Page 72 of One More Song

“Will you sing with me?” she asks.

I look down at the daughter I’ve raised as my own. I fell in love with her mother, but I fell in love with her too. Being her father has been one of my life’s greatest sources of pride. When Mitch went AWOL a few years back, getting himself into a shitload of trouble, arrests, jail time, and then a stint in federal prison, he agreed to sign paperwork, letting me adopt her. But even without the papers, she was already mine.

“It would be an honor, milady,” I say, bowing to her, reminding us both of the day we met, so many years ago. Turns out, the rest is history. She will be my little princess until the day I die.

I give Ember a kiss, Lyric and Melody too, then I look down at Cadence. “Shall we?”

Hand-in-hand, we step on stage, the crowd going wild.

“I have a special guest tonight, her name is Cadence and she wrote a song for you.”

Cadence sits down at the piano and crew members begin adjusting her mic and checking the sound. I sit down beside her, like we’ve done so many times before. Ever since I moved into her grandma’s house when she was six years old, she’s been getting lessons. Both from her mom and me, and from Synn whenever he comes to visit. One week at a time, and then she took off. Her passion for music was born. Nothing could tame it.

Synn is proud as hell - says he’s the reason she has an edge. We let him think that, because really, I owe Synn a hell of a lot. Without him, I’d never be pushed to get my act together. To change my life. And without that, I wouldn’t have what I have today.

All of our families get together a few times a year, and Cadence loves to jam with the old band. It’s pretty adorable, reminding us of the good old days, that one month that changed our lives. I know that when they see a video of this performance tonight, they will be grinning ear-to-ear.

Sitting here now, I know Cadence is nervous, but I nod, telling her it’s going to be okay. She giggles - and even though she’s growing up, her giggles send me back to another time, when she was still small enough to curl into my lap when I read her a story.

She begins to play the song, her fingers gliding over the keys and I look across the stage at Ember, who is clearly in tears. I smile at her, knowing this moment, right here, is one we will never forget. She has been the most incredible wife, sure, but she is a mother who truly blows me away. Her devotion to our kids is nothing short of magic.

Cadence’s small voice is amplified in the microphone, and I still myself, listening to her sing:Our knight in shining armor, a rock star with a shield.

I’d be lying if I said my eyes were dry.

Hell, how I came from there to here, is beyond me. I don’t deserve a lick of it, a rock star with a broken past who was given a second chance.

What Ember and I’ve created is more than a wildfire - it’s a wild love.

And there’s nothing that’s gonna extinguish this flame.