Repented

by Sophie Monroe

  "Kev!" My dad squeezed. "Missed ya buddy."

  "You too, Dad. This is Ms. Madison."

  He turned his attention to her giving her a hug. "It's so nice to get finally to meet you. We're thrilled to have you guys staying here for the week. We have a lot to catch up on."

  He grabbed two beers from the fridge next to his impressive grill set up and popped the tops off. Handing us each one, he gestured over to the table for us to take a seat. The umbrella was keeping the sun directly off of us. The pool water shimmered in the light. It was nice to be back. I had a lot of plans for us while we here. Kennedy and Skylar would be here after she got off of work. I couldn't wait to see Sky.

  Madison sat and chatted with my mom. I enjoyed the serenity of how far I've come. How good things happen, bad things get thrown in the mix, but at the end of the day if you fight hard enough you can achieve anything. I wasn't always the poster child for good behavior, and I certainly made my fair share of fuckups, yet here I am. I have the girl that I love and by some miracle, she feels the same way. I just hoped she'd agree to be my forever.

  I had heard Sky before I saw him. He ran at me full force and jumped into my lap. Messing up the top of his hair, I pulled him into a hug. Kennedy looked so much better than the last time I saw her. She looked polished and happy. I stood up and hugged her, picking her up off the ground. She swatted at my shoulder and screamed for me to put her down. I was thankful for our friendship, regardless of how it started.

  Madison stood up to greet her.

  "It's so nice to meet you finally," Kennedy said pulling her into a hard hug. "I've heard so much about you! I can see why he loves you so much, you're gorgeous!" She beamed.

  Madison's cheeks flushed. "Thank you and likewise. Kevin talks about you guys all the time."

  We piled around the patio table and enjoyed the chicken and steak my Dad grilled up. We drank beer and caught up. My mom was gushing about what an asset Kennedy had become to the spa. Kennedy was clearly embarrassed, but thanked her. She always had a hard time accepting any form of compliment. Madison and her seemed to click right away and were huddled in the corner chatting away. Skylar had changed into his swim shorts and went into the hot tub until it started to get dark. I was in my Zen mood. I'd add to the conversations occasionally, but mostly I just sat back and enjoyed the serenity of it all.

  At nightfall, we lit the fire pit and made s'mores. I sat with Sky on my lap. He had adopted me as his Uncle Kev and I took my role very seriously. He would never be without video games for the rest of his life. It seemed almost funny that I was so terrified of being his dad. It was almost bittersweet at times that I wasn't. Now that I had Madison in my life, hopefully that would be in our cards one day.

  It was the perfect first night back. Tomorrow, I planned on taking Kennedy around Phoenix and showing her my old stomping grounds. I also had another surprise planned for her. We were also going to take the four-hour trip to the Grand Canyon. I was going to wake her up in the middle of the night, so we could make it there by sunrise.

  MADISON

  I heard whispering, but I was exhausted.

  "Mads, come on you have to get up."

  Lifting my head, I groaned. It was almost two in the morning. I swatted at him. "I'm tired. You can have sex with me when I wake up. Or now, if you're into necrophilia.

  "You can sleep in the car." He said, scooping me up in his arms and sitting me up. He pulled a hoodie over my head as I slid on a pair of capri leggings. Slipping on a pair of flip flops, I followed him a few steps half asleep before he scooped me up and started carrying me. I rested my head on his chest. He sat me in the passenger seat and fastened my seatbelt. Resting my head against the window, I fell back asleep.

  When I woke up, we were getting gas. It was almost four. I couldn't believe I managed to sleep another three hours. Actually, yeah I can. The time change was catching up with me. Plus we had been going almost non-stop since we landed. The first night, we had a family dinner. The next day, we went around Phoenix. We went to the Desert Botanical Gardens, did a climbing tour and went beer tasting. We finished the night by having a long night of hot, passionate sex by the pool while he parents were out. I was exhausted.

  Kevin got back in the car and smiled. He handed me a coffee and a bag. "Morning my love."

  I grumbled. I was still tired. Putting the cup to my lips, hoping there was enough caffeine in here to wake me up. "There better be an awesome reason for waking me up this early."

  He winked and put the car in drive.

  It was still too dark to see much of any scenery we might have been driving past. Judging by the signs, I had an idea of where we might be headed. He was good at coming up with sweet surprises and finding things to do. The miles passed by until we got off at the Grand Canyon. The sun was just starting to rise when we made it up to the top.

  He popped the trunk and seemed to be hurrying to get whatever he had planned ready. He took a blanket and put it on the hood of the car. Holding his hand out, he helped me up. It was breathtaking watching it illuminate as the sun started hitting it.

  "This is beautiful, but pales in comparison to what I see when I look at you. You are my sunrise to sunset. You gave me hope when I was hopeless. You make me want to move heaven and earth to see you smile. If you just give me a small chance, I promise to become one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. I vow to spend every day of the rest of my life cherishing you. Through good times and bad, I want to have you by my side. You're my gravity. You keep me grounded. You make me whole, my missing puzzle piece. I just need to know you're mine. Forever." He took my hands in his. "With these hands, I will reach across anything that separates you from me. I will be everything you need, because you are everything to me. I'm a better man with you, because of you. Will you do me the honor or marrying me?"

  He dropped down to one knee and slid the ring onto my finger.

  "Yes." I cried.

  "Thank you. I promise to love you every day of forever." He stood and kissed my lips.

  Climbing to sit next to me, we watched the sunrise. I never wanted to forget this moment. It was almost surreal to be sitting here. The future Mrs. Johnson. He was, without a doubt, my soul mate and my better half. He helped me find strength within myself that I never even knew was there. No matter what was thrown our way, we'd handle it. Together.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  BACK TO ME

  KEVIN

  It was finally here. The big event was today. We were scheduled to be there at noon to start rehearsing and make sure everything was ready to go. This week would go down in history as one of the best of my life. Everything about this visit was about closure and new beginnings.

  Madison agreeing to marry me made me ecstatic. I had Mike's approval all the way back at Christmas. After having some downtime to recoup and make sure she still felt the way, I knew she was exactly what I wanted. I didn't have any real reservations to begin with, but it solidified everything I thought I knew. To an outsider, they might think we rushed it. In my heart, I knew from day one that she was it for me. What's the sense of dragging out the inevitable? There's no guarantee you'll wake up in the morning, so why wait?

  Jake and I had a conversation while I was recovering about commitment. Some countries and religions still have arranged marriages. We used to sell women for land and cattle, if it's a balls to the wall mutual love, there's no sense in waiting. I bought the piece of land adjacent to Jake's and planned on building Madison her dream house. As much as I loved Phoenix and the weather, Smithville had become home for both of us. Whatever she wanted to do in life, I wanted to be her anchor.

  She came out of the bathroom, and my jaw dropped. Aubrey, Piper and the rest of the girls had spa and shopping day yesterday while we practiced. Apparently, Aubrey had helped her pick out this outfit. All I wanted to do was rip it off and do dirty things to her tan, lean, toned body. The lace corset she had on showcased her slim waist, and the tight leather leggings made her ass look
scrumptious as she did a little turn. Her blonde hair now had a few black streaks, and she had on more makeup than she usually wore. I was liking the look. A lot.

  "Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." She teased, winking at me.

  Fuck. I was hard. I wanted her. There wasn't enough time to worship her like she deserved. It would have to wait until later. "You look absolutely breathtaking. Me likey." Running my hands over her ass, I pulled her to me showing her how excited I was.

  "Don't you have a gig to do?" She whispered seductively in my ear.

  Yes. Maybe. Nope. Fuck. Done. Fuck. Need. Want.

  Hooking my thumbs in her pants, I slid them down and ran my palm across her heat. She was already wet. What's a few extra minutes? I couldn't perform top notch bottling all this up. I bent her over and unzipped my jeans watching them hit the floor. Running my cock up her slit, I paused at her entrance before filling her to the hilt. She moaned. I dug my hands into her hip as I pounded into her hot, tight pussy. She squeezed around me, and I knew I wasn't going to last long.

  "Fuck me harder," she demanded through gritted teeth.

  Picking up my pace, I started moving watching her perfect ass bounce as I thrust. Seeing her juices soaking my cock did it. I fell over the edge as I filled her. She tilted her head, grinning.

  "So fucking hot!' I growled. She made her way to the bathroom to clean up, blowing me a kiss as she sashayed her ass. Damn, I was one lucky son of a bitch.

  After cleaning up, it looked like we were still going to be on time. Pulling up to the venue, there was press everywhere. Our engagement even made entertainment news. We made our way inside to where almost everyone was already waiting. There were a few interviews scheduled, followed by the show and a meet and greet.

  Looking around, it felt right. Just like it's meant to be. Life goes by so fast, and there's no guarantee for second chances. Every time she looked at me, my heart swelled. She took my breath away. I couldn't wait for the next however many years we were granted with together. To fill our house with babies. To grow old together and swing with our grandkids on a big front porch. To have every experience possible. Together.

  Maybe my journey wasn't so much about paying repentance as it was learning to love myself for how I was, and finding someone that appreciated me for the same. Love at first sight might seem cliché, or farfetched, but sometimes when you know you know. It was forever her and me.

  AUSTIN

  I had a love hate with being in Phoenix. Ever since Kevin and Madison announced their engagement, Bri's been acting off. She was more closed off than usual. Just when I thought we were making a little progress, she went and closed like the Venus flytrap. She was sitting in the corner looking out of place. Walking over to her, I took a seat in the chair next to her.

  "Why can't you just put your drawbridge down for once?" I asked.

  "Why is it that I feel you're the worst and best thing to ever happen to me at the same time?" It was a serious question. Sadness formed around her big, brown eyes.

  "Because you're impossible, but face it we put up with each other's shit better than anyone else could."

  She wrung her hands together, avoiding eye contact. "I'm afraid to love you. Every time I love someone, something happens and takes them away. I can't risk that with you. You've become my constant. You're my rock, Austin. My big, stupid rock with a big cock."

  "Hey now," I knew I was grinning like an idiot. "You're my little ray of fucking sunshine, mixed with a little bit of hurricane. I'm not exactly free of scars either. I've been sitting around waiting for you to see what the next step is. I'm here Bri. I've been here for months. I just want you to be fucking happy."

  "You make me happy," she admitted. "But, I'm scared."

  I pulled her into my lap and wrapped my arms around her. "Listen, we're all slightly cracked. It doesn't mean we're broken; there's a difference. Maybe I can be your Humpty Dumpty and help put you back together. You just have to realize that you trust me enough to let me. No matter how it ends, I'd still do it again."

  COMING SOON: CRACKED: A GUILTY TENDENCIES NOVEL

  THE MOTHERFUCKING END

  HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHITBALLS! Yeah, that's pretty much my thoughts after typing The End. I know you guys have been more than patient waiting for me to release Repented, and I wanted to thank each and every one of you for sticking with me. Kevin decided he wanted to stop talking to me. If I wrote him when I wasn't feeling it, he would have been a whiny bitch all sappy about having his heart broken. That's not him. He's a survivor. No matter what life throws at you, good or bad, there's beauty in it! Thank you so much for reading the series. Loving the boys. I love you guys! I have one other book that I'll be releasing before the GT series called The Longest Road, which is also a rock and roll romance. It will be standalone. As always, follow me on Facebook or check out my website for the most up to date info.

  www.sophiemonroewrites.com

  www.facebook.com/sophiemonroewrites

  PLAYLIST:

  DEAD FISH HANDSHAKE- LEAVE THE LIGHT ON

  THEORY OF A DEADMAN- ANGEL

  - THE ONE

  I PREVAIL- MY HEART I SURRENDER

  SEETHER- FINE AGAIN

  ALEX & SIERRA- LITTLE DO YOU KNOW

  PAPA ROACH- GRAVITY

  TOVE LO- HABITS (STAY HIGH)

  SHINEDOWN- FOR MY SAKE

  BREAKING BENJAMIN- BETTER DAYS

  HALESTORM- APOCOLYPTIC

  LUPE FIASCO- BATTLE SCARS

  THOMPSON SQUARE- IF I DIDN'T HAVE YOU

  BUSH- THE ONLY WAY OUT

  LUKE BRYAN- CRASH MY PARTY