Liam shook my hand, but he eyed me like I was playing him or something. “Who are you, and what have you done with my little brother?”

I laughed at his question. I supposed I did seem like another person…maybe I was. A lot of shitty stuff had happened to me, and I viewed things differently now. But not completely differently. “Oh, I’m still in here, asswipe, and if you do steal my job, I’m giving you a wedgie so deep, you’ll need a doctor to surgically remove the underwear from your ass crack.

A slow smile spread over Liam’s face. “There he is.”

Just then, a person I hadn’t seen in a while approached us. I stood up to greet him. “Hey, Denny, good to see you, man.”

Denny took my hand and shook it, then extended his hand to Liam. “Hi, I’m Denny Harris. My wife and I represent the band.” Liam nodded and Denny’s dark eyes flickered between the two of us. “I just wanted to congratulate you both on how far you’ve come, and wish you both good luck tonight.”

Liam was giddy as he said, “Thanks.” I was more reserved. The last time Denny and I had spoken, I’d been an ass. Seemed to be a pattern with me. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute,” I told him.

He nodded and we stepped away from Liam. I stared at my feet while I prepared my apology. You’d think I’d be an expert at them by now. “I just wanted to say…sorry I was a prick last time we talked.” I thought to add more, but there really wasn’t any more to add. That pretty much summed it up.

Denny put a hand on my shoulder. “No worries, mate. I’ve already let that go.” When I looked up at him, he smiled. “You seem different,” he told me. “In a good way. I think the audience sees it too.” He glanced over at Liam before looking back at me. “I’d never tell him this, but…you’ve nailed it every time you’ve gone onstage. And you’ve really rallied the country behind you. No small feat, considering how much of a rift you caused when you left.” He patted my arm. “You’ve worked hard, and the guys and I have noticed. We’re all very proud of you.”

My nerves evaporated under his praise. “Thank you. I think I needed to hear that.”

He clapped my shoulder again. “Good luck tonight.”

But after he left, my nerves started creeping back in. This was it…the moment of truth.

When it was time, Liam and I went onstage together. The host gave each of the judges a moment to praise Liam and I for getting this far. Kellan was the last one to speak. He had to wait a solid three minutes for the screaming to die down long enough for him to start. “I just want you both to know, no matter what the outcome is tonight, you’re both winners in my eyes. You’ve both worked hard at earning your right to be in the band. Congratulations.”

The crowd started screaming again, so I tilted my head to thank Kellan for his words. I’d always been so jealous of him, and he’d never been anything but gracious to me. I was such a dick.

After each of the judges had said their words of encouragement, the host turned to Liam and me. He smiled and asked us how we were doing. I fought to keep my expression even. If he took his sweet fucking time opening the fucking envelope tonight, a blood vessel was going to burst in my brain. Just end this fucking torture already!

“You’ve both done so amazing on this show…let’s take a moment to recap, shall we?”

I wanted to groan, I wanted to scream. Instead, I scanned the crowd. There were several faces I recognized—all of my family was here, plus some of my ex-coworkers, Justin and his girlfriend, Kate, Denny and his wife, Abby, but the most important face in the crowd was my wife’s. While Anna watched the monitors playing my montage, I watched her. When the video got to the section of my audition when I said I was sorry to my wife, a tear dripped down Anna’s cheek. She met eyes with me and smiled, then she mouthed the words I love you.

Grinning myself, I switched my gaze to my feet. Win or lose, it was okay, because Anna and I had healed something broken between us, and that was more important than any job ever would be. After Liam’s video montage ended, the host returned his eyes to us. “Let’s not make you boys wait any longer. The winner of Can You Be a D-Bag? is…” I closed my eyes and squeezed Liam’s hand. Either way, I was fine with this. The host’s booming voice echoed around the auditorium as he announced the winner. “Liam Hancock! Congratulations, Liam!”

There was an explosion of light and noise, and confetti streamers started pouring down onto the stage like rain. Opening my eyes, I looked over at Liam. Several things happened to my body simultaneously: joy, pain, elation, sorrow. My brother won! And I lost…

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I’d wanted this so much, and I’d just lost it. Permanently. I felt my vision hazing, my knees buckling, but somehow, I pushed the feeling aside. This contest wasn’t mine to lose. I’d had my chance with the D-Bags, and I’d blown it. My time was over; it was Liam’s time to shine now. Pushing aside the lingering agony, I squeezed Liam in a gigantic bear hug. This was okay. Liam deserved to win. The other eighteen contestants flooded the stage as the host thanked the audience, the viewers, and the numerous sponsors. The cameras eventually stopped recording, the confetti eventually stopped falling, and people eventually started leaving. I stayed on the stage, floored. It was over…and after all of that, I’d lost.

The guys came over to congratulate Liam. They were instantly surrounded by fans who’d stayed for autographs. Some even asked Liam for his, which astonished him by the look on his face. Evan, Matt, and Kellan each gave me shocked, sympathetic expressions. It made me feel better to see them surprised; they’d all thought I’d win. Denny and Abby joined their circle, and I watched from the outside as the new D-Bags began forming.