Sins of the Father (California Dreaming Book 2)

by Stacey Johnston

  Me: Hey, dream girl, how have you been? I need to apologize for being a selfish prick, and hurting you. I can’t get you out of my head… you even haunt my dreams.

  I press send before I can chicken out, although I don’t expect a response from her at all. I wanted to call her, to hear her voice, but I didn’t think she would answer. Staring at my phone, I jump when it vibrates in my hand.

  She has replied…

  Sheri: You made me cry, Stephen. I don’t like feeling like this. My head is a mess.

  She called me by my name, not by her nickname for me. That crushes me, causing an ache in my heart.

  Me: Yours, and mine both. I need to see you. I miss your touch as well.

  Sheri: I am coming to Sophie’s house in Cal on Friday. We will see each other then. We need to talk, to sort out what is going on between us. I cannot live like this anymore. I will see you then x.

  They are coming to California. When did those fuckers plan on telling me? Oh yeah, that’s right, I didn’t give them a chance.

  Man, they are going to be fucking pissed at me. Better, to go see them now, and get it over, and done with. Those ass-wipes fucking stew on shit otherwise, and I would never hear the end of it. There was still no use of my nickname, which shouldn’t surprise me. She is obviously hurt, something that I caused, I should not expect everything to change just because I said sorry. After all, sorry is just a word. Sending her a quick response, I make my way out of my room, bypassing my parents as I head toward our front door. Yelling out that I am heading to Ben’s I quickly close the door behind me, I do not need their scrutiny right now. I have been a dick, and I need to see the guys.

  “Dude,” Ben greets me twenty minutes later. Holding the door open, he allows me to move past him into the foyer. His house is huge, a typical Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous home. Marbled floors, chandeliers, expensive artwork on the walls. You name it, they have got it. It is a fucking piece of work, that’s for sure. More like a showroom than a home, if you ask me. I have never really felt comfortable here; always too fucking scared that I will break something.

  “Sorry man,” is all I can manage. My voice throaty and tight, my body suddenly overcome with nerves. What the fuck! Since when do I get nervous or jumpy around Ben or any of the others in fact?

  “Relax man, it’s all good. We get it.” He tells me in passing, slapping my shoulder on the way through. “Luke and Kyle are in the kitchen, come through. The parents are out for the night, so we are going to jam down in the basement.”

  I follow him through the double doors leading to the kitchen and catch Luke and Kyle throwing popcorn at each other. Smirking, I stop and wait for it.

  “Oi fuckers, you better clean that shit up. I’m not dealing with the lecture from mom because you two are dirty fuckers.” Ben roars from the doorway, his body tense. He has his hands on his hips like a chick, the veins bulging in the back of his neck.

  He, himself, hates living in this house, so he becomes a fucking nightmare if any of us makes any kind of mess. “Yeah, yeah dick, we will clean it up,” Luke calls over his shoulder.

  He moves around their island bench thing in the middle of the room, to start picking up the bits of popcorn, scattered on the floor. “Forgot you live with Hitler,” he continues.

  That causes Ben to crack a smile, his body visibly relaxing in front of me.

  “Hey fucker,” Kyle yells my way. “About time that head of yours emerged from your ass.”

  Yep, things are back to normal, - well as normal as they can be between the four of us.

  “It’s a dark and lonely place up there, my friend. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you all that I have spoken to Sheri. I am trying to fix this shit.”

  Sitting on a stool, I glance around to find them all staring at me.

  “Don’t look at me like that, I know I fucked up.” They are still watching me, making me slightly uncomfortable.

  “She is coming up with Soph over the weekend, we will talk then.”

  This obviously shuts them up, apart from the smart-ass comments about my head, and my ass, because they continue cleaning up their mess.

  Three hours later, finds me fucked, sweat running down my face, my hair saturated. I needed this, needed the vacation from my thoughts. My fingers have stiffened like they are about to seize, and my arms are fucking killing me. It has been too long since I last picked up this guitar of mine.

  We haven’t played much since all that shit with Sherlyn’s father went down. The thought that we almost lost Ben, Sophie, and Soph’s mother that day is not something I like to dwell on.

  The night Sean and Sophie were kidnapped, reminded me of the night we witnessed that murder. It was fucking scary. When we reached the Valentine’s apartment after news of Sean’s disappearance, it was intense. The room filled quickly, everywhere you turned, there stood a black suit. We had all our families, the Valentine’s, the FACA and the CBI crammed into their tiny living room and kitchen. Nobody was saying a word, well, not that we could hear anyway. We totally blew it with Soph after her father admitted to watching us over the years. None of us was thinking straight, and she took our stunned expressions the wrong way. When Ben spoke, it came across as if we were blaming her, as if she had known all along what was going on. When she stormed off, we were still in a state of shock. I doubt any of us really knew what the hell was happening. The events that took place after that, threw us all into hell.

  For Ben and Sophie, they copped the worst of it, but for the rest of us, it was still hell nonetheless. We were bustled out of that apartment so fucking quickly that we didn’t click onto what was happening until we were moved to a safer location. Let me say, being locked up with the likes of Luke and Kyle for hours on end, is not my idea of fun. We had no idea what was going down, and no one was filtering any information our way.

  We were pissed, to say the least, and we let those Feds know about it as well. They kept us cooped up in that hotel room for about 36 hours, only releasing us when Sophie’s dad called to say that Ben and Sophie were both okay. Ben’s parents freaked at the news that Ben and Sophie were in the hospital, they rushed the big burly guy at the door, taking off. We had to chase them down the lobby to try to calm them down. We were all stressed, and itching to get to the hospital to see them.

  The hardest thing for me was not the part when they were in the hospital, it was when we didn’t know what was happening. During that time, I couldn’t help but assume the worst. Morbid, I realize, but we have always been together, those boys are my brothers. It was killing me not being able to do anything. Actually, it was killing all of us. If we could have escaped, we would have been gone in a heartbeat. I have no doubt the Feds were on to us because they never let us out of their sight. As soon as life started to settle again, our parents then threw another curve ball our way. They took it upon themselves to start organizing our return to California.

  Until now, the four of us never had an opportunity to pick up any instruments at all. I won’t deny that I have missed it. I love putting my heart and soul into the music. It has always brought me a sense of calm, well that was until I found Sheri….

  I can’t wait until she gets here.

  Chapter Five

  Sherlyn

  “Wake up” I hear, as I am begrudgingly woken up, on our descent into John Wayne Airport.

  Well that, and an elbow to the ribs. Lucky me, I got wedged between Sophie and Sean on the flight from Brooklyn. For most of the trip, I had to contend with Sophie’s snoring – yep you heard me correctly, and Sean’s restlessness. Man, that boy fidgeted! When I finally did manage to doze off, it felt like it just minutes later that they were waking me up.

  “Are you Okay, Sheri?” a deep voice from beside me asks. Looking to my side, I see Sean, his eyes fixated on me, his look grave, and brooding.

  “I’m fine, just a little tired,” I reassure him. “No wonder your parents stuck me with you two, you are both a nightmare to sleep next to on a plane.”
<
br />   His sudden burst of laughter makes me smile. His whole face lights up when he laughs. It is such a beautiful sight.

  “It’s not a walk in the park sitting next to them either,” he concedes as he fastens his seatbelt, ready for our decent.

  I loved this part… when the plane was preparing to land. It meant that we would be on solid ground again soon; it was a safety thing for me. To this day, I never understood why my father compared a plane landing, to a violent attack. Maybe he flew and got caught in bad turbulence. I always found it to be a bizarre description, but after what I have found out recently, maybe it isn’t.

  Five and a half hours later, and we are on our way to Laguna Beach to pick up Ben, Luke, Stephen, and Kyle. Soph’s dad had organized to grab the boys on the way through for the weekend. I was surprised their parents agreed, considering they have only just moved back. From what I believe, they all started at their new school on Monday. I overheard Sarah saying that Ben’s mom couldn’t wait to get rid of him for a couple of days. Apparently, he has been making their lives a misery. He and Sophie have Facetime’d each other every night since he left. I was starting to wonder what the hell they had to talk about by the end of the week.

  After Stephen messaged me to apologize, we have spoken daily. Nothing major, and just over text message, but it was enough for him to be a constant in my thoughts. Over the last couple of days, though, the flirting between us has reached a new level. Sumner and Sophie’s advice was to let go and enjoy the moment. Just let it flow naturally and see where it takes us. I just hope I haven’t given him the wrong impression about me. Tatum warned me not to play with Stephen too much, he didn’t want me leaving myself open for trouble. Flirting by text was easy, almost effortless because it became like putting on a façade, like I did when I was performing. It gave me the chance to be adventurous, and act out some of my inner ambitions. I know what I want from him, but my worry is that he won’t touch me when he finds out I am a virgin.

  My other dilemma was the open flirting going on between Sean, and myself. It just sort of happened. I got over the awkwardness I was feeling and started interacting back. On more than one occasion, I have made it clear to him that I don’t want anything more, than friendship. He has become a great friend, a huge support, and fun to hang around with. He is aware of my feelings for Stephen and has told me he respects that, but it hasn’t stopped him from watching me.

  “How long till we get there?” an impatient Soph queries from next to me. Anthony had organized for two large SUV Land rover-type cars to be waiting for us at the airport. He is driving the one we are currently seated in, with Sarah, and Sophie. Hawke and Sean are traveling in the second one.

  The plan is that once we reach Laguna Beach, Ben will travel with us, and the other three will go with Hawke.

  I’d really like to swap with Luke and sit with Stephen, the only drama with that is Sean.

  The last thing I want to do is rub anything in his face. “We are about five minutes out from Ben’s house Sophie, I’m sure you can wait,” Anthony replies. I have to hide my smile as I can see from the corner of my eye, him rolling his eyes at her impatience.

  Turning off the main road, I catch sight of four boys sitting on a front lawn and instantly recognize them as our boys. Is it just me, or did they get hotter over the last couple of weeks?

  No sooner has the car stopped, when Sophie’s door flies open and she jumps out of it, straight into Ben’s arms. The scene set out before us is comical. Poor Ben is having the life sucked out of him, from the grip she has on his torso. All I can do is laugh, and I am not the only one. Sarah and Anthony have joined me.

  “I don’t envy you at all,” Sarah snorts.

  Glancing over at her, I am puzzled. “Why do you say that?” I ask in return.

  “If this is what they are like now, imagine how bad it is going to be when we move her back.”

  Leaving me with that passing thought, they move across to greet all four boys, before moving on to Ben’s parents.

  God help us all!

  Standing by the SUV, I find myself being hesitant. Okay, I’m downright scared. Stephen is standing just across the lawn, watching me.

  Do I approach him? What is expected of me?

  Before I can answer those thoughts, he makes his way across the lawn toward me, his strides long, inching closer by the minute. His approach is making me nervous, my hands start shaking, and my palms grow increasingly sweatier. With each stride he makes, I back up until I am flat against the vehicle.

  I am stuck, frozen in the moment. He is breathtakingly gorgeous. I can’t believe he has shown any interest in me.

  Entwining my fingers together nervously, my gaze fixates on the ground below. When the tips of his boots touch my sandals, I feel his hand on my face. Gentle fingers coercing my face upwards.

  “Don’t hide from me Sheri, I won’t bite,” he murmurs, a devilish smile radiating on his face. “Not unless you ask me to.”

  Really, how cliché!

  There was nothing I could do to hide the blush that had broken out all over my face and neck.

  “I don’t know what to do Stephen, not now that we are face to face.” A voice, too quiet to be my own, replies.

  His eyes engulf me, drawing me into the tranquility of his gaze. Gripping my face harder, he pulls me in, his face moving closer to mine, his lips brushing against my cheek.

  Stopping, he whispers, “You, don’t have to do anything, that you don’t want to, dream girl.”

  My breath hitches at his words, at his reference to dream girl. I have a whirlwind of nervousness twirling around in my stomach, my body responding to even the slightest touch. Moving back slightly, he stops and stares straight through me. I just want to melt, especially now that he is looking at me as if I am about to become his next meal.

  There is so much hunger reflecting in his eyes, lust, that I can only hope matches my own.

  “That’s just the thing, dream boy. There really isn’t anything that, I don’t want to do with you.”

  His hands move toward my hips, gripping me with such force that will no doubt leave bruising. Pulling me back toward him, he presses me up against his hard body.

  With his hands wrapped around my waist and his forehead against mine, he states, “We better go then beautiful, if we want to make use of the little time we have.”

  Releasing his grip on me, he grabs my hand, pulling me toward the others. It is only then, that I notice Sean watching us from the other vehicle. He is leaning against the open door, glaring

  Oh boy, this can’t possibly be good.

  An hour and a half later, and we have finally arrived in Solana Beach. It took forever to get those four boys organized, and into the vehicles. What should have taken no longer than maybe forty-five minutes, took twice as long because they weren’t organized. Arriving at the Valentine’s house was surreal, it’s amazing, ridiculously stunning. A huge two-story property on Pacific Avenue, that sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Their patio, that surrounds the house is huge and overlooks the ocean. There is an outdoor kitchen with a built-in BBQ on it, as well as a below ground tiled spa, and that’s just for starters. The view inside is just as impressive. There are four bedrooms in total, all with their own bathrooms, all on the second floor. The spiraling staircase leading up to the second floor was spectacular. The chandelier at the very top was like the icing on the cake. Words really cannot explain the awe you feel walking into this house.

  Apparently, Hawke will move into the master bedroom once Sarah and Ant move out. Sophie and Sean will just move straight back into their rooms, and I had the choice of two. Me being me, I chose the room closest to Sophie. After the looks Sean has been giving me, I didn’t think it would be wise being so close to him now. The room itself is massive, I could have fitted both my living room, and kitchen from my old apartment into it, and still had room to move. I don’t think I will ever have enough clothes or shoes to fill my walk-in closet. The highlight of this r
oom for me is its view of the beach. I could have stood by my window for hours just appreciating the view, and the calming effect it seemed to have on me.

  My favorite place, though, has to be the built-in library with the sliding ladders. This room was located just off, of the living room. It is amazing and completely filled with books. I can definitely see me spending a large majority of my time in this room. There seems to be books from different genres, I think I even saw some from Shakespeare. I can’t wait to start exploring.

  After settling into my new bedroom, I found everyone else out on the patio, relaxing. Anthony put Stephen and the other boys in the guesthouse at the back of the property. When I say back, you could also mistake it for the front of the property as it leads out onto the street. Located behind the main house is the guest house and carport. As for the front, that overlooks the ocean, but there is no access point there. I don’t see Ben lasting long in that guesthouse, considering he hasn’t seen Sophie in almost a fortnight.

  When I reach the glass patio doors, the noise radiating would give anyone the impression that there was a party going on. Walking out through the doors, Sophie is sitting on Ben’s lap near the railing. Stephen, Luke, and Kyle are close by, sprawled out on the deck chairs. Glancing toward the kitchenette, they have built, Sarah, Anthony, and Hawke are fussing over the food they are preparing. Not knowing where to sit I pull up a chair closest to Stephen. The only noticeable absence would have to be Sean. There is no point wondering what happened to him, as he will be avoiding me.

  “What do you think Sheri?”

  Huh, did I miss something? I hadn’t released I was being spoken to until Sophie called out.