Behind them Emily leaned forward, her voice a not-so-subtle whisper. “Daddy, you’re going to win.”
Clayton smirked. “Oh yeah? You got some psychic powers I don’t know about?”
Charlotte piped up. “No, but Miss Mom says you’re the best. And she’s always right.”
Jamie covered her mouth to keep from laughing. “I like how these girls think.”
The presenter opened the envelope and time stretched impossibly thin.
“And the Grammy for Country Album of the Year goes to . . . Clayton Langley!”
Charlotte and Emily shrieked, bouncing in their seats.
“Go, Daddy!” Charlotte yelled.
“Miss Mom, tell him to move!” Emily added.
Jamie smirked. “You heard the bosses, cowboy.”
Clayton shook his head, pressed a kiss to Jamie’s temple, and made his way to the stage. Jamie watched, her heart twisting in the best way as he took the golden gramophone in his hands. When he turned back to the audience, his gaze found hers first.
“I, uh . . . wasn’t expecting this.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “A few years ago I thought my best days in this business were behind me. Turns out they were just starting. This album—this whole damn journey—doesn’t happen without the people who believed in me, especially one stubborn, brilliant, maddeningly talented woman. Jamie Keaton, you changed my life. This one’s for you, darlin’.”
Jamie swallowed past the lump in her throat, dabbing at the corner of her eye as the crowd erupted in cheers.
But the biggest moment of the night was still to come.
The final category: Song of the Year.
Jamie’s heart pounded as the presenter read through the nominees.
“And the Grammy goes to . . . Jamie Keaton!”
For a second she forgot how to breathe.
Clayton was already turning in his seat, his strong arms wrapping around her, lifting her off the ground.
“I told you,” he murmured against her ear, “you were going to win that dang Grammy.”
Jamie closed her eyes for half a second, absorbing the moment. The weight of it. The sheer magic of it.
She stepped onto the stage and her trembling fingers wrapped around the golden award. She exhaled, steadied herself, and smiled.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was a kid, but the reality? So much sweeter. Because music isn’t just about notes and lyrics—it’s about the people who make it with you. And the people who you make it for. Clayton, Charlotte, and Emily, I love you with my whole heart.”
The applause roared through the room, but Jamie saw only him.
When she made it back to her seat Clayton’s eyes were shining with something warm, impossibly deep. He leaned in, his voice low. “Told you we’d go three for three.”
Jamie rolled her eyes but she couldn’t stop the way her lips curved. She tilted toward him, whispering just loud enough for only him to hear, “Shut up and kiss me.”
So he did.
The night was theirs.
And so was the future.
