Wounded But Not Scarred (New Adult Rockers 2)

by Vega, W. H.

  “You look gorgeous as always.”

  “Thank you. You look lovely too.”

  My mother beams. “Come on in. We’re going to eat in an hour or so.”

  “Wonderful.” Paige smiles and reaches for my hand before we follow my mother inside. During my absence my aunts, uncles, and cousins have arrived and the house is packed with nearly fifteen other family members. Paige and I barely get a chance to speak to one another because we’re both being pulled in so many directions.

  Paige is catching up with some of my female cousins who she went to school with, and it makes me happy to see her so animated. I know that Paige lost all of her friends after what happened to her and I know she would love to have some more girlfriends in her life.

  We sit down and eat, and the meal is a loud and happy one. Afterwards, we hang out for a bit and when I look at my phone, I realize we need to get going if we want to have time at Whitley’s before we are supposed to be at Jami’s.

  “We have to go,” I whisper to Paige.

  We start to say our goodbyes, and I find myself patting the inside of my jacket pocket to make sure that I still have the ring.

  “That was so much fun,” Paige comments as we’re driving away.

  “It was. I’m glad we did that.”

  Again, time seems to speed up, and I notice my palms sweating against the steering wheel. Paige doesn’t say anything, but I see her look over at me a few times. I park the truck once we arrive and I see that a lot of other people had the same idea to visit today.

  “What should we do?” I ask, taking Paige’s hand. “A carriage ride? Walk around?”

  Paige leans into me and sighs happily. “Let’s get some cider and walk around for a bit.”

  We purchase two cups of hot cider, and I lead us away from the crowds, and towards some of the trees that are farther away. Some people recognize us, and I can tell Paige is happy to get away from the crowds too.

  We weave in between the tall trees, distancing ourselves further and further. We cross a few people, mostly couples like us, milling about and holding hands.

  Once Paige finishes her cider, I feel my insides coil nervously and I know that I’m going to have to act soon.

  “Are you okay?” she asks, as I toss our cups in a trashcan. “You’ve been really quiet.”

  “I’m fine,” I say too quickly. We’re approaching a beautiful spruce that is covered with hundreds of tiny, twinkling lights. The tree is breathtaking and I know the moment has arrived.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be short just now. I’ve just had some things on my mind.”

  “Oh. Is everything all right? I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to you much at your family’s house. It was just so nice catching up with everyone.”

  “No, no, that’s not it at all. I was glad to see you so happy and talking with everyone.”

  She frowns. “Then what is it?”

  I take her hands and pull her towards me so that we’re directly in front of the tree.

  “Paige, I promise nothing is wrong,” I say huskily. “In fact, things couldn’t be better. Being with you is the happiest that I’ve ever been. I love having you back in Nashville, and I love being on tour with you, and just being with you.” I’m getting tongue-tied. “I love you.”

  Paige chuckles, still clueless. “I love you, too.”

  “The thing is,” I say, taking a deep breath, “It’s not enough.”

  I see worry cross her face.

  “It’s not enough just to love you and see you when I see you. I want more than that. I want to spend the rest of my life with you –’’

  I see Paige gasp mid-sentence as she begins to realize what is happening. I get down on bended knee.

  “I want to commit myself to you, and spend every single day with you. Paige Magnolia Lawson, would you make me the luckiest man in this world? Will you marry me?”

  “Oh my god,” she whispers and her hand flies to her mouth as I open the velvet box, revealing the sparkling diamond. Her eyes fill with tears. “Yes!” she cries, “Of course, I’ll marry you, Blake!”

  Smiling wide, I stand up and hug her, pulling her to me as our lips crush against each other's and I feel like my heart is going to explode.

  Twenty One

  Paige

  I feel like I’m living in a dream as I kiss Blake, and I feel his tongue eager and excited, probing into my mouth, as we kiss each other with insatiable hunger, passion, and love.

  Giddy, I pull away, feeling myself panting from my raw attraction to him and the overwhelming love I feel for him in this moment.

  “Well, give me your hand,” he laughs, still holding the box, and I giggle nervously, as Blake takes my shaking hand in his and gently slides the ring over my finger.

  “Oh my god,” I whisper for the second time, “It’s gorgeous.” The ring is a sparkly princess cut, showcased in a square frame of smaller diamonds. It sits in a white gold setting, on a band inlaid with more diamonds. While the stone itself is large, the entire ring has a delicate and antique feel.

  I throw my arms around Blake again, and he laughs gruffly as he holds me.

  “Do you like it?” he murmurs.

  “I love it!” I squeal, pulling away to admire my ring. “Oh my gosh, we’re engaged!”

  Blake nods and I do a little happy dance in front of the tree which makes him burst out laughing.

  “Have you had this planned the whole time?” I demand, “Is that why you were so quiet?”

  “Well, I haven’t had it planned the whole time,” he explains, “I knew that I wanted to propose, but I didn’t settle on anything until we got word that your grandma was doing okay yesterday.”

  My eyes fill with tears again. “You are so thoughtful.”

  He shrugs. “It just seemed right. And then when you suggested coming here today, I thought this would be the perfect time.”

  “It is perfect,” I sigh, as he puts his arm around my shoulder and starts to lead me through more trees. I look down at my finger, and tilt my hand back and forth to admire the ring again. “I couldn’t have picked a better ring out for myself. You did an amazing job.”

  “I’m glad you like it. And I’m glad it fits,” he adds.

  “I guess I should call people,” I giggle, still staring at my ring. “Does anyone know?”

  “Well, I did tell my parents last night that I was going to propose. And I asked your dad for your hand before we went on tour.”

  “What? Before we went on tour?” I exclaim.

  “Well, I wasn’t sure when I was going to see him again and I wanted to get it out of the way. I knew I wasn’t going to do it immediately, and I told him that I would probably wait until we got closer to the holidays.”

  “You are so sneaky!” I scold him, feeling immeasurably light. “You know what? Let’s enjoy the rest of our time here and then I’ll call people in the car. I don’t need to call Daddy because we’re going to see him soon.”

  “Perfect.”

  I lace my hands with Blake, and we start to make our way back through the crowds, as I continue to look down at my ring.

  He chuckles. “You can’t stop looking at it, can you?”

  “No! I’m so freaking excited! And surprised!”

  “You really didn’t see it coming?”

  “No! I honestly didn’t. I mean, I know we were talking about it, and I told you that I was ready, but I was thinking you might wait until after the tour.”

  He shakes his head, smiling.

  “What were you thinking when we were looking at houses yesterday?”

  I laugh. “Well, the house I loved isn’t going to be free until the spring. So like I said, I figured you’d wait until the winter or something. We could still buy the house without moving in right away. You know, fix it up and stuff before we move in.”

  “C’mon, let’s take a carriage ride,” I say, pulling Blake towards the carriages. It’s only a few minute's wait, and soon we’re snuggled into a carriag
e and offered a blanket for our ride. I like that it’s overcast because you can see the Christmas lights better. And it’s actually a chillier day for Nashville, so I’m glad that we have the blanket and I have the opportunity to snuggle with Blake.

  My fiancé.

  Holy crow.

  Fiancé.

  Is this real?

  I laugh again, feeling like a somewhat crazy person.

  “What?” Blake demands.

  “I’m just so happy! Seriously, Blake, this is the best day ever. I love being able to say that you’re my fiancé.”

  He pulls me closer to him. “I love being able to say that too.” His eyes get a familiar look to them that makes my heart flip flop and I feel a pull deep and low in my stomach. “And I can’t wait to make love to my fiancé,” he says in a throaty voice.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Once our carriage ride comes to an end, we make our way out of the farm, we only have a half hour until we’re supposed to be at Jami’s house. A couple fans recognize us on the way out, and a few people even stop and ask to take pictures with us.

  No one is perceptive enough to notice the new sparkling ring on my finger.

  Once in the car, I excitedly call my mother.

  “Hey sweetheart,” she answers.

  “We’re engaged!” I screech into the phone.

  “What? Oh my gosh!” she cries, “Honey, that’s the best news! I’m so happy for you!”

  I go on to tell her how Blake popped the question and she listens attentively, cutting in to say how sweet or how romantic it sounds.

  Once I’m finished gushing about my own happiness, I ask how Grandma is doing.

  “She’s doing really well. Even more awake than this morning. The doctors are going to tell us more tomorrow. She still hasn’t tried to talk yet. I was there this morning and she was out of it, but Jackson and I just stopped by for about an hour, and she was awake and alert.”

  “I’m so glad to hear it. I can’t wait to see her tomorrow. And you too, of course. Will Jackson be there tomorrow?”

  “No, he’s actually heading back down to Nashville late tonight. His son is flying in tomorrow to visit him for the weekend.”

  “Aww, well alright. I was hoping to see you two in action.”

  My mom laughs nervously. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be grilling me just the same.”

  I grin. “You’re right. I will. I want to hear all about it.” I hear Jackson in the background, and I realize that they’re probably getting ready to eat their Thanksgiving meal together. “I’ll let you go, Momma, so you and Jackson can enjoy your dinner. I’ll text you when we get on the road, but our plan is to leave between seven and eight in the morning.”

  “Alright, sweetie. Can’t wait to see you. And congratulations, I’m so happy for you.”

  We hang up and I turn to Blake. “Want to call your parents? They’re probably expecting a phone call from you.”

  He flashes me his killer smile, and I melt all over again. I’m digging how Blake is dressed today. While I love his usual country rocker look of jeans and a t-shirt, I also go nuts when he dresses up a bit and looks slightly preppy. He’s wearing a pair of well-cut black pants, and a fitted gray sweater, which shows off his great body. He’s shaved his stubble and he’s put some gel in his hair and slicked it back a bit.

  “I don’t think I’ve mentioned how sexy you look today,” I tell him just as we’re about to dial his family.

  His eyes smolder and I have to take a deep breath to control myself.

  “Let’s focus and call my parents,” he says in a voice that he usually saves for the bedroom. We call his parents on speakerphone and Mrs. Evan’s shriek of excitement is so shrill that I’m glad I didn’t have the phone pressed to my ear.

  “Oh my gosh! We’re so excited!” she cries and I can hear the whole family cheering in the background.

  We talk for a few minutes, and I promise her a dozen times that I’ll involve her in the wedding planning.

  “Gosh, I forgot I have to plan a wedding now,” I say, just as we’re about to pull into Jami’s driveway.

  “Well, you could always hire someone to do it.”

  “No way! I want to do it! I guess I’ll have plenty of time to look through bridal magazines as we drive from city to city.”

  “Now, there’s a good way of looking at things.”

  We park the car, and start walking up Jami’s steps. I’ve never been to Jami’s house before, and she has a cute little cottage nestled at the end of a cul-de-sac.

  “So are you just going to burst out and tell everyone?” Blake asks, his eyes twinkling as he takes my hand.

  “Probably,” I admit gleefully. Since Blake has proposed, I feel like I’ve been floating.

  He grins and knocks on the door.

  Jami throws the door open, looking fashionable as ever, in an electric eggplant cable mini-dress and black leggings with leather boots.

  “Hi!” she says, hugging us and leading us inside.

  My father and Daisy are standing in the kitchen, chatting and drinking Perrier.

  I can’t keep my mouth shut any longer.

  “We’re engaged!” I squeal, waving my hand for them to see.

  Twenty Two

  Paige cont’d

  It only takes my dad a second to register what I’ve said, and then his face breaks out into a huge grin. Jami screams with excitement and Daisy is the last to catch on, finally focusing on me waving my hand back and forth.

  Jami is next to me instantly, pulling at my hand and gushing over the ring. Daisy comes over too, and she’s hugging me and saying how much it sparkles. I look over to smile at Blake and see my dad shaking his hand and grinning happily. Once Jami and Daisy step away, Daddy comes over and pulls me into a hug.

  “Congratulations, sweetie,” he whispers, “I know how happy Blake makes you.”

  “Thank you, Daddy! I can’t believe you kept this from me!”

  My dad laughs. “Well it was easy when I wasn’t seeing you every day. And I knew the moment was going to come soon. I’m just so happy for both y’all. You’re going to make one hell of a couple.”

  I feel Blake slip his arm around my waist and everything feels right with the world.

  When the excitement dies down, Jami takes us around to meet her family and I see Daisy and Daddy happily talking on the couch. I catch snippets of conversation like “wedding” and “exciting” and “beautiful bride.” I can tell that Daisy is happy to see my father so happy.

  We spend the remainder of our Thanksgiving, enjoying the company and stuffing ourselves so full of good food that we nearly burst. Daddy comes over near the end of the night and sits down next to me.

  “You don’t know how good it feels to see you this happy.”

  “Aww thanks, Daddy.”

  “I mean it.” He says.

  “Well, I’m glad that you’ll have Daisy to keep you company once I move out.”

  My dad smiles. “Daisy or no Daisy, I’ll miss you.” He clears his throat. “So, you’re heading up to see your mother and grandma in the morning?”

  “Yeah. Blake is picking me up early, so I probably won’t see you in the morning.”

  “I was actually thinking of staying at Daisy’s tonight. If you don’t mind.”

  “Of course I don’t mind! You don’t have to check with me, Daddy! We’ll probably be back sometime on Sunday morning.”

  “Okay, sweetie. Be careful. Tell your mother hello and give your grandma a kiss for me. I’m glad she’s doing well.”

  “I will.”

  I head over to Blake to tell him about the change in my father’s plans.

  “So, I was thinking,” I say slowly, twirling a piece of my hair. “If the house is empty tonight, maybe you could spend the night?”

  Blake’s eyes smolder. “I would love to. I’ll need to swing by my parents to pack a bag for the weekend, but that will give you a chance to show your ring off. Why don’t we
head out now? It’s getting late anyway.”

  I nod and we make our rounds to say goodbye. When we arrive at Blake’s parents’ house, I’m pulled into the living room by his excited mother who “oohs” and “ahhs” over the ring.

  “It just looks so dang pretty on your finger! Even prettier than it looked in that little box! Goodness, Paige! You are going to make such a lovely bride!”

  I’m overwhelmed by the sheer love of everyone today, and by the time Blake and I get in the car, I actually feel energized instead of exhausted.

  “This has been the best day ever,” I declare.

  Blake laughs. “Maybe we can make it the best night ever, too.”

  I love when his voice takes on that sexy quality, and I find myself yearning to reach over and touch him as we drive back to my house. By the time he pulls in the driveway, I’m jumping at the chance to get my hands on him.

  I let us in the house, and then Blake beats me to the punch, pushing me up against the shut door.

  “Oh!” I gasp in surprise, letting Blake’s hands run over my body as I press my lips hard against his. He groans deep in his throat, and I kiss him harder, untucking his shirt, and sliding my hands up his back, dragging my nails lightly across his skin.

  “Paige,” he groans, reaching behind me and squeezing my ass so hard that it’s almost painful.

  Almost.

  Once the pain subsides it feels amazing.

  “My room. Now.” I pant.

  Blake grabs my hand, and all but drags me through the house. The second we step into my guest suite, I tug my dress over my head, and start pulling off my leggings and boots.

  “Damn baby,” Blake murmurs, watching me with hooded eyes. “What’s the rush?”

  “You,” I breathe, standing before him in my bra and panties.

  “Good enough for me.” He hoists me up, wrapping my legs around his waist and then falls on top of me onto the bed. We turn into a mass of limbs, and I can’t get enough of Blake. My mouth is everywhere on him, and his mouth is everywhere on me. I can hear my own moans, loud and needy, and I dig my nails hard into his back, desperate for every inch of him.