Alluring Infatuation

by Skye Turner

Chapter Eleven

  Dade

  Yesterday was insanely busy with going over everything for the show and packing. We didn’t finish up until around 11PM, so I didn’t have a chance to talk to Melonie. I did exchange a few texts with her though.

  We’re boarding the plane and heading to New York. It’s loud as shit on here with everyone talking and laughing. Getting this crew loaded onto a plane and settled is a feat. Bradi is barking orders and after about half an hour, we’re ready to actually take off. I have my ear buds in and I’m listening to a playlist trying to just relax for a minute.

  We won’t have any real downtime once we touch down, so I want to try to rest a bit. Closing my eyes, I turn my music up and lay back hoping everyone takes the hint and leaves me alone. It’s a straight flight to JFK, so we should be there in a little less than four hours.

  I doze for a bit. When I awaken, I look around. Everyone is in small groups talking or resting. Jude, Lexi, Jessie, Blue, and Bradi are talking. Erik and Alec have their heads together chatting while Micah sleeps in the seat next to them. Liam is reading while Clove sleeps on his shoulder. She’s tiring pretty quickly again. It’s supposed to be normal. We all hover around her and try to make sure she follows Melonie’s instructions about the baby. Cruz is the only one who’s alone. He’s tapping out a beat on his thigh with his drum sticks. He sees me looking at him and nods to ask if he can come over. I nod and remove my ear buds, letting them drape across my shoulders.

  He sits next to me. When he doesn’t speak, I ask, “What’s up, Cruz? You ok?”

  He looks at me and smirks slightly. “I’m fine. I was going to ask you the same question. You were smiling all day yesterday and in your sleep just now. What’s up? What has your mood much improved?”

  I look at him and arch my brow. Since when is Cruz nosey?!

  He lightly chuckles. “You’ve been a bear, Dade. Now you’re not. I’m just curious is all.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, I’ve been an ass lately, huh?”

  He nods.

  I punch his shoulder.

  He rolls it and rubs the top.

  “Yeah, I went to her apartment night before last. We talked about stuff.” I shrug.

  “Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?”

  I laugh so hard that no sound comes out. Everyone stops and looks at me. Clove starts and rubs her eyes sleepily as she wakes up. She looks at me and as she focuses on my face she smiles. I smile back.

  She unbuckles and stands up. Liam jumps up before she’s on her feet and helps her up and makes sure she’s steady on her feet. My heart swells with love and pride in both of them. She walks across and motions for him to stay put. Her hands are cradling her extended stomach where my nephew is nesting.

  Cruz offers her his seat and heads over to sit with Liam.

  She sits and sighs in appreciation. My big brother instincts kick in. “You ok, baby girl? Are you in pain?”

  Chuckling, she rubs her back and smiles. “I’m fine, Dade. I’m just pregnant and this little bugger is starting to get big. He’s heavy.”

  She laughs and presses her stomach. She’s a little thing and because of that, her baby bump is big. It looks like a small kick ball is under her shirt. I’m watching her hand and when she laughs, she presses down again.

  She looks up and her face is aglow with love. “Give me your hand.” Before I can move, she takes it and presses it against her stomach where her hand just was. I feel a little flutter under it. My eyes widen and I look at her in wonder.

  She laughs in delight again. “He started that a couple of weeks ago. It’s more pronounced every day. Isn’t it cool?!”

  I nod as I feel the tiny movement under my hand again. My baby sister is having a baby. My eyes glass over. I look out the window to get myself under control before looking back at her. “It’s ok for you to fly, right?”

  She nods. “It is. This is probably my last flight though. Dr. Bird says it’s safe for now, but she doesn’t want me flying after this.” I look at her. She smiles. “Don’t worry. Liam checked. Three times. He’s driving her insane I’m sure.”

  I nod. Good, he needs to be driving Melonie insane. This is my baby sister he’s responsible for now. I get a fluttery feeling as I think about Melonie. Clove has been watching my face. She smirks.

  “What are you smirking about?!”

  She snorts. “You, big brother. You’ve been a real asshole lately, yet for the past few days, you’ve been pretty cheerful. And… I had an appointment yesterday and Dr. Bird blushed when she came into the room. Now, you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  Nosey little brat.

  “Nope. No idea. When did you get so nosey?!”

  She laughs so hard she snorts. “Your poker face sucks, Dade! You two made up?”

  I grin. “None of your business. But we are talking, yes.”

  She grins back. Her eyes that are the exact same as mine are alight with her laughter. “Good. I hope y’all can work it out. I like this Dade so much better.” She leans over and kisses my cheek as she stands back up.

  “Go sit down and put your feet up, Clove.”

  She salutes as she heads back to Liam. “Yes, sir!”

  I laugh. I love that brat!

  Checking the time, I see we have about two hours left in the flight. I open my iPad and sign onto the Wi-Fi. I haven’t checked my Facebook in a while and Bradi handles the Bayou Stix page, so I don’t really ever think about signing on. My page is private anyway, so my friend list is small. I wonder if Melonie has a page?

  Looking around, I type in her name quickly and hit search. The first account that pops up is her smiling face. She’s wearing a black sleeveless shirt and her hair is in a messy ponytail. She looks more like the Melonie I knew on the island than “Dr. Melonie”. Clicking on the account, I pull up her profile. It’s set to private, the same as mine, so I send her a friend request. Let’s see if she checks her Facebook more than I do?!

  I go through my pending friend requests as I wait. Even though my account is private, I have 401 friend requests. I start going through them. I don’t accept anyone I don’t know personally, so most are ignored and deleted.

  About forty minutes later, I get a notification that Melonie Bird has accepted my friend request. She’s logged in from work?!

  Going back to her profile, I start to look it over. There are several albums. Clicking on “Profile Pictures,” I pull them up and start to scroll through. Most are of her by herself, but one is with her parents and there are several with a light haired, preppy-type, man. I click those.

  So, this is Jake, the ex-fiancé? Wow, talk about polar opposites. He’s clean cut with his hair artfully styled. His slacks are perfectly pressed and he’s wearing slacks or khakis in every photo. Even in the casual ones he’s wearing a polo or button up shirt, slacks or khakis, and loafers.

  Melonie was engaged to this dude?! I can’t imagine her passionate nature with someone who looks like… well, that. He’s a good looking man. Well, if you like the studious type. He couldn’t be any more different from me if he tried to.

  As I’m looking though another album that is her in evening wear, some banquet for the hospital according to the caption, I get a message in my inbox.

  I click on it.

  “What are you doing on Facebook? Aren’t you in the air?”

  Smirking, I type a reply.

  “I am in the air. The plane has Wi-Fi and I already took a nap. How’s your day?”

  She doesn’t respond immediately. I look over her timeline. It’s pretty inactive. Her last post was from almost two weeks ago. It says, “Can I get a do over? Have you ever had something so impactful happen in your life that you’re not certain how you can carry on as if it hadn’t?”

  Doing some quick math, I realize that was the night of the Rock With Me event. The night I saw her again.

  I get another message. “It’s going well. Busy. Just sat down for a quick phone consult and saw I had a fri
end request. I didn’t know you had an account.”

  I chuckle. “Now you do. So doctor, what are you wearing today?”

  I wait. Nothing comes back as I finish going through my requests. I delete all of them.

  The pilot comes over the intercom and says we’ll be landing in about twenty minutes and to please refasten our seatbelts. Logging off the Wi-Fi after checking for a response and still having none, I lay back and wait to land. As soon as we do, we have things to do. The next forty-eight hours are going to be insane.

  We have drivers at the airport and once we debark and they unload, we head to the hotel to get checked in and settled. I think everyone is having dinner together and then kind of going their separate ways for the night, since that will be our only free time this trip.

  I unpack and look around my suite. Why the hell do I need a suite? I’m one person. Seems like a waste of money to me, but the label pays for it, so whatever. It’s early afternoon and we aren’t meeting for dinner until six, so I get changed and decide to hit the gym.

  I have my ear buds in and I’m lifting weights while the music pulses through my veins. I’m in the zone and not paying attention to anything or anyone. This is my time. My escape. Other than when I’m playing, this is when I feel the most free. It’s just me. No expectations. No one to look out for, or give advice to. It’s just me and the burn of my muscles. It’s calming.

  I do one last set of curls and as I set the bar down, I see a familiar face watching at me. She’s smiling.

  Wiping my face with my shirt, I turn. I smile. She launches herself at me.

  “Hey girl. What are you doing here?”

  She hugs me and kisses my cheek before standing back up and looking me over. She whistles. “Damn, Dade. You are looking fierce. I didn’t know you could get any sexier. But shit, look at you!”

  Chuckling, I look her over too. “You too, Kate. It looks like Victoria’s Secret is working out for you.”

  She props her hands on her hip and strikes a pose. “You know it.” Laughing, she grabs my arm and pulls me. For a little thing, she’s strong. I laugh as I follow. As we get clear of the room, she asks again. “What brings you to New York, Dade?”

  Leaning against the wall, I talk a long drink from my bottled water. “Concert in Central Park tomorrow night.”

  She laughs and claps. “Oh, that’s right. A bunch of the Angels are attending. You’re on GMA tomorrow, too, right?”

  I nod. “We are. The concert was a throw together, but it sold out in less than twenty minutes. We have a great band opening up. They’re going places fast.”

  She laughs and taps her lips with her manicured nail. “Yeah. Devil’s Lair. Jack Lair is sexy as shit.” She winks.

  I chuckle. “So Bradi says. I guess I’m just chopped liver.”

  Throwing her head back, she laughs in delight. Her auburn hair is sticking to her neck in spots where it’s fallen out of her ponytail. “If you’re chopped liver, babe, then I just became a big fan of liver!”

  Kate is always fun. We’re friends. We were set up on a blind date a few years back when she was starting out as a model. She’s from Mississippi, so we bonded over our love of the Deep South. No spark there, but we have fun together and she makes me laugh. She’s a sweet girl. She seems to prefer athletes anyway.

  She nods her head to the ladies dressing room and says, “I feel disgusting. I need to shower. What are you doing tonight? A few of us are going to Avenue tonight. Want to come with?”

  I don’t have plans after dinner, so I nod. “I have dinner with everyone early tonight and then I’m free. I can meet y’all.”

  She clucks her tongue. “Cool beans. I’ll text you later, but we’re probably meeting there about 10:30ish. Bring whoever you want. If you have hot single friends, make sure to bring them.”

  She cracks me up with her candor. “Some people think I’m hot, you know.”

  She rolls her eyes and smirks at me. “I think you’re hot too, baby cakes. You’re gorgeous. You don’t get my juices going though.”

  Throwing my head back, I roar with laughter. “Same here, doll. Your beauty doesn’t make my flag pole rise.” She slaps her leg as she laughs with glee. “I don’t have any single friends. Everyone is paired up now, only Cruz is left. I can ask him, but I doubt he’ll come.”

  She purrs, “Oh, Cruz is fine. Love it if he’d come. No football players in your entourage?”

  Shaking my head, I laugh again. “Kate, you are too much, girl. Sorry, all my football buddies are spread around the states. It’s the off season. I’ll ask Cruz. I wouldn’t count on him coming. I might bring a few friends though.”

  She giggles. It’s cute on her and not annoying. “Awesome. I’ll text you the deets. I need to shower.” She wrinkles her nose as she jumps up and hugs me again. “So do you! You stink, sexy man!”

  Swatting her with my towel, I laugh as I head into the men’s dressing room.

  After my shower, I go back to my room and take a small nap. I get up in time to dress and head to dinner. It’s only a few blocks from the hotel, so I decide to walk down.

  I’m the last to arrive. I walk into the restaurant and the hostess greets me by name immediately. She tells me everyone is in the back and escorts me through the restaurant. People stop and stare as we walk past. I’m stopped a few times for autographs and photos. I’m used to this. I smile and sign before heading into the back corner of the restaurant.

  It’s not a separate room, but it is partitioned by two small walls, so it offers some privacy. Everyone already has drinks when I sit down.

  Jessie throws a piece of bread at me to get my attention. “Why are you late? Meet a hottie on the way?” He waggles his brows at me and pulls on his lip ring.

  Blue slaps his hand. “Jessie, don’t throw food! I swear you act like a thirteen year old sometimes!”

  He leans over and kisses her. Leaning back, he nips her chin. “Nah. Thirteen year olds don’t have my… skills. And I needed to ask him a question. He’s way over there!”

  She rolls her eyes and pinches his thigh. “You’re a perv.”

  He laughs and kisses her nose. “You love it.”

  Her face melts with love.

  Jude leans over and asks me. “Where were you this afternoon?”

  I order a drink as the waiter approaches and break a breadstick. “Went to the gym then took a nap.”

  He nods. “I figured that’s where you were.” He points at Lexi. “She made me go shopping.”

  Lexi looks over and laughs. “I didn’t make him. He wanted to show me a few places. Don’t listen to him.”

  I laugh as they bicker.

  Looking around the table, I see Erik and Alec talking to Bradi. Cruz is listening to something Clove is saying as Liam rubs her back. Where’s Micah?!

  A few minutes later, appetizers are brought out. They must have ordered them before I got here.

  We all eat and drink until we’re stuffed. The waiter asks if we’d like dessert. Clove and Cruz are the only ones who order some. Checking the time on my phone, I see we’ve been here for three hours.

  Suddenly, a man with a violin walks in and starts playing a soft song. The strings seem to sing. Clove sighs and snuggles against Liam’s chest and all of the couples are absorbed in the music. His playing is really beautiful.

  When he finishes, everyone claps. Clove and Cruz’s desserts are brought out and the waiter places a covered dish in front of Bradi. She didn’t order dessert?!

  She looks confused too. She’s opening her mouth to say something, when I see over her shoulder.

  Micah calls her name. “Bradi.”

  We all hold our breath as she turns around with a perplexed expression on her face. She gasps and is silent. Bradi is never silent.

  Everyone is staring with bated breath as Micah leans over and takes the covered dish from the table. He’s on both knees holding the dish with the most wondrous expression on his face. He lifts the lid and we all try to see. Bradi
starts crying.

  Removing a ring from a blue box, he takes her hands. “Bradi, you and I have been through so much. You drive me crazy. We’ve hurt each other. We’ve both been broken to the point that I wasn’t sure we would come back from it. Yet, through everything we always find our way back together. In all the darkness, you are my light.

  Since the day I met you, you’ve been my girl. You stole my heart with your smart ass remarks and your sexy smile. You broke my heart and then put it back together. Your love completes me. I am the man I am because of the woman you are. You make me feel like I’m on a roller coaster every damn day. Life is never boring with you.

  I told you once that when you are near me, you steal all of the spare air. You do. You’re a hurricane, Bradi. But, you’re my hurricane. I love you. I will never love anyone the way I love you. I could never love anyone else the way I love you. You own my heart. You taught me that there is such a thing as forever. You are my forever.

  Spend forever with me.

  Will you marry me?”

  She’s sobbing as he finishes speaking. His hands are shaking as he holds her hand and the ring. Everything hinges on her answer. My nerves are shot for him.

  Lexi says, tearfully, “Answer your man, Bradi.”

  Bradi blinks. Then she launches herself at Micah. They fall to the floor as she kisses him. He lands on his back and wraps his arms around her. I feel like this is a private moment and we’re intruding.

  He pulls back and says, “Is that a yes?”

  She screams, “That’s a hell yes! I wasn’t sure you were ever going to ask me! Yes! I will marry you. Yes, when? Oh my God, let me see the ring. You want to marry me?”

  We all laugh. He nods and slips the ring on her finger. “Of course I want to marry you, you crazy woman.”

  She screams out to the restaurant in general, “I’m getting married to this sexy mofo right here! This gorgeous man wants to marry me!”

  We laugh and laugh. Classic Bradi.

  I call the waiter over and order champagne for the table and a ginger ale for Clove. This is becoming a habit with this group.

  Chapter Twelve