Miles Apart (The Not So Bad Boys of Rock Book 2) (11 page)

With
her out of the way, he suddenly came into view.

So,
he had recognized me after all.

“Hello,
Brooke. Guess you’re just as surprised by this as I am.” He offered a
half-laugh, trying not to appear uncomfortable.

“What
the hell are you doing here?” I demanded. No obvious love lost between us.
Nope.

“Honestly?
I’m not sure. When I first saw you, I thought it could be you. But as I watched
you, staring at me, I knew that it had to be you. You haven’t changed, not even
after all these years.”

“Please.”
I bit out. “I was eleven years old when you walked out on me; I think it’s safe
to say that I look a little different.”

“Fair
enough.” He raised his hands in mock surrender. “May I?” He indicated to one of
the chairs that sat behind me. But I wasn’t letting him off the hook that
easily.

“What
do you want, Richard?” I dared him, unwilling to call him Dad just yet. After
all, the man had dropped me like a rock. As far as I was concerned, I owed him
absolutely nothing.

“I
was hoping that we could maybe talk.” He shrugged, noncommittally.

“Gee,
now really isn’t a great time for me. I have a lot going on, maybe some other
time?” I crossed my arms over my chest, doing my best to appear like I was
completely in charge of this crazy situation.

“Look,
I know that this must feel awkward for you.”

“Awkward?”
I huffed.

“And
I’m sure that you have a lot of questions for me. I get that. Here’s my number.
I have something important to tell you.” He opened his wallet and pulled out a
business card. As the wallet lay open, I couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of a
photo of a young girl, smiling broadly for the camera.

My
fifth grade school photo.

Ms.
Davidson’s class.

I
remembered how kind she had been to me after my dad had left us. The way she
always ate lunch in her office and kept the door open for me to quietly hang
out with her, instead of the noisy cafeteria. Back then it had all been too
much for me to handle, and she always seemed to understand.

Why
did he still carry that photo if he had forgotten about me? He held the card
out for me to take. I wrapped my fingers around it tightly, trying to mask the
slight tremor in my hand.

"I
have nothing to say to you. You made your choice when you walked out thirteen
years ago. Please leave." I turned myself away from him, opening the door
for his exit.

“Call
me, please. If you want to talk, or anything. I’ll be in London for the rest of
the week.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

I
stuffed the card in my back pocket and called Sebastian. I needed to hear his
voice right now. My heart was racing, and I felt a panic attack coming on. I
quickly moved over to the chair and sat down. I just needed to hear his voice.
The deep timbre of his voice always calmed me. I heard a click on the other end
and then his voice asking me to leave a message.

“Hey,
if you get this message can you call me back right away? I need to hear your
voice. Something happened and it kind of freaked me out.” I sighed heavily,
brushing away a tear that had escaped. “Please call me. I really need your
advice.” I hung up and pondered what to do next.

I
needed to talk to someone, and I really wanted that someone to be Sebastian. We
used to share everything with each other. Now, it seemed as if neither of us
were making the effort to go the extra mile and keep in touch, the way we used
to. I checked my watch and contemplated calling Jade. She would be a good
sounding board right about now.

Then,
I got a text from Reid.

He
wanted to know if I was still at work. He was just leaving the restaurant and
offered to walk me home. He might be a great person to talk to about the
surprise visit I’d just encountered. He would be an impartial party, having never
heard stories of my upbringing. I guess he would have to do.

Me: Leaving now. Meet
you out front?

Reid: At the door now.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Sebastian~

Two hours after our meeting with Davis, we were
settled in on the tour bus and on our way to London. In a few short hours I
would finally be holding Brooke in my arms, and I could hardly wait. It had
been just shy of a month since we’d seen each other, and that visit had been
far too brief. This time around would be even shorter, but I intended to make
it special. I was bringing her to watch us perform, and I couldn’t wait to look
over and see her standing there as I sang for her again. This separation had
been harder than either one of us had anticipated. Sure, I knew it would be
rough, tours were always hard on relationships. At first, Brooke had just
assumed that it would be the way it was after we’d first met. Back then we’d
made time for one another. Hell, back then we both had time to offer. Now, with
me on tour, and her running a restaurant, we barely made time to even text.

That
needed to change, fast, before things fell apart.

“Hey
man.” Dek came over, clapping me on the back. “You getting excited about
spending time with Brooke? You’re all quiet and keeping to yourself over here.”

“Just
doing some thinking.” I gave a tight-lipped grin, casually slipping the ring
I’d been holding back in my pocket.

“What
was that?” He squinted his eyes, tipping his chin up.

“Nothing.”
I replied, casually. “What are Chris and Travis up to?” I asked, trying to
change the subject.

He
wouldn’t have any part of it.

“No,
I saw something in your hand a moment ago. Something that sparkled. Anything
you want to tell me?” He prodded, being his usual nosey self. Ever since we
were little kids, no matter what it was that I was trying to hide or keep
secret, Dek would keep poking until he got it out of me. I swear, the guy could
nag worse than a woman. Worst thing was that I gave in to him, nearly every
time, which only kept the vicious cycle repeating. Maybe one day I would learn
to ignore him.

However,
today would not be that day. Today, he brought in reinforcements.

“Hey
guys, come over here.” He beckoned to Chris and Travis. “Sebastian is hiding
something in his pocket.”

“What
the hell.” I snapped, as the guys made their way over to see what was going on.
“You guys really need to start learning how to mind your own damn business.” I
groaned, inwardly, knowing they wouldn’t let up until I’d told them everything.

“So
what’s the big secret?” Chris asked, clearly not following the looks being
exchanged by Dek and Travis. They more than likely had a pretty good idea of what
I’d tried, unsuccessfully, to keep to myself.

“The
mighty hipster king has some pretty big news he’s trying to keep from us. Come
on buddy, spill it.” Dek grinned wickedly while straddling the arm of the
slippery leather sofa.

“If
you already know what’s up then why are you making such a scene?” I asked,
shoving him back, just enough to knock him off balance. He rolled his eyes and
slipped into the far corner of the cushion, so as not to be knocked off again.

“Cause
I want to hear you say it. Come on, we’re family here. We want to know when
something big is about to happen.” All cockiness disappeared and his smile was now
one of warmth and support.

I
took a deep breath and pulled out the ring.

“I’m
going to ask Brooke to marry me.”

“Seriously?”
Chris smiled.

“It’s
about damn time.” Travis winked.

“I
hope this doesn’t mean I’ll be forced to listen to another member of this group
talking about married life.” Dek shuddered. “Totally not cool.”

“Hey.
What’s uncool about married life? I happen to think it’s pretty sexy.” Travis
countered.

“Yeah,
well your wife is pretty sexy.” Dek quipped.

“Watch
it buddy.
That
is not cool.” Travis gave a threatening glare, which Dek
clearly ignored.

“You’re
the one that brought her up.”

“Guys,
enough. Can we please get back to me? What do you guys really think? Is this a
bad idea? Is it too soon?” I was incredibly nervous. I’d never done anything
like this before. Brooke had been proposed to three times by her first
boyfriend. Each time she’d turned him down, saying it wasn’t the right time. I
wasn’t so sure that I would have the same tenacity that Devon had maintained.
If she shot me down today then I may not be up for a second go-round. The
longer we were apart, the more I realized that I wanted our future to start
now. I didn’t want to wait any longer. Yes, I wanted her with me. I couldn’t
help being selfish in that way. I knew it may mean that I would be asking her
to trade her dreams for mine, but I also knew that if she’d asked me to do the
same I would in a heartbeat. During the past two months on tour I’d learned
that even though I loved performing I loved Brooke more. At the end of every
performance, even surrounded by thousands of fans and the crew, I was lonely.

And
that feeling had grown old.

“So,
do you have a plan? Is she even expecting this?” Chris asked, suddenly getting
excited.

“We’ve
talked about our future together, but I don’t think she’s expecting me to
propose. We were supposed to meet tomorrow morning, but since we’re early I was
thinking I would surprise her by showing up at her apartment today.”

“What
if she isn’t home?” Travis asked.

“Then
I’ll hang around until she is.”

“Sebastian,
I think this girl makes you happier than you’ve ever been. She’s brought a
sparkle back to your eyes that I haven’t seen since we were teenagers. I love
Brooke, and if she makes you happy then I think you’d be a fool not to propose.
You two will be great together, especially once you’re back together.” Dek
threw his arms around me and gave me a manly thump on the back before letting
go.

“I
agree, little brother. She is perfect for you. She completes you. I see the way
you look at her, the way your eyes light up when you talk about her. Even when
she makes you angry, that light is always there. She’ll make a great addition
to the family.” Travis pulled me from Dek’s grasp and repeated the gesture.

“Hell,
you know how I feel about Brooke. I know she loves you. You two make a great couple.
Congratulations.” Soon I was engulfed in two hulking arms that nearly squeezed
the life out of me.

“Chris.”
I wheezed. “I can’t breathe.”

“Oops.
Sorry.” The big guy grinned, sheepishly.

Soon, we were passing
time by listening to
loud music and singing along to our favorite bands. Dek took the lead whenever
Maroon 5 played, mimicking a perfect Adam Levine. Then, Daughtry came on and I
bellowed out the lyrics to “Losing My Mind.” I connected immensely with those
powerful words. This girl had become my whole world, in such a short time.
Being without her, thinking about her day in and day out, it had nearly done me
in.

We
pulled into the hotel lot just after four, and after unloading our suitcases,
the driver relocated the bus to a lot thirty minutes out of town to throw off
the scent of potential reporters.

The
long ride in the elevator did nothing to help my nerves. Once I made it to the
room, I threw my suitcase on the bed and grabbed a quick shower. I toweled off
and stepped over to the mirror, wiping away the steam with my hand. Large blue
eyes stared back at me. In spite of the fear that threatened to pull me under,
I felt alive. I was really going to go through with this. In less than two hours
I could be an engaged man. No longer an “eligible bachelor” as most online
reviewers had called me. Hell, as far as I’d been concerned I hadn’t been
eligible from the moment I’d met her. From the first spoken word between us she
had captured my heart. I’d never gotten it back, and I was okay with that.

Yeah,
I was pretty much a love-sick fool. But I was a lucky fool.

I
dressed quickly and headed for the door. My phone rang just as I opened the
door and I saw that it was Natalie. I also saw that I had missed a call from
Brooke. I wouldn’t call her back, since I was planning to surprise her I
figured it could wait.

“Hey
Nat. How are you and Liv holding up?” I greeted, happily.

“Oh,
we’re fine. Everything’s good here.”

“How’s
Gibson treating you? Is he behaving himself? You know I had a long talk with
him before we took off. I told him there would be a pretty good-sized bone for
him if he stayed off the furniture and only went to the bathroom outside.” I
chuckled.

“He’s
growing so quickly. He’s already big enough to knock Olivia down. They are
great friends though, he sleeps with her every night.” I could almost hear her
smile through the phone. I knew Olivia must be loving having a puppy around.
“But the bed doesn’t count as furniture, so he should still get a bone.”

“Oh-kay,”
I laughed. “Whatever you say momma. I miss you.”

“I
miss you too, sweetie. I just wanted to call and wish you good luck. Travis
told me what your plan was and I thought you’d like to know that I’m over here
rooting for you.”

“Thanks
Nat. I need all the cheering I can get. I’m pretty nervous. Never done this
before, you know.” It felt so comfortable to talk with Natalie. She’s been a
part of my life for so long now, it's only natural I can easily open up and be
vulnerable with her. She never judges, she's a great listener, and she always
knows just what to say to make me smile.

“You
are a great guy, Sebastian. Brook would be a fool not to say yes. I know that
she loves you. I think you two will be very happy together.” I heard a small
voice trying to speak over Natalie, and I smiled, knowing who that voice
belonged to. “Okay sweetie. Sebastian, I have someone here that would like to
say something to you.” I heard a rustling sound as the phone was transferred
over to Olivia, and then a moment of heavy breathing.

“Good
luck Uncle Bastian. I love you.” Olivia cooed into the phone, making my heart
melt. I loved that kid, and I loved how she still called me Uncle Bastian, even
though she was finally able to pronounce my name.

“Aw,
thank you peanut. Uncle Bastian loves you too. I’m sending a big hug your way,
okay? Be sure to take care of Gibson for me until I get back.”

“Say
hi to Brooke.”

“I’ll
be sure to say hi to Brooke for you. Bye-bye.”

“Bye!”
She squealed, before ending the call. It never seemed to amaze me how kids that
small could figure out technology. I shook my head, chuckling to myself, and
made my way down the hall and over to Brooke’s apartment complex.

It took some persuading
, but I was finally able
to convince the apartment superintendent I was Brooke’s fiancé and that I
wanted to surprise her. Yeah, I know it was a lie, and pretty low, but my plan
required that I have some time to set the scene. Dek had called the restaurant
for me and found out that Brooke was working tonight. I had just about an hour
before she’d be home, and then I would finally have the chance to ask her to be
my wife.

I
set up my iPad and opened up the playlist labeled “Honey.” I finished arranging
the vases of roses that had just been delivered, before lighting a few candles.
I reached into my pocket and felt the square ring box tucked safely away.

Now
I just had to be patient, and wait.