To Cherish and To Hold (Love of a Rockstar #1.5)
Read To Cherish and To Hold (Love of a Rockstar #1.5) Online
Authors: Nicole Simone
Standalone Novels
The Kiss Series
Love of a Rockstar Series
Broken Lullabies #2
(coming June 9th 2015)
To my readers and fans that encouraged me to continue Luke and Marlene’s love story. Without you, this book wouldn’t be sitting pretty on digital e-book shelves everywhere. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
S
moke billowed out of the oven as I scrambled to stabilize the egg whites for the frosting. Powdered sugar dusted the front of my t-shirt and dark-washed jeans. My hair hadn’t been washed in three days, which meant it looked like limp spaghetti. Ironically that was exactly what had been for dinner the past week: spaghetti with jarred red sauce and all the Parmesan cheese Nil wanted.
“Do you need any help?” Luke leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed with a smug look on his face. “Because I’m pretty sure you do, based upon the sheer mess surrounding you.”
I slipped my hands into a pair of oven mitts, removed the charred cake layers, cursed loudly, and had half a mind to throw in the towel. Making your own wedding cake wasn’t for the faint of heart. I wished somebody had pounded that into my thick skull when this idea came to me, instead of letting me think it would be so fun and easy!
I tossed the ruined yellow cake into the trash and growled, frustrated. “Why did you encourage me to do this? My sanity is at risk, Luke.”
He crossed the kitchen floor and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Your sanity is always at risk, baby. We have a daughter that is five going on twenty, a restaurant that is currently a shell of wires and old plumbing, and a wedding to plan. I would be surprised if it wasn’t.”
I buried my head against his cashmere sweater. “You aren’t helping,” I mumbled. “If anything, you’re making me more stressed.”
He ran his hand up my back to the nape of my neck. His fingers loosened a bundle of knots that elicited a moan of pleasure from my lips. Luke’s eyes heated.
Although there wasn’t time to have sex on the dining room table, I fervently wished there was.
“I can think of several ways to de-stress.” Luke nipped my earlobe. “Do you want to hear them?”
Words weren’t needed. The bulge pressing against his zipper spoke for his one-track mind. I tilted my chin to meet his devilish stare. “The caterer will be here in five minutes.”
“Five minutes is all I need.”
“You are over-hyping yourself. Three is the norm.” I laughed as he swatted my ass. “Hey! Somebody has to keep your ego in check or else those adoring fans camped out on our lawn will go to your head.”
The heat in his eyes dimmed, replaced by annoyance. “I wish they would leave. It’s not as if I’m dead or anything.” He walked to the window, peeled back the curtain, and peeked out.
The group of girls that had been holding a vigil since the news broke Luke was quitting Five Guys was singing loudly and off key. In the past week they’d been camped out, they’d gone through Five Guys’ extensive song list. I wanted to shove extra thick cotton into my ears. Luke had almost called the cops but his manager had discouraged it. He said feeding the hungry vultures known as the media was just asking for trouble.
“You’re dead,” I reminded Luke gently. “Luke Anderson, the rock star is no longer alive.”
“That was never me. I was always just Luke.
They
chose to see me that way,” he said, referring to his fans.
“I know, but you built a brand.”
“I’m not a goddamn Pepsi can.”
“No, you’re handsome, brilliant, an amazing dad, and the proud owner of Norma Jean’s. That will all come to light eventually. Be patient.”
Luke dropped the curtain and faced me. Endless love shined in his gaze. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Same thing you were doing before. Having sex, partying, and living
la vida loca
,” I joked.
“More like endless nights of touring one city after another until they blurred into one.”
“Missing your family?”
“Like a limb that was no longer there.”
My heart squeezed in my chest. Luke’s and my past was soap opera worthy. He’d left me when I was eight months pregnant, only to return four years later. After a week, it had become clear Luke wasn’t the same man who’d run away. He’d grown into the father and husband Nil and I deserved. Plus, the love between us was as strong as ever and hard to deny.
Luke crossed the carpeted floor like a cheetah about to pounce on his pray when a knock sounded on the door. He stopped cold and looked at me.
I shrugged. “It could be the caterer, but she usually comes around back. Are you expecting anyone?”