Melody of the Heart (13 page)

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.