Page 91 of See Her
I keep my back straight, and my smile unwavering as Jack holds tightly to my hand, keeping his arm straight so that I’m close at his side as we make our way down the long, carpeted entrance, along with all the other musical acts being honored tonight.As instructed, we smile and act like we don’t mind a bit that we have to stop every ten feet or so for photo ops.The cameraflashes go especially crazy anytime Jack leans in close to whisper something to me.
Later, after the guys give a riveting performance of Breakthrough, complete with strobe lights, smoke, and pounding beats, they’re seated next to me again, Jack’s fingers laced through mine, as we both hope with everything we have to hear Turn it Up’s name for Best New Band. Unfortunately, Best Single went to the newest teeny bopper boy band.That’s the way of the industry sometimes, and the guys shake it off, but I’m really praying for this one.
“And the award for Best New Band goes too…” I hold my breath as the current hot country star announces, “Turn it Up!”
Jack pumps his other fist and gets to his feet, pulling me with him. Cupping my face and giving me that adoring smile I’ve only ever seen him give me, he lowers his face to kiss me.
“You helped us get here,” he says before leaning away. I give him an admonishing look, but he gives it right back to me before he turns to follow the guys up to the stage. George and Erin, who are seated on the other side of me, huddle close as the guys climb the stairs to accept the award.They all take turns, thanking their loved ones, while Matt cradles the award. Jack goes last, saying thank you to his dad and sisters, and finishing with me.
“And last, my wife, Mayzie.” His eyes find me in the crowd. “Baby, I love you more than any song lyrics could possibly express.”
“I love you,” I mouth, before they’re ushered off the stage, accompanied by roaring applause.
EPILOGUE
3 YEARS LATER
Mayzie
“Jack?” I call from our living room. “Can you come hang these now? I’m afraid if I try it, I’ll hit a stud or something,” I say impatiently, standing by the empty wall that lines our stairs.I have framed posters of all three of Turn it Up’s album covers, including Tempest Highway that was just released.It’s a seriously great picture. The guys are all standing side by side with their backs to the camera. Jack, Josh, and Matt are all holding their guitars with the necks angled down, while Chris has his drumsticks in his back pocket. Their hair and their tattered looking clothes are blowing in the wind, and they’re standing on a rundown road, facing a mass of black storm clouds in the distance. The road is cracked, its yellow line faded, and power lines are down, looking like they’re sizzling on the ground.The rest of the land is barren plains of dirt.They look like they are ready to embark on a dangerous journey.
“Hang what?” I hear Jack call back from the garage. I hear a wrench or some kind of tool clang and clatter as he tosses it back in its box before he appears in the doorway that leads from the kitchen to the garage. He lets out a huff when he leans in the frame and looks at the poster frames at my feet.
“Aw, baby, not those. Come on…” He’s a bit bashful of putting the band’s success on display.
“I like them. Aren’t you proud? I am,” I say, picking one up to admire it.
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean I want them hanging in our living room. When we have people over, it’s going to look like I’m bragging or full or myself or something. Now, this...” he says, grabbing my book off of one of the shelves he put up for us, “let’s blow this up and hang it.”
The words Rock Life as a Rock Wife by Mayzie Krasinski glare back at me, suspended over a picture of me in a button-down shirt, cut-off jean shorts, and motorcycle boots. I’m on my stomach with my legs up behind me, crossed at the ankle, while I lean my chin on my hand. In the other hand, I’m holding a cord connected to an amp that has a wedding veil draped over it.
“No, that’s fine where it is on the shelf,” I say, setting down the poster and crossing my arms. He tilts his head at me, eyebrows raised.“Fine, you made your point,” I admit, “but I still like these. Can they go in the guestroom? Or the hallway?” I say, throwing both my hands out, asking him to throw me a bone.
“Hallway’s fine, baby. I’ll do it,” he says, coming to wrap his arms around me and give me a kiss. “But I wasn’t joking about your book cover. It’s hot. Itis,” he says when I roll my eyes. “And you should be prouder of that than the albums.”
I am proud. We’ve had it pretty good the last three years. We were able to buy our new, but modest home with the privacy our life demands.The band has become a household name, and I got a book deal for the memoirs I wrote, chronicling what it was like to navigate a new career, new life, and new marriage, all at once. It even made the bestseller list. Not the top of it, but who cares? And I’ve managed to turn it into a successful weekly blog. Because of that, I was able to quit copywriting, yet I still have the freedom to work when and where the inspiration strikes me.It worksout so well when you travel with your musician husband…a lot.With every album, there is a tour to promote it, which means they’re headed out again soon. And like always, I’ll join them a couple of weeks in.It’s always a rough few months, but we learned enough from the first time on how to make it work and come out the other end with love and appreciation for each other. Road life is a tradeoff we can live with. There are no other complaints.
Well, maybe one.
As I’m sure you’ve guessed, TurnIit Up has long since achieved Gold status at the label.When they got really big, agents started sniffing them out. While Ron has stayed on as their manager, they’ve gotten too big for him to do that along with handling the PR, so when Eli Costa, the biggest, most successful agent in the industry came knocking, Ron strongly urged the guys to sign with him, hardly giving it a second thought.While the band loves him, the guy makes my skin crawl.
He’s always got a woman –or women– around, which isn’t necessarily what bothers me.,hHe’s just kind of a cliché big shot in that light. It’s the way helooksat girls that makes me shudder, like they’re a special treat, just for him.
I try not to say anything and keep it to myself, because he is damn good at his job. He has booked the guys some seriously coveted gigs and appearances, getting them an abundance of positive attention, and the numbers speak for themselves.Their last tour sold out twice as fast as the one before Eli came along. He even scored them the job of writing and performing the anthem for the next upcoming action flick, which the guys are all over the moon about. I’m so happy and thankful for it, too, truly. But still, I stay out of his presence if I can help it.
“What are we going to hang on this wall then?” I say, turning one corner of my mouth down in a half frown.
“I’ve got an idea,” Jack says, releasing me, and going back to the garage. When he comes back in, he’s carrying a poster sized framehimself. I can’t see the picture because it’s turned in toward him, but it’s large, probably 20x40 inches or so. When he turns it around so it faces me, I gasp so loud you’d think I’d just been under water, my hands come up to my mouth as I’m swamped with feelings.
“Jack!” His name is muffled in my hands. I bring them down to my chest so I can speak. “Oh my God, where did you get this?” I ask, completely bewildered.
It’s a blown-up photo of our proposal spot. Our hilltop, the grass blowing in the breeze with wild flowers scattered all throughout. It looks exactly the way it did the day Jack asked me to marry him; all gorgeous, yellow, and hazy in the afternoon sun.
“I saved it on my phone. We were taking pictures, remember?” he says, stepping behind me. He puts his arms around me and brings his lips to my shoulder, working his way up the side of my neck.I do remember. We had taken a few pictures of our adventure that day.
“Jack, this is so sweet…” I don’t know what else to say. I feel like I’ve been engulfed in another one of those warm, soft waves of love that Jack never fails to make me feel.Bring on the tour buses, the paparazzi, the crazy fans… and all the adversity that comes with them.As long as Jack and I have each other, I don’t think any of it can touch us.
Jack
I knewMayzie would love this photo. That’s how she is. While I’d give her the world, it’s the simple things that make her happy.I think I wanted this picture in our home more than she did, so I can always be reminded of that moment she said yes to a life with me. Many snapshots of memories over the past three yearsare sporadically dispersed around this house, including an impressive collage of the European honeymoon I finally took Mayzie on when more royalties started rolling in. I love the reminders of how radiant she was at seeing places like Vienna and Spain.
If I had to make a choice between Mayzie and the music, it’d be her every time. But one of the most incredible things about her is she’s always trying to make sure I don’t have to.After three years, I still love her so much it hurts. I will never let her go. I will never let anything come between us, and I will always keep her safe.