Melody of the Heart Read online

  When she glanced up at me with her mouth and cheeks covered pink, I busted out laughing. “What? Do I have something on my face?” she questioned, with a smile.

  “Hmm, just a bit.”

  “Well, get it off. There’s wet wipes in my purse.”

  “You’re always so prepared.” I then opened the giant bag at her side and got out the wipes. Bringing one to her face, I slowly started to work off the pink film. “You are a dirty girl,” I teased.

  She giggled. “Only you would say something like that in line for the Ferris Wheel. Don’t think you’re going to get all happy-hands on me like Mark Wahlburg in the movie Fear.”

  Whispering in her ear, I asked, “You mean you wouldn’t want to have an orgasm high up in the air?”

  As I pulled back, she licked her lips. “Maybe. I’m all about new experiences.”

  “Mmm, I like it when you’re naughty,” I said, as I nuzzled my face in her neck.

  “Next,” the man taking tickets bellowed. Lily tossed her remaining cotton candy in the trash while I deposited the napkins I’d used to clean her up. I passed him our tickets, and then we climbed into a bucket seat.

  The ring box continued to burn a hole in my pocket. I knew it was now or never. As our seat climbed to the top, I shifted and reached for the box. When I did, I ended up poking Lily in the side with my elbow. She gave me a weird look. “What are you so fidgety?”

  “Just needed to get something.”

  As she surveyed the view of the fairgrounds from our position, I finally got the box out. When we reached the top, the wheel stopped to allow other people on. “Isn’t it beautiful, Bray?” Lily asked, as she gazed at all the twinkling lights.

  “Yeah, it is.” Taking Lily’s hand, I said, “I want you to know that each and every day with you is like this view. I can’t imagine my world without you in it. You’re the greatest blessing that has ever happened to me. You’re my soul mate, my other half, the very best of me. More in the anything in the world, I want you to marry me.”

  Lily’s eyes bulged while her hand flew to her mouth. “You…me…” She shook her head. “What about going to my father and asking his permission?”

  I smiled. “I went to him before we left this summer. We have his blessing and his support.”

  The wheel shifted us forward again, and we started to descend back to the ground. As she continued to remain speechless, I cracked open the ring box. “This was my Nana’s first engagement ring. My Papa gave it to her right before he left to fight in WWII. Years later when he had made something of himself, he bought her a big, fancy diamond, but she never stopped wearing this one. Not until the day she died.”

  Tears streamed down Lily’s cheeks. “It’s beautiful—the story, the ring, all of it.”

  I slipped the ring on her left hand. “Just like my Papa, I’m going to get you a big, fancy diamond one day. You have my word.”

  Lily smiled. “You should know me well enough by now to know that expensive rings don’t matter to me. Like I told you before, I would live with you in a box if I had to.”

  I laughed. “One day baby when we have a mansion and lots of cars, I’ll remind you of what you just said.”

  “It still won’t change the way I feel about you.”

  “I feel the same way.” Twisting in the seat, I cupped her face with my hands. “I can’t wait to make you my wife.” I then brought my lips to hers for a lingering kiss. We continued the desperate, love-fueled kisses as the wheel made several more sweeps. When we finally got off, the guys were waiting on us.

  “Did you guys enjoy the ride?” AJ asked, flashing us a wicked grin.

  “Yes, it was very nice,” Lily replied.

  “I got several good pics of you guys making out,” AJ said.

  Lily gave me a dreamy smile as she answered AJ. “Good. I want to see them.”

  “You do?” he asked

  She nodded. “Then we can have the moment we got engaged forever immortalized.”

  “Wait, you guys are engaged?” Jake demanded.

  Holding out her hand, Lily showed them the ring. “I mean, he didn’t get down on one knee when he asked me, but it was still romantic.”

  “Still romantic? I was trying to be creative with my proposal,” I protested.

  Jake shook his head. “I can’t believe you guys are engaged. You’re just twenty-two.”

  Lily frowned at Jake’s words and harsh tone. “What does it matter how old we are as long as we’re in love?”

  “Whatever. It’s your funeral, not mine,” Jake replied.

  “I thought you would be happy for us,” Lily countered softly.

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Jake said, “Why would you want to get married?”

  “Because we’re in love,” Lily answered.

  “And how do you even know if the love you have is real? You guys were sixteen years old when you fell—” he made air quotes with his fingers, “in love.”

  I crossed the space between us to stand toe to toe with Jake. “That’s enough. Look, you don’t have to be happy for us, but you don’t need to stand there being an asshole by questioning our love and choices on one of the happiest days of our life.”

  He eyed me contemptuously for a moment before he relented. “Fine. I’m sorry. Okay?”

  “Fine,” I muttered.

  Taking Lily the arm, AJ said, “Come on. Let’s go buy you a celebratory funnel cake for your engagement.”

  Silently I thanked AJ for lightening the mood. Lily’s genuine smile warmed my heart. “Okay. If you’re treating, I won’t say no.”

  As she and AJ walked off to one of the stands, I started behind them with Rhys at my side. When I turned around, Jake was gone. “Asshole,” I muttered under my breath. I couldn’t imagine why Jake had reacted the way he had. Yeah, his parents divorced after his dad had an affair, but I couldn’t imagine that tainting him against all people getting married. The last time I checked he was crazy about Lily and enjoyed having her around.

  Determined not to let Jake put a damper on my happiness, I strode up to Lily who was munching on one of the funnel cakes. “Want some?” she asked, holding out a bite for me.

  Ignoring her, I pulled her into my arms and crashed my lips against hers. I moaned at both the contact and how sweet she tasted. My tongue ran along her lips, licking off the powdered sugar. When I finally pulled away, she was breathless. “You’re delicious,” I mused, licking my lips.

  She giggled. “You sure you don’t want some cake, or do you want to taste me some more?”

  “I might take a little of both.” I drew her to me and whispered in her ear. “Let’s go back to the bus for a little while.”

  Jerking back from me, her eyes widened. “You want to leave the fair?”

  “Yes, so I can make love to my fiancée.”

  “You don’t play fair,” she pouted.

  “You want a compromise?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Turning to the guys, I said, “Excuse us fellas.”

  I took Lily by the arm and started leading her to the edge of the fairgrounds. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Somewhere private.”

  She didn’t protest anymore. We dipped into the heavy thicket of trees just beyond some of the campers. When I thought we were far enough away from prying eyes, I pulled her to me. “I want you so bad, Lily.”

  “Then I guess you’re going to have to take me. Right here in the woods.”

  I grinned. “I had just the same thought.”

  Pushing her back against one of the trees, my fingers went to the button on her shorts. I jerked them down her thighs, along with her panties. As our lips stayed locked, I worked to free my hard on from my shorts. Grabbing Lily by the waist, I hoisted her up and then impaled her on me. Gripping my shoulders hard, Lily cried out. “I’m sorry, baby. I should have gotten you ready.”

  She shook her head. “Mmm, I’m good. It hurts so good.”

  Her words and noises
of pleasure drove my hard thrusts as I pumped in and out of her. I was afraid that even through her shirt, she was going to get splinters from being banged back against the tree. After I dipped my head, jerked down her shirt, and took her nipple in my mouth, she came, which caused me to as well.

  We stood there, chests heaving and panting, from our exertions. “Our first time as an engaged couple,” I mused.

  Lily giggled. “It’s so romantic being fucked up against the tree just a few feet away from a bunch of strangers.”

  Cocking my brows at her, I countered, “You just came harder than you have in weeks.”

  “That’s true.” After nipping my bottom lip with her teeth, she said, “I guess we’ll just have to have sex in public more often.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call this public, but I’m all for it if you are.”

  With a grin, Lily said, “Can you put me down? I’m not sure my legs will work though.”

  I eased her back from the tree and then sat her on her feet. I pulled her shorts and panties back up. Then I worked on getting myself presentable.

  “Ready?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I need to find a halfway decent bathroom to clean up in.”

  We started out of the woods together. After a bathroom pit stop, we were back in business. As we walked through the crowd, I couldn’t help glancing over at Lily from time to time and smiling. When she finally caught on, she asked, “What?”

  “Are you really disappointed that I didn’t get down on my knee when I proposed?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

  “It means that much to you?”

  “It’s just conventional for the guy to get down on one knee.”

  When I stopped walking, Lily turned around. “What’s wrong?”

  With a smile, I sank down onto one knee. “Lily Marie Gregson, will you make me the happiest man alive by consenting to be my future wife?”

  Lily’s eyes widened. “Yes. Yes of course I do.”

  As I rose back up, people around us started clapping. Lily blushed at the attention. “Are you satisfied now?” I asked.

  She laughed as she threw her arms around my neck. “Yes, Brayden. I’m very, very happy.”

  LILY

  THE PAST

  To everything there is a season, a purpose under heaven-- Ecclesiastes 3:1

  Those words would mean a lot to me during the difficult periods of my life. It helped me remember during the times when I thought I could not go on, that it was just a season, and the hopelessness would pass. It was also a reminder to enjoy the moment because happiness is sometimes fleeting.

  The summer Brayden and I became engaged was one of the happiest times of my life. I loved being out on the road with the guys, and I was sad to see it end. In the autumn, the guys hard work touring paid off. A promoter who saw them at a show in Anaheim sent their CD to a record executive. Within two weeks, the guys were offered a very lucrative record deal. Their first two singles topped the Billboard charts.

  With the back to back success of Until There Was You and Twisted Reality, Runaway Train’s world literally went off the rails. Suddenly, they were everywhere. When I turned on the radio on the way home from class, I would always catch one of their songs. I squealed every single time, especially when Brayden came in to harmonize with Jake. They were sent out on a US tour almost immediately. Gone was the rickety old bus that had so many memories for Brayden and me. Now they traveled in style on the label’s half a million dollar home on wheels. They had handlers now—people you had to get through just to talk to them. It was overwhelming to me, so I couldn’t imagine how the guys were handling it.

  And when the season changed to winter, everything in my life changed.

  Nothing ever comes without a price, and the bounty to be paid for Runaway Train’s success was the slow demise of Brayden’s and my relationship. I’d never thought I would have to worry about him changing. He had always been so grounded and so humble. He didn’t have an ounce of ego in him like Jake and AJ. He never cared about wealth—he just wanted to be able to make a living from playing music.

  But something happened when he signed on the label’s dotted line. It was like he sold his soul. With me doing my student teaching and working part-time at night, I was so busy that I didn’t notice things at first. The fact that my calls and texts went unanswered and unreturned, or he was always putting me off when I asked for their schedule so I could come spend the weekend with him. When I actually did talk to him, he sounded distant and not like the Brayden who used to talk to me for hours on end. Sometimes he slurred his words and said off the wall things. I began to worry that he was drinking too much.

  But then we finally reached the end of the road on Valentine’s weekend.

  ***

  “Hey baby, what are you doing?” Brayden’s voice boomed into my ear.

  “Just pulling in the drive.”

  “You go to the mailbox yet?”

  I laughed. “Since when do you care about me getting the mail?”

  “Just check it, Lils.”

  “Okay, okay,” I muttered, as I walked over to the mailbox.

  “Did you get it?” Brayden questioned, as I flipped through the envelopes.

  Cradling the phone on my shoulder, I asked, “Get what exactly?”

  “The ticket.”

  My breath hitched. “You sent me a ticket?”

  “Yeah, to come out here for Valentine’s Day weekend.”

  His thoughtfulness caused my heartbeat to shudder and restart. At the bottom of the pile was a long envelope addressed to me. I couldn’t help squealing.

  “I guess that means you got it,” he said, amusement vibrating in his voice.

  I tore open the envelope and eyed the plane ticket. “Oh my God, Bray, thank you so, so much!”

  “Well, we haven’t spent a Valentine’s Day apart since we’ve been together. I figured we didn’t need to start now. You won’t have a problem getting off that Friday, will you?”

  “No, it should be fine.” Pressing the envelope against my chest, I sighed, “I can’t wait to see you.”

  “I feel the same way.”

  “Don’t plan anything for us to do while I’m there. I just want to spend the entire time with you, preferably in bed.”

  Brayden laughed. “As much as I would like to oblige you on that one, I have to attend a party at my label on Saturday night. Wanna be my date?”

  I tried hiding my disappointment that I was going to have to share Brayden. “Sure. I’d love to.”

  “Great. Listen, I’ll have a driver waiting for you at the airport.”

  I laughed. “Seriously? Why don’t you come and get me?”

  “Because I have shit to do, Lils. I can’t just drop everything to pick you up.”

  His words and his tone stung me. When I could finally speak, I said, “Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “So I’ll see you in two weeks?”

  “Of course.”

  “Bye, Lils.”

  “Bye, Brayden. I love you.”

  But he didn’t hear me. He had already hung up.

  LILY

  THE PAST

  I sat in the first class seat Brayden had purchased for me, twirling my engagement ring around my finger. I hadn’t heard from him since our last phone call two weeks ago. Well, he had sent a text this morning asking if I was still coming. I didn’t know if that was more for him or more about the fact he needed to let the driver know.

  The entire flight to LA I did nothing but think. I broke apart our relationship into pieces and tried to examine each one to find the flaw. As hard as I tried, I still kept coming up empty. I didn’t know how everything had gone wrong so fast. Part of me worried I was being irrational and overreacting. Relationships weren’t always passion, heat, and devotion twenty-four seven. They went through ups and downs. While Brayden and I hadn’t experienced many ups and downs yet, we were both under a lot of strain in our professional lives. Throw
in a separation and that had to cause a little strain in even the strongest of relationships.

  When the plane landed at LAX, I grabbed my carryon and headed to the pickup area. Glancing around the drivers with signs, I tried to find the one with my name on it.

  “Lily!”

  I blinked in shock. Running towards me was Brayden with a dozen roses in his hand. When he got to me, he jerked me into his embrace. “Hey baby!”

  The surprise of seeing him rendered me speechless. After what seemed like an eternity, I said, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Yeah, I pulled some strings to get away.”

  His words caused me to smile so hard I thought my cheeks would break. It was like having the old Brayden back. I threw my arms around his neck and brought my lips to his. But the moment we kissed, all my hopes faded. It felt stilted, awkward, and forced. I kept kissing him desperately, searching to find that spark we once had. But no matter how hard I tried, it wasn’t there. While I wanted to blame it on the separation, deep down I knew something fundamentally was wrong, and it scared me to death.

  When he pulled away, I had to fight the tears that threatened to overflow my cheeks. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.

  “They’re happy tears because I’m just so glad to see you,” I lied.

  He laughed. “You always were so cheesy and dorky.”

  Before I could stop myself, I countered, “If I remember correctly, we both used to be cheesy and dorky.”

  “Glad I got rid of it,” he replied. He took my bag from me. “Come on. Let’s get you to the house.”

  With a heart that was slowly breaking in two, I followed in step behind him. “Wait until you see this place, Lils. It’s fucking off the charts,” Brayden said, as the driver held open the chauffeured driven Lincoln Town Car.

  “I didn’t know you had bought a house,” I said, cautiously.

  “It’s the labels. They have different artists there while they’re recording their albums. You wouldn’t believe some of the other bands who have stayed there from time to time.”

  “That’s nice.”

  Brayden snorted. “Just nice? It’s on the water in Venice Beach for fuck’s sake. I’d say that was a hell of lot better than nice.”