Page 102 of Yours, Finally

Crap. That was the kind of mistake that was hard to come back from.

"What do you think Gabe is going to say?" Jake asked.

Lina crossed her arms as well. "To be honest? I think he'll be happy for you."

I leaned forward. "You think? And my parents?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "But I doubt they'd be angry. They love you— that's a plural you, Jake. And if this is working between the two of you, it can only get better if you're free to do it in public. This will change some dynamics, but it's time to face it. The time to worry about breaking up is over. The time to start worrying about hurting them with your secret has come."

I gazed at Jake. "We can't afford to be making big mistakes like that."

"Yeah. I don't like being scolded like this, but Lina's right." Jake frowned again in her direction, but there was humor in the line of his lips. "We will talk about it, but it has to be our decision."

Lina nodded. "Of course. I just want to see you two happy. For everyone to share that happiness with you."

"What happened?" Gabe showed up at the table. He kissed Lina. "What are we celebrating?"

"Hey Gabe." Jake gazed sheepishly at the table. "Thanks for coming. I'm seventh on the list, so we won't have to wait that long. Maybe an hour until my turn."

"Oh, okay. That's good! How are you feeling?"

"I think I'm ready." Jake stole a last glance at me. "I will be ready for everything. I have to be."

We settled into waiting. I asked Lina about her cousin Lucía and how she was doing after the engagement break up, and Gabe told us about losing in his soccer tournament again. All the while, I kept Lina's advice on a shelf in my mind.

I needed to look at it, inspect it, figure out what I wanted to tell Jake about it when we got a chance to talk. Of all the thingsJake and I had been through to get to this point, this was another hurdle to jump, and I wanted to do it right.

Making mistakes with Jake wouldn't result in a shrug. They wouldn't feel like a small bump. They would tear me apart.

We didn't have as much time as I thought, and we needed to fix it stat.

The sixth singer of the night was mid-chorus, and I wanted her to rush as much as I wanted her to stall. My stomach churned with nerves and even though I had told Jake I could take it, I didn't like it one bit.

He had been called to the tiny backstage to prepare, and I hadn't been able to do more than give him a quick squeeze of the forearm. He'd given me a quick smile in thanks, while Gabe said the words I wish I could say.

We love you. We love this for you. Go out there and enjoy it.

Jake and I hadn't really used the wordlovea lot, but I was glad Gabe could say it for us until Jake and I were ready for it. Maybe that would happen soon, because even if for years I'd wondered what true love felt like, it was hard to imagine that what I felt for Jake didn't fit into that slot somehow.

The singer on stage finished the song, a poppy melody ending with her asking everyone to join her with clapping; with the music now over, the clapping turned into applause. She bowed with a big smile, and went back into the backstage.

The lights went off, allowing for staff to move the stool to center stage, lower the microphone, and set up the guitar next to it. Blood rushed in my ears, and I took several breaths to calm it down.

People still chatted on their tables when Jake took to the stage. Just like the first time we'd been to the karaoke bar, he showedno signs of anxiety. Whatever he did to keep his worry under wraps, I wanted some of it.

"He's going to be so good," Gabe said. "I know it."

I nodded vehemently at my brother. He didn't have the privilege— as far as I knew— of hearing Jake's own music before, but I had. My nerves were more about this going well for him, wanting to threaten everyone into liking his music and clap harder than ever for him. I wanted this to be the time an overwhelming amount of evidence forced him to learn he didn't have to hide his music anymore.

Like everyone in the building, together, could overpower whatever Jake's dad had done in the past.

The light went on to the left of the stage, where the MC held a mic and read from a card.

"Let's give Jake Stewart a welcome applause on his first song ever with us. Tonight he will singUnchanged. Welcome, Jake."

The MC disappeared in the wings and the light shifted to Jake. He plugged the guitar and tried a few notes. His blue-gray gaze met the audience.

My heart skipped a beat.