“Oh, I gotta go. Our brother is waving me over, probably wanting to introduce me to yet another person. He’s been networking from the moment we arrive, and he’s forcing me to do the same.”
“Aww, it must be rough being you,” Tristan cracked and dodged her when she swatted at him. “Make sure you guys stick around. I have a surprise for Cree, and I’d like you two to be here.”
Bethany nodded. “I’m sure we will be,” she said over her shoulder as she strolled away.
Tristan had just finished his drink when he spotted Nyla heading his way. Apparently, it was time for that surprise.
“You ready?” she asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He followed her, weaving through groups of people until they neared the stage area. He normally didn’t play the piano in public, but he thought this would be a fun surprise for Cree. Whenever they stayed at his place, she insisted he play something for her on his baby grand. Now he just hoped he didn’t embarrass her or himself when he attempted to play a few songs for her.
Nyla and her husband, Harrison, a talented musician who could play almost every instrument, agreed to help him out. Tristan would play the piano, and Nyla would sing while Harrison played the drums.
When they reached the stage, Harrison was already in position, and Tristan gave him a fist bump before taking a seat at the piano. Suddenly, his nerves were getting the best of him, but he took a deep breath, then released it slowly.
The DJ cut the music when Nyla walked up to the mic. “Excuse me. May I have your attention?” she said and waited for everyone to settle down. “On behalf of my sister and our family, thank you for coming out and celebrating Cree’s birthday with us tonight.”
Cheers went up around the room, and when Tristan found Cree in the crowd, her eyebrows shot up. He gave her a head nod and grinned. By her surprised expression, it was clear Nyla hadn’t told her the plan. Good.
“We have a special treat tonight. In case you didn’t know, Tristan Whitmore is in the house!”
More cheers exploded through the space, and it was almost deafening. Tristan stood slightly and gave a wave before he started playing around on the keys.
“Many of you probably know him as a super star football player, but he’s so much more. He also has skills on the ivories. Of course, he’s not as good as me, but he’s not too bad.” Everyone laughed before she continued. “But seriously, he’s so good on the piano that he decided he wanted to play a few songs for Cree. Isn’t that sweet?”
There was laughter and clapping, and once that died down, Tristan glided his fingers over the piano keys, punctuating every note as he started with “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. He and Harrison did that song as an instrumental, and Nyla didn’t sing until Tristan started playing, “I’ll Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. It was one of Cree’s favorite songs.
His last song, “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, was the only one he had actually been planning on playing. As Nyla sang along, her incredible voice as clear as if Alicia Keys was there herself, Tristan closed his eyes and got lost in the melody. The song was a testament of his love for Cree and one of the first songs he learned to play on the piano.
Only a few people knew he had taken piano lessons while also playing football. He still remembered how he’d wanted to take lessons as a kid, but his parents had barely been able to keep him and his brother in sports. So once he had his own money, and a little free time, he purchased a piano and hired a piano teacher. He currently didn’t play as often as he used to, but he was glad he hadn’t lost his touch.
When the song ended, he stood and gave a wave and a slight bow. The room exploded in applause. That’s when he noticed most people had their phones out taking pictures or maybe even videotaping. It had been awhile since he’d been in the media or saw posts of him on social media. He didn’t mind, but he hadn’t considered that when he decided to play tonight. He could only imagine what type of comments would come with those posts.
Once the crowd calmed down, Nyla started to speak into the mic, but Tristan stopped her with a hand on her arm. “May I say something?”
She smiled and gestured for him to go ahead. Before he could say a word, someone yelled, “Way to go, Whitmore!” And Tristan laughed.
“Thank you all,” he said, still waiting for the room to get a little quieter before saying more.
While he waited, his gaze collided with Cree’s, and his heart turned over in his chest. The love glimmering in her gorgeous eyes stoked something so powerful and sensual inside of him. Something Tristan couldn’t put a name to, but it was more than love. The sensation was so intense he had to grab on to the mic stand to keep his knees from buckling.
Everything around him disappeared as he only had eyes for Cree. She was a few feet from the stage now, and she had her hand on her chest as she stared at him.
God, this woman…
Tristan felt so blessed to have her in his life, and he fell more in love with her with each passing day. He was looking forward to spending the rest of his life showing her just how much she meant to him, and he was never letting her go.
“She’s probably going to kill me for this,” he finally said into the mic, “but I’d like for my wife to come up on stage.”
A gasp sounded from behind him, but Tristan didn’t look back at Nyla. His gaze stayed on Cree as quiet murmuring went around the space, people glancing around trying to figure out who he was claiming to be his wife.
When Cree finally moved away from the crowd and headed to the stairs, her guest realized she was the wife he was referring to. The room erupted with a chorus of gasps, cheering, screaming, and clapping.
“Oh my God!”
“Whaaat?”
