Melody of the Heart

by Katie Ashley

I laughed. “I’m glad to see it hasn’t changed you.”

  With a wink, he replied, “Nope, I’m still the same guy I was when we were traveling around on the old clunker bus.”

  “I hope so.” Glancing between him and Rhys, I said, “I don’t think I could have bared it if you guys had changed.”

  Realizing that all the talk of change was a bit of a sensitive subject, Brayden quickly steered the conversation in another direction by rolling the window down and showing me more of the sights along the strip.

  When we arrived at the MGM Grand, I was surprised that he didn’t pawn me off on some of the handlers. Instead, he kept his arm around my waist and led me inside. “While we’re rehearsing, you can sit down in the front row.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I am.” He gave me a beaming smile. “I can’t wait for you to see the show tonight.”

  I returned his smile. “Me too.”

  A roadie in a headset came up to us then. “Bray, we need you out on stage.”

  He nodded. “Can you please take Lily down to the first row?”

  “Sure.”

  Brayden leaned over and gave me a kiss before he headed off. I was happily surprised by how attentive he was being to me now that we were back in his world. Once I took my seat, I bounced my leg anxiously as I awaited the guys to take the stage. When Jake came out, his gaze instantly went to mine. Instead of a sneer or smirk, he just merely nodded his head at me. The next thing I knew the guys had taken their places and began to warm up.

  I don’t think I moved during the next half hour. I was that mesmerized. After all the bars and small venues Runaway Train had performed in, it was really amazing seeing them on a huge stage. I could only imagine what it would be like later tonight with all the lights and then the screaming fans.

  When he was done, Brayden immediately came down to find me. “What did you think?”

  “Amazing. Seriously amazing. I can’t imagine how much better it will be tonight.”

  A wide grin stretched across his cheeks. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.” I gave him a lingering kiss. “You make me very proud.”

  “Thank you, babe.” He pulled me against him and gave me a kiss that had my toes curling. When he finally pulled away, we were both panting.

  “Anywhere around here where we can be alone?” I questioned, wagging my eyebrows.

  He laughed. “I think I can find someplace.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  ***

  After a storage closet quickie, Brayden and I emerged to find the band looking for us. When we got into the main dressing room, the guy’s eyes widened at the sight of us. My face immediately felt like it was in flames as I tried to smooth down my hair and clothes.

  “We were just going to grab some dinner in the restaurant before the show,” Jake said.

  “Looks like you two have already had dessert,” AJ added, with a smirk.

  “Shut up,” Brayden grunted, while I wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole. It was going to take some time getting used to being around four men again, especially when it came to the free for all of discussing sex.

  Trying to change the subject, I said, “Yes, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

  “Guess you worked up quite the appetite,” Rhys mused.

  At my humiliated squeak, the guys dissolved into laughter. “Damn, it’s good having her back,” AJ said, as he started out of the dressing room.

  When I met Jake’s gaze, he smiled, “Yeah, it is good having her back.”

  LILY

  The Past

  I was half-way in between consciousness and sleep when the hotel curtains were unceremoniously shoved aside and intense desert sunlight streamed into the room.

  With a groan, I rolled over onto my stomach, burying my face in the pillow. “It can’t be morning already,” I muttered.

  The bed dipped as Brayden came to sit down. “I forgot how much you weren’t a morning person.”

  “It’s not just that.” Turning my head on the pillow, I peered up at him. “I only have today left with you before I have to leave.”

  Brayden’s amused expression faded. Scratching the back of his head, he asked, “Can’t you take another week off from school?”

  “I could, but I probably shouldn’t.” I reached out to cup his cheek. “I wish I could stay in this hotel room with you for forever.”

  He brought his hand up to cover mine. “I really don’t want you to go, Lily.”

  “You’re not making this any easier.”

  His expression darkened. “How the hell am I supposed to act? I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you again.”

  Rising up on my elbows, I leaned over to kiss his lips. “You’re not going to lose me. Just because I have to go back home, I’ll still be right here.” I touched the bare skin over his heart.

  “That’s not good enough,” he whispered.

  “What do you mean?”

  Burning intensity shone in Brayden’s eyes. “Marry me.”

  My heart fluttered at his words, but I tried my best to keep calm. We’d just reconnected after almost a year apart. Everything seemed to be happening at warped speed. “You know, I’m having an odd sense of Deja vu,” I teased, trying to lighten the moment.

  Brayden smacked my ass playfully. “I’m serious, Lily.”

  “How was I to know that? Besides, you’re not treating this seriously since you just smacked me.”

  “Do you want me to get down on my knee again because I will? I’ll do anything in the fucking world you want me to if you’ll just be my wife.”

  His words and his earnest tone sent tears springing to my eyes. “Oh Brayden.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  I nodded my head emphatically as I swiped the moisture from my cheeks. “Yes, I want to marry you, too.” I leaned over to bestow a soft kiss on his lips. “I really never stopped wanting to be your wife. At least the wife of the person you once were.” Leaning my forehead against his, I said, “Thank God, that man is back.”

  “I promise you he’s never, ever going to leave you again.”

  “I believe you. I really do.”

  Jerking on my arm, Brayden tried to pull me out of the bed. “Let’s go tell the guys the good news.”

  “Um, have you forgotten you’re naked?”

  He gave me a sheepish grin. “Okay, let’s go shower together, get dressed, and then we’ll tell the guys. After that, we’ll go ring shopping. I don’t want you leaving Vegas without us making it official.”

  I laughed. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, I am. We’re getting married, and the sooner the better.”

  “I like that idea a lot.”

  “Then let’s get going.”

  “I can’t help but point out that I don’t think the guys are going to be as excited as you are about us getting married. Well, AJ and Rhys will be happy for us, but I doubt Jake will.”

  Brayden appeared contemplative. “He might surprise you and come around.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded.

  The more I thought about Jake, the more a thought began to roll through my mind. “Let me talk to him first.”

  Brayden’s brows shot far up into his hairline. “Are you insane? You think I’m going to leave you alone in a room with Jake after you slapped him?”

  “I can keep my cool.” Leaning up, I gave him a reassuring kiss. “Trust me.”

  He rubbed the stubble on his jaw before he finally nodded his head in agreement. “Okay. But I’ll be right outside the door if you need me…or if Jake needs me”

  I grinned. “I can handle that.”

  Brayden then dragged me into the bathroom. After our shower that got way hotter than the scalding water, I slipped into one of the nicer dresses I’d brought with me before sliding into my black knee boots. It wasn’t that I was dressing up for my talk with Jake, but more about the fact, I didn’t want
to look homeless when Brayden took me ring shopping.

  When I came out of our bedroom, I found AJ and Rhys lounging around on the couch and loveseat. At the sight of me, AJ gave me a beaming smile. “Oh good, you’re up. I’m starving.”

  I couldn’t help laughing at him. “Then I hope you know the number for room service.”

  He gave me his best puppy dog expression. “But no one cooks pancakes like you, Lils.”

  “While incredibly flattered, I’m going to have to pass today.” Glancing around the room, I then asked, “Where’s Jake?”

  Rhys snorted. “Toning his masterful physique down in the gym.”

  “Thanks.”

  When I started to the door of the suite, AJ hopped up. “You’re, uh, not going down there to talk to him alone, are you?”

  I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. “Honestly, first Brayden and now you think I can’t be alone with Jake. I appreciate your concern, AJ, but Jake and I need to clear the air.”

  AJ and Rhys exchanged a glance. I had a sneaky suspicion they might follow me downstairs. “Brayden has some news he wants to tell you.”

  “He does?” AJ asked.

  “Yeah, he’ll be out in a minute.” With that, I slipped out the door and got on the elevator. On the ride down to the fitness center, I tried to still my nerves. This had to be done. Jake and I couldn’t continue to go on like we had, especially not now with Brayden and me getting married.

  When I reached the gym, I searched the occupants for him. Just as I was about to leave and go back to the room, I saw the door leading out to the pool and sauna. Jake was gliding under water as he did laps.

  Walking around the edge of the pool, I sat down on one of the chairs and took my boots off. Then I eased down on the concrete edge and dipped my feet in the water. As Jake neared me, he jerked his head out of the water. “Hi,” I said.

  “Hey.” As he pushed his wet hair back, he glanced around. “What are you doing down here by yourself?”

  “I needed to talk to you.”

  His brows rose in surprise. “The other day wasn’t enough to get your point across?”

  I grimaced. “I’m sorry about hitting you.”

  Jake came to rest his arms on the edge of the pool. “Don’t be. I sure as hell deserved it and then some.” He gazed up at me. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

  “Brayden and I are getting married.”

  A range of emotions flickered in his eyes before he finally smiled. “Congratulations. I’m really happy for you guys.”

  “You really mean that?”

  “Yeah, I do.” At what must have been my skeptical gaze, Jake sighed. He pulled himself out of the water to sit by my side. “If you had asked me that question a week ago, I would have said no I wasn’t. But I was being my usual stupid, selfish asshole self.”

  Gripping the edge of the pool, I swirled my feet around in the water. “Why do you hate me?” I finally asked.

  “I don’t.”

  “Jake, please, I need for you to be honest with me.”

  Brushing his hand over his face, Jake asked, “Bray didn’t tell you about our conversation before he left for Georgia, did he?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Shit,” he muttered. He stared down at his hands for a few seconds before glancing back at me. “I never hated you, Lily. The truth is I hated myself because I cared about you more than I should.”

  I don’t think anything else so shocking could have come out of Jake’s mouth. For a moment, I almost wished he had admitted he hated me. I could have worked with that. But learning what he really felt was overwhelming. “How long did you feel that way?”

  He shrugged. “A year. Maybe longer.”

  “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

  With a snort, he replied, “Just exactly what was I supposed to say? ‘Hey Bray, I like your girl, and I think she should ditch her high school sweetheart and take up with me. Hope this doesn’t cause any hard feelings between you and me’.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “It wasn’t like I was heartsick and pining away for you, Lils. I just grew to like you more than I should. Then when Brayden started to change, I thought it would be so nice not having you around anymore.”

  “Ouch,” I murmured.

  His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m an asshole, remember?”

  I shook my head. “That’s just it, Jake. You can be a really sweet and caring guy. I don’t know why you sell yourself short and let the jerk side of you come out so much.”

  “I don’t know either.” He reached over and took my hand in his. “I’m so fucking sorry for hurting you, Lily. You never deserved any of the shit I gave you. I don’t know why I acted the way I did. I should have just manned up and moved on, appreciated the relationship that we had. But I seem to have a special gift for fucking things up.”

  “Thank you. Your apology means a lot. I really mean that.”

  “I promise you that things will be different when you come out on tour with us. You can count on me to do whatever I can to make you feel comfortable.”

  “I would like that a lot.”

  He smiled. “This last year without you has been pretty much shit for Brayden.”

  “It has? I figured he’d been living it up, having the time of his life.”

  “He did enjoy it all for about a couple of months. But then I think he began to realize it wasn’t all that he thought it was. More than that, he started realizing what he had lost. Like me, he’s a stubborn jackass who hates to admit when he’s wrong. So he just kept going through the motions.” Jake shook his head. “He’s been so fucked in the head he hasn’t been able to write anything since you guys broke up.”

  I gasped. “Seriously?”

  “Why is that so shocking to you? You’re his muse, Lily. The person that got him writing songs to begin with. It makes sense that when you were gone, he lost his gift.”

  “I had no idea. I knew you guys put out a new album a month or so after we broke up.”

  “All those songs he had already written. Most of what is going on our new album is stuff I wrote.”

  “I see.”

  “But he needs you for way more than just songwriting.”

  “I would hope so,” I replied, with a teasing smile.

  “You’re his soul mate, Lily. He’s never going to be any good without you.”

  My breath hitched at his words. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  “It works both ways. I’m never any good without him either.”

  “Then it was high time you two got back together, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Yeah, I would.”

  Brayden appeared suddenly behind us. “Everything okay?”

  I smiled up at him. “We’re fine.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Releasing my hand, Jake then rose to his feet. “I’m very happy for you, Bray. I wish you all the happiness in the world,” Jake said, before offering his hand to Brayden.

  Brayden grinned before taking Jake’s hand. Then he drew Jake to him for a bear hug. “Thanks man, that means so much to me—to both of us.”

  “You’re welcome.” Jake glanced between Brayden and me. “You both deserve to be happy.”

  After echoing our gratitude, Brayden held out his hand to me. “We need to go pick out a ring.”

  “You know I’d be perfectly happy with the one I had before,” I protested.

  “I know, but I want us to start fresh.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You just want an excuse to buy me a big diamond.”

  Brayden laughed. “Well, that, too.”

  “So when is the wedding?” Jake asked.

  “Tomorrow,” I said, as Brayden replied, “Today.”

  Sweeping my hand to my hip, I said, “I cannot possibly be ready to get married by this afternoon.”

  “And why not?” Brayden questioned.

  “Because I need a dress
and time to get ready. Besides, we don’t even know which chapel we’re going to.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  Cocking my head at him, I demanded. “Oh, which one is that?”

  He rolled his eyes like he was appalled I didn’t automatically know. “The Graceland Chapel.”

  “You want us to get married at a chapel where an Elvis impersonator officiates the ceremony?”

  “Hell yeah. You know how much I love Elvis. I mean, he’s second only because of the Beatles.”

  “Babe, I’m a huge fan of Elvis, too. I’m just not sure that’s exactly what I had in mind when it came to my wedding.”

  Brayden grinned. “Lily, we’re eloping in Las Vegas. Whatever you thought your wedding was going to be like, it’s not.”

  I sighed. “You’re right. Okay, the Graceland Wedding Chapel it is.”

  Pulling me into his arms, Brayden then gave me a long and sweet kiss. “Thank you. Now can we go find your ring?”

  “Yes. Then I’ll look for a dress for our wedding tomorrow.”

  “Fine, fine. I’ve waited this long. I guess I can wait less than twenty-four hours.”

  With a laugh, I said, “I’m glad to hear it.”

  LILY

  THE PAST

  A soft knock came at the dressing room door of the Graceland Chapel. “Go away, Brayden. Even though Elvis is marrying us, I’m still clinging to some traditions, so I’m not going to let you see me right before the wedding!” I shouted.

  “It’s Susan Slater—Jake’s mother,” came the muffled reply.

  Mortification rocketed through me that I had just been yelling at a perfect stranger. I threw on my robe and hurried to the door. When I threw it open, I gave the tall, graceful woman standing before me my most apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

  She grinned. “It’s okay. These boys usually need some yelling to keep them in line.”

  “That’s true,” I replied, with a chuckle. Motioning to the room, I asked, “Won’t you come in?”

  “Thank you.” After she stepped across the threshold, I closed and locked the door back. We stood there in an awkward silence for a moment. When I once again realized I was just in my robe, I pulled the lapels tighter against my chest.