Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Ed Nicole’s hand to run from nman and instantly fell in love
o run. When they ckstage area, he led d 30 others, into the unit. s Nicole cowering n, who recorded a ge for his parents in t survive. ed to calm the ng group for around five minutes, before deciding they needed to clear out of the target area. Peering out of the door during a break in the gunfire, he noticed a metal ramp leaning against a 10ft fence.
He hurried the group up the ramp and together, against the echo of gunshots and in total darkness, they ran into open ground towards the safety of the Strip.
Afterwards, Bryan and Nicole appeared in dozens of media interviews retelling their traumatic experience while holding hands.
“Holding her hand felt like the most natural thing to do as we did interviews together,” says Bryan. “It was subconscious and, truthfully, I never wanted to let it go.”
Bryan, lead singer with his band Elvis Monroe, threw himself into supporting the #Vegasstrong movement by performing at numerous fundraising concerts.
On October 13, the band played at the Mandalay Bay and things changed for ever.
Nicole says: “I wanted to see Bryan, but I was anxious about heading back to that hotel where the tragedy happened.
“He met me in the parking garage for reassurance and held my hand and walked me in. Later, as we watched the acts, he had his hand on my leg. Afterwards, he walked me back to the car, opened the door for me, smiled and gently leaned in to kiss me.
“I was taken by surprise and naturally leaned in to him. It was pure impulse for both of us. I never saw it coming, but my instincts just knew it was right.”
The pair began casually, and secretly, dating. But then, in November, Nicole was struck down with viral meningitis.
Bryan was by her side during her three weeks in intensive care while specialists battled to treat the brain infection and then helped her back to full health for another six weeks. But then Nicole had second thoughts about how fast and intense their relationship had grown. She says: “I was worried about the big age difference and getting too involved. I insisted we’d just be friends.”
Bryan was devastated. He says: “I did tear up, but I held on to my belief that we could still make it.”
Bryan was right. Because Nicole soon realised just how much she missed him. A few weeks later, she drove for over four hours to surprise Bryan at a gig in California.
Nicole says: “Seeing Bryan in person just changed everything. It suddenly dawned on me that I couldn’t bear the thought of him meeting somebody else. So I said, ‘I am in love with you’.
“It was obvious I had been fooling myself for months about how much he meant to me.”
Since then, the couple, both from Las Vegas, have become inseparable. With Nicole at his side, Bryan’s band have played many fundraising and charity events to support the survivors and victims’ families of the shooting.
Nicole says: “We both remain devastated by the events of that night, but we cannot ignore that it has brought us together – and changed our lives for ever.”