Saved by the Music (Saints & Sinners Book 2) (21 page)

She snuggled closer to Sam and inhaled his scent as he stirred then slowly opened his eyes. “Good morning, baby.” Oh, the sound of his voice first thing in the morning. It was so raspy and sexy.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?” She tilted her head back so she could see his eyes.

He kissed her forehead. “I should be asking you that. You tossed and turned all night.”

She sighed as a single tear fell down her cheek, closing her eyes when she Sam wiped it away. “I kept thinking about today, and I couldn’t stop my brain. I’m burying my mother today, Sam. I’m not ready to do this. I’m not supposed to be doing this so early in my life. She should’ve had more time. She deserved more time, and I deserved more time with her. It’s not fair.”

He tightened his hold on her, and she all but crawled over him. “You’re right, it’s not fair. She died before her time, but she wouldn’t want you hurting yourself over this. She would want you to grieve, but she wouldn’t want to watch you die little by little. She lived a great life with a man she loved more than life, and who loved her back. She raised an incredible daughter who has grown up to be a wonderful woman. She didn’t die unfinished. She died with memories that most of us strive for our entire lives.”

“You are very wise, Sam Brooks,” she managed to say with a smile on her face—a true genuine smile because he always knew exactly what to say.

“Come on, my mom is probably already up and going insane waiting for us.” He squeezed her hip before climbing off the bed in all his naked glory. She rolled to her back and closed her eyes. Having Charlotte in the house made things easier for her, gave her someone else apart from Sam to confide in. There was so much going on in their lives with Sam’s dad still in the wind that she couldn’t help but feel bad about unburdening her emotions on them, but they never complained once.

When a shirt landed on her face, she giggled and looked over at Sam. “Get your ass out of bed before I get back in there and keep us there all day.”

That sounded pretty good to her, but when he gave her the look that said he wasn’t messing around, she rolled to her side and glanced back at him. “All right, I’m up. You can stop torturing me with false promises of sex.” They both laughed and she knew she would be okay.

After she showered and dressed, she headed downstairs and was bombarded by the smell of waffles and the sound of bacon cooking. She stayed back, remaining silent, and watched Sam and his mom doing a perfect dance in the kitchen. The ache in her heart made it hard to breathe, because she would never do something like that with her own mother again.

Shaking her head, she walked up to the counter. “This smells amazing. You guys went all out this morning.”

Sam turned instantly at the sound of her voice. He smiled at her, making everything brighter. He closed the distance between them and kissed her softly. The kiss was chaste, but it was everything she needed. “It was my mom’s idea. Things got a little out of hand, so I hope you’re hungry.”

Charlotte whirled around, smiling at them. “I just wanted to do something nice for both of you. I know things have been crazy lately, and today is a big day. You should both have a good breakfast.”

“It all looks amazing, Charlotte. Thank you for doing all of this.” Even though she wasn’t all that hungry, Charlotte’s intentions came from a good place, and there was no way she was messing this up for her. Sam’s mom had been so good with Ashlee, giving her the space she needed but always being there for her if she needed someone to talk to.

Charlotte kissed her cheek. “It’s my pleasure, darling. Now you just sit down, and I’ll bring you some coffee.” She motioned toward the kitchen table before heading back to the kitchen.

“She’s been like this all morning. I’m sorry if it’s too much.” Sam took her hand in his and squeezed gently in support.

She shook her head and smiled at him. “It’s not too much. Doing this makes her happy, Sam, and with everything going on with your dad, I’m not going to take that away from her.”

“This isn’t about her. It’s about you, Ashlee.” His words hit her straight in the heart. She hated that he didn’t see her as strong enough to handle all their problems. They were committed to each other, and that meant sharing the burden. It was time for him to understand that. She
needed
him to understand that.

“Don’t say that, Sam. Your dad is missing, and as much as my heart hurts right now, I’m not blind. I can see how stressed out and scared she is, and how much it’s affecting you, even if you don’t talk about it. I know you’re trying to protect me, and that you think I’m going to break if you unload on me, but I won’t. I’m strong enough to support both of us. You make me strong enough to handle everything.” She pressed her palm to his left cheek, sighing when he leaned in to her touch.

“I don’t want you to have to deal with my shit.” God, she loved him, but sometimes he could be the most infuriating man in the world.

“Maybe, but I do. I want to deal with your shit. I want to know what’s going through your head, and what you’re feeling in your heart. I want it all, Sam. You don’t get to decide what I can and can’t handle.” It felt good to lay everything out on the table, and when she saw the glimmer in his eye, she knew he had gotten the point.

“Okay. I love you, Ashlee Daniels.”

She moved into him and kissed him softly. When she felt him smile against her lips, her heart fluttered, wanting to memorize the moment.

He grabbed the back of her neck and pressed his forehead against hers. Their connection was so strong she couldn’t think about anything else. “And I love you, Sam Brooks.”

She barely registered the sound of footsteps until she felt Charlotte’s hand on her shoulder. “All right, kids, keep some of that for the bedroom. Breakfast is ready.”

They both laughed as they got ready to tackle one of the hardest days of their lives.

SAM

Sitting in the front of the church, Sam held Ashlee’s hand as they listened to the pastor speak. “Her life and her death made an imprint on everyone who knew her. And our life and our death will also leave an imprint on those we encounter on this side of eternity.”

He felt Ashlee’s body go limp beside him, and when he looked at her, her face was soaked with tears. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her to him. She turned her face toward his body, and he just held her. “It’s okay, baby. It’s going to be okay,” he whispered into her hair, not knowing what else to say.

“I believe her daughter, Ashlee, would like to say a few words.”

Sam stood as the pastor spoke and helped Ashlee up. She shook like a leaf, and he wanted to wrap her in a bubble and save her this heartache. She wiped her face, and then smiled faintly at him.

“I’m fine. I can do this,” she told him before kissing his cheek. He watched as she walked up to the altar and hugged the pastor. Taking her place behind the podium, she looked around the church. There weren’t a lot of people present—Ashlee had wanted to keep it intimate—but everyone who loved her, and everyone who loved Sam, was there, supporting Ashlee. He didn’t think they knew how much it meant to her, but he did.

“My mom was the kind of person who brightened a room every time she walked in. She had this joy about her that was just contagious. She loved meeting new people, and learning their story. She always said that in order to understand our place in the world, we had to understand other people’s place. When she first got sick, it was such a shock. We had just lost my father, and I didn’t think I could go through that again. My mom sat me down and told me that whatever happened, this was her place in the world. At first, I was so angry that she would say something like that because her place was at home, not in a hospital bed. But now, I understand what she meant. It was her place to be reunited with the love of her life. She might no longer be here with me, but she will always be in my heart. I love you, Mom. You and Dad take care of each other.”

Sam wiped a tear from his face as Ashlee gazed up to the ceiling and pressed her hand over her heart. He was up before she had taken the first step, and when she almost fell, he held her up. “I got you.” He supported her as they made their way back to the front row, and when she broke down in sobs, he held her closer than ever.

Leaning back against the tree as he watched Ashlee lean over her mother’s coffin, Sam couldn’t shake a tingling feeling that something wasn’t right. There was something in the air he couldn’t quite put his finger on, and he didn’t like it one bit. He looked around, finding comfort in the extra security they had hired for the funeral. He hated having strangers there, but with his dad still out in the world, and with the press gathering around, keeping Ashlee safe trumped everything else.

“How is she doing?” Trish asked him from her chair, Emma asleep on her shoulder.

He glanced over to where Ashlee was speaking with the pastor. She looked at peace—sad, but at peace. “It’s been hard on her, but she’s taking it one day at a time. There are times I feel so helpless. I don’t know what to do to make it better for her.”

“You can’t make it better, but you can be there for her like you are now. It’s obvious that you are what’s keeping her together. She doesn’t need you to make it better. She just needs you to be you. Is there any word on your dad?” He could hear the concern in her voice—hell, he could relate.

It was the million-dollar question. It had been weeks since they’d been told he’d escaped, yet there was no news. Nothing at all, which scared the hell out of him. There was nothing about that man that didn’t scare him. “No, not yet.”

Trish looked up at him. “Maybe he’s gone for good. Maybe he won’t come after you.”

He knew she meant well, but he also knew his dad would never stop until he got whatever he was after. Thinking anything else would make him delusional. His dad was a vindictive man, and Sam knew he was after some ill-placed sense of revenge.

He dropped a hand on Trish’s shoulder as he glanced over at Ashlee. “Maybe.”

Someone moving in the shadows caught his eye, and his whole body went on high alert.

This can’t be happening. Not today of all days.

“Trish, I need you to take Emma and go to Jarrod.”

She must have sensed he wasn’t messing around because she didn’t even look around. Standing, she walked away as fast as she could.

“If it isn’t the prodigal son.” Shivers traveled down his spine when he heard the voice, but instead of being scared, Sam was determined to end this once and for all. He was done giving the poor excuse of a man standing in front of him control over his life—over his and Ashlee’s life.

He glanced over at Ashlee, and he could see the fear in her eyes as security guards swarmed around her to keep her safe.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Sam said as calmly as possible.

“There are a lot of things I shouldn’t have done, and having you was one of them. You were a pitiful, scared little boy, and from where I’m standing, the man isn’t any better.”

For the first time in his life, his father’s words washed right over him. He was finally free of the sick hold the man had on him.

Sam took a few steps closer, bridging the distance between them. “There’s enough security here to make sure you don’t leave in anything but handcuffs, so from where I’m standing, you’re the pitiful one. All my life, I let myself sink back to that scared little boy watching his father beat his mother unconscious. But I’m not that boy anymore. You’re right about that. I’m a man who is never going to stop protecting the people I love, a man who knows exactly the kind of man I want to be for the woman I love, and for that, I should say thank you.”

The look of pure shock on his father’s face was something he would remember forever.

“You ungrateful little fuck. I should have killed you that night.” In the blink of an eye, his dad reached around his back, and everything else happened so fast he nearly missed it. The man grabbed a gun tucked in his pants, but he didn’t have a chance to bring his arm back around before one of the security guards came up from behind and tackled him to the ground. The sound of the bones in his dad’s arm breaking resonated in the air.

“Saaam!”

He whipped around at the sound of Ashlee screaming his name, barely taking a breath before she jumped on him and wrapped her legs around his waist. He grabbed her ass, and steadied them upright. He smiled when she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her arms around the back of his head. He held her tightly against him. They both needed a moment to recuperate, maybe him more than her.

Ashlee shook in his arms and he turned his head sideways, kissing the side of hers. “I’m okay, baby. It’s over…. It’s all over.”

Epilogue

ASHLEE

Between running the band’s foundation and spending time with Sam over the past two months, Ashlee’s life felt fulfilled. There were still moments that snuck up on her where she missed her mom more than words could say, but he was always there beside her. They were finally at a place where their lives were exactly what they were supposed to be. Sam’s dad had been sentenced to life in prison, and Charlotte was finally free. They were all free.

Glancing at Sam from her seat, it didn’t matter how many times she saw him; he always took her breath away. They had woken early that morning, and he had surprised her by telling her to pack a bag. And that was how she ended up on a private plane with no idea where they were going.

“Just give me a hint,” she asked, batting her eyelashes, even if she knew it was useless. When he was set on something, there was no way to bend Sam Brooks’s will.

“You’ll just have to wait until we get there.” The smirk on his face was both sexy and infuriating.

She crossed and uncrossed her legs, making her sundress rise up her thighs. When she saw him staring at her with fire in his eyes, an idea came to her. Maybe she could convince him after all. She unbuckled her seat belt and walked over to him.