Surrendering (33 page)

I’m full out crying now. I throw him back on the bed and kiss him briefly. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I’m so in love with you. You’ve taken my world by storm and I’m not sure how to handle these feelings. You could ask me anything and I’d say yes.”

“So will you wear your new bracelet tonight?”

“I don’t know if you’ll ever pry it off my arm. Thank you– it really is too much. The party, the gifts, tonight; you’ve done too much.”

“Never, baby, never. Now kiss me because I have to go and I promised my sisters and your friends they could have you about ten minutes ago. I love you.”

“I love you too. See you soon.”

He kisses me and then leaves my room. As soon as he’s gone, I’m instantly surrounded by my friends.

“Girl- show me the bling!”- Harper and Charlie

“Thank God he picked your outfit.”- Kendall

“Please don’t be mad at us for abandoning you on your day; Declan had us running errands”- Abbi and Ella

“You didn’t abandon me; we’re going out tonight. I never even gave it a second thought. But I do want to hurry up and get ready. There are shots calling our names in the kitchen.”

Kendall goes to work on my hair, creating long, luscious curls while Harper intensifies my make-up. I’m lost in my own thoughts when Abbi and Ella sneak into the bathroom with a bag behind their backs.

“Um, this is not comfortable for us, but for your birthday, we decided on getting you the PERFECT lingerie to go under your dress. So, here’s what we got you.” They start to pulling things out of the pink and white bag and my cheeks flush.

“There’s nothing to that? A strapless bra and string for underwear? Where is my ass going to go?”

“Oh please, you don’t have an ass.”

“Guys, I love you, but you realize we’re coming back here with you tonight.”

“Well, yes, but you can also wear these again.”

“Hot damn! I agree. Let’s get her dressed and ready to go. My margarita’s gone and I’m ready to party.” Charlie says as she finishes putting on her boots.

The group leaves me alone to finish dressing. I get my black clutch and head to the kitchen to meet the others.

The guys have shooters lined up on the counter. They look like Pink Panty Pulldowns, but I couldn’t swear on it.

Robbie circles me and tells me how beautiful I am before he says to the group, “Shoot ‘em back and back slap.”

I know what he means. I lift a drink and shoot it, then slap the closest ass to me- which is Finn’s.

“Baby Girl, watch out- I might like that.”

“You are such a flirt, but to me, you’re my first flirt.” Finn grins and gives me a kiss on the forehead.

Our crew finishes our drinks and gets ready to leave.

*****

When we get to the bar, Declan has arranged for us to park around back and go in through the side doors. Once we are parked and out of the car, I text him to open the doors. They fly open immediately and he runs over to me. He hugs me tightly as the others filter in beside us.

“You look incredible. Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined it looking this good on you.”

I turn to him and lift to his lips. “Thank you, you look pretty hot yourself. As a matter of fact, I think you and I have a date behind the stage tonight- don’t forget it.”

“Oh, you have no idea, but come in- there’s one more surprise.”

“Declan, you didn’t-”

He interrupts me, “No, I didn’t, but your boys did. Go see.”

I take his hand and walk into the room. There are two large tables against the far wall. One is filled with food and the other is a full bar. I look around trying to see what might be considered a surprise but don’t see anything. Then the crowd shifts a little and I see Max standing there with a present in his hand and his eyes on me. OMG! He’s home again! I take off running to him and land in his arms before anyone else can get to him. The crowd forms, but he holds onto me, true Max fashion.

“Happy birthday, Baby Girl!”

“Max, I’m so glad you’re here- for so many reasons- thank you.”

“Anything for my, Raven Haven. When I found out what was going on, I knew I had to be here tonight.”

I blush, “Max, I can’t even leave the room tonight. And if you find someone you want to bring backstage- that can’t happen.”

“Robbie filled me in on what’s going on. I don’t plan on leaving the room tonight. This is your birthday and we’ll just party back here.”

Declan semi-growls behind me. “Nice to see you again, Max. Glad you could make it. “

“Thanks for having me. Sorry I missed last night. Heard it was the shit.”

“Yeah, we had a pretty good time. The karaoke was a hit.”

“Well, let’s get the birthday girl a drink. What’ll it be?” Max motions to the bar and Declan and I follow him.

Once I have my drink, I find my girlfriends. I want details on last night; I’m pretty sure Jimi stayed over at my house.

“Hey, hooches, what are y’all talking about?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure that my sister got laid last night and she’s withholding details,” Ella answers me.

Abbi’s eyes are bugging out of her sockets. “Can you please lower your voice? He is here, you know?”

“Okay, I’ll lower my voice if you spill.”

We all move in closer. “I’m not going to kiss-and-tell, but I will say it was pretty fucking awesome.”

“So what happens now? Are you like a couple?” Of course Charlie has to open her mouth.

“I’m not sure. We’ve been talking for a while and even had a few kisses before last night. We haven’t discussed anything else. I’m kind of nervous about tonight. What if it was a one-time thing?”

“Do you want it to be a one-time thing?” I ask.

“No, I really like him. It’s not just his looks; he’s really cool to hang around. He’s been very encouraging about the externship and he showed up at an art show last week to surprise me.”

“I’ve known him a very long time. He’s a great guy; it’s about time he gets his head on straight. I’m telling you the truth when I say I’ve watched him around you the last few months and I think he’s into you.”

“Raven, please don’t say anything to anyone- including Declan. Let’s see how this plays out.”

“Not a problem. But head’s up, Jimi’s on his way over here.”

We all spread out a little and start talking about the party last night. Jimi slides next to Abbi and pulls her to him. He kisses her on the cheek and smiles at her. Then he grabs me into a bear hug, “Happy birthday, RJ. You look beautiful.”

“Thanks, Jimi. I like this celebrating all weekend thing.”

“Yeah, your boy made sure this weekend was all about you. Fun party last night.” He moves behind Abbi and rests his hands on her hips.

“Are you kidding? It was more than fun; did you not see the karaoke performances?”

“Please, don’t remind me- I can’t get Charlie’s singing out of my head.” He winks at her and she scowls back.

“Don’t be a hater, Jimi; you’re just jealous.”

“If you say so, but you should see the video before you go on tour.”

“There’s a fucking video? Who would do that?”

We all start laughing. I’m not sure who actually taped it, but I need to find out. Like Declan said, a YouTube video would go viral.

Declan joins us, bringing me another drink. I see his eyes move to where Jimi has his hands, but he doesn’t say anything. We have a small discussion about the show in Atlanta next weekend. There’s some noise by the door and I see Mark turning people away. He has to repeat the words ‘Private Party’ several times and I feel bad for him.

“What time are you going on?” I ask him

“About half an hour. I need to steal you for a few minutes.”

“See you guys in a little while.”

He holds my hand and leads me through the door to the stage. When we get to our corner, he spins me around and his lips lock on mine. Our kiss is slow and consuming. His hands are resting on my hips. I’m so close that there’s no space between us. I wrap my arms around his neck and run my fingers lightly over his skin. The door opens and light breaks through. We reluctantly pull apart, but stay close.

“You really are beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you– for everything.”

“I need to get ready. See you after the show.”

“I look forward to it. Have fun!”

He walks me back to the group and then joins the others on stage to get ready. Since I am technically the only one who has to stay backstage tonight, the others float back and forth from the party room to the main bar. Before the set starts, I grab Kendall and drag her to the bathroom with me. Will walks with us and stands against the wall outside as we go in. After we’re done and washing our hands, I hear a familiar voice through the stall talking to the girl standing in line.

“I’m not sure what the problem is, but I’ll talk Mark into letting us back there. Private Party or not – we’ll get in before Sayge is done. I have some unfinished business with those guys.”

“I’m not sure, Sami; it seems like a pretty tight party with Mark at the door. Maybe we should just wait until Thursday to talk to them.”

Kendall and my eyes meet in the mirror. She knows who Sami is and I pray to God she’ll keep her mouth shut. I nod at her to communicate that we need to get out of here fast.

Sami won’t stop talking though and we both stop at her next statement. “No, Brandy, I need to get back there tonight. This shit with Declan has gone on long enough. There’s no way he’s still mad at me and if I can get to him, I’m pretty sure I can convince him he misses me.”

My blood starts to boil and I freeze in my spot. Kendall has my arm and is trying to pull me out the door, but it’s too late. Sami walks out of the stall and sees me. She smirks in my direction and heads to the sink to wash her hands.

We walk out of the bathroom and Will raises his eyebrows at me, but doesn’t say anything. Kendall still has me by the arm when we get back to the room. The girls must notice my foul mood because they put a drink in my hand immediately. Kendall gives them a run-down of what happened in the bathroom and Abbi and Ella are furious.

There’s screaming behind me at the door. Will is instantly back at my side.

“Mark, what’s the big deal? We’ve been back here for private parties before. I’ve been with Sayge for years. If you let me in now, I won’t tell the guys how much of a prick you’re being. Wouldn’t want to get you fired.” Sami threatens him.

From behind her, Jimi tries to slide in, but Sami gets her hands on him. “Hey, handsome, why don’t you invite me back with you.”

Jimi tries to get away from her, but she has a hold of his shirt. “Nah, this is a private party. You should head back to the bar.”

“But I like to party and I would definitely enjoy a private party.” Her hand starts to move lower to the buckle of his belt.

“Bitch, get your hands off of him right now!” Abbi screams from beside me. She takes off across the room and yanks Jimi away from her.

Sami finally realizes she has an audience. When her eyes lock on mine, I smile. Her expression is filled with shock and I can see her face turning red. “Mark, why the fuck is she back here?”

“This is her private party. You need to leave now.” He tries to turn her around, but she won’t move.

“You must think you’re something, but I bet you can’t keep him interested for another month. I thought I got rid of you with the pictures of you slutting your way around-“

“Wait, is this the bitch that gave Declan the pictures of the gala?” Charlie asks.

“Yes, this is Sami.”

“Whoa, Declan certainly improved his taste.” Charlie says to Sami’s face.

I burst out laughing and soon everyone has joined in except Sami and her friend. Even Mark is having a few chuckles. Sami looks like she’s going to explode and her friend is backing away trying to distance herself. Mark steps into the doorway to block us and tells Sami it’s time to go. He shuts the door before she can protest any further.

“That was fun! I really wanted to get into a verbal smack down, but I decided not to waste my breath on her trash-ass.” Harper tells the group. More laughs erupt.

I head backstage to watch the show. From the side stage, I can see the crowd. I’ve never seen this many people in The Steamroom. I know Declan told me before about the club hitting capacity, but from up here it looks so different. I see an area in the back corner I never knew was there. It’s a patio of sorts that opens to the side of the building. I can see people stopping on the sidewalk to get a peak of Sayge. I’ve danced in front of hundreds of people before, but the rush of being back here and seeing what Declan sees when he looks out is awesome.

All the girls except Abbi join me and we form our own little dance floor. Will is watching from the corner, but I can see his gaze is steady on Ella. When he catches me watching him, he just grins and shakes his head. Ella is oblivious to his attention.

Because I know the song list, I know the guys are on their last song for the show. I’m thankful because I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow due to all the dancing I’ve done in these shoes. I’m just about to head to the couch to sit down when Declan calls my name.

“Babe, did you hear me? I see you standing there. I need you to come here for a minute.”

He’s motioning for me to join him on stage and I feel hands pushing me forward.

I’m going to kill him! What the hell is going on?

As I get on the stage, he pulls me to his side and goes back to the microphone.

“I’ve recently mentioned there’s someone special in my life now and this is her. I need some help from y’all tonight. It’s her birthday and I want you to help me sing “Happy Birthday” to her. When we get to the name part, just call her baby. Okay- ready?”

The crowd cheers in response and Declan leads the room in singing to me. I’m not sure if my cheeks are as red as they feel, but I’m pretty sure I look like a tomato.

The song finishes and Declan turns me around to face Robbie. He’s holding a gorgeous four layer, red velvet cake with twenty-two candles. I lean over to blow them out and the room goes wild.

Even though I’m embarrassed as hell, I can’t be mad. I snake my arms around Declan and kiss him hard. He kisses me back with equal strength until Robbie clears his throat behind us. I pull away from him, but smile as he nips at my lower lip one last time. I give a small wave and walk back off-stage. There are catcalls behind me, but don’t turn around.