I sit up and roll my shoulders, working out the kinks in my neck. “I slept the whole time?”
“Yeah, you were beat.”
“Did you sleep much?” I ask, noticing his iPhone in his hand and figuring he’s been occupying himself on that while I’ve been sleeping.
“A bit. I was listening to music mostly.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of music does the great Marcus Bailey like to listen to?” I ask with a smile as I reach over and take his phone, holding it in front of me as I scroll through his playlist. “Ah, I see you’ve been listening to a lot of the greats,” I note with smile as I scroll pasts names like Janis Joplin, Cat Stevens and Bob Marley. There’s a decent mix of modern and classic rock on here as well as his brother’s band, Matiari. “Did you know I have a playlist dedicated to you?” I ask as I continue scrolling through his list.
“Did you know I have a playlist dedicated to you?” He reaches over and taps a few times on his phone, showing me.
“I liked that I could feel connected to you through music. Made me think about the times you sang just for me.”
“I can sing to you every day if you want. But you’ll need to sing for me, too.”
I smile as I tap at his screen, going through his most recently played songs. “Huh, looks like I already have been,” I whisper.
“Because I’ve listened to your albums on repeat?”
I swallow the lump in my throat and show him the screen. “No. Because you found the song I wrote for you. Together We Are One is my song.” Tears form in my eyes. He heard it.
Marcus
I’ve never experienced whiplash before, but I think I just about gave it to myself after the surprise Lisa just dropped in my lap. “What? You are ‘Ana Gordon’? You wrote that song, and it’s about us?”
She bites her lip and nods. “Yes. I was miserable when I left, and I wrote down all my feelings. Before I knew it, they became a song and well… I released it. I wanted my heart to speak to you even though we weren’t together.”
“Oh baby,” I breathe, reaching out and placing my hands on either side of her face before kissing her. This woman just gets more and more amazing with every moment I spend with her. “That is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. I mean, I wish you never left in the first place, but a song for me?”
I am just floored right now. Coupled with her distaste of the music industry and the vast difference from her old work, I never in my wildest dreams would’ve thought that was her. In this simple arrangement, her gorgeous voice takes centre stage, and her lyrics… well, they’re perfect. They spoke to me, just like they were supposed to.
“Do you like it?”
“Like it? I fucking love it. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We’re getting all mushy as the captain’s voice comes over the PA system and announces that it’s time for us to prepare for decent.
I cannot wait to make her my wife. This caveman part of me needs to put a ring on her finger so she’s unequivocally mine. I’ve had Karen get everything set up so that when we arrive at the hotel, Lisa and I can go straight to a private little alcove where we’ll be married. It may seem like we’re rushing into this, but when you find your soul mate, you know it’s right. Lisa is my one, and I’m never letting her get away again.
Twenty-Two
Lisa
Our suite is enormous. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been privy to such opulence, but it’s gorgeous and I feel like a princess the moment I step through the door.
“Go and look in the bedroom,” Marcus whispers in my ear. “You have one hour, and then a car is coming to collect us.”
“OK.” I lean up and give him one last kiss before entering the bedroom and finding a rack with various beach wedding dress styles hanging on it. My god. This man really does think of everything.
They’re all so beautiful, but as I flick though the garments there’s one that stands out most to me; a cream silk one with spaghetti straps that hangs loosely down to my ankles. It’s shaped a lot like a slip dress, but its fabric is much more decadent and feels like it’s caressing my skin as I move in it.
I choose a pair of sandals to go with it. They have a simple Y strap that’s decorated with small pearls.
My hair is simple to do. I spritz it with a little wax spray and scrunch it up before putting a pearl and diamond clip in one side.
I apply a small amount of makeup; mascara and pink lipstick. Everything is simple. Everything is perfect. It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted. I want him. I need him. I love him.
We still have a lot to talk about because our life together won’t always be easy. But I feel confident in our connection because Marcus has always known what’s best for me. And even though I’ve fought him almost every step of the way, I obviously answer a need in him too. I will happily fight with him for the rest of my life. This is the start of our forever.
“Are you ready?” he asks at the door. I turn to him smiling. “You look stunning.”
“You look breathtaking,” I comment, taking in his crisp linen pants and pale blue shirt. It’s a perfect cut to accentuate his lean build and broad shoulders. He’s even managed to do something with his unruly hair. He’s styled it so it’s supposed to look messy. But really, he’d look delicious no matter what he did.
“Then we make a good pair,” he grins, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips.
“The best,” I say in return, smiling so wide I can barely see past my cheeks.
The journey to the alcove is a short car ride, and when we get there everything is set up and ready to go. There are flowers for me and everything. “You’ve really outdone yourself, Marcus. This is…” I release a sigh.
“If my last act of extravagance is a last-minute wedding, there isn’t an expense too great. But, Karen deserves most of the credit. She organised it all.” He gives me a wink and a grin.
“She’s taking your calls now?”
“I told her you were back, and she was very quick to take my call.”
I smile. “Of course she did.”
“Shall we?” He nods towards the altar.
“Definitely.”
Our ceremony is simple and traditional in front of two witnesses and a celebrant. He reads from an open folder in front of him as Marcus and I hold hands and beam at each other.
When it’s time for the vows, we’re asked if we’d like to say our own or have him read something for us.
Marcus jumps in. “I’d like to say my own.” He smiles, rubbing his thumbs soothingly over the backs of my hands, speaking in his velvet smooth voice. “Lisa. I didn’t even know I had a heart capable of love until you came into my life and set it beating again. Before you, I was a stone, cold and unfeeling. I need you. You are the very epicentre of my being. I want you; for your mind, your ability to see me for me, and your willingness to fight for what you think is right. I love you, and I want you by my side always.”
I lift his hands and kiss them as happy tears fall from my eyes. “Marcus. In a room full of people, it was your eyes I found. They drew me in and captivated me from the get go and I should have trusted in that feeling instead of fighting it. I have a lot of regrets surrounding our early days, but you need to know that every moment I shared with you fuelled my happiness until the next time we’d cross paths. You are also the epicentre of my being. When we’re apart, I swear that my soul cries. I promise to stand by you, to love you and to support you until the end of my days.”
By now, I’m crying quite convincingly and one of the girls who is standing in as witness hands me a tissue which Marcus takes and wipes away my tears.
“I hope these are happy tears,” he whispers, kissing each of my cheeks.
“Very happy tears,” I whisper.
“The rings?” the celebrant asks.
Marcus pulls them from his pocket and hands the one for him to me with a wink. I can’t help but smile. These are the perks of being a rock star
. If you can throw enough money at something, you can have the perfect wedding organised in a very short amount of time.
As Marcus repeats the words of the ring ceremony, he holds his hand so I can’t quite see the ring but when he pushes it onto my finger and removes his hand; he reveals the most beautiful diamond solitaire I’ve ever seen.
“Wow, that’s a beautiful rock,” I comment, watching it sparkle in the fading sunlight.
He grins, holding his hand out so I can go through the same for him. “Look at the engraving first,” he tells me.
I hold the platinum band between my fingers and look inside ‘Together we are one’ it says.
“How did you…?” I ask.
He responds with a wink and a knowing look. “It’s inside yours too. When I first heard it, the song spoke to me. I instantly thought it should be ours. Turns out it literally is.”
I struggle to keep my voice level as I repeat the ring ceremony, feeling so glad when we get to the point where we both say ‘I do’.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the celebrant announces.
Wrapping my arms around Marcus’s neck, we seal our union with a soul searing, head-spinning kiss. He picks me up and twirls me around before setting me on the ground and kissing me again.
“I love you Mrs Bailey, my wife, my life.”
“I love you too. We’re married.” I grin, not quite believing this is really happening.
“Like I told you in the beginning, I plan on keeping you.”
As we turn and walk back down the small aisle, the small group gathered for the ceremony throw petals over us while the speaker system plays our song.
You have to know
I feel the same
I think about you everyday
Because you and I both know
That together we are one
We both know
Together we are one
Together. We are one. And we’re never letting go again.
Epilogue
twelve months later…
Marcus
After spending our first week as a married couple, blissfully away from the Australian media, it was a bit of a rude shock to arrive back home and have the media swarming again.
While searching for the perfect location for our country retreat, we stayed in my apartment. For two weeks, the picketers and the media hung around, waiting for either Lisa or I to do something newsworthy. We didn’t, and the world gets very tired of a happy couple very quickly.
Eventually, the fans came around to the idea of Lisa and I together. We released the news that ‘Together we are one’ is actually her song about her time away from me. We gave Sandra an exclusive interview detailing the beginnings of our relationship along with a photo session and some pictures of the wedding. It was a four page spread in Voyuer magazine and was picked up by various international publications, making Sandra Haegan a hot commodity.
The only people who remained upset with me were my parents. Naomi and Theo understood why we went and eloped, even though they wished they’d been there. But my parents weren’t happy at all. My mother wore black for the first three months. But when a pipe burst in their roof, they came to stay with us for a couple of weeks and got to see how happy Lisa makes me. So she’s finally wearing colour again and my father is speaking to me in longer sentences and grunts less these days. It’s a slow process though.
Lisa still wasn’t willing to accept me giving up my career with her. So we used the stunt Craig and Karen pulled to renegotiate the deal. I still have to give them their albums, but they’ve knocked twelve months off my contract, and when I tour, Matiari is my support, my wife always comes with me and we don’t talk to the press unless the interview is pre-organised and the reporter vetted. It doesn’t stop the paparazzi and speculation, but after talking to a few other players in the industry with successful relationships, this was the advice they had for us—keep your loved ones close and only show the public what you want them to see. So far, it’s working for us.
And in twelve months’ time, I won’t be locked into a contract at all.
I’ll be a free agent, independently recorded on a small label I’m starting with my brother. The only two acts they’ll be producing are Matiari and The Marked.
The Marked is Lisa and me, named for her surname and my first name. We’ve found this amazing house in the country just like she wanted, and we’ve had our own recording studio built in. Together, we’re making some pretty amazing music and once my contract is up, we’ll be ready to go with our own stuff on our own terms.
Lisa’s and my middle ground is a house in the country and an independent duo. I’m so fucking in love with her.
A few years ago, I was angry and selfish and I’d closed my heart off to the possibility of anything like love. I know now that I just hadn’t met the right woman yet. I guess she was too busy driving cars through people’s front windows…
Standing in our kitchen drinking coffee, I say a silent thank you to the universe as I look through our back windows and watch my wife in the backyard trying to feed the chickens while Perry barks and runs through them, sending them squawking and racing about. Lisa is laughing and smiling with her golden hair—her natural colour—blowing in her face as she tries to get Perry to calm down.
Placing my mug on the bench top, I venture outside and help her get the chickens back into the coop to before wrapping my arms around her middle.
“There is a room I’ve been hoping we could play in,” I say, gently biting on her ear.
“The studio?” She grins, turning around to wrap her arms around my neck.
“Guess again,” I say, pulling her closer and bringing my mouth to hers, and kissing her passionately while Perry barks at the chickens again.
“Is it our special play room?” she asks as I drag my teeth over her bottom lip.
“Uh-huh. I have a hard on for you the size of Mount Everest and I’m dying to make you scream.”
The benefits of having your own private stretch of land is that when your wife decides to reach down and pull her dress over her head, no one else can see it.
She grins at me, drops the dress on the ground and walks into the house in nothing but a pair of barely there white panties.
“Are you coming with me?” she calls back.
“Fuck yes,” I growl as I race up behind her, causing her to laugh in delight as I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder.
It’s moments like these when I realise how much happier I am now. Millions of fans are nothing compared to the love of one perfect woman. Everything about Lisa improves my life. I want her. I need her. I love her. And like her song says, together we are one.
Keep reading for an extra burst of beautiful with Devotion, Naomi and Theo’s wedding.
And then there was a wedding…
Naomi and Theo - Devotion
One
“Hey Naomi, when are you and Theo planning on getting married?” Stephanie asks, as she fills up my glass of wine and offers a top up to both Paige and Katrina, who are sitting on the wicker chairs surrounding Stephanie’s patio table.
We’ve all come together for one of Stephanie and Gary’s famous weekend barbeques. Above us, the summer sun shines brightly, and below us, a hose attached to a spinning sprinkler keeps four children entertained, while their fathers grill the meat and keep a watch over the children.
“You’ve been engaged for three bloody years now, right?” Paige adds, as she glances down from the patio at her two children from her marriage to Elliot - Grace, who is five and a half, and Adam, who is three. They are dancing around under the spray of water with Katrina and David’s two-and-a-half-year-old son, Zachary, and Stephanie and Gary’s little girl (and also my god daughter) Amanda, who is also five.
Everyone here is married with children. Except for Theo and I. We’re engaged and we live together. But that’s about as far as we’ve gone.
A sigh escapes my lips as I look over my shoulder at o
ne of the kids as they squeal delightedly. I catch Theo’s eye from across the lawn where he stands talking to the men with a bottle of beer in hand. I smile at him, loving the way he seems to pause mid-sentence to smile back at me. He still makes my heart flutter.
Even though we work and live together, we haven’t lost that spark that’s between us. We don’t get on each other’s nerves—we’re cohesive. We get each other. It’s a rare thing in this world to feel that close to someone, I’m sure.
“Soon,” I reply when I turn back. “We’re just waiting for our schedule to calm down a little.”
Katrina places her glass on the table and takes a breath to speak. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything. But you know that it will never calm down. There’ll always be something going on that seems more important than planning your wedding. It’s what happened with me and David. He wanted me to set a date, and I was always finding a reason not to do it. I wanted to marry him, but I was scared to have the wedding. I dreamed about what I wanted for years. But dreaming and doing are two very different things. I was afraid that my reality wouldn’t be as good as the dream.”
“Well, how was your wedding in the end?” I ask her, knowing that she obviously got over her fears because she and David have been married for most of the time I’ve known them.
“Her wedding was amazing,” Paige interjects. “David did this whole surprise fairy tale thing for her. She thought she was going on a New Years Eve cruise, but it was her wedding. It was so beautiful.”
I glance back at Katrina as her smile widens at the memory, and her cheeks colour a pretty shade of pink. She turns to me. “It was. It’s a bit of a long story, but in the end, David planned everything. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t know when. I think I waited for almost a whole year, wondering when the hell it was going to happen, and just when I’d stopped expecting it, it happened. All of our friends and family were in on it. But they all kept it a secret. It was such a beautiful surprise.”
Beautiful Boxset: Beautiful Series, books 1-4 Page 142
