"Are you ready for this special one-night-only performance, Thunder Bay?" the emcee asks the crowd as I make my way to the stage with Kara, Dylan, and Key. "Let's make some noise for Cayden Indigo and her band!"

I'm far less anxious than I was during my first walk to the stage earlier tonight, but my heart still races now that it's time to go on. The true test will be when the curtain rises and I'm faced with everyone in the crowd.

As I take my position behind the closed curtain at center stage, in front of my microphone stand, I visualize Hunter's words. Everything will be fine, and you've got this. I'm determined to prove him right, and to fulfill the wish my fan Mira expressed months ago for me to keep singing and not stop because of what happened.

I'm not opening the show a cappella tonight. My bandmates and I decided to make the set as different as we could from what we'd planned for The Domino. Only a few of the songs are the same, like the hits we know we need to play, but we won't perform "Sunset." Each of us has come a long way from where we were when the summer began, but we aren't ready to perform that yet and we may never be.

Tonight my band begins with an extended musical intro to a single from my most recent album, intended to hype the crowd up just before the curtain rises. All of us are revealed to the audience just as I start singing the opening verse. When I manage to come in on time and let myself feel the song, instead of being distracted by what's around me, and when I don't feel my chest tighten or my airways constrict, I gain confidence that this is something I can do.

We transition seamlessly into the second song, which is a high-tempo B-side from my first album that was a surprise fan favorite. It isn't until we hit the last verse that my nerves attempt to make a comeback. A nagging voice inside my mind reminds me it was the end of the second song when the bomb at The Domino went off.

My automatic reflex is to glance out at the audience, and my gaze lands on Hunter. I don't know if he senses my growing unease as I continue to sing or if he's aware of the timing of what happened at The Domino, but he looks straight at me and his mouth curves up into the most beautiful smile. Seeing it lifts me from the shadows of my mind and I push through, somehow not missing a beat.

The band usually pauses after our second song so I can greet the crowd, but tonight we keep the momentum going for song three, which is what we planned for. Making it past the second song cleared a mental hurdle for all of us, but there's another reason I'm addressing the audience after the third song tonight. The song I wrote for Hunter is fourth in our set, and I want to introduce it.

"Hello, Thunder Bay!" I exclaim a few minutes later. I pause to take a sip of water while my greeting is met by cheers, applause, and a few whistles. "I've missed this place more than I can put into words. You might have heard I was here this summer." There are more cheers at this, along with gentle laughter. Millions of people around the world know I was here this summer, thanks to what happened at the music festival and the videos posted everywhere online.

"It didn't take long for me to fall in love with being here," I continue. "I learned about the Sleeping Giant. I went for boat rides on one of your beautiful lakes and enjoyed bonfires with people who immediately welcomed my mom and me. And I caught tadpoles—kind of. I'm really bad at it."

My gaze flickers to the front row. Paisley looks like she's on cloud nine. Hunter is listening with rapt attention, a smile still playing on his lips. I close my eyes for a moment, conjuring up one of the brightest memories I have. When I open them again, I look out over the audience and continue to speak.

"There's one night I'll remember for the rest of my life. I was with someone I met almost as soon as I got here who came to mean a lot to me. We were outside, away from city lights, with a meteor shower above us among what seemed like millions of stars. Everything felt like magic. That night, and this summer, and the person I was with are what this next song is about. It's called 'Impossible Star' and it's brand new. I haven't performed it before, and all of you will be the first to hear it."

The stage lights change as I talk, putting the spotlight on me and dimming the lights over my band. Although we've been working on a full-band arrangement for the song, I decided to perform the acoustic version for this show and to accompany myself with the guitar I had with me at the lake. The audience goes silent as I play the opening notes, and then I start to sing.

All I had were ashes and a life burned to the ground,
Screaming out in nightmares, trying not to make a sound.
You saved me from a fire I wouldn't talk about,
Healed my shattered heart again until I had no doubt.

That one night under moonlight, Mercury and Mars,
When time stood still for us, under impossible stars.
Our kiss was all that mattered, it's all that matters now,
I'd hit rewind and tell you then, if I just knew how.

And I was wrong, but I didn't know it at the time,
Or that I'd hurt you, and I was guilty of this crime.
All I wanted was to stay and for you to be mine,

Two-thousand miles away now, I wish on empty skies,
For one more chance to see you and look you in the eyes.
To turn back the clock so I would always say what's true,
I'm trying to move forward, but all I want is you.

And I was wrong, but I didn't know it at the time,
Or that I'd hurt you, and I was guilty of this crime.
All I wanted was to stay and for you to be mine,
My impossible star, you made my tarnished world shine.

There are nights I dream I've found a way to make things right,
You hold me in your arms again under the moonlight.
You promise me forever, you promise you'll be mine,
My impossible star, you still make my whole world shine.

The crowd remains hushed for a moment after I finish the song, and then applause thunders through the auditorium, but I'm only focused on one person's reaction. Hunter appears stunned until he notices me watching him and meets my eyes. The energy exchange that happens while we look at one another comes close to stealing my breath away.

I almost forget I still have most of a set to perform and then an encore, until the stage lights change again and my band begins playing the next song. Kara's drum beat and Key's bass line pull me back into the moment, which is where I need to be right now. But when the show is over and the final curtain comes down, I'm off the stage in a flash and headed for the green room.

I'm alone when I get there, and the first things I do are take off my wig, shake out my hair, and change out of my stage clothes so I'm not a sweaty mess when everyone gets here. I've just finished changing when I hear voices in the corridor, and then Paisley bounds into the room. Behind her, I see Brooke, Melanie, Rob, and Mom lingering outside the room, talking to Sawyer and some of my band.

"That was amazing!" Paisley declares. She runs over to give me a hug. "I can't believe you wrote a song about my dork of a brother, but I teared up during it, not gonna lie."

I laugh and return her hug, but I can't help watching the door. Paisley takes a step back and catches me on the lookout for Hunter.

"He'll be here in a minute," she says. "He had to get something from the car for you."

I start to ask what's in the car for me, but my question dies on my lips as I hear footsteps approach. Hunter appears in the doorway, holding a bouquet of red roses in his hands.

"He brought them in a cooler so they wouldn't wilt," she confides to me in a whisper. "You two are endgame, I swear."

She leaves my side and bounces past Hunter out of the room, casually closing the door behind her. Now it's just him and me alone together. I already feel the same buzz of energy between us that almost left me breathless on stage.

"Hi," I say softly.

Hunter steps forward from his position just inside the doorway, closer to me. Cellophane crinkles as he holds the flowers out. "Hi. These are for you."

"They're gorgeous, thank you." Our fingertips touch when I take the bouquet from him, and the contact sends something that's like an electrical current through me. I set the flowers down on a nearby table while I debate if it's better to stay calm and collected or to go with the greeting I most want to give him.

Go with what's true, my inner voice reminds me, and so I fling my arms around him. "Thank you for being here."

If I was worried about how he would react to this, I shouldn't have been. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me in closer. I lean my head against his shoulder and relax into his embrace as one of his hands strokes the back of my hair.

"I missed you." His voice becomes choked with emotion. "I can't believe you wrote me a song. That's the last thing I deserved, and I don't think there's an apology big enough to make up for how I've acted. I'm so sorry for going silent on you, and I wish I could take back every stupid word I said the last time I saw you."

Hunter holds me tighter, as if he's afraid of letting go. I move my head to look at his face. His eyes brim with tears.

"Don't cry." I bring one of my hands up to wipe a teardrop from his cheek. "You were upset with me and how you found out the truth, and I get it. Neither of us knew I'd be leaving before we could talk again."

"I shouldn't have gone on that fishing trip," he insists. "I'd been gone for an hour when I finally realized that I wasn't upset with you. I was angry with myself and acting like a jerk out of embarrassment and misplaced pride. I spent the rest of the weekend thinking about how I would find you and apologize the second I got back. Then when I did get back..." he trails off.

"I wasn't there," I finish.

He swallows hard and nods. "You weren't there. Paisley said your mom made you go back to L.A. because she was afraid for everyone's safety, and how much you didn't want to go. I went to find my phone so I could call you and saw you'd just called, and then I saw your text. I started to write back but another text came in from Adam saying how awesome you were for flipping out on a bunch of paparazzi who asked about me. I had no idea what he was talking about. When I closed your message to ask him, I saw a ton of other missed texts about the same thing."

"Is that when you found out your name had gotten out and was trending all over social media?" I ask.

"It was. It seemed unreal at first, but people had been asking who I was since seeing the video from the festival so maybe it shouldn't have caught me by surprise. When I read through the texts, I saw someone had sent me a link to a video of what happened at LAX. I opened it and couldn't believe what I was watching."

"I'm so sorry I confirmed your identity to the paps," I rush to say. "I didn't mean to, and I wanted to kick myself when I realized what I'd done."

"You didn't do anything wrong. You know that, right?" Hunter's expression now is a mix of astonishment and concern. "What I couldn't believe was that I'd lashed out at you just a couple of days before that, told you I didn't want to see you, and then disappeared on a fishing trip, and there you were, furious about my privacy being invaded and trying to protect me. I knew I didn't deserve you."

My heart skips a beat. Him saying he knew he didn't deserve me makes me afraid of where he's going with this. "Please don't say that."

"It's why I went quiet," he tells me. "I felt like you deserved so much more than someone who didn't try to understand where you were coming from before storming off. You were the better person, and I was convinced I didn't deserve you or belong in your world. Here you were, this accomplished, talented, shining star who still cared enough to try and shield me, and I was just some dolt who acted like I was angry with you when I was angry with myself."

"Hunter." I want to tell him he isn't a dolt and that he's so much more than he gives himself credit for, but he continues speaking.

"I thought it would be easier if you could forget about me. I didn't call or text, but I thought about you every day. When you told me you'd booked a show here and asked me to come, I knew I'd made an even bigger mistake by going silent. After all that, you still wanted to see me."

Now I'm the one trying to hold back tears. "All I've wanted since I left was to see you."

"I know that now." He runs his thumb along my jawline. "I promise I'll do everything I can to make things up to you if you'll forgive me for being an idiot."

"I don't know if you caught the words of that song out there, but it's safe to say you're forgiven." It's my attempt to lighten the mood before my emotions overwhelm me, and also to remind him of how I feel.

A sheepish grin lights up his face, and it's the best thing I've seen since I saw him in the audience tonight. "Thank you for writing me a song, Cali. I'm still in shock over that."

"Hey mister, you were the one who asked me to serenade you and write you a song. Be careful what you ask for." I poke his chest.

He chuckles and circles his arms around me again. "What if I ask you to stay, then?"

I tilt my head up to look at him. "I'm five steps ahead of you. I'll be here all week."

He leans his forehead against mine and peers into my eyes. "So if you're here all week, can I take you on a date?"

"You're absolutely taking me on a date," I inform him. "It saves me from having to hunt you down or book another last-minute show to see you."

"I might be trying my luck here, but what if I ask to kiss you?"

The way his eyes are sparkling now, it's a miracle I can form words to answer him. "That's another yes from me," I manage to say.

I've barely finished answering when Hunter's lips brush over mine. Something that feels like sparks dance over me from head to toe as I wind my arms around his neck and press my mouth to his. It's been weeks of wanting this kiss, this conversation, and this second chance for us.

I lose track of space and time as our kiss deepens and Hunter's fingers tangle in my hair. Someone could open the door and walk in at any moment, but right now, neither of us seems to care. It's just him, and me, and the elation of knowing we haven't lost one another.

We're finally getting it right.