Music of the Soul
Page 15
His brows then furrowed. “Do you really think Allison is going to be able to handle Jax and Jules?”
I laughed. “I think she’s going to do the best she can. I mean, sometimes we have a difficult time handling them.”
Jake’s expression lightened. “That’s true.”
It had been hard deciding on a nanny or a babysitter for the twins. Jake and I both had been raised by very hands-on mothers, and I planned to be the same way, even when on tour. Having Allison along with us for the summer tour happened almost too divinely to believe. Since she was about to finish up her last semester at SCAD, or the Savannah School of Art and Design, she needed some internship and field experience in her major—fashion design. What better way to have her kill two birds with one stone than to have her work on costumes for Jacob’s Ladder and Runaway Train while watching the twins during rehearsals and shows.
“I just hope your brothers don’t get any ideas about her,” Jake said, his fingers rubbing over one of Jax’s crocheted booties that Mia had made him.
“I think they value their manhood too much to mess around with your baby sister,” I replied, with a smile.
“They sure as hell better.”
As I shifted Jax onto my shoulder to burp him, I resisted the urge to tell Jake that it wasn’t my brothers and Allison he should be worried about. At the twins’ christening, the unresolved sexual tension between Allison and Rhys was palpable. Something had definitely happened between them, but there was also a hell of a lot unsaid and unspoken going on. They worked their hardest to stay away from each other, but at the same time, they were constantly looking at each other. Since I wanted her along with us on the tour, I didn’t dare pry. I knew the truth would come out when the time was right.
“What are you thinking about?” Jake asked.
“Nothing,” I lied, diverting my gaze to Jules who had just finished eating.
“Oh, no, I saw that expression of yours—the one you get when the wheels in your head are turning.”
“I’m just excited and nervous about the tour, that’s all.”
“We’re going to be a full house on the bus with Allison and the twins.”
“And Angel,” I said. Hearing her name caused Angel to raise her head and wag her tail.
“You really think it’s a good idea bringing her along?” Jake asked, as he took Jax from me, so I could burp Jules.
“I couldn’t bear leaving her behind. Do you know what that would do to her if she saw us and the twins leaving her?”
Jake grimaced. He knew as well as I did that Angel was so attached to Jax and Jules. She slept at the foot of their crib every night. If we let one of them cry too long while trying to get their diaper changed or bottle ready, she started howling and barking. “Fine, fine, we’ll bring Angel.”
As Jules emitted a giant burp, I laughed. “Thank you, babe.”
He shook his head. “I have no willpower when it comes to you.”
“I know, and I love it,” I teased.
Jake laughed. “Now that the little hellions—”
“Angels,” I corrected.
“Fine. Now that the angels are fed, what’s on tap for today?”
“Hmm, maybe baths for all of us, and then a nice, lazy movie day?”
“I like the sound of that. I bet I could get Papa to run down to Two Brothers for some BBQ for us.”
My stomach growled appreciatively. “Yes, please.”
Jake grinned. “Who would have ever thought my favorite things in the world would be lounging around in bed with my wife and kids?”
“You’ve come a long way since I first met you.”
“And I have you to thank.” He kissed Jax and then Jules. “And you two.” Jax grinned while Jules seemed to reach out for Jake. As he took her into his arms, I couldn’t help the happy tears that filled my eyes at the sight of Jake with his son and his daughter in his strong arms.
Jake sucked in a harsh breath. “What is it?” I asked.
He closed his eyes. “I’m getting another melody…oh yeah, definitely a new song.”
“I’ll get your guitar and notepad,” I said.
This was our lives, after all. The music of our heart and soul.
After her former boyfriend left her pregnant and alone, Megan McKenzie swore off men. She spent the last eighteen months focused solely on her son, Mason, along with finishing nursing school at the top of her class. Although she’s not ready to complicate her life with a long-term relationship, a nice no-strings attached hook-up is just what she needs. At her godson, Noah’s, baptism, she finds the perfect candidate in the soft-spoken godfather, Pesh Nadeen. After all, the widower could use a good time too. But after drinking too much, the night doesn’t end the way she thought it would. Forced to leave Pesh’s house through a walk of shame, Megan hopes to never, ever see him again.
For Pesh Nadeen, the very sight of Megan sends him into an emotional tailspin. Since she reminds him too much of what he has lost, he wants to be out of her sight…at first. But the more he gets to know her, there's something about the diminutive blonde that causes his protective side to go into overdrive, and he finds himself wanting more. When Megan is assigned to him to complete her nursing clinicals, he sees it as fate, but she’s having no part of it. She only wants a physical relationship while he wants far more.
What happens next is a sexy game of cat and mouse to see who will break first or if both of them will eventually get more than they ever bargained for.
Twenty year old, Allison Slater has been in love with her brother’s bandmate, Rhys McGowan, since she was fifteen years old. But to him, she’ll always be Jake’s little sister and off limits. Now a college sophomore and licking her wounds from a bad breakup, she sets her sights on making Rhys see her as someone he could date…maybe even love. Her opportunity comes when Rhys visits his parents in Savannah where she is attending college. But the night she’s dreamed of turns to heart-break, and she realizes she’ll never be the one for Rhys.
For Rhys McGowan, his nightmare began when he woke up, naked and hung-over, next to his bandmate’s little sister. Unable to remember a thing from the previous night, he only makes matters worse by lying to Allison about not being interested in her. The truth is he’s spent the last year to ignore his body’s reaction whenever Allison is around. His resolve is tested when Allison comes on tour with Runaway Train, as both Jake and Abby’s nanny and to fulfill her fashion design internship. The more time he spends with her in the close quarters of the bus, the harder it is for him to resist.
Will Rhys realize that having a relationship with Allison is worth fighting for even if it means that he has to fight his best friend for a chance?
Katie Ashley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of The Proposition. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her two very spoiled dogs and one outnumbered cat. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo.
She spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English until she left to write full time in December 2012.
She also writes Young Adult fiction under the name Krista Ashe.
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Other Works of Katie Ashley
The Proposition | The Proposal | The Party
Music of the Heart | Beat of the Heart
Search Me | Don’t Hate the Player…Hate the Game
Nets and Lies | Jules, the Bounty Hunter
The Guardians | Testament
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Cha
pter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
The Pairing Synopsis
Strings of the Heart Synopsis
About the Author
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
The Pairing Synopsis
Strings of the Heart Synopsis
About the Author