Miles Apart (The Not So Bad Boys of Rock Book 2) (25 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Sebastian~

I woke with a kink in my neck and shoulder. I
opened my eyes and saw Rachel cradled against my chest, just as she had been
when we had fallen asleep. I stretched my arms out, breathing in the scent of
her shampoo. Apple scented. Not the almond I'd grown fond of. My eyes searched
frantically for a clock, not finding one. About that time a nurse walked in the
room. She took one look at the sight of us in the chair and immediately got the
wrong idea.

"Good
morning. You must be Savannah's father. She's doing much better this
morning." She reported, after checking her vitals.

"Oh,
I'm not her father. I'm a friend of the family." I stammered. "Do you
happen to know what time it is?"

"Well,
the doctor will be in shortly to talk with you both." She gave a slight
nod and moved toward the door before turning back to me. "By the way, it's
nine o'clock." She stepped out of the room and Rachel stirred. She looked
down at my lap and smiled awkwardly, slowly peeling herself from my body.

"Sorry
about that. I guess I was pretty exhausted."

"No,
don't worry about it." I replied, casually brushing the situation off.

"Sebastian,
I want to thank you for being here with me. It means the world to me that
Savannah and I have you in our lives."

"Rachel,
you don’t need to thank me--" I began, but she interrupted me mid-sentence
by holding up her hand.

"I'm
not finished." She admonished. "While it has been wonderful to know
that you are here for us, I'm also very aware that you are about to be a
married man. You have an amazing woman that loves you very much. You should be
with her right now. I shouldn't have pulled you away. I just didn't know where
else to turn."

"You
can always call me. I hope you know that." I said, sternly.

"Yes,
I know that. But, the bottom line is that you and I will never be more than
friends. I've always known that. I would never want anything more than that. I
just hope that I haven't led you to think otherwise. I've survived six years
without a man in my life. I'm a strong woman. I need for you to promise me that
you will go to her. Marry her, and never forget what it first felt like to fall
in love with her. Hold onto that and don't ever let it go. No matter how
tempted you may be. She's the one for you. Savannah and I will always be here.
We're your friends for life. You go, marry Brooke and start a family of your
own. I know that one day you will be a great father."

She
hugged me hard against her small frame.

"Thank
you." I said, quietly.

Savannah
took that opportunity to open her eyes and tell us that she was starving.

"Well,
I guess that's a good sign." Rachel laughed, wiping the tears from her
eyes. "Hi baby. I'm so glad to see you."

"Hi
Sebastian. What are you doing here silly?" Savannah crinkled her nose.
"Aren't you supposed to get married today?"

"Indeed
I am, but I had to make sure that my buddy was okay." I ruffled her hair.
"Glad to see you're feeling back to your old self. I love you
peanut." I bent to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"I
love you too silly. Now, go marry Brooke." She gave me her most serious
face and I couldn't help but smile.

"Yes
ma'am." I turned to give Rachel a hug. "Thanks for the talk. Be sure
to call and let us know how she's doing."

"I
will, now go!" She gave me a gentle push out the door.

I
ran down the hall, bypassing the elevator for the stairs. If I drove like a
maniac I would have just enough time to take a quick shower before throwing on
my tux. As I peeled out of the parking lot I cursed myself for ever leaving her
in the first place.

I was making great
time, and only had three
more exits until I was home, when I saw the red and blue lights in my rear view
mirror. I glanced down at my speedometer. Ninety five miles an hour. Damn.

I
pulled over and gathered my paperwork, then waited for him to read me the riot
act about excessive speeding and the dangers surrounding it. Trust me, I'd
heard it all before. I saw him get out of his vehicle and approach mine slowly.
He tapped on my window.

"Son,
do you have any idea how fast this thing was going?" He asked, placing a
hand on the roof of my Shelby Mustang.

"Yes
sir, I'm afraid I do."

"You
in some kind of hurry?" He peered at me over his mirrored sunglasses.

"Well,
as a matter of fact I am…"

She was standing in
front of the large
picture window in our bedroom, looking out over the ocean, when I stepped into
the room. Seeing her in her wedding dress took my breath away. How was it that
someone as exquisite as her could fall in love with someone like me? At that
moment I felt like falling to my knees and thanking God for the gift that she
was to me. I didn't go to church, but that didn't mean I didn't believe that He
could do wondrous things. This rare beauty was mine, and I intended to treasure
her always, just as God had intended her to be. I walked up to her, slipped my
arms around her waist, and brought my mouth up to her ear.

"I
love you. I'll always love only you. You are the air that I breathe, and the
sunshine that warms my soul. Without you, I am lost. I have to know that you
still need me. That you still want to be my wife."

"Sebastian,
of course I still need you. I'll always need you. You are everything to me.
Without you, my life is empty and not worth living.

"I'm
sorry I kept you waiting. I'm sorry that I ever left in the first place."

"No
baby. Don't be sorry. You made a promise, and you kept it. Same as you always
do. That's just one of the qualities that I love about you. I'm just happy that
you chose me in the end.

"I'll
always chose you, no matter what obstacle tries to stand in our way." I
assured her.

"Then
meet me under the arbor in five minutes and I'll give you a kiss that will rock
your world." She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and grinned.

"Promise?"
I winked, showing every dimple I could muster.

"I
promise." She leaned forward and pulled my piercing between her perfect
teeth. I moaned into her mouth. I couldn't wait to marry this woman.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Brooke~

He was here. I couldn't contain my happiness as
he left the room to take his place under the arbor. The world as I knew it was
about to be forever changed, in the best way possible. The man that I loved
with every ounce of breath that I possessed. The one who was my reason for
living. The man who was not only my lover, but also my best friend. I was about
to legally give my hand to him, although I had given my whole heart to him a long
time ago. There would never be another for me. Everything he had, I wanted.
Everything he did, I wanted to be a part of. And everything that he wanted from
me, I would freely give.

"Brooke,
sweetheart, it's time." Dad said, as he came into the room. He stood there
in the doorway, his hand to his heart, and tears in his eyes. "I can't
believe that I almost missed this. If I would have had any idea what I was
walking away from. Any idea at all. I would have moved Heaven and earth to get
back to you. Thank you for letting me back into your life. I promise I'll never
walk away again."

"Aw,
thank you Daddy." I hadn't called him that since I was eleven years old.
Somehow, today, it felt right to call him that again. I'd never fully realized
how much I had missed him until he'd walked into my restaurant. At the time I
thought seeking a reunion would have only brought more heartache. What it had
ended up bringing had been so much more. So much better. Better than I could
have ever imagined. "Are you ready to give me away to the man of my dreams?"

"As
long as I always have a place in your heart." He held out his arm for me
to take. "I would be honored to hand you over to Sebastian. That young man
clearly loves you. He's a good man sweetheart. Always remember to fight for
what you love, for what you know to be true. Don't make the same mistakes your
Mother and I made. Nothing is more important than family."

"I'll
remember that." I slipped my arm through his and began my walk to the
patio.

The
sun was shining and the sky was the most beautiful shade of blue, second only
to my future husband's amazing eyes. The music began and I held tight to my
Father's arm as I felt my bare feet meet the warm sand. Ed Sheeran serenaded me
with the first song that Sebastian and I had ever danced to, and my eyes
settled on his as I covered the distance between us. He stared lovingly at me
as I approached, mouthing
I love you
when he caught me chewing nervously
on my lower lip.

Everyone
I loved was here with us. My parents, his parents, his brother and Natalie,
Nikki and Ben, Dek, Jade, and Chris. Donnie and his wife sat in the second row,
right beside Max and Laura. Olivia was our flower girl, and she was so precious
as she tossed rose petals over the sand before me. Gibson walked along beside
her, with a small pillow strapped to his body. The rings sat in a black box tucked
neatly inside the pillow pleats. Since we didn't have a nephew in the family,
Sebastian had insisted that Olivia needed a companion to escort her down the
aisle.

When
we reached the arbor, the minister began the ceremony.

"Who
gives this woman to this man?"

"Her
Mother and I do." Daddy stated, proudly. He leaned forward and gave me a
warm kiss on the cheek. "I love you Brooke. I'm so proud of you. Now, go
be happy in your life."

Sebastian
stretched his fingers out to me and I slipped mine into their strong grasp,
trusting he would never let go. We stared lovingly at one another as the
minister talked about the sanctity of marriage. Then he moved onto the vows,
asking each of us if we would take one another, forsaking all others.

"I
do." Sebastian repeated, in a voice that was deep and confident.

"I
do." I stated clearly, leaving no room for doubt.

"At
this time Sebastian and Brooke would like to share the vows that they've made
to each other."

I
cleared my throat and stared into his sapphire eyes. "Sebastian, from the
very moment I looked into your eyes I knew that I'd seen something special. You
saved me that day. And you made me feel safe and loved, even before we'd actually
fallen in love. That week we spent together left me longing for more days
together, and dreaming of this very day. Our road to get here may have taken a
few detours, and there have definitely been a few bumps along the way. But the
journey has been worth every mile. I can't think of anyone that I would rather
laugh with, love with, or spend the rest of my life with. I promise to love you
fiercely, until my last breath. My heart is yours forever." I gave his
hand a tight squeeze and he took a deep breath, then smiled a full dimpled
smile that took my breath away.

"Brooke,
honey. I remember the very moment when I knew I had fallen in love with you.
You were standing in my living room, singing softly, and your hips were swaying
to your music. Seeing you that way, it took my breath away, and I've never
gotten it back. You are the light of my life, and the air that I breathe. When
you're not near, I'm out of balance, like a table with a broken leg. You're my
stabilizer. You complete me. My life is richer because you're in it. I could
lose everything tomorrow, but if I still had you I would have all that I need.
You're my best friend, my lover, and the only one I want to spend the rest of
my life with. Today, before everyone we love, I promise to always stand beside
you, to always encourage you, and to love you passionately until the day I take
my last breath. Forever and always, I am yours." Tears slipped past my
lashes as I listened to his beautiful promises. Promises I trusted him to keep.

"Sebastian
and Brooke, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Sebastian, you may kiss your
beautiful bride."

Before
he kissed me, he slipped his arms around my waist, grasped his wrist, and drew
me in tight against his chest, giving the best bone-crusher of his life. His
jacket muffled my laughter and then he dipped me back, pressing his full lips
to mine. This kiss was soft, yet it claimed me fully. Our tongues became one as
they wove together in celebration. I sighed a breath of contentment into his
mouth as he pulled back. My teeth grasped the silver ring that they'd become so
attached to and he chuckled against my lips. Applause broke out around us.

"Ladies
and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian Miles."

Everyone
stood and cheered as we made our way back up the aisle. We stopped at each row,
sharing our love and hugging everyone as we passed. Finally, after the last
guest had been acknowledged, we glanced over at one another.

"So,
how does it feel to finally be Mrs. Miles?"

"Well
Mr. Miles, if the rest of our marriage is anything like the first thirty
minutes, then I'd say we're in for a great adventure. Are you up for it?"
I challenged.

"Honey,
not only am I up for it, but that's one thrill high I never want to come down
from." Then, he pulled me close and left me with a kiss that finally put those
butterflies to rest.