I hold my ground and shake my head, withdrawing into Finn like maybe his size will hide me from the spotlight.
“Hey,” he whispers against my temple, “what can I do?”
“Pretend you’re me.”
“I can’t exactly do that, but how about I go up there with you?”
I spin around in his arms. God, even after several hours in his tux, he still smells delicious. “You’d go up there and sing with me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Canyou sing?”
“How about you find out?” He kisses me right on the mouth. Right in front of everyone. And I mean everyone, since the entire room is looking at me. This includes my dad, who flew in just for the wedding. If he’d been wondering about my relationship with Finn, he isn’t any longer.
“Okay.” I spin around and march up to the stage, Finn right behind me. “It’s a duet or nothing,” I say to Jillian.
She laughs and waves Finn and me up. “I love you, Chlo. And I know the perfect song for you two.” She speaks to the band member finishing with the karaoke machine—a big blue screen for lyrics atop a large black boom box, for lack of a better description. The rest of the band steps off the stage for a break.
“We’re good to go,” the band guy says.
“Have fun!” Jillian gives me a quick hug before she and Robert step off the stage. They stand front and center on the dance floor, ready to watch the Chloe and Finn Show.
It’s not that I’m shy. And it doesn’t bother me to stand in front of an audience. My problem is I only like to do things I’m good at. I get that karaoke doesn’t require a good singing voice and is about fun more than anything else, but that doesn’t make this any easier. To make matters worse, the videographer has his camera poised to immortalize the entire performance.
“I’ve got you,” Finn says, bringing my attention to him. “We’vegot this.”
The band guy hands a microphone to me and one to Finn. “Push this button here when you’re ready.” He points to a big round silver button. “Adjust the volume here.” His hand moves to a large dial. “I’ll get you started to make sure everything is working.”
It’s then that I notice the song on the blue screen. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John. I dart a glance down to Jillian. She gives me two thumbs-up.
“Ready?” Finn asks. He took off his tuxedo jacket some time ago and his white dress shirt molds to his chest and biceps. The top two buttons are open, sexy as sin. I guess if I’m going to be humiliated, there’s no one better to have by my side. Everyone—even the men—will be watching the handsome pro baseball player from a famous family rather than me.
“As I’ll ever be,” I say.
The music starts, loud and clear through the stage speakers. Every muscle in my body stiffens. Finn, though? He’s loose, his arms swinging slightly in time with the beat. I imagine being on a baseball field with fifty thousand fans watching you and hoping you hit a home run makes this a piece of cake. He smiles at me, his eyes sparkling, and my body responds. Relaxes.
He sings the first verse and holy mother trucker. Is there nothing this man can’t do? He nods to the screen. Oh yeah, it’s my turn. I sing the next verse. He grins at me like I’ve got a boat-ton of Grammy awards sitting on a shelf at home. I relax further.
We go back and forth, and before I know it, we’re gesturing to go along with the lyrics, eyes locked on one another. Then Finn puts his arm around me and together we belt out, “Who-who!” And the crowd goes wild. At least I think they do. I’m so in tune with Finn, mesmerized by his talented voice and grateful he’s up here with me, that everyone else in the room falls away.
Finn holds his mic in front of me to sing into.
I hold my mic in front of him.
We follow the prompts on the screen, singing our own lines and collaborating on the refrain. I forget that I can’t sing. My voice grows louder, stronger. Who cares if I can’t carry a tune? This is so fun I may want to sing another song.
Finn and I get totally into it. Our hips swing, our arms. He gestures to his heart. I put my thumbs and index fingers together to make a heart shape. We are rocking this song like we’ve sung it together a million times. In my head, anyway.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m sad when the song comes to an end. Finn and I take a bow to a massive round of applause.
Jillian is the first to greet us when we step down from the stage. “That was fantastic!” She gives me a hug. “Thanks for being a good sport.”
“Of course.” I’d swim through piranha-infested waters for her and she knows it.Wait until I get you back at my wedding, though.Whoa. Where did that thought come from?
Finn and I accept compliments and praise as we walk toward our table holding hands. His warm, slightly callused fingers make me feel good all the way to my toes.
“Nice job, you two,” my dad says stopping us midstride. He takes a quick glimpse at our hands, keeps his expression neutral.