When I get to her, I hug her tight. “I’m so glad you came. You look amazing.”
She plays with her hair apprehensively, “Thank you again for the invite. I don’t think I’ve ever been to anything quite like this.”
“Me neither. Come on, I saved you a seat at our table. But be warned, Cooper’s parents are there and they one hundred percent opposite of him. They’re so normal!” I wink at her, and she giggles.
After introducing Ember to everyone at the table, she looks around nervously. Cooper breaks the ice by telling her to explain how hot he looked in the tux he was fitted for. She smiles shyly but does compliment him. I point out the buffet, and she leaves to get food. When she is gone, Robbie looks at me with heat in his eyes.
“Raven, what are you doing?”
“Nothing, I invited her because she has been fun to talk to and keeps me updated on when everyone gets their fittings. Even though she’s shy, she still likes to go out. And let’s not forget that she’s a knockout.”
He nods his head and looks in her direction. She was stopped by Abbi and Jimi, and she is laughing at whatever they are talking about.
“Robbie, what’s the hold up? She’s fucking hot. At least talk to her.” Tripp adds. He met her briefly at my birthday celebration.
When she returns to the table, he stands and pulls back her chair. She looks shocked but smiles at him, exposing her dimples. He returns the smile.
I don’t get a chance to start a conversation because Mike’s voice comes over the microphone and welcomes everyone. He goes into the history of Sayge and their growing popularity around town. We laugh when he recalls the phone call from Jay last year asking him to come see a local band that had potential at Bonnaroo. Mike talks through the steps to get to where we are tonight and the dedication and determination Sayge’s members have. At a back table I recognize a few of the bloggers from Atlanta taking notes.
All the while he talks, there are pictures playing on the overhead screen of the last few months. Most of them are during the photo shoot and video, but there are a few from The Steamroom and performances around town. If it was possible, I would burst from pride. I look around the room and see the same look on almost everyone’s faces. David looks like he may have unshed tears in his eyes. I clutch at Declan’s hand trying to let him know how proud I am without words.
When Mike is done, he introduces Cooper to say a few words. This surprises me because they voted Declan to speak. Cooper makes it to the small podium and looks around nervously. He finds each member of the band and does a chin lift. Declan returns the sentiment.
“It may sound funny, since I perform five nights a week and spent this summer on tour, but I’m not good at public speaking.” There are several laughs around the room.
“Mike pretty much gave you the run down on Sayge and our love for music. We never expected to be here tonight celebrating an album with our friends and families. We only wanted to share our music. When we were approached last year about touring with our good friends in Knight’s Dream, we jumped at the chance. We’ve made some mistakes along the way, but we made a pact to never lose sight again.” He pauses and looks directly at me.
My heart races and my eyes fill with tears. I shake my head at him, and Declan scoots me as close as he can.
“To say we worked hard on this project is true but we had fun. We also had help. We’ve always been a four man band and last summer we realized we added a member. She’s a tiny little thing, but her impact on our music and friendships is the reason we are here. She literally inspired the songs on this album and keeps us inline.” Cooper takes a break and then speaks again. “We have so many people to thank, the producers, sound techs, photographers, videographers, Mike and MJ Labels, the list goes on and on. But from all of us, we want to thank Raven. Now I want to show you the music video for our debut release “Surviving.” He pushes a button and the screen goes dark.
Declan maneuvers me so I slide in his lap and Cooper takes my seat. I lean over and hug him tightly trying to calm down.
As soon as the video starts both men hold my hands, and we watch the most heartbreaking and beautiful love story play out on the screen. When we get to the bar scene and the pole dancing, Declan kisses me discreetly on my neck.
There’s a slight change at the end, instead of the fade to black, I’m standing there in a veil smiling. The picture is from one of our failed dress shopping days. We played around with accessories, but I still hadn’t found a dress. Any one of my friends could have taken this, but I’m not mad. This closes the story.
The lights go up, and the room breaks out in clapping and cheering. I look around through my glossy eyes and see my mom crying and dad smiling. Robbie stands in front of me and takes me out of Declan’s lap. He hugs me tight and swings me around. In less than five seconds our entire group of friends surrounds us, and I throw myself at Nate and Blake.
Declan pulls me away and tucks me to his side. Nate rolls his eyes and turns back to his family. My parents and David get through the crowd to us, and my mom is beaming. They complement us and David hugs Declan for a little longer than normal. Champagne is served, and Mike starts playing Sayge’s music over the speaker system.
Two hours later, the party breaks up. Robbie hugs me goodbye and offers to walk Ember to her car. She turns red but nods her head.
I’m waiting for Declan to get our coats when I feel someone very close to my side. I look over and see Kelly stopped and staring at me.
“Hello Kelly.”
“Hi, Raven. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?” She sounds worried.
“Kelly, I’ve had an amazing night. I’m really not in the mood to ruin it.”
“No, I need to apologize. I’m sorry for the way I treated you in Vegas and the things I said to you. I was completely out of line, and I feel like a fool.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I mean I was mortified at first when Mike sent me home, but I still thought I would get my chance to say ‘I told you so.’ But in the last few weeks in our meetings and then tonight, I realize you aren’t a typical band girlfriend. You are so much more.”
“Apology accepted.”