A Love Song for Always - Piper Lawson

1

Seven days until the wedding

“Can’t we move any faster?” I lean toward the partition between the front and back seats of the limo. “There must be another road. Let me check.”

The driver shoots me a patient look. “Miss Jamieson, it’s the 405.”

From the seat next to me, Rae laughs silently. “Forgive her. She has a serious case of Tyler Adams withdrawal caused by spending too much time apart from her hot fiancé.”

Since I jumped out of bed in New York this morning ahead of the five-thirty alarm to shower and dress, every part of me has been buzzing with anticipation.

Most of my day was spent on the flight to LA with Rae, but I was too distracted to work or read.

Now, the stop-and-go traffic makes me want to roll down my window and shout at the world. Instead, I drum my fingers on the bare knee I nicked my second time over it with a razor.

“Seriously. I don’t need to crash with you and Tyler while I play my gigs this week,” Rae goes on.

“Yes, you do. There are five bedrooms.” Tyler took me on a virtual tour before he rented the house before our wedding. It gave him a home base to work on album release promotions with the studio until I could hand my Broadway role to another actress so Tyler and I could have the next month together before his tour. “Even when Dad and Haley show up with the kids tomorrow, that leaves plenty of space.”

Traffic breaks, and the car surges toward the exit.

Yes.

“Did you see the news about Wicked Records?” Rae holds up an article on her phone about my Dad’s former label.

I resolve to focus and not degenerate into a throbbing ball of need now that my fiancé is only minutes away.

“Sounds like after years of mismanagement, they’re going down fast. Dad hasn’t been involved with them for a long time. Not since he was fighting over his songs.”

“Have he or your stepmom said anything?”

“Not to me.” But we haven’t exchanged more than a rushed voicemail or emails with wedding logistics in the better part of a month given how busy things have been preparing for this time off.

My finger drumming on my knee starts again.

“Just as well you’re dropping me at the club so I won’t be there when you see Tyler,” Rae offers. “I don’t want to be within earshot when you guys… reunite.” She enunciates each syllable.

There’s no point trying to hide the flush that crawls up my face.

I have been anticipating all the parts of seeing my fiancé. Not only because we’re getting married in a week, but because I haven’t kissed him, touched him, or shared more than a sexy FaceTime call with him in a month.

I’ve been in love with Tyler Adams for a decade, long before he became a rock star and I wrote a Broadway show.

Now we’re about to tie the knot.

The obstacles that kept us apart felt insurmountable at the time. But our love, our tenacity, and maybe a little destiny kept bringing us back to one another. Next weekend is validation of all we’ve been through.

“I grew up wanting to be on stage, but the whole bride fantasy skipped me,” I admit.

“No parade with stuffed animals down a made-up aisle?”

I shake my head. “But the moment Tyler and I decided on a date, it was like something took me over. I wanted all of it. The guests. The dress. The cake. The music.”

“The man,” she finishes.

And what a man.

I swore I’d never fall for a rock star. Growing up with my dad’s fame rubbed me the wrong way. I felt I had to prove myself—to him and to everyone. It took years for me to realize I belonged, that I could carve my own path without being lessened by his or jealous of Tyler’s relationship with my dad.

“Our lives have been anything but perfect. This week will be the exception,” I confide.

Our destination wedding will take place on a stunning island with private beaches and exquisite accommodations. After, Tyler and I have cleared our schedules for nearly a month. There’ll be nothing but relaxation and enjoy newly wedded bliss with my best friend, who also happens to be my fiancé and the hottest guy on the planet.

I’ve been planning it with crazed fervor.

To be clear, perfect doesn’t mean glossy-magazine-worthy. It’s about having time with each other and the people we love in a beautiful, private place that feels like heaven.

The car pulls up at the