Meant to Marry Me

"Hello, Nashville!" Bree shouted, clutching the microphone. The crowd roared, and she couldn't help but smile. Bright lights in her eyes didn't prevent her from seeing how packed the auditorium was. The adrenaline began to course through her veins as the band started to play, and while she missed her guitar, she knew this was going to be a night she'd never forget.

The music started to move her as she sang the opening verse of the first song. Performing live with her band was a high no drug could give her. The crowd was jumping up and down, some of them singing along, as they recognized one of her more familiar songs, "Shout Out to You," even though it had been totally retooled now that the entire band was playing it and not just her on guitar.

She pulled the microphone from the stand and walked along the edge of the stage, even going over to stand back to back with Griffin during his bass solo, and then wandering over to Cat. She came back to the middle of the stage when they reached the chorus, put her mic back into the stand and belted her heart out.

By the time the first song was over, Bree knew this was going to be a night she was never going to forget.

The crowd applauded so loudly, Bree could hardly hear Dominic's sticks hitting each other, but she definitely heard the thump of the bass come in and then Zach's guitar began to play. Bree lost herself in the second song, having more fun on stage than she'd ever had in her life. She had no idea why she hadn't put a band together years before.

The rest of the set went the same way. Two hours flew by so quickly, Bree couldn't believe they were about to play the last song before they left the stage. She expected a call for an encore, and they had saved "Meant to Marry Me" for that, but for now, she focused on "Crying Games," one of her new songs. The crowd really seemed to love it, clapping their hands and dancing, bobbing their heads to the beat. When it was over, Bree shouted, "Thank you, Nashville! Drive safe! Have a good night!" and the band all put down their instruments and trailed off of the stage.

She'd never waited for an encore before. One of the stagehands was standing nearby. He peeked out between the curtains and looked out at the crowd. "Standing O," he said.

"Really?" Bree couldn't believe it. She hugged and high-fived her band, so happy she'd chosen these people to experience this with.

"Ready to go back out?" Griffin asked her.

"Hell, yeah," Bree replied. "Can we play the whole list again?"Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

The others laughed. "Not tonight," Dominic said. "I'm tired."

Bree patted him on the back, and then she let the others go back out so they could put their guitar straps on and get their gear together. The crowd cheered for them, but when she walked out a few seconds later, they went crazy. Stepping up to the microphone, Bree realized she had no idea where Trent was even sitting. She hadn't seen him all night. A wave of reluctance hit her in the heart for a second, but she couldn't let it bother her at the moment. "Trent, this is for you," she said, not looking anywhere in particular.

As soon as Zach started the first notes of "Meant to Marry Me" the audience went wild cheering and shouting. Bree stepped up to the microphone and sang it like she never had before. Thousands of voices sang along with her. She felt like she was floating in the clouds, she was so happy to hear so many fans singing her song.

When the last chords reverberated around her, she really didn't want to walk away. But she had to. She told everyone good night and followed her bandmates off of the stage. The crowd continued to clap and chant her name for a few minutes, but they hadn't expected to be asked for a second encore, so she wasn't ready for that.

"I wish we could go back out," she said as the band moved toward the room they'd congregated in earlier.

"We're not ready for that tonight," Chase reminded her. "But we can be next time." He put his arm around her, and Bree felt slightly better from the comfort of her friend, even though she really wished she could go play the entire show again. Trent walked in a few minutes later, and she wrapped her arms around him as he enveloped her. "That was amazing," he said, kissing the top of her head. To everyone, he said, "You guys did a great job!"

"Thank you," the rest of the band said, a few of them patting him on the shoulder as they headed out the door.

Bree didn't want to leave, but she knew she had to. She grabbed her purse, and with a deep sigh, she headed out toward the bus, Trent's hand in hers. With any luck, the rest of their shows would be just as thrilling as this one had been.