Melody of the Heart (Runaway Train Book 4) by Katie Ashley (2)

Lily’s laughter warmed my heart. “You’re insatiable, huh?”

“Oh yeah.”

“We’ll have to see when I’m able to go again.”

“Think you’ll be too sore?”

“Maybe.”

When I slid out of her, Lily winced. “Okay, maybe we need to wait until tomorrow.”

“I don’t mind.” I kissed her cheek. “I don’t want to do anything to hurt you.”

“My Prince Charming and Knight-in-Shining-Armor,” she mused.

“Whatever,” I muttered, although I did kinda like being referred to so highly. When Lily gave a resigned sigh, I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I probably should get going.”

“Can’t you stay a little while longer?” Even though we weren’t going to have sex again, I still wanted to be with her, to hold her in my arms.

“I guess so. I just don’t want to get caught.” Her brow did the cute little wrinkle she always did when she was really worried about something.

“Okay, we’ll get you dressed and back. Don’t want you turning into a pumpkin, Cinderella.”

Lily laughed and rose up off the mattress. As she grabbed for her clothes, I couldn’t help watching her a little longer in the candlelight. When she started to pull on her shirt, she glanced at me over her shoulder. “What?”

I shrugged. “Nothing. I just couldn’t help looking at you.”

“I would have thought you would have gotten your fill of finally seeing me fully naked,” she mused, as she pulled her shirt on and started for her sweatpants.

“I could never get enough of seeing you.”

With a smile, she came over to give me a kiss. “I’m going to leave the lingerie here, if that’s okay?”

“It’s fine. We can use it next time.”

She laughed. “We’ll just see about that.”

After one last, lingering kiss, she started down the ladder. I followed after her and walked her to the edge of the woods. “I love you, Lily,” I said.

“I love you, too,” she replied.

Part of me felt completed by making love to Lily, but as she hurried down the hillside to her house, it felt as though she was taking a little piece of me with her, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BRAYDEN

                                                                   THE PRESENT

 

“Babe, come on. It isn’t that mortifying,” I said, as I tried to coax Lily to stop hiding her face in her hands.

“I just talked about making out in the backseat of your car and how we lost our virginity. I would say that was pretty embarrassing,” came her muffled reply.

Giovanni chuckled. “I’m sorry I needed some details about that first time in the tree house.”

His statement caused Lily to jerk her head up. “Thankfully, they were just the bare minimum.”

Wagging my eyebrows at Lily, I said, “Maybe for him, but trust me, I was reliving them in all their glory.”

“You’re terrible,” she replied, although the corners of her lips did turn up a little.

After clearing his throat and shuffling his notes, Giovanni said, “So, to do a little recap. The original question was what was the most romantic thing Lily ever did for you. I believe you were setting up the importance of this car and how it might play into the most romantic thing?”

“Yes, that was the point of that story,” I replied, with a laugh.

“A ‘68 Challenger was a pretty impressive car to have as a teenage boy.”

“Oh hell yeah, it was. That baby was my pride and joy.”

“Did your parents give it to you?”

I snorted. “No, my parents believed in you getting a job and earning the money for a car. Thankfully, my mom’s dad came through for me. See, she was an only child, and I was the only grandson. He had several old cars he had collected over the years, so when I turned sixteen, he gave it to me.”

Givoanni’s brows shot up. “He must’ve been a special man to entrust such a special car to a teenager.”

“Yeah, he was. When I was just thirteen, I used to go over and wash it for him, put special oil on the leather seats. He taught me a lot about cars.” I sighed. “It’s sad to say, but I was glad he had passed away when I had to sell it.”

“Why was that?”

“Even though in my eyes, it was for a good cause, I know it would have broken his heart.”

“So why did you sell it?”

“To get the cash we needed to fund Runaway Train’s first album.”

Giovanni’s eyes bulged in surprise. “I had no idea that you weren’t with a studio the first go around.”

Shaking my head, I replied, “No, the one that got us the attention we needed to get that first real record deal was from the Challenger.”

Lily reached over and squeezed my thigh. “I really didn’t know if he was going to make it those first few weeks after he sold it. Whenever he would have to go get in the older Honda he’d bought, there would be tears in his eyes.”

I swatted her hand away with a laugh. “That’s not true.”

She grinned. “Yeah, it is.”

Rolling my eyes, I countered, “One time. I cried one time about that car, and she wouldn’t let me forget it.”

Giovanni’s brows lined in confusion. “So if you sold the car when you were twenty one, how does it figure into being the most romantic thing Lily ever did?”

“Well, that’s because my wife is really good at surprises.”

 

 

 

 

BRAYDEN

The Past

 

“Are we there yet?” I asked for probably the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.

Lily groaned. “Would you stop? Jeez, I never realized you were so impatient.”

I turned toward the sound of her voice. I couldn’t see anything since she had insisted on blindfolding me. Today was our first wedding anniversary. I’d managed to get a night off the road to fly back home, so we could celebrate. While I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her, Lily had other plans when she picked me up at the airport.

I’d missed her more than just physically. She had only been able to come out two weekends this month to be with me. Whenever she wasn’t with me, I felt lost. But between her job and the pregnancy, she was worn thin. Regardless of how much I wanted her with me, I wouldn’t allow her to do anything to jeopardize her health or our baby’s.

When the car started slowing down, I sat up straighter in the seat. “Is this it?”

Lily giggled. “I bet you used to drive your parents crazy.”

“No comment.”

The car came to a stop, and I held my breath until Lily put it in park. “Okay, I’ll come around to get you.” When she opened her door, I was tempted to jerk off the blindfold. As if she anticipated me, she said, “No peeking, or you don’t get your gift.”

“Fine, fine,” I grumbled.

Tapping my foot, I waited for her to come around the car. She opened my door and undid my seatbelt. Taking me by the hand, she led me out of the car. We took a few steps and then she let go of my hand. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, dammit, I’ve been ready the last thirty minutes.”

She laughed and then pulled off the blindfold. I was momentarily disappointed to see that we were just in our driveway. But then when I saw what was in front of me, I dropped onto my knees, which earned me another laugh from Lily. “Oh. My. God.”

It was a black, 68’ Challenger just like I’d had gotten when I was sixteen. Just like the one I’d sold to fund our first record deal. Staggering back to my feet, I said, “I can’t believe you found another one.”

Lily slid her arm around my waist. “I didn’t find another one. I found the one.” When I stared at her in shock, she said, “That’s your old Challenger, babe.”

I was speechless. She had literally stunned me speechless. “But how?”

“I ran the VIN number through some collectors, tracked it down, then explained to them the story behind the car.” With a teasing grin, she winked at me. “I might have used my feminine wiles a little bit to sway them to sell it.”

“Please tell me you didn’t show them your boobs?”

She smacked my arm. “Honestly, Brayden. I merely tossed my hair, gave them lots of smiles, and then maybe I turned the waterworks on about my dad and the baby.”

I threw back my head and laughed. “You’re terrible.”

“It got you the car, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, it did.” I pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her. “Baby, this is the most amazing gift I think I could ever receive.” Feeling her tiny bump brush against me, I quickly corrected myself. “The most amazing gift until our baby is born.”

“Good save, Vanderburg,” she murmured, her lips hovering over mine.

“Glad you thought so.” I kissed her deeply, plunging my tongue into her mouth. When I finished we were both breathless.

She smiled up at me. “Wanna take the car for a spin?”

“Fuck yeah. But considering I’m hard as a rock, I think I would rather take you for a spin.”

Lily pulled away from me. Swaying her hips, she walked over to the car and opened the backseat door. “Wanna fuck me in here like old times?”

Glancing around, I tried to gage if any of the neighbors were home to see us. When I thought the coast was clear, I hurried to her side.

Not taking her eyes off of mine, Lily lay back on the seat, opening her legs invitingly. “You want to know why this car is special to me?” she asked.

Licking my lips, I asked, “Because I love it so much?”

She tsked at me. “No silly.” She then whipped her shirt over her head. “Because I had my first orgasm with a guy in this backseat.”

I grinned. “I was happy to oblige you with that one.”

As she slid off her jeans, she said, “I almost lost my virginity in here.”

“Yeah, not the most romantic place to lose it.”

Cocking her brows at me, said, “Lose the pants, Vanderburg.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Not caring about the neighbors, I unzipped my jeans and tugged them down.

“Going commando, are we?”

With a laugh, I replied, “I ran out of clean underwear.”

Lily giggled. “Heaven forbid you have to do some laundry.”

“You got that right.”

The leather seat warmed my bare ass as I sat down. Once I closed the door, I covered Lily’s body with my own. She brought her hands up to grip my shoulders. “You want to know the number one reason why I love this car?”

“Mmm,” I muttered, as my hands came to her breasts.

“Because it was the place where you first said you loved me.”

My fingers stilled their movements. “I remember that,” I replied.

“In that moment, I didn’t think I could love you more, but I had no idea.” She cupped my face in her hands. “My love for you grows each and every day.”

“As does mine.” I brought my lips to hers for a tender kiss. When I pulled away, my heart did a funny flip-flop in my chest like the first time I ever saw her or kissed her or made love to her. We were coming full circle from the horny teenagers who had romped in the backseat to a married couple with a baby on the way.

And as the car rocked back and forth with our exertions, we made new memories in the Challenger with all new orgasms.

 

 

 

LILY

   THE PRESENT

 

After shifting in his chair, Giovanni gave me a wry smile. I couldn’t help bracing myself for his next question. The twinkle in his dark eyes told me he was about to pose a question that he really wanted to get some dirt on—something potentially salacious. I couldn’t imagine where he planned on going since he’d already gotten the dirt on Brayden’s and my first time, not to mention our R rated Challenger shenanigans. “This question shifts forward just a bit, but I think it will help tie everything together from your high school days to the days of Runaway Train.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Everyone is under the impression that the women of Runaway Train get along very well together.” He cocked a brow at me. “Is that the truth or a very carefully constructed PR façade?”

“No, we really do all get along and like each other. We’re so very lucky that we’ve become best friends, especially since we’re all so very different. Abby, Mia, and now Allison feel more like my sisters, than just my friends or bandmates wives. Over the years, I’ve really leaned on them, and they have me. I can’t even imagine how awful it would be if we hated one another.”

When Brayden snickered, I cut my eyes over to him. “What?” I demanded.

He held up his hands in surrender. “Nothing. I was just thinking myself how thankful I am that you girls all get along because there’s nothing scarier than one pissed off female, least of all four.”

Giovanni and I both laughed at his response. Brayden then winked at me before looking at Giovanni. “It really is the truth that the girls get along well. Any bitchy attitude is usually given to their men, not each other.”

“That is true. Although I would add that the men usually deserve it,” I replied, with a smile.

Brayden laughed. “I would agree with that, too.”

After smoothing my fingers over my skirt, I sighed. “In the end, it isn’t easy being a rock star’s wife. The somewhat nomadic life on the road with all the endless touring, the overeager female fans…it’s an emotional landmine. I really don’t think I could have survived if I hadn’t surrounded myself with supportive women like the girls.

“But you didn’t always have them to fall back on. You two were together before Runaway Train, or what would become Runaway Train, formed.”

“Yes, that’s true. Two of the guys in Brayden’s first band had girlfriends, but we were all so busy with school and jobs that we really didn’t get to be together that much except at shows. The Benders didn’t do any touring either.”

“I can only imagine it was hard being the only female with the four very different men of Runaway Train,” Giovanni remarked.

I nodded. “Very hard.

“Now that brings me to the question I really wanted to ask. What was it like the first time you met Brayden’s bandmates?”

“Oh God,” Brayden groaned, burying his head in his hands at the same time a flush entered my cheeks.

Giovanni’s eyes flashed like he had hit the jackpot. “Hmm, so it wasn’t all fun and games in the beginning?”

As the different memories of meeting Jake and AJ flickered through my mind, I gave an embarrassed laugh. “I guess you could say that although they were hours apart, my first introductions to the men who would become my brothers were quite interesting.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LILY

                                                                          THE PAST

 

The summer I turned twenty one was the first birthday I had to spend away from Brayden since we had become a couple. I had been accepted into a summer internship program that I received college credits for. It was a camp for troubled teens up in the North Georgia Mountains. I would only have every other weekend off, and I didn’t know how Brayden and I would get through our first real separation. The day I had to leave him, I cried the entire hour trip to the camp, and I didn’t stop until the next day.

I wouldn’t have been able to survive if we hadn’t been able to talk to each other every day on the phone. I shared stories about how far some of the campers were coming in their ability to trust or control their anger while Brayden told me more about his new band that had formed a few months beforehand. Two of the guys, Jake and AJ, were childhood friends who had formed a band in high school. Their bassist was Jake’s cousin. They hadn’t gotten as far on the music scene as the Benders had, but Brayden said they had way more talent. They just needed some polishing, and he hoped with his experience they could start to go places.

It was good hearing the excitement about music in Brayden’s voice again. After the breakup of the Benders, he had been adrift. I had begun to worry what would happen to him if he didn’t find another outlet for his music. With work and school, I hadn’t had the chance to meet them yet, but it sounded like they were all a perfect musical fit.

The weekend before my birthday, I drove home so I could spend some time with my parents, but most of all, with Brayden. After we had a home-cooked birthday dinner at my parents, we left on the pretense of Brayden showing me his new apartment. The truth was we wanted to be alone. Before this separation, we had never gone longer than a few days without having sex. Now it was two weeks each time, and we were both feeling the pain enough to want to rip each other’s clothes off.

Since I had left for the summer, he had moved into a loft with his new bandmates. I was really interested in seeing the place since Brayden had been hounding me for a year to move in with him. We’d both stayed in campus housing our first two years, and after that, I moved back home to save money. Most of the time, I’d end up staying at Brayden’s apartment anyway.

When we drove up to the building, I began to wonder if it was a building with lofts or an abandoned warehouse. “Is this place safe?” I questioned, after I got out of the car.

Brayden chuckled. “This block was once one of the most up and coming neighborhoods in the city.”

“Once?”

With a grin, Brayden replied, “Yeah, this know-it-all developer bought it and then went bankrupt. The new contractor who bought it got it for a steal. You should see the way they remodeled our floor.”

“You have an entire floor?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. Four bedrooms and two baths.”

My brows shot up. “That’s like a house. How in the world do four college guys afford it?”

“One of my roommates, Jake, his dad owns the contracting company that bought the building. His dad has this giant guilt trip when it comes to Jake, so he offered it to Jake for the same amount of rent he was paying at his old place. It’s worked out well because Mr. Charismatic, Jake, has been able to rope more college kids into moving in. A win-win situation for them both.”

“He’s the lead singer, right?”

“Yep, Mr. Jake Ego-Trip Slater,” Brayden mused, with a grin.

Wrinkling my nose, I replied, “I’m not looking forward to meeting this guy. Tom was enough of an ego-trip for me.”

“Just wait, babe. I think Jake is even worse.”

“Ugh, that sounds horrible.”

“He grows on you once you get to know him. Deep down, he really is a nice guy. He’s a helluva singer and songwriter, too. With him as our front man, we’re really going to start going places. I can feel it.”

“I hope so, baby. No one deserves it more.”

With a growl, Brayden jerked me to him. “Enough talking. I think it’s past time we got to fucking.”

I smacked his chest playfully. “You’re terrible. Besides, I want you to make love to me.”

Cocking his brows at me, Brayden countered, “I haven’t been inside your for two weeks. I won’t last long enough to make love to you. Maybe tomorrow, but not tonight.”

I merely giggled at his response. My laughter was silenced by him slamming his lips against my own. All other thoughts faded away as I focused on the feel of his mouth on mine, his tongue against mine. Just when I thought we might go at it on the hood of his car, Brayden pulled away. “Let’s get upstairs,” he demanded.

By the time we reached Brayden’s floor, I was out of breath. While the three flights of stairs had been a bit of an exertion, it was more about the fact that we hadn’t been able to keep our hands off each other. At each landing, we paused to let our mouths crash together, our tongues tangle in a passionate dance. When we finally got to his apartment door, I was in his arms, my legs wrapped around his waist. He grunted as he shifted me to the side, so he could dig his key out.

“Hurry,” I moaned, as I kissed a trail across his jawline to his ear.

“Trying,” he muttered.

Instead of putting the key in, he shoved my back against the door. His free hand delved under my top to grab my breast. “Hmm, yes,” I murmured, as my nipple began to harden under his touch. He began to rub his jean-clad erection against me. It was getting to be too much.

Gripping the back of his T-shirt, I started tugging it off him. Once I had it in my hands, I dropped it to the floor beside us. He followed my lead by stripping off my shirt. He then buried his head in my cleavage, licking the tops of my breasts before moving to put his mouth over my bra covered nipples.

“I want you inside me, Brayden,” I panted.

His hand with the key in it left my waist to unlock the door. When it opened, we fell through, nearly collapsing to the floor. I giggled at our sex-crazed antics as Brayden tossed the key onto the table next to the door. As we started across the room, his fingers dug into my buttocks, kneading my flesh. “I can’t wait until I’m buried so fucking deep inside you that you come so hard you scream.”

I opened my mouth to say how much I wanted him to do just that when a guy’s voice interrupted me. “Just try to keep it down, will ya? I’m watching a movie.”

At the stranger’s voice, I squealed and gripped Brayden’s shoulders tighter. “Dude, what the fuck are you doing here?” Brayden demanded.

“Uh, last time I checked, I lived here.”

“You said you were going home this weekend to stay with your parents.”

“I said I might go home.”

Brayden grunted in frustration. “You said you would because you knew Lily was coming this weekend.”

“Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that.”

“Sorry, baby,” Brayden said, before he gently eased me onto my feet. Considering I was in my bra and jeans, I pivoted around to hide behind Brayden.

“You told me she was a hell of a looker, but you didn’t mention that she was so shy. Of course, she didn’t sound shy when you guys were out in the hallway.”

“Oh God,” I moaned, as mortification filled me.

I heard the guy rise off the couch and start over to us. When I shrank farther behind Brayden, he said, “Come on, mi amor, a bra is like a bikini top. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

Slowly, I peeked around Brayden’s shoulder. A tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed guy stood grinning at me, his arms crossed over his broad, bare chest. The only article of clothing he had on was a pair of boxer shorts that hung low on his hips. If I hadn’t been totally in love with Brayden, I would have probably fallen to the floor in a pool of lust for this guy. He was that good-looking. But the thing I liked most about him was his warm smile and the mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Lily, this is my roommate, AJ,” Brayden introduced.

Throwing out his hand, AJ said, “That’s Alejandro Joaquin Resendiz actually. And I’m not just his roommate. I’m the drummer in his new band.”

With a resigned sigh, I stepped around Brayden to shake his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

He winked. “Nice meeting you in the flesh. I feel like I already know you because Bray talks about you all the fucking time.” Smacking Brayden’s chest playfully, AJ said, “He’s such a sap.”

While Brayden’s cheeks reddened, I couldn’t help smiling. “I’m glad to hear that he talks about me and isn’t having wild and crazy orgies while I’m gone.”

AJ snorted. “This guy? Never. Jake and I have been calling him the Old Man.”

“Because he’s the oldest?”

“Because he acts like an old married man.”

“You’re full of shit, AJ,” Brayden muttered.

The thought of him talking about me to his bandmates and having eyes only for me made my heart swell. Overcome with emotion, I leapt at Brayden, smothering him with kisses.  “What dare you doing?” he asked, with a confused grin.

“Showing you how thankful I am that you’re such a good boyfriend.”

“I have some other ideas of how you could show me.”

I giggled. “Is that right?”

“Oh yeah.”

AJ groaned. “Would you please take it to the bedroom?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just I haven’t seen him in two weeks,” I replied.

“Yeah, yeah, go fuck each other’s brains out. I’ll make sure to turn the TV up,” AJ replied, before walking back over to the couch.

“There’s some earplugs in one of the kitchen drawers,” Brayden said.

“Tempting. Very tempting.”

Brayden swept me into his arms and started for the bedroom. “Goodnight, AJ.”

“Goodnight, Lovely Lily.”

I grinned as Brayden kicked the door shut behind us. “Aw, he called me Lovely Lily like Paul McCartney’s Lovely Linda.”

“Makes sense to me,” Brayden replied, with a smile.

    ***

The time apart made Brayden and me insatiable for each other. We kept at each other for most of the night until finally falling asleep just before dawn. With my naked body sprawled across Brayden’s, I wasn’t expecting the door to fly to open just a few hours after we had managed to go to sleep.

“Brayden!” AJ cried.

A scream erupted from my lips at the sight of AJ in the doorway. He quickly spun around to where he faced the door. My reaction freaked out a dead-to-the-world, Brayden. He shot straight up in bed, sending me tumbling to the floor.

“Ow!” I cried, as my butt slammed onto the hardwood.

“Oh fuck, I’m sorry, babe. Are you okay?” Brayden questioned, leaning over the side of the bed.

“I think I broke my butt,” I replied, with a smile.

“I’ll kiss it and make it better,” Brayden offered. He then got out of bed and helped me up.

As he rubbed my aching backside, Brayden demanded, “What the hell are you doing in here AJ?”

With his head down, AJ said, “I knocked a million times. I guess you guys didn’t hear me.”

“Barging in here at—” Brayden glanced over his shoulder to look at the clock, “at fucking eight am? You better have a damn good reason.”

“I do.” When he started to turn around, I dove under the covers. As soon as I was decent, he turned the rest of the way around. “Jake called me just a few minutes ago. Apparently this guy down at Eastman’s called him in a panic. The house band he had to perform on Friday and Saturday nights broke up, and he’s desperate for an act. He wants us to play tonight.”

Brayden’s mouth gaped open. “You’re serious?”

“I’m dead fucking serious.”

“A gig? A real, paying gig?”

AJ grinned. “Hell fucking yeah!”

Brayden frowned. “But we just started together a few months ago. Are we really ready?”

I smacked his bare ass to try to knock some sense into him. “You were born ready, babe.”

He glanced down at me and smiled. “You really think so?”

“Oh, I know so.”

He then threw his arms up in the air. “Holy shit, we have a gig!” AJ and I laughed at him. “Now what happens?”

“We have rehearsals at noon, and then our set starts at seven. Jake and Teague are on their way home from the mountains right now.”

My ears perked up at the mention of his other two bandmates. Originally, I wasn’t going to get to meet them since they had gone home for the weekend, but apparently now, I would get to see all of the Runaway Train guys.

“Shit, we need to decide what we’re going to play,” Brayden murmured, running his hands through his hair.

“Well, first, you need to put on some fucking clothes. I’m tired of staring at your junk,” AJ mused with a smile.

Brayden threw a pillow at him. “Fine, I’ll get dressed.”

“Then we’ll start putting together a song set. Jake and Teague can agree or veto when they get here.”

“Sounds good.”

Shifting in the bed, I said, “While you guys are doing that, I’ll get us something to eat.”

“There’s stuff in the kitchen to cook,” AJ said.

My brows shot up in surprise. “Really? It’s not growing fur on it in the back of the refrigerator, is it?”

He laughed. “No, mi amor, my mom takes good care of her boy. She brings groceries by once a week.”

Brayden nodded. “She really does.”

“So I could make pancakes, eggs, and bacon—Brayden’s favorite breakfast?”

“Hell yeah, you could,” AJ replied, with a grin.

“Then it’s a deal. You guys work on the song set, and I’ll cook.”

AJ brought his hand to his heart and gave me a revered look. “She wants to cook for us, and she makes the most amazing sex noises I’ve ever heard. You really have to marry this girl, Brayden.”

Now it was my turn to throw a pillow at AJ. “You said you would turn the TV up!” I shrieked at him.

“It was too hot not to listen to,” he argued, with a chuckle and waggle of his eyebrows.

“If you don’t get out of here right now, I won’t give you any pancakes,” I challenged.

Without another word to me, AJ hustled out of the door. “Oh my God,” I moaned, as I collapsed back in the bed.

“He just being his big goof self, Lils,” Brayden said.

“I’ve known him less than twenty-four hours, and he’s heard me having sex and seen me naked.”

“He only saw your ass.”

Cocking my brows, I countered, “Just my ass?”

Brayden grinned at me. “It could’ve been worse. He could’ve seen your fabulous tits or your—”

I held up my hand to stop him. “I get it.”

“Come on. Let’s get dressed before he has the nerve to come back in here.”

“Um, that’s a great idea, but I seem to remember in our excitement to get in here last night that we didn’t bring in my suitcase.”

Running his hands over his stubbly face, Brayden snorted with laughter. “Fuck, I forgot about that.” He went over to his dresser and took out a T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. “Think these will work until I can grab a quick shower and go downstairs?”

“I think so.” Climbing out of bed, I went in search of my panties and bra in the collection of clothes we had strewn across the floor last night. After putting them on, I slipped into Brayden clothes and then went out of the bedroom.

AJ wasn’t in sight at the moment, so I went to the kitchen to get started on breakfast. AJ hadn’t been lying about his mom keeping the kitchen stocked. I’m sure the other guys contributed some as well, but I was able to put on quite a feast by the time Brayden emerged from the shower.

He sat down at the table at the same time as AJ came out of his bedroom, freshly showered and dressed. “Damn, that smells good,” he remarked, as he slid into a chair across from Brayden. After I’d given them their plates, I brought mine over to sit beside Brayden.

When he bit into my pancakes, he rolled his eyes in exaggerated bliss. “Man, you sure can cook.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “It’s just pancake mix, AJ. Not brain surgery.”

Brayden shook his head. “She’s just being modest. Lily really can cook.”

“Then we need to bring her along when we go out on the road.”

My brows shot up in surprise. “You’re going out on the road?”

Holding up a hand, Brayden replied, “AJ is getting ahead of himself as usual. We want to be able to go out on the road to try to hit some music festivals. But it probably won’t be until next summer anyway.”

“If it’s the summer, then I really could come with you.”

Brayden winked at me. “Of course, you’ll be coming with us. You and me are a package deal.”

My heart did its usual tap dance whenever Brayden made me feel so loved, especially in front of his friends. “How would you guys get around?”

AJ took a swig of his orange juice before replying. “My uncle owns an RV dealership in Guadalajara.” At what must have been my blank look, AJ said, “In Mexico.”

“Oh. I see.”

“He can get us a killer deal on an older model.”

Brayden snorted. “Older model as in a hunk of junk.”

AJ tossed his napkin at him. “Hey asshole, we can’t afford much better than a hunk of junk.”

“True,” Brayden replied.

When his cellphone started ringing in the bedroom, AJ ran to grab it. He came back out a few minutes later. “That was Jake. He said they would just meet us at Eastman’s at noon, rather than coming by here.”

Brayden nodded. “Guess we better get busy working on that set list.” When he started to rise out of his chair, he winced. “I’m sorry, babe.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“It’s your birthday weekend. I know we had planned on spending today with just each other and doing all your favorite things in the city.”

I smiled. “It’s okay, Brayden. You just got a once in a lifetime opportunity. I think I can entertain myself the rest of the day.”

AJ sighed. “Once again, you gotta marry her. Like if you don’t, I think I will.”

As I laughed at AJ’s comment, Brayden merely grunted. While the boys started working on their set list, I cleaned the kitchen up. Then I decided to do laundry. Thankfully, the boys had a washer and dryer in with one of the bathrooms. So, I did my clothes and then Brayden’s. In between bouts of folding clothes, I got dressed in jeans and T-shirt and did my hair and makeup.

I had had just about enough domestic bliss when Brayden came looking for me. “Hey, we’re about to head down to Eastman’s for rehearsals. Want to come with us?”

“Are you sure I wouldn’t be in the way?”

Brayden shook his head. “I want you with me, baby.”

My heart did a little skip at his words. “Okay then, I’ll come.”

                                                        ***

Eastman’s was a small bar close to the Georgia Tech and Georgia State campuses. Apparently, it catered to a younger, college age crowd, especially on the weekends. One wall was made up of Georgia Tech black and gold paraphernalia while the other was blue and grey for Georgia State.

The inside was empty accept for two waitresses refilling salt and pepper shakers. “We don’t open until three,” one of them said.

Brayden cleared his throat. “We’re here to rehearse.”

The waitresses glanced between each other. “You’re the new house band?” the other waitress asked.

“Yeah, we’re Runaway Train. Well, we’re waiting on our other two guys to get here.”

As their gazes devoured Brayden and AJ, I moved a little closer to Brayden. At that moment, a middle-aged man came out of the side door. His face lit up at the sight of us. “So fucking glad you guys could help me out.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Brayden replied, with a smile. Turning to me, he said, “Sean, this is my girlfriend, Lily.”

He gave me a warm smile. “Hey, I’m Sean Underwood, owner of Eastman’s.” He shook my hand. “Nice to see you guys again.”

“Again?” I questioned before I could stop myself.

Sean smiled. “These guys auditioned to be my house band probably about two or three weeks ago. But I was really stupid and went with another band.”

“Yeah, but we were meant to be the one and only in the end, right?” AJ said, with a smile.

“Exactly,” Sean replied. He then motioned for us to follow him to the stage. I noticed the waitresses continued to undress Brayden and AJ with their eyes. Brayden must have noticed my discomfort because he wrapped his arm around my waist and drew me to him.

“So everything is here that you need. Take your time setting up. I’ll need you back here by six, even though the set doesn’t start until seven.”

Brayden and AJ nodded in agreement. “Sounds good. We’ll just start setting up while we wait for the others.”

At the sight of all the chairs on the tables and nowhere to sit, I started to feel out of place. Sean motioned for me to follow him. I shrugged at Brayden and then started behind Sean down the hall next to the stage.

At the first room on the right, he opened the door. Inside was a cramped but cozy dressing room. “In case you want to take a load off while they get set up.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“I’ll tell Brayden to come get you when he’s ready.” He smiled and then left me. I walked around the room, taking in the somewhat lacking décor. It was pretty cool thinking that this was where Brayden and the guys would get ready tonight. They’re very own dressing room.

“Well hello there,” a voice said behind me.

Whirling around, I widened my eyes at the sight of the guy in the doorway. He was taller than Brayden and bigger built. An inviting smile lit up his handsome face while his deep blue eyes, that had an impish twinkle in them, seemed at odds with his dark hair.

“What are you doing in here?”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry. I thought this is where I was supposed to wait.”

“Who told you that?”

“The owner. I mean, Sean. He said this is where I should wait for the band.”

The guy chuckled. “Damn, we haven’t even played yet, and we already have groupies,” he mused.

My brows furrowed in confusion. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

Closing the gap between us, the guy stood directly in front of me. At the intense look blazing in his baby blues, I had to look away. The next thing I knew his hands had slithered around my waist, jerking me against his hard body. He stared down at me with eyes hooded with desire. “Damn, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his alcohol-laced breath burning against my cheek.

“Let me go!” I protested, my hands pushing against his sculpted chest.

As he dipped his head to kiss me, I tucked my neck to my chest, so he only ended up kissing my forehead. He grunted in frustration. When I dared to peek up at him, he gave me a pleading look. “Please, beautiful, open up to me. You’re just what I need.”

The sound of a voice behind us caused us both to freeze. “What the hell is going on here?” Brayden demanded.

The guy smirked at Brayden over his shoulder. “Man, your girl really has been gone too long if you don’t know what this is.”

In a flash, Brayden was beside us. Planting both of his hands on the guy’s chest, Brayden shoved the guy hard, sending him spiraling backwards. “Dude, what the fuck?” the guy demanded, as he flopped down onto the couch.

Jerking me to him, Brayden’s chest heaved up and down. “What are you doing groping my girl, Jake?”

Jake’s blue eyes widened in shock as his head slowly shook back and forth. “You’re Lily?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes,” I squeaked.

“Fuck!” He jerked his hand through his dark hair. “I’m sorry.” He glanced from me to Brayden. “I really am sorry, man. I had no idea she was Lily. If I had, I would have never, ever come on to her.” With a grimace, he added, “She reminded me of Stephanie.”

Brayden’s arm remained tight around my waist. I wanted to tell him I couldn’t breathe well, but I didn’t want to set him off. The last time I’d seem him this furious was the night we became official—the night I’d demanded he fight for me when it came to Mitch. Now it seemed he didn’t have any problem fighting Jake for me. “You better not ever let it happen again,” Brayden finally growled.

“I swear I won’t.” Extending his hand, Jake said, “You have my word.”

Brayden eyed it momentarily before he reached out and shook it. Jake then offered me his hand. “Lily, please accept my apology.”

I glanced between him and Brayden. “Okay.”

With a teasing smile, Jake said, “I guess I should have believed Bray when he told me how hot his girlfriend was. Then I would have known it was you right off the bat.”

My face flushed with his compliments. “Now I know what you meant when you mentioned groupies.”

Another growl came from Brayden. “You thought Lily was a groupie?”

“Shit, here we go again,” Jake muttered.

I tugged on Brayden’s shirt. “Babe, it was all a misinterpretation. Let it go, okay?”

Brayden narrowed his eyes at Jake. “Have you been drinking?”

Jake shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

“Dude, it’s only fucking noon.”

“Yeah, well, I needed a little something for my nerves.” Jake shook his head. “Hell, you act like I’m fucking plastered. I can still walk a straight line.”

“Can you do the nose test?” I teased.

With a wink, Jake stretched out his arms. Then he brought his right finger to the tip of his nose and then his left. “You look too much like a little goody-two-shoes to know about DUI nose testing.”

“My dad is the chief of police in Roswell.”

“Ah, I see.” He grinned. “Guess I really better watch my step with you considering you have two very protective men connected to you.”

“That’s right.”

AJ stuck his head in the door. “Okay, guys, let’s go.”

The butterflies I had in my stomach for Brayden and the guys turned over to boulders. I couldn’t imagine what they were feeling. I mean, it wasn’t their actual performance, but it was just one step closer.

Brayden kept his arm wrapped around me as we started out the door. It was a tight squeeze, but we made it. Glancing up at him, I smiled. “Think you’re being a little overprotective?”

He grunted. “I just want to make sure Teague doesn’t get the wrong idea.”

“You know, you’re kinda cute when you’re being a caveman.”

“Is that right?” he asked, with a grin.

“Mmm, hmm. It gets me kinda hot.” I ran my hand up his chest. “You think that maybe you and I could christen that dressing room for my birthday?”

A gleam of lust burned in his eyes. “Oh yeah, I think I can arrange that.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

He gave me a kiss on the lips before he broke away. AJ had already sat behind the drum kit near the auburn-haired guy with the bass guitar had to be Teague by process of elimination. Jake and Brayden took their guitars and then went on stage.

I eased down on one of the bar stools and prepared to hear my very first Runaway Train performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LILY

                                                                           THE PAST

 

I don’t think I moved from my spot for a full hour. I was that mesmerized by the guys making music. It didn’t hurt a lot of the songs that they were playing were written by Brayden about our relationship. Of course, it was really strange hearing Jake sing lead on Until There Was You. Hearing Brayden’s words of love come out of someone else’s mouth was going to take some time to get used to, especially with it coming from Jake.

The guys bantered back and forth about which songs they should play, and then they finally came up with a list of ten of their own, along with a few covers by Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and Tom Petty. Once they finished rehearsing, they were starving, so we made a quick stop at The Varsity, which apparently was a favorite of theirs too.

“So Lily, besides Brayden, who do you think is the hottest member of Runaway Train?” AJ asked, after we’d made a decent dent in the massive pile of food.

I couldn’t help laughing at his question. “I don’t look at other guys.”

AJ rolled his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

Throwing up my hands, I said, “I think you’re all very good-looking, okay?”

“Did you hear that, Bray? Your girlfriend is hot for us?” AJ teased.

“You are impossible,” I replied.

“Got any single friends you wanna hook us up with?” Teague asked.

“I have a few who are single. But it depends on what kind of guys you are.”

Jake cocked his brows at me. “I would think it was pretty evident.”

Wrinkling my nose, I replied, “Manwhores?”

The guys laughed at my summation. Jake took a swig of Coke and then winked at me. “I just got out of a relationship a few months back—”

Teague snorted. “What he means is he got his heart broken when his girlfriend refused to take sloppy seconds of his time anymore.”

Jake smacked the back of Teague’s hand. “Shut the fuck up, man.”

With a shrug, Teague replied, “It’s the truth.”

“Whatever,” Jake grumbled. “Anyway, I’m on the rebound, so I’m not looking for anything long term. These two jokers might be up for a relationship if the right girl came along.”

Playing with my straw, I asked, “Why didn’t you make time for your girlfriend?”

Jake glowered at me across the table. I could tell I had hit a sensitive nerve for him. “It wasn’t that I didn’t make time for her.” At Teague’s “bullshit” turned into a cough, Jake once again smacked him.

“We’d dated for two years. We were both busy with school, and then AJ, Teague, and I were trying to work on getting the band to another level, but not having any luck, which led to a lot of stress. Then last semester, I had the chance to play and sing backup with a band we met at the Moonshine Festival up in Dawsonville. So I dropped out of school and went on the road with them. Nothing much came of it career wise other than it showed me that Runaway Train really needed to get on the road and start playing festivals, fairs, and shows. As far as my personal life, it really strained things between me and Stephanie.” He sighed. “In the end, she wanted a bigger commitment. The last thing I want right now is to be engaged or God forbid, married. So she broke up with me.”

“Wow,” Brayden murmured.

“What?” Jake asked.

“I think that is the most open and honest I’ve heard you be with anyone in the last few months.”

With a wry grin, Jake replied, “It’s because of Lily. She brings out the gentleman in me.”

I laughed. “Was that you being a gentleman earlier today when you tried to kiss me?”

AJ and Teague’s eyes widened at my statement. “Holy shit, where was I when this was going on?” AJ demanded.

“You were setting up,” I replied.

Glancing between Jake and Brayden, Teague asked, “Wait a minute, Jake tried to kiss Lily, and Brayden didn’t shed his blood?”

I waved my hand dismissively. “No, no, it was just a misunderstanding.”

Jake chuckled. “It might’ve been a misunderstanding, but he still shoved the hell out of me.”

Brayden narrowed his eyes at Jake. “You had your hands on my girl.”

“I know. And I said I was sorry. I was sorry then, and I’m sorry now.”

The tense expression on Brayden’s face receded slightly. Dropping my hand down beneath the table, I reached out for his hand. When I squeezed it, he gave me a warm smile.

Jake broke our moment by rising out of his chair. “Well, we better get going. We need to get ready for tonight.”

“What are we going to wear?” AJ asked.

Brayden frowned. “Good question.”

Jake’s gaze fell on me. “Why don’t we get Lily to help us?”

A nervous giggle escaped my lips. “You want me to be your unofficial stylist?”

Bobbing his head, Jake replied, “Sure, why not?”

“I’m not sure I’m really qualified to do that.”

Brayden kissed my cheek. “You’ve always picked out my clothes.”

AJ grinned. “Then it’s all settled. Lily is our new stylist.” Scratching his chin, AJ then asked, “Do you do hair?”

In that moment, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. At the same time, I couldn’t help being grateful that the men of Runaway Train were openly embracing me. I just hoped it would last.

                                                                      ***

I spent the rest of the afternoon back at Brayden’s loft, going through the guys’ closets. When it came down to it, they were almost as bad as a girl trying to decide what to wear on a first date. After we’d settled their outfits, I finally had a moment to slip into the shower myself. I’d brought a swanky red and black dress to wear in case Brayden and I went out to dinner somewhere nice for my birthday. Instead, I was going to be wearing it to Eastman’s. I didn’t care if I was a little overdressed. Tonight was about celebrating.

Just as I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup, AJ knocked on the door. “Come on, Lils, some of the rest of us need to get ready.”

I laughed. “Last time I checked there was another bathroom in this place.”

“Yeah, your boyfriend’s been in there the last twenty minutes working on his hair.”

“Whatever,” I mumbled. When I opened the door for him, his eyes bulged at the sight of my dress.

“Damn, girl, you’re looking hot as hell tonight!”

“Why, thank you.”

As he squeezed by me to get to the counter, AJ mused, “Man, Brayden is one lucky man.”

“You’re such a flatterer, AJ,” I replied, as I headed out into the living room.

Brayden came out of the bathroom a few moments later. “Mmm, don’t you look handsome,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He grinned. “Thank you. I must say that you are looking sexy as hell. I’m not sure I’ll be able to concentrate on anything tonight but you.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll muddle through somehow.” I gave him a light kiss, so he wouldn’t end up wearing my lipstick. “Tonight after all the girls have screamed your name and mentally undressed you a thousand times, you just remember that you’re only going home with me.”

Throwing back his head, Brayden laughed. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be a problem. You should have seen the way the waitresses were sizing you up today.”

“Really?”

“Mmm, hmm.” I fixed the collar of his button down shirt. “With you guys taking this gig, things are going to change for you. You’re going to have women falling all over you.”

“That might be interesting to see, but it’s sure as hell not something I will be acting on.” When I didn’t immediately reply, his fingers reached out to grip my chin, tipping my head to meet his eyes. “You do know that, Lils? There won’t ever be anyone for me but you.”

Feeling overly emotional, I shrugged. “I’m sure for a guy it would be tempting to see what sex was like with someone else.”

Brayden shook his head emphatically. “I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize what we have, and that includes cheating.” Leaning his forehead against mine, Brayden said, “You’re it for me, Lily. I couldn’t imagine even kissing another woman.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

With a tentative smile, Brayden said, “I guess our roles are changing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember how in high school I was always afraid you would find some other guy? I couldn’t imagine such a beautiful, popular, and sweet girl like you would want me.”

“Yes, I remember you being stupid about that,” I replied.

Brayden laughed. “Well, it’s kinda reversed. Now you’re the one worrying about me.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“So there’s nothing really to worry about. Right?”

“Right.” Then I brought my mouth to his for a long, lingering kiss where I didn’t care about lipstick.

“Jesus, do you guys ever stop?” AJ questioned behind us.

When we pulled away, Brayden replied, “Two weeks, man. We’ve not seen each other for two weeks.”

Shaking his head, AJ said, “I think that’s just an excuse. You’d probably be all over each other no matter when you saw her last.”

I giggled. “You might be right.”

“Come on, let’s go,” Jake said, as he motioned to us from the loft’s doorway. While Jake, AJ, and Teague all piled in a car together, Brayden and I went in his. We made the short drive over to Eastman’s and then parked.

I don’t know if Brayden was nervous or not. I could barely contain both my excitement and anxiousness. When we got inside, Sean met us. “You guys go on and get set up,” he said. Brayden gave me a final kiss. “Wish me luck.”

“Luck times infinity,” I replied.

He grinned and then followed the guys through the bar to the stage. Just when I wondered where I might sit in the packed house, Sean took my hand. “I reserved a place for you.”

“Really?” I asked, as I followed him through the crowd.

“Yes, right here,” Sean said, motioning to a small, two-person table almost up on the stage.

“You’re so sweet. Thank you.”

He winked. “I figured I would go a long way with the band if I was good to their girlfriends.”

I laughed. “That’s a really good plan.”

After I took my seat, I didn’t have to wait long for the guys to take the stage. A roar went up over the crowd. I knew some of the people in the audience knew the guys from school. “Hey everybody, how you doin’ tonight?” Jake bellowed into the microphone. A few whistles went up around me when he flashed them his most come hither smile. “We’re Runaway Train, and we’re the new house band. Are you ready to rock tonight?”

A resounding yell of approval came from the crowd. “Then let’s get started!”

With my seat close to the stage, I could see and hear everything almost too well. My ears rang from the noise, but I kept right on singing along and clapping my hands as the guys went through their set. Jake was a natural at working the crowd. Where Brayden was too shy, Jake knew exactly what to say and do. Even behind the drum set, AJ threw a few jokes out.

After finishing up a cover of The Rolling Stones Start Me Up, which Jake received a pair of panties thrown in his face as his reward, Jake’s amused expression grew serious.

“So, we’re going to excuse one of our members for a moment.” I furrowed my brows in confusion as I watched Brayden put his guitar up. I couldn’t imagine what he was doing. Pointing to Brayden, Jake said, “You see this guy here?” At the whistles and applause, Jake continued on. “He’s not only one hell of a guitar player, but he wrote most of the songs we just sang. But besides his talent, ladies and gentleman, he is the biggest romantic sap in the world. He’s been with the same woman since he was sixteen years old.”

A chorus of “Aw’s” rang around the room. “Speaking of that same lady who has shackled our good man, she’s sitting right here.” The spotlight beamed over to me, and I fought the urge to dive under the table with mortification. “Don’t be embarrassed, Lily. Stand up so the good people can see what a stone-cold-fox you are.”

I don’t know why I listened to Jake’s command, but I slowly rose out of my seat. Before I could sit back down, I saw Brayden cutting through the crowd with a dozen red roses in his arms. “It just happens to be Lily’s birthday next week, but she’s not going to be able to spend it with Brayden. So, we’d like to let them have a dance right now to celebrate Lily turning twenty one.”

Brayden sat the roses down on the table, and then offered me his hand. When I took it, he pulled me against him and then bestowed a kiss on my lips. “Happy early Birthday, baby.”

“Thank you,” I said, as I tried to fight the tears that stung my eyes from his romantic gesture.

As Brayden led me to the dance floor, Jake said, “So here’s one of Brayden’s favorites that adequately expresses his love for Lily.” He started playing the opening of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight.

Instead of laying my head on Brayden’s chest, I kept my gaze locked on his as we swayed to the music of the love song.

“I have your presents at home for you to unwrap later,” Brayden said, with a smile.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I protested.

Brayden laughed. “Yeah, right. If you went home empty-handed on your birthday weekend, I’d be cut off from sex until my birthday.”

I giggled. “Okay, so maybe I expect you to get me a little something.”

His amused expression grew serious. “I wanted to get you something really big this year, but the time isn’t right.”

“A puppy?” I asked hopefully.

He shook his head. “No, it’s not a dog.”

“Then what was it?”

“I can’t tell you, or it won’t be a surprise.”

“It’s not fair to tease me like that,” I protested.

“Fine then. I wanted to get you a ring.”

I swallowed hard. Oh wow, an engagement ring. Even though I knew I wanted to marry Brayden, it seemed like a big step since we were still so young. At the same time, I wanted to belong to him in all ways, and being called a fiancée meant a lot more than just girlfriend. “You know, you don’t have to get me a ring to ask me to marry you.”

He scowled at me. “What kind of asshole would I be if I did that?”

“One who didn’t care about material things?”

“It’s not happening.”

“Fine then. I’ll just wait.”

“It’s more than just the ring, Lily. Not only do I want you to have a symbol of our commitment to wear, but I want to go to your father and ask for your hand in marriage. I don’t want to do that until I’ve made a little something of myself to where I can show him I can take care of you.”

His earnest tone and sweet words brought tears to my eyes. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

“I sure do.”

Squeezing my arms tighter around his neck, I pulled him down to where I could kiss him. After a few breathless moments of making out, I eased back. Smiling at him, I said, “I love you, Brayden Vanderburg. I want nothing more than to be your wife. Although I’d be happy living with you in just a box on the street, I’ll respect the fact that you want to prove yourself to me and my dad.”

“It means so much to me that you’re willing to wait.”

“I’ll wait forever for you, Brayden.”

“I promise it won’t be that long. I want us married and having kids before we’re twenty five.”

My eyes bulged. “Twenty five? That’s only four years. Please tell me you just want us to get started having kids at twenty five.”

He grinned. “Maybe. I just know I want a houseful. I don’t care if they’re boys or girls. I just want them to be as good looking as you and have your sweetness and beautiful blue eyes.”

“I hope they’re as talented as their father. And have his warm, caring heart, along with his looks.”

“We’re going to make beautiful babies.”

“Someday.”

He ducked his head to kiss me. “Someday.”

 

                                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LILY

                                                                           THE PAST

         ONE YEAR LATER

 

“That’ll be a hundred and twenty dollars,” the cashier at the Shop and Go said.

Brayden reached into his wallet and handed the woman a credit card. It was known among the five of us as “The Runaway Train” card. It paid for gas in the bus and groceries and food. At the end of the month, the guys just divided the bill equally among each other. It had been a necessity when we started out on the road two weeks ago.

When I eyed all the shopping bags, I whistled for the others. “Little help here, guys!”

AJ and Jake quickly shoved the magazines they were reading back into the rack and then scrambled to grab some of the grocery bags. “Where’s New Guy?” I teasingly asked. Poor Rhys, the new bassist, was constantly being called New Guy, rather than his name. I think it was some sort of initiation shit the guys were doing, and I had picked up on it.

Jake grimaced. “He got a call from the rents. Didn’t sound pretty.”

“Oh,” I murmured. I didn’t know much about the newest member of Runaway Train. Rhys had joined the band just two months ago. Teague, Jake’s cousin and the bassist, had decided that he didn’t want to embark on the summer tour with the guys. He felt like he really needed to focus on school. After he quit, the guys worried about finding another bass player who would mesh with them all.

Then they remembered a guy who had been coming to some of the Runaway Train shows at Eastman’s. His name was Rhys McGowan, and he was two and half years younger than the other guys. He’d graduated high school at sixteen and was already working on his pre-law degree at Emory in Atlanta. Besides being a genius, he had mad skills at playing the bass guitar, which he had taken up only after he’d mastered the cello.

Because of my crazy school schedule, as well as preparing to be gone for the summer with Brayden, I didn’t get to meet Rhys until I stepped on the bus two weeks ago. So far I liked him a lot, maybe even more than Teague when it came down to it.

As we started out to the parking lot, I cocked my head at Brayden. “What’s his favorite meal?”

“Whose favorite meal?”

“Rhys’s.”

“How the hell should I know?”

Rolling my eyes at him, I countered, “Maybe because he lives with you and is your bandmate.”

Brayden snorted. “We’re guys, Lils. We don’t talk about what our favorite foods and shit are.”

“Impossible,” I muttered.

Shifting the bags in his arms, Brayden cuffed the back of my neck playfully. When I cut my eyes over to him, he was grinning at me. “What?”

“I was just thinking how sweet you are to want to make things better for Rhys by making his favorite meal.”

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, you know.”

“I agree with that. Although I would also argue, that it’s through his dick too.”

“You’re such an ass,” I replied, but I couldn’t help laughing.

“Yeah, but you love me.”

I grinned. “Yeah, I do.”

We strolled up to the bus that would be our home for the summer. The guys had bought it from AJ’s uncle a few weeks back. They’d each taken turns learning how to drive it. It wasn’t a total hunk of junk. The inside furnishings were dated, and it had some mileage. But it also had enough storage beneath for the guys’ equipment, and it would get them back and forth across the country to the festivals and venues they would be playing at.

In exchange for food and boarding on the bus, I would pull my own weight as cook, stylist, and merchandise pusher. At each of the festivals, I would sit at a table selling Runaway Train’s debut CD and some of their shirts. Brayden thought it was ridiculous I felt the need to earn my keep since I was his girlfriend, but I didn’t want the guys to come to resent me.

I started up the steps, but then I turned back when I realized Brayden wasn’t behind me. It only took me a minute to see what he was staring at. It was a Challenger, just like the one he had sold four months ago. If he hadn’t sold the Challenger, we probably wouldn’t be on the road. Brayden financed Runaway Train’s first album with the car, along with hiring a promoter to get them into shows.

The longing expression on his face broke my heart. “Babe,” I murmured softly.

His gaze snapped from the car over to me. “Sorry. I’m coming.”

When he tried to ease past me on the stairs, I stopped him. “It’s okay to be sad about the car. It was your pride and joy.”

He glowered at me. “I know I can be sad. It’s just I look like a major pussy mooning over a lost car.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. It was more than just a car. We had a lot of happy memories in the Challenger.”

“And happy endings,” Brayden replied, with a smile.

I rolled my eyes. “You had to go there, didn’t you?”

“It’s the true.”

“Yeah, yeah, get on up the stairs before some of this starts to ruin in the heat.”

Brayden and I found AJ and Jake putting away the groceries. Rhys was slumped into one of the captain’s chairs, his expression dark. “So Rhys, what’s your favorite food?”

He gave me an odd look. “Fried chicken. Why?”

“How would you like some fried chicken for dinner?”

“You know how to fry chicken?” Rhys asked incredulously.

“I sure do.”

With a shrug, Rhys replied, “Okay.”

I started for the door. “I’ll be right back. Don’t take off without me.”

“Where are you going?” Brayden called after me.

“Just the store.” I raced across the parking lot and back into the Shop and Go. Grabbing a basket, I hurried to the meat section to grab the chicken I would need. I assumed there wasn’t enough flour or cornmeal on the bus, so I picked that up as well. Some buttermilk went into the basket, so I could top the meal off with cornbread. I just hoped there was an iron skillet in the bus somewhere, or I was screwed.

I had a twenty of my own in my pocket that I paid for the food with. Then I hightailed it back to the bus. The guys had finished putting away the groceries by then and were staring expectantly at me. “Sorry,” I said, breathlessly.

“What’s in the bag?” Brayden asked.

“What I need to fry chicken.”

When I met Rhys’s gaze, his dark eyes bulged. Then a tentative smile curved on his lips. “Just for me?”

I returned his smile. “Yeah, just for you.”

“Thanks, Lily.”

“You’re welcome.”

Brayden clapped his hands together. “Well, all right then. We better get out of here.” He went over to the driver’s seat and cranked up.

“Who wants to help me?”

Jake snorted. “Men don’t cook.”

AJ smacked his arm. “That’s so not true. I love to cook.”

With a roll of his eyes, Jake replied, “I’m sorry. I should have said ‘real men’.”

When they started shoving each other, I took a spatula and smacked them both to get them to stop. “How kinky of you, Lils,” Jake mused.

“You can roll the chicken,” I commanded. When he started to argue, I held the spatula up again. He flashed me a wicked grin. “That’s not really a deterrent since I like it when a beautiful woman hits me.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll help.”

“I’ll get the pan and oil heated,” AJ said, as he reached into one of the cabinets.

“What do you want me to do?” Rhys asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing. This is a meal in your honor, so just sit back and relax.”

After mixing the flour and corn meal together, I had Jake start rolling the chicken. When he rubbed in some pepper on the chicken, I raised my brows in surprise. He winked. “I might’ve helped my mom do this a couple of times.”

“I see.”

It was actually kinda nice having the guys help me cook. With all the teasing banter, I had a smile on my face the entire time. After opening a can of green beans and making some instant creamed potatoes, we had a Southern meal in the middle of nowhere West Virginia.

“This chicken is fucking fabulous,” Rhys said, after taking a bite and closing his eyes.

“Thank you.”

“Seriously, it’s almost as good as our cook’s, and she was known for being one of the best cooks in Savannah.”

“High praise indeed,” I replied with a smile.

While the guys continued chowing down, I took a plate over to Brayden. Sitting down next to him, I started feeding him bites as he drove. “You’re so good to your man for doing this,” Brayden said, after swallowing a bite of cream potatoes.

“It’s my pleasure, baby,” I replied.

Jake groaned. “You two with the lovey dovey shit are going to make me lose my dinner.”

“Bite me,” Brayden shot back.

I wouldn’t mind if Lily did,” Jake teased. That earned him both a quick glower, as well as a growl, from Brayden. “Keep your eyes on the road, dickhead.”

“I’ll be happy to. Just keep yours off my girl.”

“All right, boys, that’s enough,” I warned.

“He reminds me too much of Mitch sometimes,” Brayden muttered under his breath.

I smiled at him. “Once again, you are so misguided.”

He cut his eyes over to me. “Am I?”

“Just like with Mitch, there will never be anything between me and Jake.”

“Give me a kiss to prove yourself.”

With a giggle, I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. When I pulled back, Brayden winked at me. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.” As I spooned him more chicken, I said, “At the next stop, we’ll get one of the guys to take over the wheel. Then we can have some alone time.”

“I like that idea very, very much.”

 

 

 

BRAYDEN

                                                                     THE PAST

             

“Brayden, are you coming?” Lily impatiently whined from the front of the bus.

As I slipped the ring box into my jean pocket, I called, “In just a minute.”

I couldn’t help grinning when I heard her stomp her foot in disappointment. We’d pulled into the RV area of the Great Southeastern Fair somewhere in Mississippi about an hour ago. We had a show from eight until ten. While we played, Lily would be manning the merchandise, which was mainly our CD’s and T-shirts.

Of course, I hadn’t expected Lily to be dying to go to the fair. I hadn’t seen her this excited in a long time and all for a half-assed version of what we could get back home on a much bigger scale at Six Flags in Atlanta.

She appeared in the doorway of the bathroom. “We only have three hours before you have to go on.”

Cocking my brows at her, I said, “Wow, only three hours? We may not get to ride everything twice.”

She poked her lips out in a pout that made her incredibly sexy. I had to fight the urge to throw her over my shoulder and head to the bedroom. I knew she would kill me if I even tried.

“Okay, okay, just let me put on my tattoo cream and pull my hair back.”

Lily’s blue eyes widened with pleasure when I unbuttoned my shirt. A week ago we had pulled into a tattoo parlor. Jake wanted some more ink, and considering I only had two tattoos, I thought it would be a good idea to get some as well. One in particular that I wanted was to go over my heart, and it was Lily’s name. The guy had made it look really bad ass with these flames and the word Lily in the middle of them.

“There I am,” she said softly, as I began to rub the cream over her name.

“Always on my heart.”

She leaned in and gave me a kiss. “I love that you wanted to get my name on your body.”

“Maybe we can work up to getting mine on yours.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Your name is a lot longer than mine.”

“So?”

“It’ll hurt more. That’s not fair.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “Am I not worth a little pain?” I countered.

“Mmm, hmm, and I consider that taken care of when I have our babies.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Here. I’ll do your hair for you.” Lily wedged herself between me and the mirror. She ran her fingers through the strands of my hair as she swept it out of my face. “I can’t believe how long it’s getting.”

“Don’t you like it?”

She smiled. “Mmm, I love it.”

I grinned at her. “I’m glad to hear that.” In the last month on the road, my hair had grown past its usual length on my shoulders.

“There,” she said.

Glancing past her, I surveyed her work in the mirror. “What the hell is that?” I asked, pointing to the bob at the back of my head.

“It makes you look edgy.”

“It makes me look like a samurai warrior or something.”

Crossing her arms over her rack, Lily countered, “Well, last time I checked, samurai’s were pretty bad ass.”

“Hmm, Lily Marie said a bad word,” I teased.

“You’re impossible,” she muttered before she shoved away from me.

I pulled her back to me and started tickling her. She dissolved into giggles. “Stop it, Bray!” she shrieked.

“Do you promise to lighten up?”

Jerking her chin up, she countered, “And do you?”

I grinned at her. “Yeah, I do.”

She returned my smile. “Good. Now can we please go?”

“Lead away.”

With a squeal, she took my arm and dragged me down the aisle. Jake and the others were milling around outside. “You guys going in to0?” I asked.

Jake shrugged. “Might as well. Nothing else to do until show time.”

AJ grinned. “Oh, I’m going in. I’m going to have a fucking blast.”

“Me too,” Lily answered.

“Race you to the ticket stand?” AJ asked.

“Deal,” Lily said, and then they took off, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them.

Jake, Rhys, and I followed them at a much slower pace. By the time we caught up to them, they’d bought a ridiculous amount of tickets and were impatiently bouncing on the balls of their feet as they waited for us.

We did the bumper cars, the Tilt a Whirl, and the hokey Tunnel of Love. Lily even managed to drag me on the Merry Go Round. That’s when we eventually split up from the guys. Then we hit the food stands trying fried Oreos and fried pickles. I didn’t make it through half of my corndog before I was feeling way too full. Lily on the other hand had a never ending stomach when it came to fair food. I couldn’t help but laugh at her dainty self as she packed away the goodies.

As we walked around the other side of the fair, I nursed my growing indigestion. I knew it wasn’t just the fair food. It was the ring box in my pocket and what I had in mind to do with it when the time was right.

“Let’s do the Ferris Wheel,” I suggested.

Lily’s eyes lit up. “Okay.”

As we got in line, she started trying to devour what was left of her cotton candy. “Babe, I’ll get you some more if they won’t let you take it on with you.”

When she glanced up at me with her mouth and cheeks covered pink, I busted out laughing. “What? Do I have something on my face?” she questioned, with a smile.

“Hmm, just a bit.”

“Well, get it off. There’s wet wipes in my purse.”

“You’re always so prepared.” I then opened the giant bag at her side and got out the wipes. Bringing one to her face, I slowly started to work off the pink film. “You are a dirty girl,” I teased.

She giggled. “Only you would say something like that in line for the Ferris Wheel. Don’t think you’re going to get all happy-hands on me like Mark Wahlburg in the movie Fear.”

Whispering in her ear, I asked, “You mean you wouldn’t want to have an orgasm high up in the air?”

As I pulled back, she licked her lips. “Maybe. I’m all about new experiences.”

“Mmm, I like it when you’re naughty,” I said, as I nuzzled my face in her neck.

“Next,” the man taking tickets bellowed. Lily tossed her remaining cotton candy in the trash while I deposited the napkins I’d used to clean her up. I passed him our tickets, and then we climbed into a bucket seat.

The ring box continued to burn a hole in my pocket. I knew it was now or never. As our seat climbed to the top, I shifted and reached for the box. When I did, I ended up poking Lily in the side with my elbow. She gave me a weird look. “What are you so fidgety?”

“Just needed to get something.”

As she surveyed the view of the fairgrounds from our position, I finally got the box out. When we reached the top, the wheel stopped to allow other people on. “Isn’t it beautiful, Bray?” Lily asked, as she gazed at all the twinkling lights.

“Yeah, it is.” Taking Lily’s hand, I said, “I want you to know that each and every day with you is like this view. I can’t imagine my world without you in it. You’re the greatest blessing that has ever happened to me. You’re my soul mate, my other half, the very best of me. More in the anything in the world, I want you to marry me.”

Lily’s eyes bulged while her hand flew to her mouth. “You…me…” She shook her head. “What about going to my father and asking his permission?”

I smiled. “I went to him before we left this summer. We have his blessing and his support.”

The wheel shifted us forward again, and we started to descend back to the ground. As she continued to remain speechless, I cracked open the ring box. “This was my Nana’s first engagement ring. My Papa gave it to her right before he left to fight in WWII. Years later when he had made something of himself, he bought her a big, fancy diamond, but she never stopped wearing this one. Not until the day she died.”

Tears streamed down Lily’s cheeks. “It’s beautiful—the story, the ring, all of it.”

I slipped the ring on her left hand. “Just like my Papa, I’m going to get you a big, fancy diamond one day. You have my word.”

Lily smiled. “You should know me well enough by now to know that expensive rings don’t matter to me. Like I told you before, I would live with you in a box if I had to.”

I laughed. “One day baby when we have a mansion and lots of cars, I’ll remind you of what you just said.”

“It still won’t change the way I feel about you.”

“I feel the same way.” Twisting in the seat, I cupped her face with my hands. “I can’t wait to make you my wife.” I then brought my lips to hers for a lingering kiss. We continued the desperate, love-fueled kisses as the wheel made several more sweeps. When we finally got off, the guys were waiting on us.

“Did you guys enjoy the ride?” AJ asked, flashing us a wicked grin.

“Yes, it was very nice,” Lily replied.

“I got several good pics of you guys making out,” AJ said.

Lily gave me a dreamy smile as she answered AJ. “Good. I want to see them.”

“You do?” he asked

She nodded. “Then we can have the moment we got engaged forever immortalized.”

“Wait, you guys are engaged?” Jake demanded.

Holding out her hand, Lily showed them the ring. “I mean, he didn’t get down on one knee when he asked me, but it was still romantic.”

“Still romantic? I was trying to be creative with my proposal,” I protested.

Jake shook his head. “I can’t believe you guys are engaged. You’re just twenty-two.”

Lily frowned at Jake’s words and harsh tone. “What does it matter how old we are as long as we’re in love?”

“Whatever. It’s your funeral, not mine,” Jake replied.

“I thought you would be happy for us,” Lily countered softly.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jake said, “Why would you want to get married?”

“Because we’re in love,” Lily answered.

“And how do you even know if the love you have is real? You guys were sixteen years old when you fell—” he made air quotes with his fingers, “in love.”

I crossed the space between us to stand toe to toe with Jake. “That’s enough. Look, you don’t have to be happy for us, but you don’t need to stand there being an asshole by questioning our love and choices on one of the happiest days of our life.”

He eyed me contemptuously for a moment before he relented. “Fine. I’m sorry. Okay?”

“Fine,” I muttered.

Taking Lily the arm, AJ said, “Come on. Let’s go buy you a celebratory funnel cake for your engagement.”

Silently I thanked AJ for lightening the mood. Lily’s genuine smile warmed my heart. “Okay. If you’re treating, I won’t say no.”

As she and AJ walked off to one of the stands, I started behind them with Rhys at my side. When I turned around, Jake was gone. “Asshole,” I muttered under my breath. I couldn’t imagine why Jake had reacted the way he had. Yeah, his parents divorced after his dad had an affair, but I couldn’t imagine that tainting him against all people getting married. The last time I checked he was crazy about Lily and enjoyed having her around.

Determined not to let Jake put a damper on my happiness, I strode up to Lily who was munching on one of the funnel cakes. “Want some?” she asked, holding out a bite for me.

Ignoring her, I pulled her into my arms and crashed my lips against hers. I moaned at both the contact and how sweet she tasted. My tongue ran along her lips, licking off the powdered sugar. When I finally pulled away, she was breathless. “You’re delicious,” I mused, licking my lips.

She giggled. “You sure you don’t want some cake, or do you want to taste me some more?”

“I might take a little of both.” I drew her to me and whispered in her ear. “Let’s go back to the bus for a little while.”

Jerking back from me, her eyes widened. “You want to leave the fair?”

“Yes, so I can make love to my fiancée.”

“You don’t play fair,” she pouted.

“You want a compromise?”

“What do you mean?”

Turning to the guys, I said, “Excuse us fellas.”

I took Lily by the arm and started leading her to the edge of the fairgrounds. “Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere private.”

She didn’t protest anymore. We dipped into the heavy thicket of trees just beyond some of the campers. When I thought we were far enough away from prying eyes, I pulled her to me. “I want you so bad, Lily.”

“Then I guess you’re going to have to take me. Right here in the woods.”

I grinned. “I had just the same thought.”

Pushing her back against one of the trees, my fingers went to the button on her shorts. I jerked them down her thighs, along with her panties. As our lips stayed locked, I worked to free my hard on from my shorts. Grabbing Lily by the waist, I hoisted her up and then impaled her on me. Gripping my shoulders hard, Lily cried out. “I’m sorry, baby. I should have gotten you ready.”

She shook her head. “Mmm, I’m good. It hurts so good.”

Her words and noises of pleasure drove my hard thrusts as I pumped in and out of her. I was afraid that even through her shirt, she was going to get splinters from being banged back against the tree. After I dipped my head, jerked down her shirt, and took her nipple in my mouth, she came, which caused me to as well.

We stood there, chests heaving and panting, from our exertions. “Our first time as an engaged couple,” I mused.

Lily giggled. “It’s so romantic being fucked up against the tree just a few feet away from a bunch of strangers.”

Cocking my brows at her, I countered, “You just came harder than you have in weeks.”

“That’s true.” After nipping my bottom lip with her teeth, she said, “I guess we’ll just have to have sex in public more often.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call this public, but I’m all for it if you are.”

With a grin, Lily said, “Can you put me down? I’m not sure my legs will work though.”

I eased her back from the tree and then sat her on her feet. I pulled her shorts and panties back up. Then I worked on getting myself presentable.

“Ready?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I need to find a halfway decent bathroom to clean up in.”

We started out of the woods together. After a bathroom pit stop, we were back in business. As we walked through the crowd, I couldn’t help glancing over at Lily from time to time and smiling. When she finally caught on, she asked, “What?”

“Are you really disappointed that I didn’t get down on my knee when I proposed?”

She shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

“It means that much to you?”

“It’s just conventional for the guy to get down on one knee.”

When I stopped walking, Lily turned around. “What’s wrong?”

With a smile, I sank down onto one knee. “Lily Marie Gregson, will you make me the happiest man alive by consenting to be my future wife?”

Lily’s eyes widened. “Yes. Yes of course I do.”

As I rose back up, people around us started clapping. Lily blushed at the attention. “Are you satisfied now?” I asked.

She laughed as she threw her arms around my neck. “Yes, Brayden. I’m very, very happy.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LILY

       THE PAST

 

To everything there is a season, a purpose under heaven-- Ecclesiastes 3:1

Those words would mean a lot to me during the difficult periods of my life. It helped me remember during the times when I thought I could not go on, that it was just a season, and the hopelessness would pass. It was also a reminder to enjoy the moment because happiness is sometimes fleeting.

The summer Brayden and I became engaged was one of the happiest times of my life. I loved being out on the road with the guys, and I was sad to see it end. In the autumn, the guys hard work touring paid off. A promoter who saw them at a show in Anaheim sent their CD to a record executive. Within two weeks, the guys were offered a very lucrative record deal. Their first two singles topped the Billboard charts.

With the back to back success of Until There Was You and Twisted Reality, Runaway Train’s world literally went off the rails. Suddenly, they were everywhere. When I turned on the radio on the way home from class, I would always catch one of their songs. I squealed every single time, especially when Brayden came in to harmonize with Jake. They were sent out on a US tour almost immediately. Gone was the rickety old bus that had so many memories for Brayden and me. Now they traveled in style on the label’s half a million dollar home on wheels. They had handlers now—people you had to get through just to talk to them. It was overwhelming to me, so I couldn’t imagine how the guys were handling it.

And when the season changed to winter, everything in my life changed.

Nothing ever comes without a price, and the bounty to be paid for Runaway Train’s success was the slow demise of Brayden’s and my relationship. I’d never thought I would have to worry about him changing. He had always been so grounded and so humble. He didn’t have an ounce of ego in him like Jake and AJ. He never cared about wealth—he just wanted to be able to make a living from playing music.

But something happened when he signed on the label’s dotted line. It was like he sold his soul. With me doing my student teaching and working part-time at night, I was so busy that I didn’t notice things at first. The fact that my calls and texts went unanswered and unreturned, or he was always putting me off when I asked for their schedule so I could come spend the weekend with him. When I actually did talk to him, he sounded distant and not like the Brayden who used to talk to me for hours on end. Sometimes he slurred his words and said off the wall things. I began to worry that he was drinking too much.

But then we finally reached the end of the road on Valentine’s weekend.

 

                                                                      ***

“Hey baby, what are you doing?” Brayden’s voice boomed into my ear.

“Just pulling in the drive.”

“You go to the mailbox yet?”

I laughed. “Since when do you care about me getting the mail?”

“Just check it, Lils.”

“Okay, okay,” I muttered, as I walked over to the mailbox.

“Did you get it?” Brayden questioned, as I flipped through the envelopes.

Cradling the phone on my shoulder, I asked, “Get what exactly?”

“The ticket.”

My breath hitched. “You sent me a ticket?”

“Yeah, to come out here for Valentine’s Day weekend.”

His thoughtfulness caused my heartbeat to shudder and restart.  At the bottom of the pile was a long envelope addressed to me. I couldn’t help squealing.

“I guess that means you got it,” he said, amusement vibrating in his voice.

I tore open the envelope and eyed the plane ticket. “Oh my God, Bray, thank you so, so much!”

“Well, we haven’t spent a Valentine’s Day apart since we’ve been together. I figured we didn’t need to start now. You won’t have a problem getting off that Friday, will you?”

“No, it should be fine.” Pressing the envelope against my chest, I sighed, “I can’t wait to see you.”

“I feel the same way.”

“Don’t plan anything for us to do while I’m there. I just want to spend the entire time with you, preferably in bed.”

Brayden laughed. “As much as I would like to oblige you on that one, I have to attend a party at my label on Saturday night. Wanna be my date?”

I tried hiding my disappointment that I was going to have to share Brayden. “Sure. I’d love to.”

“Great. Listen, I’ll have a driver waiting for you at the airport.”

I laughed. “Seriously? Why don’t you come and get me?”

“Because I have shit to do, Lils. I can’t just drop everything to pick you up.”

His words and his tone stung me. When I could finally speak, I said, “Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“So I’ll see you in two weeks?”

“Of course.”

“Bye, Lils.”

“Bye, Brayden. I love you.”

But he didn’t hear me. He had already hung up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LILY

          THE PAST

 

I sat in the first class seat Brayden had purchased for me, twirling my engagement ring around my finger. I hadn’t heard from him since our last phone call two weeks ago. Well, he had sent a text this morning asking if I was still coming. I didn’t know if that was more for him or more about the fact he needed to let the driver know.

The entire flight to LA I did nothing but think. I broke apart our relationship into pieces and tried to examine each one to find the flaw. As hard as I tried, I still kept coming up empty. I didn’t know how everything had gone wrong so fast. Part of me worried I was being irrational and overreacting. Relationships weren’t always passion, heat, and devotion twenty-four seven. They went through ups and downs. While Brayden and I hadn’t experienced many ups and downs yet, we were both under a lot of strain in our professional lives. Throw in a separation and that had to cause a little strain in even the strongest of relationships.

When the plane landed at LAX, I grabbed my carryon and headed to the pickup area. Glancing around the drivers with signs, I tried to find the one with my name on it.

“Lily!”

I blinked in shock. Running towards me was Brayden with a dozen roses in his hand. When he got to me, he jerked me into his embrace. “Hey baby!”

The surprise of seeing him rendered me speechless. After what seemed like an eternity, I said, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yeah, I pulled some strings to get away.”

His words caused me to smile so hard I thought my cheeks would break. It was like having the old Brayden back. I threw my arms around his neck and brought my lips to his. But the moment we kissed, all my hopes faded. It felt stilted, awkward, and forced. I kept kissing him desperately, searching to find that spark we once had. But no matter how hard I tried, it wasn’t there. While I wanted to blame it on the separation, deep down I knew something fundamentally was wrong, and it scared me to death. 

When he pulled away, I had to fight the tears that threatened to overflow my cheeks. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“They’re happy tears because I’m just so glad to see you,” I lied.

He laughed. “You always were so cheesy and dorky.”

Before I could stop myself, I countered, “If I remember correctly, we both used to be cheesy and dorky.”

“Glad I got rid of it,” he replied. He took my bag from me. “Come on. Let’s get you to the house.”

With a heart that was slowly breaking in two, I followed in step behind him. “Wait until you see this place, Lils. It’s fucking off the charts,” Brayden said, as the driver held open the chauffeured driven Lincoln Town Car.

“I didn’t know you had bought a house,” I said, cautiously.

“It’s the labels. They have different artists there while they’re recording their albums. You wouldn’t believe some of the other bands who have stayed there from time to time.”

“That’s nice.”

Brayden snorted. “Just nice? It’s on the water in Venice Beach for fuck’s sake. I’d say that was a hell of lot better than nice.”

Once again, I felt a piece of my heart fall away. The old Brayden wouldn’t have been impressed with a house on the beach. He loved the mountains and the backwoods where he had grown up. It’s the one thing that had originally endeared him to Jake because he and Jake shared the same passion.

Brayden didn’t say much else to me during the drive. He fielded some calls on his phone while I stared out the window. I’d never been to Los Angeles, least of all California before, so I should have been more excited about seeing everything. But I just couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach.

When we arrived at the house, I couldn’t help feeling even more overwhelmed. It was a mansion more than it was a house. It had a sleek, modern design, and almost wall to wall windows to take in the views. “It’s something, isn’t it?” Brayden asked.

“It sure is.”