Across the Miles (The Not So Bad Boys of Rock #1) (16 page)

“Oh sweetie, I heard all about your happiness! Where is she? Where is Brooke?” mom gushed, hugging me fiercely in the process. What was it about a mother’s hug? How was it that it could be sweet and tender yet bone crushing all at the same time? I don’t care what age I am; that feeling will never get old. They made their way into the house, around where my mom and I stood embracing.

“She’ll be right out; we were just taking a nap.”

“Sebastian!” mom scolded. Travis and Nikki both giggled hysterically as I felt the tips of my ears turning
crimson, being with Brooke was starting to wear off on me in more ways than one.

“Mom, we really were taking a nap. We fell asleep talking in the den; it’s been a hectic week for her.” I felt her mom radar bore into me, seeking out the truth, finally seeming to accept my explanation. Honestly, even if we had been doing more than napping I was a grown man, I certainly didn’t need my parent’s permission for that. I saw the smirk on my dad’s face and knew he felt my pain.

“So all of you came over here just to congratulate us? What gives? I mean, don’t get me wrong, you are always welcome,” I stammered. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them all here; I just wanted to be selfish of the little time that we had left.

“There she is!” Mom pushed away from me and went over to share the bone crusher with Brooke, I almost wanted to warn mom to be careful, she was too delicate for that much force, but then I saw the look on Brooke’s face when it hit her what was taking place. The single tear that streamed down her cheek said it all. The acceptance of my family or any family, was what she had been missing her entire life. I looked at her and wanted to bottle this moment forever. I vowed then and there to make sure that she never felt anything less than love and acceptance for the rest of her life.

Brooke~

“There she is!” I had just rounded the corner into the foyer when I was swooped up into the loving arms of Tracy Miles. At first I was caught off-guard, unaware that they had been the ones ringing the doorbell while Sebastian and I were snuggled up on the sofa. We had been talking about our feelings, how we were going to
make our love work in spite of the distance. I don’t recall falling asleep, but I do remember him cradling me in his strong arms and kissing me senseless. When he woke me and told me that we had to get up I had been disappointed, not ready to break the spell that we had gotten caught up in since early this morning. But when I felt her arms wrap around me, when I heard her exclaiming her joy at our new found love, and when I felt her acceptance of me as the love of her son’s life, I couldn’t help myself, I cried. I didn’t bawl, that would have created a scene, but I was aware that a tear or two had escaped before I could suppress them.

“Okay, enough already, let me have a turn,” smiled Thomas. When he hugged me I could no longer hold back the tears, it had been so long since my father had paid any attention to me, let alone hug me. Unfortunately for Thomas, he hadn’t been filled in on my lack of a loving parent. To his credit, he responded by squeezing me tighter, patting me reassuringly on the back, as I continued to pour out my pain. This was a loving family. They were supportive and encouraging, a concept that had been so unfamiliar to me, but I longed to share it. I craved it even. It wasn’t until he held me like that, the way a father would, that I even realized exactly what it was that I had been missing.

I felt a hand on my back and instantly recognized Sebastian’s touch, always light but protective and reassuring. “Hey Dad, why don’t you let me take over.” Thomas eased his hold on me and smiled warmly as he looked down into my tear-filled eyes before handing me over to his son’s waiting arms. He wrapped his arms around me lovingly, pulling me against his lean body. We fit together perfectly. “You okay honey?” he whispered quietly, my body shook quietly against his as I tried to
hold back the sobs. “It’s okay; it’s just love baby. Let them shower you with it, you deserve to have it rain down upon you. As long as you are in my life you will always be surrounded by love, I promise you that.” That was the second promise he had made me today, not that I was keeping track, but I hoped like hell that he would be able to make good on them because so far everything he had promised sounded like something I could get used to.

“I’m good,” I sniffed, wiping under my eyes to make sure there weren’t mascara smudges. “It’s just all new to me; that’s all. I wasn’t prepared for how wonderful it would feel. It made me realize what I have been missing all my life.” I took a cautious glance around and noted that there wasn’t a dry eye in the room; even Sebastian’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“Okay, what do you say we stop all this crying and enjoy a nice meal together. Brooke, I hope you like barbecue,” quipped Natalie as she went about busying herself, pulling take-out containers out of the assorted bags strewn all over the counter.

An hour later we were sprawled out around the man cave, trash littered the surrounding tables. Tracy had gone out of her way, picking up food at a local barbecue joint known for their burnt ends and macaroni and cheese. I was famished; I hadn’t even realized it until the containers were opened, and the delectable fragrance of smoked meat and melted cheese permeated the air. I loaded my plate with pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, and baked beans before throwing in a warm biscuit for good measure. In the end, my eyes had been bigger than my stomach, and I pushed my plate away before finishing, an act that garnered a set of raised brows from Sebastian. I knew I was wasting food, and it made me feel bad, but not as bad as I would have felt if I had kept eating.

“So Brooke, what time does your flight leave on Sunday?” Tracy asked as she slipped her arm through the crook of my elbow, leaning her shoulder into mine.

“Just after noon,” I sighed. “When I made the return flight a week ago I had no idea it would be this hard to get on that plane. Part of me wishes that I could just stay locked up here forever. Sounds crazy doesn’t it?” I guffawed nervously.

“Well sweetie, that’s what love does to you, it makes you a little crazy,” she chuckled and nudged me gently with her shoulder. “I’m sure you’re nervous about how to maintain a relationship with that kind of distance between you.”

“Yeah, that is weighing heavily on my mind. It’s easy to get caught up in all the mushy feelings when we are together but what happens when we are apart? He meets loads of women on a regular basis that would love to stake their claim, how do I know he won’t move on to the next one after I’m gone?”

“Well Brooke, I’m afraid I can’t answer that directly, even Sebastian can’t do that. One never knows when they will fall in or out of love with someone; that’s part of the risk you take when offering your heart to someone else. What I can do is tell you that in all the years that he has been in the public eye he has only had two relationships, and you, my dear, are the first one we’ve ever had the honor of meeting.” She turned, taking both my hands in her own, and looked me directly in the eyes. “I guess what I’m saying is that Sebastian doesn’t fall in love every day, no matter how many girls throw themselves at him.”

“Thank you,” I whispered as I leaned in to hug her again. I found myself wondering if she had any idea how much her words of wisdom had meant to me.

“Oh sweetie, you don’t need to thank me, I should be
thanking you,” She turned a sideways glance toward Sebastian, pausing a moment to watch him as he laughed at something Thomas was sharing. “I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time. Whatever it is that you are doing, don’t stop.” She hugged me tightly, stroking my hair, before pulling back and looking at me. “I’m going to miss you.”

I chewed on my bottom lip, partially because of how it felt when she spoke those words to me, but mainly to stop the quivering that had taken over. “I’m going to miss you too,” I sniffed. “I hope I get to see you again soon.”

“If I know my Sebastian, and I do, we’ll be seeing you sooner than you think,” she winked.

A short time later, after another round of warm embraces and a few more tears, the front door closed behind them and Sebastian and I were left standing in the middle of the room, neither of us quite sure of what to say.

“I think it’s safe to say that your family likes me,” I said hopefully.

“Like? You call that like? Sweetheart, that is so far beyond like.” He came over and placed his hands on my hips. “The way I see it, I could run away and marry you tonight and they would be ecstatic.” My body stiffened, and he immediately picked up on it. “Calm down Brooke, it’s just a joke. I just meant that they already think of you like family. You’re one of us now. And you’ve already been introduced to mom’s bone crushing hugs and survived so I think you’ll fit in just fine,” he winked.

“I like bone crushing hugs,” I quipped playfully though I meant it with my whole heart.

“You do huh?” He asked; brow cocked as his arms slipped further around my waist before drawing me tightly against his chest, effectively mimicking his
mother’s technique.

“I like your hugs too.”

He chuckled lightly; his breath felt warm against my scalp. “Mom may be the master but she taught me a thing or two about giving great hugs. It’s all in the wrist.”

“Wrist?” I asked, pulling back slightly.

“Yeah.” He repositioned himself, giving me a quick instruction. “You wrap your arms around the waist, clasp one hand firmly over the other wrist and pull in tight.” He squeezed me again. “And that is how you do a proper bone crusher.” I pulled back from his embrace.

“Let me see if I get this straight,” I spoke coyly, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. “Arms go around the waist. I grasp one wrist with my other hand. Then I pull tightly, like this.” I drew him in roughly, eliciting a soft chuckle, and he clasped his hands behind my back.

“Now you’re a master too,” he replied breathlessly, before his lips covered mine in one swift motion, making me forget the world around me, all that mattered stood right here in this room.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Sebastian~

I could kiss Brooke forever. Like, seriously, forever wouldn’t even be long enough. This girl had me so tied up in knots I didn’t know which way was up half the time. I had spent the last two years not caring about anyone or anything, which had ended up with me spending most of my nights trying to forget who I was and how I had gotten there. The first twenty years had been carefree and full of laughter, then I met Charlotte and I was still happy but not quite as carefree, the demanding schedule was mostly to blame for that. Things had just started to take off with the band when we met. She was a pretty girl who loved everything I did, what young twenty-one year old wouldn’t love that. During our time together I was gone a lot, and that wasn’t easy in a new relationship, I know this because I heard it every chance she could bring it up. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about her, I truly did, but I wasn’t ready for the kind of commitment that she seemed to be interested in. I managed to hold her at bay for a while but after a year she had grown tired of waiting, she wanted more. Now,
as I stand here holding Brooke, I am able to look back and understand exactly what Charlotte had meant by more. Holding her in my arms, rocking slowly back and forth to the music that played in our heads, I came to realize that more would never be enough. When you truly loved someone, loved them with your whole heart, the craving for more was one that could never be fully satisfied, not because what they had to offer wasn’t enough, but because the more you were given, the more you needed.

“Hey,” I brushed the hair from her forehead, “do you want to go for a walk on the beach, we could watch the sunset.”

“That would be lovely, just let me change my clothes.” She scurried down the hall and came back a short time later, twirling before me as she stepped into the room, dressed in yoga capris and the T-shirt I had bought her in Malibu. I didn’t bother holding back the smirk that had spread across my face.

“I thought you weren’t going to wear that while we made our “memories” together,” I teased, complete with finger quotes as she had done at the boutique in Malibu.

“Yeah well, that was before,” she shrugged.

“Before what?”

“Before I fell in love with you,” she clasped her hand in mine, “now the memories we make have more meaning. When you bought me this I didn’t want you to know that I had a crush on you,” she shrugged once more, “now I don’t want you to forget.”

“Well, there’s no chance of that happening. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can promise you that you are the one thing that, no matter what happens, I will fight like hell to remember.”

“Sebastian Miles, that’s three promises you’ve made to
me now. I hope you’re able to keep them.” She lifted up on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss on my nose. We made our way down the beach, hand and hand, talking about everything that came to mind, everything except the one subject that hung over our heads. I had been waking up each morning, mentally counting down the days we had left, and trying my best to make the most of our time. I think what concerned me the most was whether or not she would want to continue seeing me after she went back to her world. While she was here I had tried to make her a part of mine, and she fit in perfectly, I worried that if I visited her, and she attempted to do the same, would I fit into her world as comfortably as she had folded into mine.

‘Wow, look at that.” She stopped and gazed out over the water, watching the sun as it set behind the rocks in the distance, the colors in the sky changing from pink to orange to darkness within a matter of moments.

“It’s beautiful,” I muttered, “like you.”

“Awe, you say the sweetest things to me,” she nudged me with her elbow before reaching a hand up to pull me down to her waiting lips and planting a soft kiss. “Thank you.”

“Hey, let’s head back, I don’t want you getting too cold.” I clasped my arms tightly around her, then pulled her up so that I was holding her in a forward style piggy back ride.

“What are you doing?” she asked, tilting her head sideways and grinning happily.