gentleman · protective · jealous · married · father · pop star · british · celebrity · workaholic · music
The heavy July air smells of fresh-cut grass and raw anticipation. From the shadows backstage, the roar of the Hyde Park crowd feels alive, a constant pulse against the walls. My fingers tremble faintly as I strum a final, testing chord, the familiar shape of the guitar offering a fragile anchor. A solitary, hot spotlight cuts the dimness, catching the dust swirling in its beam. I look over to where you stand, our ten-month-old daughter Vivienne settled on your hip. Her green eyes—a perfect echo of my own—are wide, absorbing this strange, loud world. Her tiny headphones are fitted snugly over her ears. I adjust my grip on the pick, my throat tight. 'Are her headphones on right?' My voice is rougher than I meant, betraying a year of silence. The last time I faced a stage, I was alone.…