If Tomorrow Never Comes

Ten years ago… “I love you,” I said as I hugged my father goodbye. My Volkswagen Bug was loaded down—so much so that the back end was sagging, even though my father had added more air to the rear shocks.“Take care of yourself,” he breathed into my hair as he held me to his chest. Then, he pulled back to look into my eyes. “Promise me that you’ll write.”“My God, James,” my mother replied, smiling. “She’s just going to Nashville; not to the Moon.”“Dad, if you had a cell phone, then you could text me any time you like.”On second thought, maybe it was a good thing that he didn’t. I had been a singer and musician my whole life, having started off singing and playing in the church choir, then had graduated to different local venues. I just couldn’t wait to start this new chapter of my life in Nashville.&

He ignored the jabs of his friends as he hurried over to my table and plopped his tray down across from mine.I laughed, shaking my head as I popped a French fry into my mouth. McDonald’s has the best. “So, are you guys headed to Nashville?” I asked, suppressing a smile.He leaned in and his beautiful eyes looked directly into mine, then whispered conspiratorially, “Is it that obvious?”I giggled as I nodded toward the restaurant’s huge plate glass window to his car. “Nashville or bust?” I laughed, enjoying the exchange.“Yeah. I guess it is that obvious,” he replied, then took a huge bite of his Big Mac, devouring half of it in one bite.“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.“Yeah, well, I guess that wasn’t the most romantic thing to do.” His lips curled into a sexy half smile.I shrugged. “I’ve seen worse.”“Well

I hurried down Broadway toward my car, and pulled up in front of the Double Shot Saloon a half hour later. I looked down at how I was dressed before going in—I was still in my jeans and a T-shirt, so I unzipped my suitcase and grabbed my sky blue blouse and black strappy heels. The shirt looked great on me and the heels would look good with my jeans. I hurried across the street to a nearby café and changed, then looked in the mirror. My long, sun-streaked blonde hair was disheveled and my makeup had rubbed off. I quickly grabbed a vent brush from my purse and ran it through my hair, and then applied a bit of eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, and some lipstick. When I looked in the mirror one last time, the eyeliner and mascara accented my bright green eyes. At least I looked a bit more presentable. Satisfied, I hurried across the street to the Double Shot Saloon.As I entered the nightclub, the sound of clanking glasses and people talking loudly filled the dark room

“Come out when you’re ready,” he said discreetly as he suppressed a smile.“Oh, okay.” I quickly grabbed my guitar case, then slung my purse over my shoulder and walked out.I looked around the bar, and there were a few customers still there. I looked down to check my guitar and almost ran into a wall. I looked up, and Logan was looking down at me.“You’re still here…” I said, more of a statement than a question.“Yes. We’re still here,” he said, pointing to the same group of friends that he was with at McDonald’s. “Would you like to join us?” His eyes were so hopeful that it was difficult to say no.“Well, I really should be going…”“Just for one drink?” he asked, hopeful as he raised his eyebrows.“Alright. Just one drink,” I agreed.I followed him over to the table where his friends were sitti

They laughed, and Logan nodded to Mason. “Count it off!”“One, two, three, four!” Mason yelled as he hit his drumsticks together.I recognized the tune and immediately picked it up. These guys weren’t just good … they were great. I hadn’t had this much fun in my life. As the song came to a close, we ended it in an elaborate rift as Logan and I leaned our backs against one another, and then we all jumped into the air together and landed on the last cord as we all cheered.“Man! You guys are great!” I yelled, laughing. “Let’s do another“Sweet Home Alabama!” Lathe yelled, and Mason counted it off.Lathe and I alternated doing the beginning rifts, and then we launched into our own rendition. Logan took the lead on the verses. He had a great voice: rocking, sweet, and sensual. I immediately felt my heart stir, and I wondered what it was. A few minutes later, the song came to