Liam had helped with logistics, and a brand-new recording studio was being built right now, smack-dab in the middle of Carefree, right around the corner from his shop. It wasn't L.A., and it wasn't Nashville, but it was hers, and she'd decide what kind of music her label put out.
Phoebe had joined them for two short legs of the tour, and Cooper had convinced his parents to send her to Montana next summer, so things were working out better than Shelby ever could have imagined.
He'd turned out to be an excellent head of security.
And an even better … masseur.
She'd convinced him to come out onstage with her in L.A., after she'd spent an entire week convincing LolliPop to let her. Nic had worked her magic on the spin, and Tara's audience had embraced Cooper harder than she ever could have dreamed. He'd joined her onstage again in Phoenix, and by the time they'd hit Vegas, he'd just rolled his eyes and grabbed his guitar when she'd pointed to him.
Shelby paused and waited for the audience to hush. "As you know, I lost somebody really special to me not too long ago, and this year's been kind of a long journey for me." A picture of her and Daddy on a long-ago stage lit up the big screens, and she had to swallow a lump in her throat before she could continue.
"I've cried a lot of tears, and I miss my daddy every day, but I have a pretty strong feeling he's pulling some strings up there in Heaven, because his passing led me into the life of someone very, very special." She took a shaky breath. "My father never thought I'd find a man who was good enough for me, because that's what dads are supposed to think. And for a long, long time, I had a feeling he was right."
She squinted and looked to her right, where Cooper waited just offstage, and her nerves fled when he smiled.
She turned back to the audience. "I was wrong. Dead wrong. I found a knight in shining armor, and finally, I can write about love from an honest place."
The audience cheered, and Shelby couldn't stop smiling as she motioned to Cooper.
"Do you guys want to meet him?"
More cheers erupted as Cooper walked onstage, shaking his head. He kissed Shelby on the cheek, and the cheering escalated.
She laughed as he rolled his eyes, adjusting his guitar strap. He leaned into the microphone. "I told her I don't play in public."
"Uh-oh." She took the mic. "He's feeling shy."
"Shelby." He raised his eyebrows in warning, but it was all part of the show. She dragged her poor, unprepared guy out in front of the crowd, and then he wowed them like a seasoned pro. It had worked for five cities now. It would work again tonight.
"You guys want to hear Cooper play?" she asked, turning the mic outward, laughing at the expected shouts of approval. "We've got a little duet for you, if it's all right."
The audience was loud as she clipped her mic to its stand, then picked up her guitar, propping herself on the stool next to Cooper's.
"Ready?" he asked, but there was a mischief in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. Not onstage, anyway.
"Ready." She nodded, and strummed the first chord.
But instead of chiming in with his matching chord, Cooper shook his head, then stood up and walked to the mic stand.
"I'm sorry. I just-there's something I need to say before we sing this song." He unclipped his guitar and handed it to her bass player, who-now that she thought about it-seemed to be standing awfully close to the mic.
And seemed to be handing something to Cooper in return.
A box.
A tiny, black, velvety box.
Oh. Her. Holy. God.
And then Cooper was on one knee in front of her, and the earnestness in his eyes, the comfort in his voice, the promises in his words all combined in a kaleidoscope of swirling, flashing colors and light.
"Say yes, say yes, say yes!" the audience chanted, as if she needed assistance with her answer, and she laughed as he slid the ring on her finger, then squeaked as he stood up and pulled her off her feet, swinging her around in a wide circle while the audience went nuts.
When he finally set her down, she was speechless, just staring at the gorgeous diamond on her finger. The cameraman crept in close, and as she looked up at the big screen to her left, she saw her own hand, flashing with the gemstone promise.
She cleared her throat, not knowing if she was going to be able to speak, and pulled the microphone close as Cooper's arm settled on her hip.
"I-um-I said yes," she finally said, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss Cooper squarely on the lips.
After the audience finally stopped cheering, he winked and leaned toward the microphone. "Sorry for the interruption. You guys want to hear that song now?"