Heart Shaped Spotlight

His soft lips pressed to mine, letting go completely as he let me guide the kiss for another few moments, then he stepped back to look at me. “Did you feel that?” he whispered.

I nodded, reaching into my pocket. Pulling out the little silver ring, I slipped it on my finger.

Nate’s bottom lip quivered through his smile. “Thank you,” he breathed. “Thank you for giving us another chance.”

“Now that I know I can actually choose, I think we’re going to be okay.”

His sudden burst of laughter startled me, making me jump. “Sorry,” he snorted. Pulling me to the couch, he laughed so hard it took him a second to calm down. “This was a computer problem the whole time, wasn’t it?”

Raising an eyebrow, I had no idea what he was talking about.

“That flow chart thing back in high school, when you were trying to show me how computers think. If this, then that. With the arrows and diamond questions. Every problem had to have a yes or no conclusion, to show which question was next. So, if Nate is open-minded enough to let Trisha go and stop obsessing over her, letting go of the past, Nate is open-minded enough to have Trisha in his life.”

My mouth fell open. “I can’t believe you remember that.”

“Neither can I. You know I don’t get that tech stuff.”

“The essence of that process isn’t technical, it’s a linear thought process that–”

His lips met mine, his arms around me. Leaning back to lie on the couch, he pulled me on top of him as he stroked my back gently. My entire body stretched against his, the instant warmth singing through my blood.

“Mmm, sorry, your gorgeous lips distracted me,” he murmured. “Process of something?”

“Something about the process of falling in love with you,” I whispered.

“I like that process. I love you, Trisha.” His expressive eyes absolutely glowed. “I’m going to try so hard to make you happy.”

“I love you, Nate. We’re going to make each other happy,” I murmured as my lips fell open, our deep kiss making reality completely fall away.

Epilogue ~ Nate

* Five Years Later *

As the spotlight hit me, I smiled, waiting for my eyes to adjust before glancing to Trisha in the wings.

"We're so glad to have you back on the show, Nate!" the new hostess Tracy-Anne giggled. She was leaning in uncomfortably close, but when I glanced at Trisha, she was giggling in delight.

"Nate, many people were disappointed that you aren't competing in our All-Stars season. Why didn't you want to be in the contest?"

I shrugged, flashing a grin to the audience, who were screaming wildly. "My band, Hemlock and Emeralds are going on another tour as soon as this season of the show is over, so I’m almost too busy to judge, much less compete," I chuckled. "Besides, I don't write as many love songs anymore. There are many other subjects for me to explore now."

She giggled as if we were old friends, even though I'd only met her an hour ago. Clutching my arm, she gasped, wide-eyed, "Yes – everyone is dying to know. Did you ever find your high school girlfriend Trisha?"

I shrugged, looking over to where my beautiful wife was flashing me a thumbs up. She looked absolutely delighted.

"Like I said the first time I was here, Trisha is a very private person. So I can't tell you whether or not I found her. If I did, that would be our personal business. Our marriage, our two and a half year old daughter, and the fact that our second baby is on the way would be completely confidential."

It was amazing to see her jaw absolutely drop. The audience stopped screaming, and seemed to be lost for breath before I heard the murmur of a collective, "Awww."

Tracy-Anne stepped back, fanning her face with her hand. "Oh my gosh, I wasn't expecting that. Don't make me ruin my mascara," she laughed, giving me a playful swat on the shoulder.

Turning to the main camera, she grinned, “Our third judge Nate Roberts is obviously going to be full of surprises. When we get back from our commercial break, we’ll hear from our very first competitor in our All-Star round of Love Rockers!"

The spotlights dimmed, and Tracy-Anne leaned in to whisper, "Well done. The publicity they're going to get from that is going to be wild."

"We'll see what happens," I laughed, rushing over to slip my arm around Trisha’s shoulders. I quickly walked her down to my private green room. This first opening episode wasn't live, so they had to set up the house band before the contestants could perform.

"How long will they be setting up?" Trisha asked, immediately raiding my refreshment cooler for a few sips of orange juice.