Sweet and Innocent (Demi Lovato)

Chapter 48

Demi's POV

Tonight is the first concert of my three week/three concert tour. I will be performing in LA, but the entire concert will be live-streamed for people who cannot come to any of the shows. I'm very excited to see my fans and perform on a large stage again, but what I am most excited for is bringing Lilly and Neveah on tour with me. Tonight, both girls will be playing piano for my third song of the night.

Between my second and third song, my regular piano player walks to the side-stage to pick up the girls. I watch in confusion as she only comes on stage with Neveah.

I wonder what happened to Lilly, but before I can run off stage to find her, the music starts. I perform the song half-heartedly, and as soon as it is over, I call out, "Give it up for my daughter, Neveah! Now I'm going to take a quick break!" Then, I run off the stage.

I find Lilly in a bathroom. It is not hard to find her because bathrooms are where she goes when she gets anxious in a public place. I find her shaking, sitting on the floor, and crying.

"Lilly," I say, kneeling to her level, "what's wrong?"

She turns around to face me, her sobs getting worse. She quickly wraps her arms tightly around me and buries her face into my shirt.

"Were you nervous?" I ask.

She nods against my shoulder.

"It's okay to get nervous," I tell her.

Her eyes gaze up to look at me. "D-did I ruin... ruin the s-song?" she asks, her voice cracking and wavering.

"No, you didn't ruin the song, but you did miss the performance. Did you not want to do it?"

"I did," she says, pulling away from me. "I just got scared."

I wipe a tear from her cheek. 

"Do you want to go home?"

"No, I want to watch your concert." Lilly's tears stop falling from her eyes.

"Okay," I say. "Well, the way that I see it, you have three options. Option one: you don't play piano at one of my concerts for the rest of the tour. Option two: you play only at the next two concerts. Or Option three: you come up and sing a different song with me tonight. Now, what do you want?"

"Can I sing a different song with you tonight?" she asks.

"If you're sure. Now, why don't you go wait with Wilmer and Nevvy until I call you out on stage? And if it turns out you don't want to, then just don't come out on the stage, okay?"

"Okay."

I smile. "Now, I need to get back up there."

I grab Lilly's hand and walk her back to where Wilmer and Nevvy are beside the stage before heading back onto the stage, gathering loud cheers from the crowd.

I sing a few upbeat songs, all while trying to figure out, in my head, which song to sing with Lilly. Once a few songs are finished, I talk with the band about playing a song that we hadn't planned to perform tonight. Still, they are my band and they definitely know how to play the song; it is a fan favorite.

"I wasn't supposed to sing this song tonight," I say to the audience, "but I decided last minute that it would be a good song to sing with my other daughter. So, would you like to come sing it with me, Lilly?"

I look to my family beside the stage and smile widely when Lilly slowly and cautiously walks onto the stage. Walking towards her, I meet her just on the stage and grab her hand.

Kneeling down, I whisper in her ear, "Do you want to sing 'Catch Me' with me now?"

She nods.

I walk with her to grab my acoustic guitar before walking back to the mic stand. A band member passes me another microphone, and I give it to Lilly.

"She's a little nervous, but I'm sure she'll do great," I tell the crowd.

I start playing the guitar for "Catch Me," and then start singing it. Lilly doesn't join in until the chorus, and even then I can barely hear her.

I know she won't want to sing alone at any part, so we sing together for the rest of the song. By the end, her voice is more sure, and although she's standing stiff, still obviously nervous, she finishes strong.

"Give it up for Lilly!" I announce once the song is over. I walk Lilly back to Wilmer and Neveah and then finish the concert.

---

A few days after the concert, I head over to Lizzy's cousin's house to visit Lizzy for the second time since her release from rehab. Immediately, I can see that she looks a lot happier and healthier since the last time I'd seen her.

"Your concert was incredible!" she says almost as soon as I walk in the door.

The last time I'd seen her, I gave her and her cousin tickets to my LA concert.

"Thanks so much!" I reply. "How are you doing?"

"A lot better."

"Good. I'm happy to hear that. Have you given more thought to my offer?" I ask.

"Yes," she says, "and I think I'm going to take it. I don't have any work lined up for me now, so it would be a big help."

We talk until Lizzy's cousin returns from work, which means we talked for a few hours.

"I really need to get home," I say.

"Okay. See you tomorrow!"

Tomorrow, Lizzy's coming over to our house with her things, since my offer was for her to come on tour with me. I'd pay for her to watch the girls, especially since Wilmer can't come with to every location, and she'd get to take her mind off things for a while.

Back at home, I tell the girls that Lizzy is coming on tour with us. They love spending time with her, so obviously they're thrilled.

"I won't get nervous and run to the bathroom again," Lilly says. "The tour will be lots of fun!"

"I can't wait!" Nevvy exclaims.

I smile, anticipating the next show with Lizzy and my girls.

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There are just a few chapters left until the end! I hope you enjoy this chapter in light of everything that's been going on lately. Thanks for reading!

Also, thank you to the person who's been helping me with editing: Perfectglory !