Oz seems really nervous. I can tell by the set of his shoulders, by the way he scuffs at the stage floor with the toe of his boot. “This surprise is for you guys,” Oz says, “’cause ya’ll are what make us able to do this, and we love you for it. But it’s also a surprise for the girls. For Kylie, especially.” He turns and waves me over. “Come on out, baby.”
Colt looks at Mom. “You, too, Nelly.”
Everyone is confused. Mom and I go back out on stage, and two stagehands bring us stools. We sit three-quarters turned, facing the stage and the guys.
“If anybody out there is old enough to have watched Nell and me play when we were first starting out, ya’ll might remember a particularly memorable night in New Orleans.” Daddy’s looking at Mom with eyes that speak of their love, that speak of the secrets of twenty years of marriage. “I played a song that night. A very special song. One we haven’t played live in…oh, hell, ten years? Anybody remember that show? Which song I played?”
Oz is fiddling with the tuning knobs of his acoustic guitar, fixing a capo onto the strings. I watch him, and his eyes meet mine. The nerves are obvious in his eyes, and I smile, trying to reassure him.
The crowd is restless, muttering, and I hear a single voice shout from way in the back, “‘Falling Into You’!”
Daddy nods. “That’s the one. Ya’ll are about to hear a very special version of that song. Oz and I tweaked it a bit for this occasion, so now we’re calling it something different. This is ‘Falling Under.’”
He taps the flat of his guitar to count out the beat, and then they both start playing. Mom is watching, hand over her mouth, and then she turns to glance at me, and her eyes are already wet. She’s twisting her diamond ring on her finger. Oh. Oh. Realization hits me as Dad and Oz start in on the first verse.
“All my life it seems
I’ve been barely keeping
My head above the water
And then I saw you
You saw all the pain
Hiding in my eyes
And you wanted
To take it away
But I had no words for you
’Cause I was falling under
And I am falling, falling under with you
I can’t resist you, baby
I’m falling, falling under with you
Your love healed me
Fate has intervened
Conspiring to draw us close together
And tangle our lives
The siren of your song
And the music of your heart is calling
Whispering my name
And now I have the words for you
’Cause I’m falling under with you
Now I’m falling, falling under with you
I can’t resist you, baby
I am falling, falling under with you
And I’m falling still
I’m falling still
Now that fate has intervened
And drawn us close together
Past our fears and all the pain
Behind our eyes
Despite the ghosts trailing around us
Like a fog of haunting souls
You’re still trying hard to heal me
To take my pain and make it yours
Your beautiful eyes are smiling
Into mine
Now I’m falling, falling under with you
I can’t resist you, baby
I am falling, falling under with you
And I’m falling still
I’m falling still
I’m falling still
Falling under with you.”
Dad keeps playing, but the sound tech turns the volume down, so the melody is a faint refrain, a soundtrack for what’s about to happen. Oz swings his guitar around by the strap to hang from his back, turns toward me, grabbing the mic off the stand.
“Kylie…this is it. Are you ready?” He grins at me, stands in front of me. I can only nod and try to breathe. “Twenty years ago your dad played that song for your mom. I wanted a special way to do this for you, and your dad thought this might be perfect. I actually watched a video of that proposal, and I don’t mind admitting to being jealous of your Dad’s awesomeness. I’m just grateful he doesn’t mind me stealing his idea, and even conspiring to help me make it that much more perfect.”
He takes a deep breath, reaches into his hip pocket. “I love you, Kylie. You’re it, for me. You saved me, you know. Life had me running. Had me by the throat, and I really was falling under, losing hope. And then I met you, and you gave me a reason to keep my head above water. You taught me to swim. You taught me to live. And instead of giving up, I fell in love. I fell under your spell, Kylie, and every single day since, I’ve fallen further and further under for you.”
I’m crying, unabashedly weeping, and I don’t care who sees. I stand up and reach for Oz, but he falls to one knee at my feet, holding up a ring. It’s a small ring, simple, a thin white-gold band and princess-cut diamond but, to me, in that moment, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Except for Oz’s face and the love in his eyes.
He looks up at me, clearly struggling with his own emotions. “Kylie Calloway, will you—”
I don’t let him finish. I fall to my knees and lunge into him, crash my lips to his. We fall backward to the stage, and the crowd is going crazy, howling, cheering, clapping. Oz kept hold of the ring and the mic so, with me lying on his chest, he lifts the mic to his lips.
“I take it that’s a yes?”
I hold up my left hand, and he slides the ring on. I take the mic. “Yes, Oz! Of course yes. With all my heart yes.”
We devolve into kissing, heedless of the thousands of people watching.
I hear Daddy talking. “I can’t ask you to marry me again, Nelly baby, but I can tell you how perfect the last twenty years have been. I can tell you that I love you now infinitely more than I did then. And I can tell you that I’ll spend every moment of the next twenty years loving you that much more.”
The crowd can’t even handle it. They’re completely wild, apoplectic with glee. Finally, Oz and I have to pull away before it gets too heated.
Mom is crying, too, and she grabs the mic from Oz. “You know what’s funny is that I didn’t let Colt finish his proposal, either. Like mother, like daughter, huh?”
She looks at Oz. “Your last name isn’t Calloway, but Oz, you are so much like my husband that it’s a little scary sometimes. And I really couldn’t think of anyone better to marry my daughter than you.”
Her attention goes to Colt. “Baby…you’re so perfect it makes me dizzy sometimes. I love you so much I don’t even know how to express it, and I really never have. I’ve spent my life trying to show you how much I love you, and I’ve never been able to get it right. And I’m just thankful I’ve got the rest of our lives to keep trying.”