I would wish you luck, but you have no need for it. You are an incredible talent and the world will soon see you shine.
Shoulders back. You’re here to be seenand heardtoday!
All my love to baby Elliott. I can only hope to have babies as beautiful and sweet,
Amélie
So instead of leaving her son safely tucked away in a suite with someone she could trust, she had no choice but to bring him to what would be a rowdy, deafening concert. She’d be forced to ask someone to watch her baby while she sang. Kitty? No. Not after that awful day when she showed up to fire her. Sienna? Ha! Not bloody likely. She might just plunk him into Zane’s arms with a warning glare. It’s not like he’d be busy when she was on stage.He could watch his son for an hour. Yes, that’s what she’d do. She would ask Zane at the pre-show family and friends photo shoot. Elliott could be part of that. It wouldn’t be chaotic or too loud for his delicate ears. After that, she could stay in the trailer with him until it was almost time for her to go on.
A sense of dread grew, drop-by-drop, with every mile, as if being administered by IV. She wasn’t welcome here. That was made clear when she checked into the Stardust Hotel, only to discover that literally every other performer was at The Mirage. When she called Dean about it, he told her he thought it would be much quieter for the baby there. After all, The Mirage was in the heart of the action and had that volcano show every hour in the evenings. Claudia knew better. It was probably Sienna’s idea to have her banished. Not that she could blame her if she had.
But that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered other than what happened tonight. It was her one chance to win over the world as a solo artist. She looked the part, having dropped another three pounds. Enid arranged for a total makeover—including wardrobe, makeup and hair. Best of all, her workouts had made her stronger, and now she could sing without losing her breath, even if she was walking on a treadmill.
She’d follow the Chili Peppers and would be used to balance the intense energy of their set, giving the crowd a brief rest before The Vows hit the stage to end the night. She’d play three songs, each one chosen to showcase her vocal range, musical talent, and ability to nail different styles—all of them dedicated to Mike. She’d start out with only her ukulele to play Israel Kamakawiwo'ole’s soulful version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’ Next would be her most ambitious offering—‘I Will Always Love You,’ the Whitney Houston version. A group of studio musicians would joinher for that song and her last one, the world debut of ‘Already Gone.’
Between her second and third song, she’d talk about Mike, and how lucky she had been to be loved so fully for nearly seven years. She’d tell them how she knew the day she met him he’d play a huge role in her life, and how he mentored her and cared for her, and helped her through life on the road even though he was battling his own demons. She’d talk about how much he would have loved being a father, even though he never thought of himself that way. And how no one knew it, but he was a secret nerd who spent hours peering through his telescope at the night sky. She’d talk about how he’d seen the comet a few days before it was reported, and he was so excited, he pulled her out onto the balcony in her robe, fresh from the shower to look too. She would tell them how that memory would be burned into her soul, along with a million other little moments she’d gotten with him. She would look up at the sky and say, “Wherever you are tonight, Mike—and I hope you’re here watching and knowing how loved you really are—but wherever you are, know that I’m yours.” Then she’d start to strum her acoustic guitar and play a ballad that broke her heart every single time.
‘Already Gone’ was a quiet, sad tune of new beginnings filled with hope. Of walls that can’t be torn down. It was about watching someone you love slowly dissolve before your eyes, and the pain of losing something you never had. It was about how she would be forced to grow old with only the memory of him. His bright, shining eyes, his wide smile, his powerful arms, all in her dreams. Tears would roll down her cheeks while she played, and when she finished, she’d be wrung out.
Thinking about it caused a million butterflies to takeflight inside her body. This was real. In a few hours, she’d be standing center stage while cameras rolled and a global audience watched. She’d be the lone voice for the first time in her career, and it would also be her inaugural sober performance. All day, she whispered to herself, “You can do this.” And she could. What she wouldn’t know until approximately ten p.m. was whether she’d be playing to people with tears in their eyes, to a crowd who’d grow restless and call for The Vows, or if they simply wouldn’t care. But however it played out, she would leave knowing she’d given it everything.
ZANE - 3 P.M.
So far things weren’t going the way he planned. First, Sienna refused to bring the kids a day early, which he took as a bad sign for their future. He was a little pissed off about it, but he would have to keep that feeling under wraps in favor of the bigger picture. Instead of spending the night before with his kids (well, most of them, anyway) and his beautiful wife by his side, he had attended the pre-concert events with Dean, feeling like a giant loser while Rusty and Kitty canoodled their way through the evening, with their adult children wandering around enjoying the moment.
At least Dean had kept Claudia sequestered at a different hotel. He made sure Sienna knew about the hotel arrangements so he’d get points for the effort. He rode to the venue alone, a little hungover and extremely tense. Both women would be together in one place in less than an hour. The thought made him queasy, even though he knew theywere both smart enough not to do or say anything that would give the game away. There was too much at stake.
The car took a right off the highway onto a narrow gravel road. Now came ten minutes of dust and rocks flying up from under the tires, hitting the undercarriage. When all was said and done that night, it would be chaos to take twenty thousand people out of here. But it would all be worth it. For Mike. For their comeback. For their fans, who’d been waiting patiently for something—anything—from them for far too long.
Their fans missed The Vows the same way Zane missed them. The sound of thousands of voices singing in unison, the cheering, the wafting scent of weed making its way up onto the stage, a swaying sea of lighters held by people so overcome with emotion, they had to show it even if their thumbs were raw by the end. Tonight would fill his soul, lift him back up to the top, where he felt most at ease. It would remind the world of who he was, and what the band meant to them. Best of all, they’d have countless new fans—young people who hadn’t been introduced to them yet but would see them tonight and rush out to buy their CDs.
And with any luck, seeing him on stage again would bring Sienna back to him once more. She’d remember who they were at the beginning, of whohewas—a powerful, talented, flawed-but-gifted man. One who would never love anyone the way he loved her.
The car turned right, and the venue came into view. It was massive—a tall stage with towering screens, rows of booths set up for food, beer, and merch sales, a long line of blue porta potties that seemed to go on for a mile. Generators, lighting equipment, a huge platform for sound equipment. Row upon row of holiday trailers for the talent and their guests sat off to the side where people wouldn’t noticethem. A fleeting sense of satisfaction came over Zane as he thought about how impressive it was that all this had been built in time, given the quick turnaround from conception to completion.
They stopped at the gate to the VIP parking lot. The driver rolled down the window and spoke to a security guard while Zane took in the sight of the massive stage set against the sprawling, jagged backdrop of Clark County’s Mount Wilson. The mountain would be in full view for the first three acts but would fade into the darkness hours before The Vows would take the stage.
When the limo pulled to a stop near the VIP area, Zane allowed himself one last moment of self-pity for things having turned out differently than expected. Then the driver opened the door for him, and his mask slid into place, starting with a great big grin and a thank you for the man who got him there safely.
“You’re very welcome, sir. And good luck this evening. It’s going to be a night to remember.”
SIENNA — 3:45 P.M.
“Everyone, get into your places, please!” the assistant to the photographer called. She had been given a bullhorn that squealed before and after she spoke.
Sienna’s eyes closed involuntarily at the sound, and instinctively, she covered Poppy’s ears with both hands. Poppy looked up at her like she was nuts, and she let go of her ears. “Sorry, that sound was frightfully bad.”
Her daughter, who had been cool toward her since the night before, barely smiled.
The assistant dropped the bullhorn to her side and started arranging people individually. When she got to Sienna, she said, “You’re at the front. Center. With Zane and the rest of the band.”
Sienna nodded, her stomach twisting as she corralled the kids in the proper direction. The day was warm and the sun was shining, which would make for a lot of squinting celebrities in the final shot.
She didn’t have time to think about that because thereshewas. The baby too. Sienna thought she might be sick, but she kept her smile in place anyway and gripped Poppy’s hand as she guided her children toward their dad. She took a deep breath, greeting people with ‘air kisses’ and ‘hellos’ and said things like, ‘You look amazing’ and ‘We need to get together soon, forrealthis time.’
“Oh, God, there they are,” Ivy muttered.
“Yep,” Sienna answered through her tight smile. “Let’s get this over with. It’s no big deal, okay?”
