Page 14 of Doc Rock
He purposefully made no mention of their lineup change and Ryan, which he usually did, as, quite frankly, the dickhead didn’t deserve it.
Ford swapped his guitar for the one the tech brought onto the stage, then pulled up a stool and sat down. He strummed a couple of notes before he began to play.
He sang one of the first songs he wrote with Sie calledSummer Days.It wasa song about first loves and first heartbreak.
As he sang and played the instrument that she'd left behind when she ran, he thought about Sie. He used to be convinced she would come back to him.
The pain and heartbreak cracked through in his voice, and suddenly, in his own mind, he wasn’t on a stage in an arena; he was sitting in Sie’s bedroom at Mr and Mrs Harrington’s house.
They were both perched on the bed. Sie grinned at him and began to sing the seeds of the song that he now played to an audience of thousands. Her talent had shone as lyrics poured out of her.
When he sang about lost love—despite it being sixteen years—he sang to her.
Always to her.
Chapter 7
Mai
Mai sighed with relief when she got safely from backstage to the first aid tent.
Her chest tightened, her breath caught in her throat, and tears sprang to her eyes. She'd stood in the same room as Ford, and he hadn’t recognised her.
He hadn’t recognised her.
Sheshouldbe relieved, but it stung thattherehadn’t been a trace of recognition in his eyes.
When she’d thrown herself into his arms, goosebumps rippled everywhere he touched her skin, and yet, after all the hours she'd spent in his arms, he didn’t evenknowit washer.
And that was the whole idea. He wasn’t meant toknowit washer.
In fact, it wasn’t her anymore. She wasn’t Sie Harrington.
She was Doctor Maisie Jones.
Therewas no going back.
Sniffing one final time, she shoved thoughts of Ford out of her head and concentrated on treating the steady stream of people needing first aid. She handed out water to the dehydrated and put on some Band-Aids. Hel had been right, these were all things shecoulddo easily despite being a paediatric doctor.
The tent was empty when the music stopped, and Ford started talking into the microphone.
“Thank you so much for your support tonight. We usually finish our show with the next song, but we decided to do something different. We’re going to slow it down for a few songs as, after twenty years, we’re now old men and need a break.”
Ford waited for the ripple of laughter to spread through the audience at his joke, and he didn’t speak again until they quietened back down.
“Seriously, Ifeellike the luckiest man in the world that a band my three best friends and I formed when we were kids has gone on to become the band youseebefore you today.”
Mai froze.
He was talking abouther.
She jumped when Janine, the nurse working with her, grabbed her arm and tugged, saying,“Let’s go andwatchwhile the tent’s empty.”
Mai’s breath stuttered.It wouldmake it so much harder to leave if shesawhim again, but her legs were walking, even as she argued with herself that she shouldn’t.
“Okay,”she said, letting Janine drag her.
“I would love a piece ofthatlead singer,”Janine cackled, nudging Mai in the ribs.
