Eternal

by Rachel Van Dyken

  Jaymeson snorted and kept walking.

  I fought him a bit more then finally relented as I leaned my elbows on his back. “So, where we going, Jay?”

  “Oh, you know.” He hefted me up higher and smacked my leg. “Places.”

  “Vague, Brit. Vague.”

  “It’s part of my charm, next to my sexy accent and ability to make women’s clothes literally fall off in my presence. Seriously, last night, snapped my fingers and Pris’s shirt went—”

  Pris walked around the corner and rolled her eyes. “The straps snapped, Jaymeson. For the last time, you aren’t magic.”

  “Ha.” I smacked him in the back. “Now put me down.”

  “No can do, love.” He laughed as Pris fell into step beside us.

  The boardwalk came into view and then the beach, though my view was more of Jaymeson’s ass and a retreating Demetri and Gabe. What the heck were they doing? And why was Demetri running around in circles? I looked up, you know, for the seagulls, but saw nothing. Huh.

  “Clams,” Jaymeson chanted. “Barbaric little ritual. Who the hell has a clambake for their rehearsal dinner? And why does nobody believe in bachelor parties anymore?”

  Pris rolled her eyes next to us. “It’s cute when you pretend like you aren’t a trained house cat. Hurry, Jay. Jump!”

  “How high.” He laughed out loud and bumped his wife with his shoulder.

  “You guys are pathetic,” I grumbled

  “You just keep telling yourself that.” Pris tilted her head and me and winked. “Oh, and by the way…. enjoy tonight.”

  “I do love shellfish,” I said, slowly trying to figure out why everyone was acting so weird.

  By the time Jaymeson set me down, I was sore from being carried on his shoulders the entire way down to the beach. We couldn’t technically rent public space, but the mayor had been nice enough to rope off an area for us to have our dinner without having to deal with paparazzi, though I still saw a few cameras flash. I knew it was just part of the life I was signing on to.

  Speakers were set up on either side of the white tent, and there were a few tables decorated with plain white linen. My parents were already sitting down, having a glass of wine along with my grandparents and a few aunts and uncles. All in all, it seemed… normal, not at all protein-bar-or-coffee-worthy.

  When I turned back around to glance at the boardwalk, Gabe and Demetri were making their way slowly toward us.

  And they had a crowd of around one-hundred people behind them.

  Holy crap, they were going to get mobbed!

  I opened my mouth to scream just as Wes wrapped his arm around me and whispered, “Enjoy it. I’m pretty blood was spilled between the two of them.”

  “Enjoy what?” I whispered once he removed his hand.

  But Wes merely smiled, offered a wink, then jogged off toward Kiersten and pulled her into his arms.

  Saylor giggled and pointed at the boardwalk again.

  Just as music started blaring over the speakers.

  It was “Steal my Girl” by One Direction… and Demetri was singing it. With a huge grin, he waved and sang.

  “She be my queen since we be sixteen…”

  Gabe gave him a high five and sang the next verse in his smooth caramel voice.

  “I know. I know for sure… Everybody wanna steal my girl! Everybody wanna take her heart away, couple billion in the whole wide world find another one because she belongs to me!”

  Jaw open, I stared in complete shock.

  Demetri wasn’t just singing with Ashton Hyde. He was singing One Direction with Ashton Hyde. Hell had officially frozen over in front of my very eyes.

  “Every jaw drop when she’s in those jeans, alright.”

  Demetri crooned as Ashton harmonized, and then they stopped walking.

  The group behind them froze in slow motion.

  Then jumped into the air in unison as the chorus picked up.

  Holy crap.

  Holy freaking crap.

  It was a flash mob.

  He was flash-mobbing me!

  The song continued and then abruptly stopped as they were about halfway across the beach.

  The beat changed into something slower.

  “I’m in love with that girl… so don’t be mad at me.”

  And Justin Timberlake. Demetri was singing and then rapping while Ashton did backup.

  The song changed for a third time as the group moved forward.

  “Every time that you get undressed I hear symphonies in my head. I wrote this song, just, looking at you, uh oh yeah the drums they swing low and the trumpets they go…”

  Honest-to-God trumpets sounded, and when the crowd parted, an entire band walked through the sand, trumpets going from right to left with trombones.

  “Is it weird that I hear violins whenever you’re gone?”

  Violins appeared behind the people playing trumpets, while Gabe pulled a guitar from someone next to him and started playing.

  Demetri didn’t take his eyes off me as he sang the bridge.

  The trumpets kept sounding.

  “They go…”

  He smiled, and then he and Gabe started marching toward us. Someone tossed a conductor stick into the air. Demetri grabbed it, along with a top hat, and they marched, freaking marched toward us still singing, the band still playing.

  Tears of laughter and excitement poured down my cheeks.

  Finally, Demetri was almost close enough for me to reach out.

  Instead, he fell to his knees and started singing the high part in his falsetto voice.

  “Every time that you get undressed I hear symphonies in my head…”

  He reached for my hand and kissed it, continuing with the song.

  “The drums they swing low and the trumpets they go…”

  The trumpets played a little longer, and then the song shifted again.

  “One hundred and five is the number that comes to my head when I think of the years I want to spend with you…”

  “Marry Me” by Jason Derulo crooned from Demetri’s lips.

  He hated singing other people’s songs.

  But he was singing some of my favorites, the ones that I’d picked out for some of our after-party wedding music — the ones he’d denied and said he’d rather be run over by a car.

  As if on cue with my thoughts, Gabe held up his finger while Demetri sang and then pulled out a toy car and ran it in front of Demetri’s face.

  “You’re the love of my life.”

  He pressed his hands against his chest. The words flowing from him sounded like perfection.

  “Will you marry me?”

  The song faded into something softer as he rose from his knees and grabbed my fingers in his hands.

  “I have you… To get down on bended knee nothing else would be better… the day when I say will you marry me?”

  The song ended, and Demetri whispered, “The day you said yes… the day you’ll walk down the aisle, the day you’ll be mine. The day we have our first child, the day we have our third, perhaps fourth fight and get to spend the rest of the evening making it up to each other. Lyss, I can think of nothing more important right now than making sure you realize, making sure you comprehend that there is nothing I won’t do for you.”

  “Even sing with Ashton Hyde,” I whispered through a hoarse voice as more tears streamed down my voice.

  “One Direction with Ashton Hyde,” Demetri corrected.

  “Yeah, that.” I sniffled. “I love you so much I—”

  His mouth covered mine as he lifted me into the air and twirled me around. The trumpets started up again and everyone clapped.

  I couldn’t believe he would do something like that for me. All the songs he’d rejected, aligning with one of my favorite singers, and making a giant fool out of himself in front of my entire family.

  That was my future husband.

  That was Demetri Daniels in full force.

  “I can’t wait to marry you tomorrow
.”

  “I can’t wait to dream of you tonight,” he whispered in my ear then kissed down my neck. “And now! We feast!”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Alec

  “I’M IN SHOCK.” I put the phone back in my pocket and laughed. “Boy grew up, made friends, found his balls, and did something remarkable.”

  “Oh my gosh, he pet a seagull?” Nat asked.

  I shook my head. “No… that would take an insane amount of drugs, and since he’s drug-free, I’m pretty sure that’s never going to happen.”

  Nat tilted her head. “So?”

  “So, he sang with Gabe.”

  Nat’s eyes widened. “And girls everywhere simultaneously passed out from the hot factor?”

  “Hey!” I nudged her and kissed her cheek. “I wasn’t there.”

  “Right, so only half the world was fan-girling.”

  Rolling my eyes, I pulled out my cell and showed her the small video. When we were done watching, she had tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe he did that for her.”

  “Well, it is Demetri. He doesn’t do anything half-ass.”

  “I know but… he hates boy bands, and I know firsthand that those were some of the songs Lyss wanted for the wedding reception dance.”

  “Yeah, well, it seems he found some romance.”

  “It’s like watching your child grow up and sink the Cheerios in the toilet all by himself.” Nat sighed.

  “Please don’t reference my brother sinking anything with his… parts.”

  She giggled. “Are you sad you aren’t there?”

  “I’m exactly…” I kissed her forehead. “…where I want to be.”

  She looked down at Ella and smiled. “Yeah, me too. I just feel bad that I can’t be there tomorrow.”

  “It’s too much, babe.” I sighed. “I mean, I know you’re fine and healthy, but you did just give birth to my child. I’m not so sure I want you running around twenty-four hours later… around germs… people…”

  “I get the point.” She laughed. “And I’ll stay like a good girl.”

  “A very good girl.” I growled against her lips.

  “Keep that up, and we’ll have Irish twins.”

  “Practice is my favorite part.” I kissed her again. “How long do I have to wait again?”

  “Six weeks.”

  “Kill me now.”

  “You’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll die, but thanks for your concern.” I groaned into my hands. “I guess I’ll just have to get really good at cuddling.”

  “And helping me feed Ella.” Nat scrunched up her nose. “I know I say it all the time, but I mean it. I love you, Alec Daniels.”

  “I love you too, Nat.” I kissed her again and sighed as I looked at our little girl. Life was perfect.

  Not always good.

  But even when life was bad, even when you had hard times, you could still find perfection. And I was staring at it.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Demetri

  I COULDN’T SLEEP WORTH shit. I was officially the little kid who goes to bed only to dream of Disneyland all night long. She was my Disneyland… I freaking wanted to jump into the bed, pull the covers over my head, and just… be with her. Like a crazy person.

  Gabe had joked that he was going to put a lock on my door. Ha ha. I’d told him where he could shove it. But he hadn’t seemed fazed. Apparently, our duets had cemented our bond as bros.

  Meaning, I had to find a new nemesis.

  Something flashed by my window.

  Awesome, the night before I’m going to get married a freaking bird was going to break into my room and kill me.

  Well, I’d had a good run with her.

  Something else flew by.

  Holy shit, why were seagulls out this late?

  Didn’t they have a curfew? Like all spawns of Satan?

  I wasn’t making it up. Something else flew by and then landed on the windowsill.

  Slowly, as to not scare it into attacking me, I turned on my side.

  A bat.

  A freaking bat.

  Great. Another animal to add to my hate list.

  “Shoo!” I waved my hand at it.

  It stayed put.

  Seaside had bats. Who knew? Or maybe this one had flown all the way up from South America just to haunt me. No really. If it could happen, it would happen to me.

  “Yo,” I called. “You need to go.”

  The bat stayed.

  I needed a gun.

  Or a giant-ass Tonka trunk to throw at it.

  “Seriously…” I held my hands in front of my face. “…this is the moneymaker, all I got. Well, that and the voice. You ruin this, you disappoint women everywhere.”

  The bat was unfazed. Maybe it was friendly? Like Dracula from Sesame Street?

  I reached forward.

  It lurched back just far enough for me to pull the window shut.

  “Sucker!” I pointed at it and stuck my tongue out just as it took a dive toward the window.

  Cursing, I fell backward on my ass.

  My door jerked open. “Hey, you okay in here? I could have sworn I heard yelling… and why… are you on the floor?” Jaymeson cocked his head to the side.

  “Why are you at my house?”

  Jaymeson shrugged. “I live next door in that giant-ass beach house during filming, remember?”

  “Which still doesn’t explain why you’re in my bedroom.”

  “I watch you while you sleep then eat chocolate over your quiet body and take Polaroids to stash under my pillow. Why else would I be here? We’re out of popcorn.”

  “Oh good, because that first explanation sounded way too detailed to be a lie.” I pushed up to my feet. “Now go home.”

  “The girls are hanging out… watching movies. By the way, why are you in bed so early? It’s ten.”

  “Easy. I’m so sexually frustrated and keyed-up. I figured a Nyquil-induced state would be the only thing to keep me from breaking down Lyss’s door across the hall.”

  “It’s open.”

  “Not helping.”

  “No, seriously. She said she trusts you so much she’s leaving it open all night long…” Jaymeson did a little jig in front of me. “…all night long. All night.”

  “Go be British elsewhere.”

  “Aw, mate.”

  “Not your mate.”

  “Cheers.”

  “Stop that!”

  “Blimey.”

  “Okay, now you’re just being annoying and saying words that people don’t even use in real life anymore.”

  “Not true.” Jaymeson thrust his hand into the air. “One time—”

  “Go home, Jaymeson.”

  “I have an idea, though.” He shrugged. “Let’s have a bro night while the girls watch movies.”

  “I’m sexually frustrated, and you want to sit next to me?”

  “The man has a point.” He huffed. “Well then, good luck with...” He pointed at my body. “…that. And if all else fails, cold showers, friend.”

  I cursed.

  “Want me to sing you a lullaby with my accent? Does it for Pris every time. Then again, it’s not hard to—”

  “Go.”

  Chuckling, he lifted his hands into the air and backed up. “Fine. See you on the other side.”

  The door slammed.

  And I was left more wide awake than I was before.

  I was just getting ready to jump back into bed when my door slammed open and Alyssa launched her tiny body in my direction like a lion attacking a zebra.

  Her mouth was on mine.

  Her tongue, touching my tongue.

  Her breasts pressed against my naked chest.

  I groaned.

  And sadly, pushed her away.

  “Whatcha doin?”

  “Saying goodnight?”

  “Say it again… I dare you,” I whispered against her lips.

  “You ate three fish meant for seals today.”

  I kisse
d her again. “I also sang One Direction. Give me my prize, woman.”

  “Prizes come tomorrow night.”

  “Can they come tonight too?” I joked.

  She smacked me on the shoulder. “Goodnight, Dem!”

  “Goodnight, love of my life, sexiest woman on the planet. Oh, and PS, Jaymeson offered to sing me a lullaby. He was going to fix the problem, and here you go…” I pointed down in exasperation. “…and stir things up again.”

  She tilted her head, a seductive smile curving around those lush lips. “Mad because I’m good with my hands?”

  “How good?” I croaked, not so sure I wanted to hear the answer, considering I was ready to explode on the spot.

  Her voice dripped with sex. “Wanna see?”

  I nodded, mouth dry. Hell yes.

  With a saucy grin, she waved them in front of her face and winked.

  “Cute. It’s like sign language for the lion to come out and play. Do it again. See if I don’t chase you down the hall and claim any prize I can get my hands on. Go ahead. Run antelope, run!”

  “Ha.” She threw her head back and laughed. “I’ll see you in the morning… Just think. This is the last night you have to sleep all by your lonesome.”

  “There was a bat!” I said in desperation.

  Lyss’s eyes narrowed as she peeked under the covers. “In your bed?”

  “No!” I coughed, swatting her hand away. “At the window. It taunted me, said… mean things.”

  “The bat talked to you.”

  “No, well…” I scratched my head. “…tt communicated with its eyes.” Yeah, that so wasn’t helping my case.

  “And it said… ‘I’m going to kill you in your sleep’?”

  Awesome. I could have really done without the cheesy Count Dracula voice.

  “No, but—”

  She crossed her arms. “Dem, was there really a bat?”

  “YES!” I went over to the window. “It was right here.”