I’d taken the aisle seat in the front row because I wanted to see his face when he played. My seat was maybe five feet away from the piano. Before he sat, Jeremy took the microphone from the conductor.
“Hello, everyone,” he said. He sounded a little nervous like he always did when he spoke publicly.
He continued, “If you look in your program, you’ll notice my concerto is titled TBA.” There was a chuckle from the audience. And, yes, I had noticed. I figured he just didn’t know what to name it.
He smiled. “It wasn’t because I didn’t know what to call it,” he said, echoing my thoughts. Then he looked at me. “I just wanted it to be a surprise. The title of my concerto isMoonlight Journey,and it’s dedicated to my partner, Sean O’Neil.”
There was a burst of applause, and I swear every head turned in my direction. I looked at Jeremy, and he mouthed, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said back.
He wrote it for me. Jeremy had written a whole concerto for me. I didn’t even realize I was crying until Liam handed me a tissue.
“Still the biggest drama queen,” Liam whispered.
I nudged him with my elbow. “Shut up.”
Moonlight Journeystarted out low and soft, with a melancholy air drifting over the audience. It grew and changed to tension, anxiety, excitement, hope, and love. His music conveyed all those emotions and more. I could envision the scenes Jeremy’s music wove, everything that we shared, from the first time we met, all the way up to our first day in Paris. The music took me even further, and I began to see forever with this man.
When the final notes sounded, triumphant in the gentle way they embraced the audience, I was stunned motionless in my seat while everyone else around me leaped to their feet in an enthusiastic ovation.
I finally rose when Jeremy stood to take his bow. I wanted to go to him and take him in my arms. I must have moved in that direction because Liam took hold of my arm and said quietly, “Not yet. He has to thank everybody first.”
“Right,” I murmured.
Jeremy shook hands with the conductor and acknowledged the orchestra, then took another bow. I thought he was done, but the conductor went over to him and hugged him, saying something that made Jeremy smile.
To my surprise, a stagehand set a mic stand in front of Jeremy. I saw him blow out a breath before stepping in front of the mic.
“I’d like to address some rumors that have been going around,” he began. There were some murmurs from the audience, and I saw more than a few guilty looks on people’s faces.
Jeremy continued. “I am an addict.” More murmurs, but he didn’t stop speaking. “After my accident, I became addicted to pain pills, just like so many others before me. I am not going to go any deeper into it except to say this: the person who decided it was their right to out me doesn’t know the whole story because they never bothered to ask.”
There was complete and utter silence as many of the people in the room knew exactly what it was like to be outed against their will.
Jeremy looked out at the audience, meeting some of their gazes. “The night of my collapse at the Juilliard concert, I tried to take my own life.”
There were gasps from the crowd. Jeremy waited until everyone was quiet again. “I’m not telling you this story so you’ll believe my version over the other person’s or so you’ll feel sorry for me. It doesn’t matter to me who believes it or doesn’t. I am telling you this story because this night is about my journey out of the hell I was in. It’s about the people who stood beside me when I needed them most.”
His eyes fell on Evan and Raphael. Then he looked straight at me. “It’s about how I learned that I could love and be loved for who I am, not for what I can do.”
Jeremy held out his hand. I rose from my seat, took his hand, and pulled him into a tight hug.
“I love you, baby. I’m so proud of you,” I said.
He caressed my face, stepped back, and dropped to one knee. My heart just about beat out of my chest.
“Jeremy?” I whispered.
Jeremy put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a platinum band.
“Sean,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ve run out of fancy words. All I can say is I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. Will you marry me?”
I fell to my knees in front of him, took his face in my hands, and kissed him.
“Yes. Yes. Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you.”
Jeremy put the ring on my left hand, and the audience erupted in cheers and applause. I rose to my feet and brought him up with me. We were immediately surrounded by family and friends.
