With Me in Seattle Bundle One

by Kristen Proby

I learned to play on this guitar.

  I bite my lip as I loop the strap around my shoulder and back and look up at him. “Thank you.”

  I climb the stage and move the stool that’s been set in front of the mic for me. “I don’t think I can gracefully sit on that thing in this dress,” I say to the audience with a smile, earning laughter and applause.

  “So,” I begin, “Jules and Natalie and I have been friends since college, so they knew me back when I used to play with a local band here in Seattle.” I smile out at them. All the guests have gathered in a semicircle around the stage, Jules and Nate and the rest of the family and bridal party up front. Will is gazing at me with warm blue eyes.

  I look to my left to see Leo standing by the stage with his arms crossed over his chest, watching me intently. I swallow hard and focus on the task at hand.

  Just get through this one song, Meg.

  “I was a bit surprised when she asked me to sing tonight, because I haven’t sung in front of an audience in quite some time, but I’m honored to sing for Jules and Nate’s first dance together as a married couple.” I smile again and strum the guitar, making sure it’s in tune.

  It is, of course.

  “The song they’ve chosen is I Won’t Give Up.”

  I begin to play the intro as Jules and Nate take the dance floor. Nate pulls Jules into a firm embrace and moves her effortlessly across the floor.

  I’m taken away by the song and watching my beautiful friends dance so gracefully, gazing into each other’s eyes. Nate is singing along with me, to his girl, and the romantic in me melts at the sight. He leans down to murmur something in her ear, then kisses her naked neck, below her ear, and sweeps her around the floor again, much to the crowd’s delight.

  I find Will’s eyes across the dance floor. He’s smiling at me, watching me intently. God, I love him.

  I’ve got to tell him.

  The song ends, and the room erupts into applause and whistles. I smile and back away from the mic to offer a little curtsy, and then walk to the end of the stage, ready to hand Leo back his guitar.

  “We have to do a song together,” he says, his face serious.

  “No, thank you.”

  He takes his guitar and hands it to someone else, then grabs my arm and pulls me back to him and whispers in my ear.

  “Megan, please. I’ve missed you. Let’s do the song we used to do at weddings back in the day.”

  I sigh and tears threaten. “Leo…”

  “Please. You sound great. We’ll blow them away.”

  “You don’t need me to do that, remember?” I ask, my voice cold.

  He scowls. “I never said that.” He sighs. “Come on, people are watching.”

  I don’t have a choice. I do not want to make a scene at Jules’ wedding. So, I follow Leo up the stairs and stand at his side as he speaks to the audience.

  “Hey, everyone, are you having a good night?” he asks, and the audience applauds and whistles. “Good! I’m honored to be here tonight with my band to entertain you all and celebrate with Jules and Nate. I knew Jules back in her college days, and I’m happy to see she found a dude worthy of her.” He winks down at Jules. “We just came off a big tour, so being here with you guys is a nice and welcome change.”

  He offers the audience that killer smile of his, and I swear half the women in the audience, including Samantha, look about ready to throw their panties at him.

  I can’t help but roll my eyes.

  “I kept Meg up here because Nash is that little local band she told you about earlier. She and I go way back.” He smiles at me. “She’s agreed to sing one more song with me before she joins you guys to get drunk and be stupid while I work my ass off up here.”

  The audience laughs, and I join them. I find Will in the audience, and he’s watching, standing still. I can’t read his face.

  Someone hands me a mic, and Leo takes his mic off the stand and sets the stand aside.

  “Don’t we need a guitar?” I ask into the mic.

  “Nope, we have backup.” He winks and nods at one of the guys to join us onstage with a guitar. He leans in and whispers the song in the guy’s ear. I don’t know him. He must have joined the band after they got to LA.

  “This song,” Leo says into the mic and looks at me, his dark gray eyes happy, “is called Marry Me and was originally done by a band who is also from Seattle. Train.”

  The audience applauds again, and I can’t look away from Leo. We always nailed this song. It wasn’t originally written as a duet, but we alternate the verses and join together for the chorus.

  I start, while Leo watches, lip-synching along with me, his eyes bright and happy and encouraging, and I offer him a sassy smile as I start the song.

  He joins me for the chorus. This tall, tattooed rock star, singing a sweet love song. It looks all wrong, but God, his voice is amazing. As his voice joins mine in perfect harmony, goose bumps break out on my skin and I smile widely at him.

  I lower my mic to my side and watch Leo take over the next verse. I’ve always loved to watch him sing, even when I was very young in the first foster home with him. He would sing to me all the time, and then let me play his guitar, showing me so patiently where to put my fingers to make the sounds perfect. He taught me how to control my voice.

  He taught me everything I know about music.

  As he sings these lyrics, I can’t help but wonder if he has a special woman in his life now. I hope so. He deserves one, although I know his trust issues go deeper than mine.

  For the last half of the song, we sing it all in harmony. I hear Jack, our original pianist, join the guitar, and I’m just completely swept up in the moment. We step closer together, passionately singing about this sweet love, just inches apart.

  We smile at each other after that last line and then finish the song.

  The music fades, and Leo smiles at me, offering me that secret smile he used to give me when we were kids and we knew we might get into trouble for something we planned to do.

  But he never got me into trouble. He always protected me.

  He pulls me into a tender hug, then leans back and gazes down at me. I don’t hear the applause around us, or the audience asking for more.

  Leo leans in and whispers in my ear, “I’ve really missed you, Meg-Pie. I love you.”

  He kisses my cheek, right next to my lips, and backs away, and I grin at him. “I love you, too.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  ~Will~

  I stand transfixed and watch the woman I adore sing my favorite love song with another man. And even though I know she loves Leo as a brother, I want to punch him.

  Hard.

  Her sweet voice fills the air, and I am even more in love with her in this moment than I was before she walked up on that stage, and I didn’t know that was possible.

  She’s so fucking talented.

  And sexy as hell in that dress, with her hair up, showing off her slender back and soft neck, and the diamond earrings I bought her a few weeks ago. I can’t wait to get her out of it and make love to her. I just never get enough of her.

  Forever can never be long enough for me.

  Damn if that isn’t the truth.

  The song comes to an end, and Leo pulls Meg in for a hug, whispers something to her, and because I’m standing straight ahead, I can’t tell if he kisses her on the cheek or the edge of her lips.

  My hands tighten into fists.

  Then he pulls away from her, and she mouths the words, “I love you, too.”

  Fuck me.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  ~Meg~

  I wave at the crowd and carefully walk down the stairs in my heels. That felt fantastic. I didn’t realize how much I missed playing in front of an audience, especially with Leo. I hope I get to see him again while he’s in town.

  I cross the dance floor, and Jules and Nate meet me in the middle.

  “Thank you so much. That was so beautiful,” Jules murmurs in my ear as s
he hugs me.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Thank you, beautiful girl.” Nate hugs me close, too.

  Wow, holy muscles on this one. I smile up at him shyly.

  “My pleasure. Congratulations, you guys.”

  The family all hugs me and tells me that they loved the songs, but my eyes are searching for Will.

  “You didn’t tell me you knew Leo Nash, girl,” Samantha mutters with a grin. “I’m going to want to hear this story.”

  I laugh. “We’ll get together soon, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Finally, I find Will, standing back from the crowd. His face is sober, hands in his pockets, and the light has gone out of his eyes, and my stomach falls to my feet.

  Something is very wrong.

  “Hey,” I say as I approach him.

  “Hey,” he responds.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, but he just shakes his head.

  “Meg, that was amazing.” Natalie and Luke are suddenly at our side.

  “Seriously, Meg, I know people.” Luke’s smiling, but his voice is all business mode. “I could make some calls on Monday. You should be singing for a living, my friend.”

  I’m shaking my head and holding my hands up for them to stop. “No, thank you.”

  Will’s eyes narrow on me, but he stays silent.

  “But why? Meg, music has been your life for as long as I’ve known you,” Natalie responds.

  “It’s not my life now.” I shake my head again and sigh. “I love music. I always will, but I love my kids at the hospital.” I shrug. “I’m happy here. I don’t need to be the center of attention.”

  “If you change your mind, just say the word.” Luke leans in and kisses my cheek. “I could help make you a very rich woman.”

  “I’m already rich,” I respond with a smile. “I don’t need the money.”

  Luke tilts his head, and a slow smile spreads across his incredibly gorgeous face. “Fair enough.”

  Nat winks at me, and they walk away, off to mingle with the other guests.

  “Talk to me,” I whisper up to Will when he still says nothing, just gazes down at me with sober eyes.

  He shakes his head. “Not here. We’ll enjoy the reception. But we will talk later.”

  My mouth gapes open, and I just stare up at him. What the hell did I do?

  “Okay,” I murmur.

  He nods once, sharply, and leads me back into the crowd to mingle and chat. He smiles and plays the perfect brother for the rest of the evening but never puts a hand on me. Never looks at me. If I rest my hand on him, he steps away from my touch.

  It’s fucking killing me.

  “Will…” I begin when we have a moment alone, but I see Leo approach from the corner of my eye, and I sigh as Will stiffens next to me.

  This is the issue.

  “Hey, Meg, we’re taking a break. Is this Will?” he asks, and I raise a brow in question. “Jules’ dad mentioned you’d snagged Will’s heart,” Leo answers my unspoken question, and I grin.

  “Yes, this is Will. Will, this is Leo.”

  Will offers his hand to shake, but his face is anything but friendly. “Hello.”

  “Hey, I’m a big Seattle fan,” Leo tells him with a smile.

  “Cool,” is all Will says, and Leo steps back, narrows his eyes and looks between Will and me skeptically.

  Finally, his dark gaze finds mine. “Problem?”

  I shake my head and force a smile. “No problem.”

  I search the room, trying to find someone to come save me. As much as I want to catch up with Leo, I need to talk to Will. His silence is killing me.

  Samantha catches my gaze from a few feet away and immediately steps into action, God love her.

  “Leo, have you met Samantha?” I ask him as Sam joins us.

  “Uh, no.” He doesn’t look at her, not really caring who she is.

  “She’s Luke’s sister,” I explain further, and he smiles in recognition.

  Sam is drop-dead beautiful, and Leo grins at her, nods, but then looks back at me, in full protective-brother mode, sensing the tension between Will and me. I don’t need him to start something.

  “Sam”—I grin at her—“Leo hasn’t seen Jules in a long time. Would you take him over to see her and meet Nate?”

  Leo continues to scowl at me, but then sighs and smiles at Sam. “Hi, Samantha.”

  “It’s just Sam,” she responds and tucks her arm in his. “Let’s do the obligatory walk-away thing, where we don’t sense the tension over there, and find somewhere else to be.”

  Leave it to Sam to not beat around the bush.

  “Will, this is crazy. Talk to me. What did I do?”

  But he frowns stubbornly and shakes his head again. “Not here.”

  “You’re scaring me,” I whisper.

  “This is not the time or the place,” he mutters, still not meeting my gaze.

  “Time to toss the bouquet!” Jules announces. “Meg, get your sexy ass in here!”

  I keep my eyes on Will’s face, begging him to talk to me.

  “Go, Jules is calling for you,” he mutters and turns his back on me and walks away.

  Fuck.

  All the single girls are gathered in a semicircle before the stage. In this crowd, there aren’t many single girls, maybe fifteen. Sam is nowhere to be found, probably still chatting with Leo.

  Traitor.

  I paste a smile on for Jules and wait patiently for her to make a big show of tossing the bouquet. I try to step aside so Brynna can catch it, but wouldn’t you know, it falls right in my hands.

  Son of a bitch.

  I just laugh and hold it above my head. Jules hugs me, and we pose for photos. The photographer asks for a few more posed family photos, and when the last photo is taken, Will returns to my side.

  “Is all the wedding crap over?” he asks.

  “Yeah, all that’s left is dancing and getting drunk,” I respond.

  “Good, let’s get out of here.”

  We spend the next hour making our way through the ballroom, saying our goodbyes, posing for a few more photos, and hugging Jules and Nate.

  “I’m so proud of you, kiddo,” I hear Will murmur to Jules.

  “Thanks.” She smiles up at him. “And don’t call me that.”

  He laughs, a real Will laugh, and my stomach clenches. God, I love his laugh.

  I love him so much, and he’s about to break up with me, I just know it.

  He escorts me out to the curb and asks the limo driver to take us back to the church where his car is parked. Once inside, Will sits at one side of the limo, and I slide over to the other side, knowing I’m not welcome to sit next to him.

  Not being able to touch him is killing me.

  So, I’ll let him decide when he wants to talk about what’s eating at him. We sit in silence all the way to the church. He gets me settled into his sexy car and is silent all the way to my house.

  I notice he doesn’t take me back to his place.

  When he parks in my driveway, he cuts the engine, and we sit in silence, not looking at each other, just looking straight ahead.

  Finally, after what feels like forever, I break the silence.

  “Will,” I whisper, “please talk to me. I can’t apologize if I don’t know what I did wrong.”

  He scrubs his hand over his mouth roughly, then abruptly gets out of the car, stalks around to my side, and opens the passenger door wide, indicating I should get out.

  So I do.

  He follows me to my door, watches me disarm the alarm, and then turns to go.

  “Please, don’t go. Will, come inside and talk to me.”

  “I can’t talk to you,” he murmurs, not meeting my eyes. “It hurts too damn much to talk to you, Megan. It’s killing me to look at you.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” I demand, my hands on my hips. “Don’t be a pussy, Will, just say what the fuck is wrong!”

  “You are!” His head snaps up, his eyes
pissed off. “I tell you every fucking day how much I love you, Megan.” He moves closer to me, his face inches from mine. “Every single day, I say it. I show you. I make sure you know that I am completely in love with you.”

  I swallow hard, my eyes wide, and just watch him as he unloads, while my heart is breaking. Tears gather in my eyes.

  “But you can’t say it back,” he continues. He throws his arms up and stalks away, but then turns back to me, his mouth set in a grim line. “You can’t tell me that you love me, yet you just stood on a stage before two hundred of my nearest and dearest and told another man that you love him.”

  My mouth drops, and a tear falls down my cheek.

  “I saw you,” he spits out. “I saw you tell him you love him after he whispered in your ear and kissed you, which almost earned him a punch in the jaw.” He rubs his mouth again and then plants his hands on his hips.

  Another tear falls down my cheek.

  “I’m so in love with you, Megan, I can’t see straight. You mean more to me than anything. More than my family, more than football. More than anything.” He shrugs and holds his hands out to his sides, as though he’s showing me everything he has.

  “But you can’t say the same to me, even though I know you love me. I just don’t think you love me the way I love you.”

  He closes his eyes and sighs, and then looks down at his feet. He’s standing before me, in his suit, and I want so desperately to take him in my arms and tell him how much I need him.

  How much I love him.

  He slowly raises his head and pins me with his sad blue eyes.

  “If you can’t love me the way I love you, maybe we’re just wasting our time.” His shoulders sag, and he runs his knuckles down my cheek. “Good luck to you, Megan.”

  He turns on his heel and walks down my stairs and to his car, and I’m stuck.

  What the fuck just happened?

  He reaches his car, opens the door, and I spring into action.

  “Wait!”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ~Will~

  I open my car door, my heart in my throat, and have to physically stop myself from running back to her and begging her to forget everything I just said.