A Time to Move On Read Online Free

can’t
change time. I can try to make deals, but they go unanswered. What can’t go
unanswered are the fans. They’re ready for us, Trent. It’s our chance to give
them something to remember.”

(3)
     
    Luke sipped a bottle of water and
rubbed his throat. The pre-show jitters still existed, no matter how big Fallen
Tuesday was now. More so, he feared the day his voice would give out. It had
come so damn close to happening before.
    Looking left to right, Luke made
sure nobody was looking at him and then he cleared his throat and spit on the
ground. It had become a routine before shows now and every time he feared he
would see blood again. But not today. Everything looked good.
    Gone By Autumn was playing their
opening set and they sounded great. Luke felt lucky that they were able to find
a band like this. Becoming rich and famous wasn't their goal. They were all
about the music and the fans, and it shined through every time they performed. That’s
what mattered the most.
    Gray, Trent, and Jake all joined
Luke. Mack was the only one missing. He seemed to be missing quite a bit lately,
and while that was expected, it didn’t make it okay and it didn’t leave Luke
feeling good at all.
    Mack was standing alone at the side
of the stage.
    “What’s he thinking right now?”
Luke asked.
    “Mack? Who knows,” Jake said.
    “Actually guys,” Trent said. “He
started saying something about making deals that go unanswered.”
    “Oh man,” Gray whispered. “I hate
this. I don't know how to help him. I wish I could put a woman in front of him.
The right woman, you know?”
    “There’s plenty of women who think
they’re the right one,” Luke said. “And knowing Mack, he’d get lost in that
part of the life. I think it’s a lot right now. We didn’t even realize the
dates as Frank started telling us about them. Doesn’t seem fair to have him
going through all this, does it?”
    “Maybe he needs it this way,” Jake
said. “The date can mean something good now. I mean, the biggest push of our
career. The album. The tour. Every little piece of this puzzle is coming
together at once. Maybe this is Kelly's way of helping him heal.”
    “Wow, that's a heavy way to look at
it,” Luke said. “I don't think his mind his thinking that way yet though."
    “But he loves the life,” Gray said.
“The shows. The stage. The fans. It's what keeps him going. That and his
motorcycle.”
    Luke nodded and just stared at
Mack. He remembered the phone call from Mack. Never before had he seen the big
guy so vulnerable and scared. When Luke was finally able to get to Mack at the
hospital, Mack fell into him in the hall of the hospital. It took all of Luke’s
strength to keep from falling as he tried to hold Mack. And Mack just sobbed.
He held Luke as tight as Luke held him. And he cried so hard.
    Feeling his chest tighten, Luke
turned away. He hadn’t been with Amy as long as Mack had been with Kelly, but he
knew that if he ever lost Amy…
    Luke closed his eyes and took a
deep breath.
    When he opened his eyes, Frank was
approaching. He gave a quick wave and asked, “Nervous?”
    “No,” Luke said. “Ready.”
    “Hey,” Frank said. “That opening
band is damn good. The merch tables are sold out.”
    “Really?” Luke asked.
    “New tour shirts are flying like
crazy,” Frank said. “And the Gone By Autumn table is empty. I just talked to
their manager and am having them contact our vendors for bigger orders for the
tour.”
    “That’s so great,” Luke said.
    The rest of the band, minus Mack, gathered
around Frank.
    “Launch day soon, boys,” Frank
said. “The preorders have been off the charts already. The free songs have been
downloaded millions of times. This album is going to go straight to the
top."
    “That’s all good news,” Gray said.
    “Thought you would all be
celebrating a little more,” Frank said. “It feels somber.”
    “Mack is struggling right now,”
Jake said.
    “Yeah, I know,” Frank