The strings and guitar played the opening notes and Ian began to sing.
I remember once upon a time
When your heart and mine became entwined
A world of wonder testified that we were meant to be
It was this moment that Sparrow made her entrance, and the applause was deafening…
It was like a fairytale romance
Two enchanted lovers holding hands
We vowed that time and circumstance would never come between…
And now we’ve learned it’s not as easy as it seems
And real life can steal the magic from our dreams
But I believe true love was made for times like these
Sparrow’s eyes filled each time he got to the chorus. She gave him a shaky smile and he leaned over to give her a quick kiss, earning another roar from the crowd. Her skin was hot from being flushed and nervous.
And I believe in happy-ever-after
You and me and love will find an answer
Darlin’, this is not the final chapter of our true love story
I remember warm December nights
Starry skies and snow-white mountain heights
Eyes that danced like candlelight to an ageless song
Snapshot memories of moments past
Come back like forgotten photographs
The love we made was made to last for a lifetime long
It’s true that life can do its damage to our dreams
And love is not always as easy as it seems
But I believe true love was made for times like these
And I believe in happy-ever-after
You and me and love will find an answer
Darlin’, this is not the final chapter of our true love story
I may not be your knight in shining armor anymore
But I believe that we are still worth fighting for
If you’ll only kiss me and say that you’ll forgive me
I know we can get that magic feeling back once more
Before the last chorus, the music cut back and he stopped and held her against him as he sang it one more time. When the final notes rang out, he put his hands on her face and kissed her. He didn’t care if thousands of people were cheering or not. He lived to love this woman.
“You and me and love,” she whispered before walking away.
He felt that tug he always felt when she walked away—like he wanted nothing more than to run after her.
“I love you, baby!” He yelled in the microphone.
She laughed and flushed as everyone stomped and screamed.
Normally when he was done for the night, Sparrow and Journey were somewhere backstage, either hanging out in one of the green rooms or talking to Roxie and Sierra. Tonight, Sierra found him first and told him to hurry to the bus.
“Sparrow fell right after she walked off the stage. She says she’s fine, but her foot is bruised and huge.” She winced when she saw his face. “Anthony and a paramedic are with her now.”
He rushed through the parked buses until he reached theirs. He nearly ran over Anthony in his hurry. He was trying to console Journey, who stopped fussing when she saw Ian, reaching out for him to take her. She smiled at Anthony once she was in Ian’s arms, the little rascal. Anthony chuckled and rolled his eyes.
Ian moved past him and hurried to Sparrow. He kissed her cheek and assessed her eyes before he looked at her foot. He knew she hated crying in front of people, even him, but he couldn’t believe she wasn’t bawling. It was bad.
“Oh baby. It looks awful. You think it’s broken?”
She made a face. “I’m okay.” Her breath hitched when the paramedic put an ice pack on her foot. “It hurts, but it’s not terrible.” She swallowed hard.
“Yeah, not buying that,” he said.
“This is Tyler.” She motioned to the paramedic. “He’s pretty sure it’s just a bad sprain, and I think so too…”
“Rest, ice, compression, and elevate.” Tyler’s voice was very low and fast, and he didn’t smile or blink. “She needs to rest it for at least 3 days. Do the ice in 15-20 minute intervals, with 40 minutes between intervals to prevent frostbite. I’ve compressed it, as you can see. Make sure when you wrap it again, it’s not too tight. And keep your feet elevated to at least your heart level, Sparrow.” He took a quick breath and kept going. “You can take both acetaminophen and ibuprofen. If it’s not feeling better in a few days, you’ll need to get an X-ray.”
“I’ll be fine,” Sparrow insisted. “Thank you, Tyler. I’m glad you were here.”
When Tyler left, Anthony and Sierra sat on the couch across from Sparrow.
“He was intense,” Sierra said.
Sparrow giggled. “Rest, ice, compression, and elevate,” she said, as low as her voice would go.
Someone knocked on the door.
“It’s Roxie,” she called.
Sierra opened the door and Roxie came in, looking worried.
“Are you okay? Did you tell Ian what happened?”
Sparrow stared at Roxie and shook her head. “I’m not even sure anymore,” she said softly.
“Sure of what?” Ian asked, frowning.
“It all happened so quickly, and I’m not positive—you know what a klutz I am!” Her arms flailed. “I just don’t know…”
“Would you please just tell me what happened?”
“I think I was tripped.” She bit her lip and looked down. “I’m not positive, so I hate to even accuse anyone, but Roxie thought she saw it too, before I even said anything.”
“Who?” Ian scowled. “You mean on purpose?”
She nodded. “Maybe she didn’t mean for me to get hurt, just wanted me to … look dumb, or something.”
“Who?” he repeated.
“Brooke.”
Ian gritted his teeth. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. I knew she was trouble,” he muttered.
“Really?”
“Yeah, she keeps trying to be all up in my space, and I keep making it obvious I want no part of it.” He put his hand on Sparrow’s cheek and leaned in. “You know that, right?”
Sparrow smiled. “I do know,” she said softly. “I’ve seen her, and,” she motioned to the girls, “we’ve had a few discussions about her.”
“She didn’t like that one of the dancers wasn’t given a part on that song—she’s been saying that on the bus,” Roxie added. “I’m not sure what her game is … she’s all over Beckham too.”
“I’ll talk to Beckham, and I’m also gonna have a chat with Brooke.” Ian’s face was tight.
“No, she’ll just deny it! I’m not even positive myself!” Sparrow moved the pillows behind her, so she could sit up taller on the couch. “I’d rather stay out of her way, and if she so much as blinks at me wrong, I’ll take care of it.”