“Whatever. Thanks for playing it.” She hopped off the swing. “I’m going to go call Liam.”
She didn’t wait for a reply, just bounded inside, leaving Josh and me feeling all the things we didn’t dare say out loud.
“I’d do it, you know?” Josh murmured, brushing his knee against mine.
“Do what?” I frowned.
“Go to Nashville. With you. I bet we’d make it.” He grinned, something like hope dancing in his eyes.
I smiled faintly. “Maybe someday.”
46
THIRTEEN MONTHS LATER
JOSH
Idon’t know too many people who get to say they have everything they ever wanted in life, but I really think I do. It’s a cool autumn morning and I am standing on the back deck of my custom log cabin in Franklin, Tennessee that Melanie and I share. The sun is rising over the rolling hills, casting shades of pink and yellow on the Harpeth River. I’ve taken to waking up earlier these days. I wake up, go for a long run, lift some weight in our home gym, and then sip my coffee out here in the solace of nature. Most days, Melanie joins me, but today she’s sleeping in.
One of Mel’s stipulations about moving to Tennessee was that she needed to be near a body of water. She couldn’t feel landlocked. I understood that so I searched high and low for the perfect riverside home for us. When I didn’t find it, I had it built. It’s our dream house, but we still plan to spend our summers in Cape May.
I hear the door open and a bark sounds behind me as our black lab, Duke, bolts past Melanie. I whirl around and take her in. Melanie is always stunning, but the sight of her fresh out of bed in the morning, sleepy eyes and mussed up hair—that’s my favorite. She cradles a mug of hot coffee and steps beside me.
“Big day,” she murmurs, glancing sideways at me.
“Yep.” I sip my coffee and let out a hiss from the heat of it.
“You ready?”
I look sideways at her, my lips quirking upward. “Are you?”
“I’m ready for any adventure I get to have with you.”
“Me too.” I set my mug on the railing and pull her close. “Thanks for always going along with my whims.”
“I wouldn’t do it for anyone else,” Melanie says, a wry smile crossing her beautiful lips.
* * *
Two hours later,we’re dressed and out the door, headed down to East Nashville, to an area called The Gulch for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Not long after Mel and I started working with SoundShift, we decided that touring the country playing sold out shows wasn’t for us. We negotiated our contract to be three albums and songwriting for other artists working with SoundShift Records. We lived the dream for a year, writing music all day, popping into the studio to record, falling in love with the music and each other all over again.
But something was still missing for me and when I did some soul searching, I remembered how it felt to help that kid on the beach last Fourth of July. So, I asked Mel if she’d be up for a new adventure. She said yes, and Common Chord Music School was born.
Melanie and I started Common Chord because we both know what it’s like to have music shape your life. For us, it has always been more than a passion. It’s a path to healing. It’s how we first found each other, how we got through some of the hardest things we’ve ever had to face, and how we eventually found our way back to each other.
The air is cool for Tennessee in October, but it feels fitting. We’re early, but I knew we would be. I wanted a few moments alone here with Mel. The opportunity to soak in what we’ve built—what we’rebuildinghere together. I pull my truck into the driveway in the back and suck in a breath.
I turn to her, and she meets my gaze. “Thanks for doing life with me,” I murmur, tucking a hair behind her ear.
“There’s no one else I’d want to do it with,” she says with an easy shrug.
“Let’s go inside.” I swing open my door and before I’ve made my way to the other side, Melanie’s closing her door too, waiting for me.
I unlock the back door to the studio and jar it open. It sticks and probably needs to be replaced but it’s ours.
I flick on the lights and move down the hall, passing two empty soundproof music rooms. Then we’re in the big open space—filled with eclectic seating, bean bag chairs, various guitars hanging on the wall, a baby grand piano in the corner, and music stands scattered about. A jam space for all. For a moment, Mel and I walk around, each marveling at what we’ve created here. A safe place for children to learn music, no matter their background or family income. They can come here and sing their hearts out, rock out, and discover what they’re capable of.
“Wow,” Melanie says, spinning around the room, a proud grin spread across her face. Her blue eyes glisten.
