Miles Apart (The Not So Bad Boys of Rock Book 2) (19 page)

"I
think
you were going to take me somewhere." I couldn’t hide my
smile as he motioned for me to hop on his back and he carried me to his
bedroom.

An hour later, we
lay there cuddled
together, basking in the afterglow of
our lovemaking. I'd missed these moments together. My heart ached when I
thought about how closely I'd come to losing this. I lifted my hand and slowly traced
the tattoo on his chest. He sighed happily before leaning forward to kiss the
tip of my nose.

"I’ve
missed this.” I smiled, drawing closer to him. “We're really getting
married." I whispered.

"Yeah,
we really are." He kissed me once more. "I'm glad you came back. I
thought I'd lost you forever."

I
wrapped my arms around him, running my fingers languidly over the tattoo
covering his back, mentally envisioning each and every line of detail. I knew
and loved everything about this man. The way he looked, the way he made me
feel, the way his heart beat faster when he was near me. Everything.

"Is
that why you had the bottle on the table? Did I cause that?" The words
came out against his chest. He tightened his grip around me, if only for a
moment.

"No.
I bear the blame for that bad decision." He rested his chin on my head.
With each word he spoke I felt his warm breath on my scalp. "I'll always
struggle with the desire to drink. I'm a reformed alcoholic. Most days I don't
even think about it. But, there are other days when I want to escape. Today was
one of those days. Losing you was one of the hardest things I've ever had to
face. I don’t know how many times I wanted to call you and beg you to give us
another chance. Part of me knew that you needed space, but another part didn’t
want to be the man that caved. I bought that bottle to prove to myself that I
was strong enough. That I didn't need alcohol or you. That I could make it on
my own." He threaded our fingers together. "I was wrong, on both
counts."

"But
you didn't drink it, right?"

"Not
this time, but I can't say I didn't want to. I'm going to fight like hell to
resist it, but there will always be something else that will push me to that
breaking point. Having you with me helps. I don't say that to make you stay.
It's just a fact I've come to terms with ever since I fell in love with
you."

"I
don't ever want to be without you again." I sobbed into him.

"Shhh,
it's okay honey, I'm not going anywhere. Ever again." He stroked my back
until we both fell asleep.

That
night, I slept better than I had in three months.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Sebastian~

We'd been back in L.A. four whole days before I
finally caved and called Mom and Dad to let them know that I was home, and that
Brooke was with me. I knew we needed to pick up Gibson and give them a
reprieve. Mom was ecstatic. She'd been praying for a miracle and I have to
admit that her prayers must have been heard. Brooke coming to me in the hotel
had been nothing short of a miracle, as far as I was concerned. Not only had
she stopped me from making a huge mistake by taking that shot of whisky, but
she'd poured out her heart to me and had accepted my proposal of marriage.

I
was getting married.

I
was the one who'd proposed and even I was having trouble believing it was
finally true.

Mom
insisted that we all get together for dinner tonight at their house. Everyone
was invited. Brooke and I agreed that we would share our news with everyone
before dinner. She had called her parents earlier this morning to tell them the
news. I could tell by the crying on the other end of the line that her parents
were very happy for her. It was strange. For years they didn't want anything to
do with her and hadn’t appeared to care about what was going on in her life.
Now, it seemed as if they wanted to share in every detail. Brooke seemed happy
about it, so I tried to be supportive. I only hoped, for her sake, that their
interest wouldn’t be short-lived and would continue for years to come.

I
found her in the bathroom, fixing her hair and putting on make-up. I watched
her for a moment from my position in the doorway. She'd grab a few sections of
hair and wrap them around the curing iron. I remembered watching my mom do the
same thing as a child. As each curl fell from the hot iron it cascaded down
past her shoulders. She peered at me through the mirror and motioned me over
with a tip of her chin. I stepped into the room and hopped up on the counter,
leaning my back against the wall beside the mirror.

"Why
do you use all this stuff?" I furrowed my brows, fingering the assortment
of beauty supplies on the counter. "You don't need this. You're beautiful
just the way you are."

"I
use this
stuff
to make me feel pretty. I appreciate that you find me
beautiful, but I still like to fluff. It's every woman's right to fluff every
now and then." She batted her eyelashes at me.

"I
still like you either way, fluff or not." I replied, opening up a tube of
mascara and sniffing it. "Gross! That stuff stinks." She laughed at
me and removed it from my grip.

"Well,
it goes on my eyelashes, so I don't have to worry about smelling it. You're
silly." She tickled a make-up brush over the end of my nose. "What
time does your Mom want us there?"

"Six.
You've got about thirty minutes before we need to leave. Is that what you're
wearing?" I asked, running a finger under the lacey strap of her bra.

She
looked down and blushed, realizing that she was standing in just her bra and a
pair of my jogging shorts, which practically hung to the floor on her petite
frame.

"Guess
I better go change." She laughed.

"Hurry
woman, before I change my mind and keep you here with me tonight." I
teased as she scurried off.

"I'm
a little nervous about seeing your Mom and Dad again." She called out from
the other room. I went to join her, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Why
would you be nervous? My parents love you."

"I
know." She mumbled, pulling a pair of jeans over her slender hips.
"But that was before everything that happened. I mean, I've spoken to your
Mom since your party, but only twice. I didn't exactly keep in touch like I'd
planned."

"Honey,
nothing while we were apart seemed to go as planned. But we're okay now. Sure,
Mom was upset that we'd split, but she wasn't mad at you. She was angry with
both of us. She seems to have her heart set on more grandchildren." I
rolled my eyes mockingly, as if it were an absurd idea. That made her laugh.
"Whaddya say? You up for making a few babies?" I joked, pulling her onto
my lap.

"Well,
of course I am, but not today." She swatted at my roaming hands. "Let
me up. I have to finish getting ready." I released my hold and leaned back
on my elbows to watch the show. She disappeared into the closet, muttering to
herself about needing more clothes. Soon, my eyelids grew heavy as I watched
items being tossed to the floor behind her.

"Ready?"
She asked, nudging my foot with hers. I opened my eyes to find her standing
over me, dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt with a colorful scarf tied loosely
around her neck, and a blue jean jacket. Her hair had been pulled back in a
high ponytail, and loose tendrils hung down over her cheekbones.

I
gave a loud yawn and stretched. "Whoa, guess I must have dozed off for a
few minutes." I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to wake up. I looked over
her shoulder at the pile of clothes on the floor. “For such a small person, you
sure make a big mess.”

"Don’t
be a butt-head” She rolled her eyes.

“Did
you just roll your eyes and call me a butt-head?” I feigned offense. She shook
her head and rolled them again just to tease me. I grabbed her, throwing her
over my shoulder.

“Put
me down!” She giggled, smacking at the seat of my pants. “You’re acting like a
caveman.” I gave her a return smack and she squealed. “Sebastian!”

“What?”
I asked innocently, after depositing her down on the leather sofa in the man
cave. “I’m not a caveman, but if that’s how you want me to act…” I climbed onto
the sofa, pinning her beneath me. I crushed my lips firmly against hers, almost
as if I were staking claim. Her mouth softened, opening up as my tongue
explored just beyond her perfectly shaped teeth. As we pulled apart, breathless
from the assault, I nipped at her bottom lip. “My woman.” I grunted in my most
playful voice.

“Now
you’re just a lunatic.” She laughed, batting away my roaming hands.

“Yeah,
but I’m your lunatic.” I gave my best grin, making sure both dimples were on
full display.

“Yes
you are,” She pinched my cheeks. “Come on, we don't want to be late for our own
announcement."

"Darling, it's so
good
to
see you." Mom exclaimed, embracing Brooke in her famous bone-crusher. It
had been a long time since Brooke had been on the receiving end of Mom's
favorite hug, and I knew how much those meant to Brooke, so I stepped aside and
waited my turn.

"Son,
it's good to see you." Dad pulled me in for a quick hug, whispering in my
ear. "And I'm glad to see you brought your better-half with you."

"Sebastian,
sweetheart, I'm so glad you're back home." Mom declared, as we switched
hugging partners. "I'm glad to see you two came to your senses. You're
better when you are together." Mom whispered.

"Thanks
Mom, I agree." I whispered back at her.

For
the next ten minutes everyone hugged and kissed Brooke, declaring their joy
over our decision to get back together. After awhile I was ready to scream out
that we weren't just back together, we were engaged. But, I knew that would not
be the way that Brooke had envisioned the night playing out. So instead I kept
smiling and nodding at every remark.

We
moved over into the living room to sit down and then, out of the corner of my
eye, I saw a flash of fur and a dog in Brooke's lap. Gibson had been living
with Mom and Dad this past week and it was obvious that the no-furniture rule
also didn’t apply in this house. He twisted and turned, licking all over her
face, as she squealed with delight.

"Yes,
puppy, I've missed you too. Who's got the cutest face? Who's a big boy
now?" She asked, speaking in the cutest voice, as if she were talking to a
baby. With every question Gibson's tongue gave another swipe over her skin. Once
she finally wrestled out from under him, and he was on to his next victim, she
scooted closer to me and moved in for a kiss.

"Uh-uh."
I held her at arms length. "Your face smells like puppy food. I'm not
kissing you." I teased.

"Oh
well. Guess I'll just have to find someone else to kiss." She made to
stand and then pounced on me, landing a sloppy wet kiss at the corner of my
mouth. "Don't you ever say no to me, Sebastian Miles. I'll take my kisses
whenever I want them." Her hand tickled over my ribcage, causing me to
squirm.

"Okay,
okay." I begged, completely at her mercy. "I'll kiss your stinky
puppy germ face. But the next time I'm all stinky and sweaty from a run I'm
going to rub your face in it." I pretend pouted.

"Bring
it on." She challenged.

I
suddenly remembered that we weren't alone and my eyes did a quick scan of
everyone's faces. The guys were staring at me with a look that I could only
describe as pity, while the girls were laughing at the spectacle we were
making. I scrambled up to a sitting position and Brooke righted herself beside
me, trying unsuccessfully to wipe the huge grin off her face. I cast a sideways
glance in her direction and she gave a quick nod of her head, indicating that
now would be a good time to make our announcement.

I
stood and cleared my throat.

"Ahem.
Can I have everyone's attention?" All conversation ceased and every eye
was turned on me. Brooke stood and took her place beside me and I threw and arm
around her shoulders. I opened my mouth to finish but the sudden distraction in
the foyer drowned out any words that might have slipped out.

I
heard Dek and Chris playfully arguing about which one of them was the best
musician. This was an on-going debate between the two of them. Travis and I had
long ago stopped trying to intervene, coming to the conclusion that they were
just giving one another a hard time. But the third voice that piped up wasn't
one I had been expecting to hear. Brooke's head snapped in the direction of the
door and she bolted from her seat toward the foyer.

"Jade!"
High pitched screaming soon followed as the two best friends greeted one
another almost as if they hadn't just spent the past month together. Those two
shared a bond that made them more like sisters. When they were together, they
were practically inseparable. I didn't mind, I loved seeing Brooke happy and
being with Jade made her smile.

I
love her smile.

"What
are you doing here? You never told me you were coming to L.A." Brooke
gushed.

"I
surprised Dek this morning." Dek slipped an arm around her waist and
dipped her back for a long kiss.

"Dude,
that's just gross. I don't want to see that just before I eat dinner." I
razzed him, just as I'd come up behind Brooke and rested my chin on her
shoulder.

"Shuddup.
You're just jealous 'cause I see something that I want and I go for it, and you
don’t'." He quipped.

"Oooohh."
Chris wriggled his fingers in the air. "It's starting to get frosty in
here. Mom!" He bellowed. "The boys are fighting again. Make them
stop!" He whined, ambling his way into the living room to join the others.

"Glad
you're here Jade." I winked at her and made like I was going to ruffle
Dek's perfectly styled hair, knowing it would piss him off.

"Hey!"
He pulled back. "Don't touch the hair." So I slugged him instead and
he chased after me. Just like old times.

"Boys!
No horse play in the house. I'm not repairing that table again." Dad
announced.

Once
we were all back in the same room, Dad let everyone know that I still had an
announcement to make. Brooke intertwined her fingers with mine and gave a light
squeeze.

"Well,
you all know that these past three months have been pretty hard on the two of
us. This past month in particular damn near killed us. But, we both faced a few
demons and came to accept the fact that we're meant to be together. We love
each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together. So, I've asked
Brooke to marry me, and she said yes."

"Oh!
My baby boy." Mom cried out, rushing to tackle me. Within seconds we were
surrounded by everyone in the room. Even Gibson circled us, barking at all the
excitement.

"Congratulations,
you two. Your mother and I couldn't be happier for you." Dad thumped me
hard on the back before pulling Brooke into a tender embrace.

"Oh
my gosh, Brooke! You're getting married. This calls for a celebration."
Jade announced, hugging her best friend tight against her. "I'm so happy
for you sweetie. You deserve the best, and I think you've found him."

"Welcome
to the family, Sebastian." Jade squeezed me hard around the waist. She was
so short that she only came to the center of my chest. I gave her a playful pat
on the head before picking her up for a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hey,
put my girl down. You've already got a girl, hipster king, don't go trying to
steal mine too." Dek chimed, playfully.

"Seriously,
man. Congratulations. I'm so proud of you for finally making your move."
Dek had been listening to me go on and on about wanting to spend my life with
Brooke, and had patiently sat through every one of my rants when we'd been
fighting. He'd been a great friend through it all, as he'd always been
throughout the years. I wouldn't want to be enjoying this moment without him
here to share it with me. We stared at one another for a moment, no words were
spoken, but then again none were needed. We knew each other that well. In that
stare we'd communicated that we loved each other and would always be there if,
and whenever, needed. We hugged quickly and I turned to accept the next pair of
open arms.