Miles Apart (The Not So Bad Boys of Rock Book 2) (20 page)

"Little
brother." Travis grasped both of my shoulders. "You've been through
an awful lot in your life. I'm so happy to see you smiling again. You two were
made for each other. Go and love her and make her happy. I know in my heart
that you'll be a great husband and father one day. Always know that Nat and I
will be there for you two if you ever need advice."

"Or
a babysitter." Natalie cut in.

After
it was all said and done I felt like I'd been through one of those automatic
car washes, where the mechanical brushes and chamois circle the car until it's
freshly scrubbed and polished. I'd been thoroughly hugged and affirmed, and I
loved every minute of it.

By
the smile on Brooke's face as she sat huddled in a corner with the rest of the
girls, flipping through an issue of Bride magazine, she seemed to be pretty
happy as well.

And
that's all that matters anymore.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Brooke~

“Oh Brooke, I am so happy to hear that
everything worked out between you two. When is the wedding?” Mom gushed.

"I'm
not sure. We haven't exactly set the date. But I have a feeling it will be
soon. Sebastian made it perfectly clear that he's ready for me to be his
wife." I laughed. I had to admit, now that he had proposed I was ready to
make it official. The past four months of uncertainty had been more than enough
to open my eyes to the depth of his love for me. I had been a fool to walk
away. Even then I had known that I was making the biggest mistake of my life,
but I also knew that it had taken the wisdom of many to guide me back to what I
had now come to accept was the most important thing in my life.

Our
love, and our future together.

"What
kind of wedding do you envision having? There's a beautiful chapel not far
from--." Mom began.

"Mom,"
I interrupted her thought process. "We're getting married here. In Santa
Monica. I'd like to get married on the beach, but Sebastian and I haven't
discussed the details yet. I just want it to be family and close friends. And I
want it to be simple. I don't want to make a bug fuss."

"I
understand, dear." Mom stated, warmly. "After all, the most important
focus is both of you being happy. So, are you going to tell me how he
proposed?" I went on to describe that evening, leaving out most of the
intimate details. We talked for a few minutes more before hanging up.

I
had to admit, now that I had reconnected with my parents I couldn't wait for
them to meet Sebastian and his amazing family. My mind reflected back on the
first time I had met Thomas and Tracy, when Sebastian had taken me there for
Sunday dinner. They had been so warm and inviting, nothing like I remembered my
parents being. Seeing mom and dad together, once they realized what they had
lost, I could see that their demeanor had changed as well. I could honestly say
that they now reminded me an awful lot of Sebastian's parents.

That
realization made me happy.

It was Sunday afternoon
, and we were about to
head to a barbeque at Thomas and Tracy's house. I had spent the morning putting
the finishing touches on a few salads. Tracy had asked me to make my famous red
velvet cupcakes, her favorite, and once they were decorated I decided to throw
together a platter of chocolate-caramel brownies. The brownies were Sebastian's
favorite.

"Hey
babe." He came up behind me, circling my waist with his arms. His hands
rested low on my belly and he settled his chin on my shoulder. Without looking,
I dipped a finger in the brownie batter and lifted it to his lips. He swirled
his tongue around my finger and hummed in appreciation. "Yum, my
favorite."

"I
know what my sweetie likes." I retorted, playfully.

"Listen,
I wanted to tell you something." He began, licking the last of the
chocolate from his lips. "I hope it's okay with you, but I've invited
Rachel and Savannah to join us this afternoon."

I
stilled at his words. I don't think it was in response to the invitation
itself, but more the reasoning behind it. After the proposal, and once the dust
had begun to settle, we had both shared a bit of history behind our friendships
with Reid and Rachel. Both of us were lonely and had looked upon them as purely
friends, but neither of us could deny that we'd found them attractive. Reid was
no longer a threat. He was back in London, and the last I spoke with him he had
been on his way to take Victoria to dinner. Apparently, working together had
sparked an attraction between them. It was ironic because she was the woman I
had intended to introduce to Reid before everything had gotten crazy. But
Rachel, that was a different situation entirely. Rachel lived only two hours
away. I guess if I were being completely honest with myself, I would admit that
I was jealous. I didn't doubt Sebastian's love for me. What I was most afraid
of was that someone else would see what a wonderful man he was. I wanted to be
the only one to receive his attention. But that would never be the case. He was
too wonderful not to be shared. He was kind to everyone.

This
was a fact I both loved, and hated.

"Babe,
does that bother you?" He asked, concern lacing his deep voice. My body
softened against him.

"No."
I shook my head. "You just caught me off guard I guess. It's fine. I'm
looking forward to finally meeting them." I turned and smiled. He placed a
soft kiss on my lips.

"Great,
because I can't wait for them to meet you. They've heard so much about you
already." He gave my waist a squeeze and stepped away. I went back to
finishing the brownies.

I
cleaned up my mess and tried not to let this change in plans play with my
emotions. They were important to him, therefore they should be important to me.
He was my world now, and I needed to embrace everything his world brought.
These feelings of jealousy were new to me. I couldn't recall ever being
subjected to jealousy during my relationship with Devon. I hadn't needed to be
jealous, all of his time was spent with me. Whether it had been cooking, or
just hanging out, we were always together. Now, things were different. I was
older, and this relationship was a full-fledged adult relationship, complete
with family, friends, and previous emotional baggage.

I
plated my desserts, and placed the salads on the counter, before quickly moving
into the bedroom to change. Sebastian entered the dressing room just as I had
slipped a sundress over my head. He leaned against the doorframe and watched me
slip on my flats. I ran my fingers through my hair, working it into a quick
braid, before tying it off. He came up behind me and smoothed his hands down my
arms.

"You're
gorgeous. Do you know that? Do I tell you that often enough?" He asked,
softly. His eyes met mine in the full-length mirror. I gave my head a light
shake, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth. There was no denying it, I felt
uneasy. His gaze penetrated right through me, seeing everything. "Do you
have any idea how much I love you. How much you mean to me? How badly I always
want you, even right this minute? There is no other woman for me, Brooke. You're
it." He placed a warm kiss on the tender flesh between my neck and shoulder,
as his hand smoothed down the front of my dress and stopped on my bare thigh.
His eyes blazed with desire as our gaze remained locked in the mirror. "I
need for you to believe that. It will always be you.
Only you
." His
eyes softened and a smile formed on my lips.

"Thank
you," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. His lips found mine
and the warm glide of his tongue against mine eased any remaining fears I may
have held. He pulled me tight against him and moaned softly as my hands found
their way around the seat of his jeans. He'd heard me. I loved him more in that
moment than words could even convey. He had sensed that I was feeling
threatened and wanted to make sure that I never doubted our love again. He
lifted me and my legs instinctively wrapped around his waist. He back stepped
into the bedroom as his lips continued their exploration of my skin. In the end
he'd left no room for doubt that I was his and he was mine.

It
was exactly what I needed.

Two hours later, the
women were in Tracy's
kitchen while the men were on the patio, manning the grill. Tracy went all out
when she held these weekly gatherings. Coolers of ice overflowed with a variety
of beverages. Snacks of every sort were scattered among the tables so that
anyone passing by could grab a handful of salty tidbits. Wonderful smells
wafted through the screened door, indicating that the meat had been placed over
the coals. We were laughing and having a great time. Rachel and Savannah had
arrived earlier, and Sebastian had taken great care to make sure they felt
comfortable and had been introduced to everyone. Savannah decided right away that
she liked me. She said that since Sebastian loved me, she loved me as well. It
took Rachel a few moments longer to settle in. Maybe she was uncomfortable,
knowing that I had seen the photos of her kissing my fiancé. But, once she
realized that we all welcomed her openly, without judgment, she finally relaxed
and joined the conversation.

"You're
going to love being married." Natalie informed me, rather loudly. She'd
already polished off two glasses of wine and had just finished pouring a third.

"I
can hardly wait. I can't believe it's less than two months away." I
sighed, happily. We’d finally decided that we would be married at the end of
July. The ceremony would take place on the beach just behind our house. That
was were we had spent a lot of our time together during that first week, and
the memories of that time meant a great deal to me. I felt that it was only
right that we should make our promise of forever in the exact same location.

"Have
you ever been married Rachel?" Natalie asked, her voice sounding a bit
slurred. The wine was clearly going to her head. Tracy moved the wine bottle
discreetly aside and smiled politely at Rachel, awaiting her response.

"I
was, once. Savannah's father and I were high school sweethearts before we were
married." Her gaze drifted to the window to where Savannah sat on the
patio with Sebastian and Travis doting over her. "Matthew was a Marine. He
was deployed overseas when Savannah was only two years old. His Humvee was hit
by an IED and he never made it home." The sadness in her voice tore into
me like a knife. I felt horrible for my earlier jealousy. This woman had lost
the love of her life. The thought of losing Sebastian like that sent a shiver
down my spine. The sheer idea of marrying him, having a child together, and
then losing him tragically was beyond comprehension. Then I remembered that we
had shared the common bond of losing a loved one. That bond was just one of the
things that had brought us closer together.

Then,
reality sank in. They now shared the same bond. Suddenly, I had to ask her a
question.

"Does
Sebastian know about this?" I swallowed, hard.

"Oh
yes, I've shared my entire sob story with him. He was wonderful though. He
really is a great guy. You're very lucky to have him, Brooke." The hairs
on my arms bristled at her words.

"Just
how is our Sebastian such a great guy?" Natalie asked, clearly not too
tipsy to pick up on the change in my demeanor.

"Yes,
please share with us dear. I just love hearing people rave about my boys."
Tracy encouraged. Meanwhile, I remained rooted to the floor, silently praying
that she wouldn't say anything at all.

"Well,
for starters, he is always there when Savannah calls him. They connected from
the very first time they met on that plane. She just adores him, and he never
seems to be too busy to stop what he's doing to talk with her."

"How
wonderful. He’s always been great with Olivia." Tracy smiled. "Go
on."

"He's
been there for me, when I've needed a friend." Rachel looked over at me as
she said this. I simply smiled my nicest smile, trying not to slowly die inside
as I listened to another woman gush about the wonderful qualities of the man I
was going to marry. "But, I guess the most amazing thing he's done was
when he offered to hire a live-in nursing assistant to help with Savannah.
Working full-time and caring for her when she's not in school can be
challenging for a single mom. I rarely get time to myself. Even though I prefer
to spend most of my free time with Savannah, I must admit that it's nice to
have the option to go out shopping or grab dinner with a friend."

"May
I ask what condition it is that Savannah has?" Natalie asked, softly. By
now the mother in her had clearly kicked in.

"She
has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Type 1. Which basically means that her bones are
brittle and predisposed to fracture. She has a mild curvature of the spine,
which is indicative of Scoliosis, but so far she has tested normal. She’s had
to wear braces on her legs for the past four years to help prevent accidental
falls. She may lose mobility, eventually, but for now she is a happy little
girl."

"I'm
so sorry." We all blurted in unison.

"Thank
you. But you don't need to be sorry. Savannah is my angel and, as I've told her
many times before, her fragility makes her that much more special. As she goes
through life she will need to slow down, and make wise choices. And when she
finds a husband he will need to treat her with a gentle hand and a loving
heart, as any woman should be treated."

I
listened to her speak, watched her face as she stared at the little girl that
currently stood before the love of my life, talking with animated hands and
making him laugh, and my heart spilled over with compassion. I forgot all about
the jealousy and doubt that had been burning inside of me and threw myself at
her, wrapping my arms around her middle and showing her my best rendition of
the Miles Family bone-crushing hug.

"I
think you're both very special." I whispered. I looked out the window, my
gaze meeting Sebastian's, and he smiled when he saw me hugging Rachel. My heart
warmed with the knowledge that he was such a loving and caring soul. Even
though I had been on the receiving end of his compassion on more than one
occasion, it was a nice reminder to hear how he had shared that same care to
another human being, especially after what we had just come through.