin looking at him with confusion.
"Tiffany, come here." he said motioning for her. Tiffany shook her head but Erin shoved her out onto the stage. Tiffany smoothed out the red blouse she had borrowed again from Erin and ran a hand over her hair. She looked out at the crowd of people and nearly tripped and fell before righting herself and walking stiff legged to Lance.
"Why am I out here?" Her words were a whisper but the microphone picked them up and broadcast them over the audience.
"Tiffany, you are an amazing woman. You are a strong woman. You raised our son for six years on your own and you did an incredible job. My biggest regret in life is leaving you seven years ago. I had love, true love, right there in my hands and I threw it away.
"Somehow though, the Lord has blessed me and given me that love back and I don't ever want to lose you again. You make me want to be a better man and our son makes me want to be a better father. Without the two of you I would be nothing. Singing, performing.. None of that means anything when compared to you. I want you, me and Parker to be a real family," Lance dropped to his knee and Tiffany gasped.
"Tiffany Abigail Fields, will you marry me?" Tiffany was too shocked to respond for a moment. This was all happening so fast and yet it felt so right. She knew that Lance was her one and only and he always had been. She was finally going to get the family for herself and her son that she had always dreamed about.
"Yes. Yes I'll marry you." she said in a tear filled voice. Lance jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms tight around her. He lifted her off the ground and spun her around several times as he buried his face in her hair. The crowd was cheering as he sat her back on her feet.
"I don't have a ring yet. This was kind of spur of the moment." he said. Tiffany looked up at his blue eyes and saw so much love and happiness in them that it made her heart swell.
"I don't need a ring Lance. All I need is you. Do you know how long I've dreamed of us being a family?"
"It's not a dream anymore sweetheart. I'm here and I'm never leaving again."