Fractured Hearts: A Fractured Rock Star Romance
Page 27
But he hadn’t needed to since their lives had slotted together almost perfectly. With him at home, concentrating on writing songs, doing a few gigs here and there with the others, mostly charity events, and figuring out how their new sound would work, Lexie had relaxed and eventually thrown herself into it all. As well as doing her freelance photography, she also continued taking photos of Fractured, as well as Zac and Noah’s new band which had already started to take off in a big way.
She now had a huge social media following for her photos of the four of them, and even though the band was on hiatus, pending the release of their new album sometime in the future, their popularity hadn’t dimmed. The label was busy promoting the new direction they were taking and figuring out how to get their money’s worth without relying on huge stadium tours.
That was their problem to deal with though. Connor had made his decision, and now all he cared about was doing the things that made him, Lexie, and his friends the happiest. And hopefully, the fans would enjoy the results.
But now it was time for the moment he’d been planning for almost a year. He was hoping he’d given her enough time to overcome her fears because he wasn’t sure what he’d do if she said no.
Now, he was saying goodbye to Tex, Zac, and Noah at the front door of the house he and Lexie had moved into a couple of months earlier. The guys had been over to have a practice session for some of the new songs he and Tex had written, and it had gone incredibly well. They were all feeling positive about where things were heading. They also knew what Connor had planned for today, so Zac and Noah both wished him luck and slapped him on the back as they left, but Tex lingered for a minute to talk.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” Connor grumbled.
Tex laughed. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, man. There’s not a chance in hell she’ll say no. You two are meant for each other.”
“What if it’s too soon? What if she’s still not sure?”
“I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and I’ve seen the way you look at her. Lexie knows what’s in your heart, and that’s the only thing she’ll be thinking about when you ask her.” Tex sounded a little wistful as he spoke.
Connor hoped like hell Tex was right. But if he was wrong, and she said no, then he’d just have to give her more time and ask again, because he wasn’t ever letting her go. Even if they never got married, he was planning on being beside her for the rest of her life.
“You good?” Tex asked.
He took a deep breath and nodded.
“Go get your girl, then.”
Connor nodded and said goodbye. Moment of truth time.
He headed back into the house and returned to the room they’d been practicing in. Lexie had been with them during the session, taking photos as always, and had stayed behind to finish up while he’d walked the others out. Now he stopped in the doorway and just watched her, his heart beating painfully fast. When he’d gone up to say goodbye to the guys, he’d left his guitar propped on one of the chairs near the large picture window that looked out over the garden. Lexie, wearing one of the sexy little sundresses he loved, was down on her knees, camera in hand, taking a photo of the instrument. The late-afternoon sun streamed in the window, lighting up the honey-toned patina of the guitar and glimmering in the dark silk of Lexie’s hair. Golden hour. The hour after the sun rose and before it set when everything took on a soft, magical glow perfect for photos. Hopefully also perfect for what he was planning.
Connor put his hand in his pocket and touched the ring he’d bought months ago, then waited patiently for Lexie to finish and get to her feet before he walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She angled her head to the side to meet his lips in a soft kiss.
“So, I was thinking I could give you another guitar lesson.”
She turned in his arms so she was facing him and gave him a coy smile. “With or without the guitar?” Her voice was husky.
Lust surged through him at the memory of that night, but he couldn’t get distracted now. “Let’s start with the guitar this time.”
He picked up the instrument and then sat down on the chair, pulling her onto his lap and encircling her in his arms so that she held the guitar and his hands were over hers. He got her fingers positioned just right for the first chord, then let her strum the strings. “G.” He whispered it in her ear, then changed chords. “C.” Then twice more. “C. C.”
They kept going, but as recognizable as it was, it only took her seconds to pick up on the melody. She looked over her shoulder, eyebrows raised. “You’re teaching me the bridal chorus?”
“I thought you should get familiar with it. You know, before you walk down the aisle.” He smiled and waited, even though his heart was beating hard.
Lexie’s eyes went round, and her mouth parted, but no sound came out.
Connor’s smile deepened.
“I-Is that a proposal?” she asked shakily.
He took the guitar out of her hands and placed it on the floor next to the chair, then helped her turn around so she was facing him, straddling his hips. She watched his every move with wide eyes as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. When she saw the sparkling diamond, she covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes filled with tears.
“Lexie, you’ve filled a hole in my heart and my life that I didn’t even know was there, and I never want to let you go. I love you, and I’ll continue to love you with every beat of my heart for the rest of my life. I want you by my side forever, so please, say you’ll marry me.”
Her gaze flickered backward and forward from his eyes to the ring he was holding up between them, and the few seconds before she answered him were the longest of his life.
“There’s nothing I want more,” she said in a trembling voice, before throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his.
Relief flooded through him. When she pulled away, and before she could change her mind, Connor grabbed her left hand and slipped the ring on her finger. He looked back up into her eyes, and his heart clenched as the tears overflowed and trickled down her cheeks.
“I hope those are happy tears,” he murmured, using his thumb to wipe them away.
She nodded, a tremulous smile on her lips. “I love you so much, Connor. I don’t know what I did to deserve you. To deserve all the love I’ve been blessed with in this life.”
He knew she wasn’t just talking about his love, but the love she’d shared with Damien too. Not so long ago, it would have killed him to think of the love she’d had—still had—for someone other than him. But now he was just grateful that he was the one that had been there to make her heart whole again and give her the happily ever after she deserved.
“I love you too, Lexie, more than anyone or anything in the world. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life proving that to you.” He cupped her cheek and tilted her head so he could brush his lips against hers in a tender kiss that soon deepened, heat flaring between them.
Reluctantly, he pulled away just far enough to whisper, “How about you get your camera set up and we’ll have ourselves a private engagement photo shoot.”
Her gray eyes darkened, and the sexy smile that curved her mouth almost did him in. As she climbed off his lap to get the camera ready, he smiled to himself as he realized he finally had everything he’d ever wanted.
The End
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for choosing to read my debut novel! I know you could have picked from any number of great books, so it means a lot that you chose mine.
I hope you enjoyed reading Lexie and Connor’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, please consider taking the time to share your thoughts by posting a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Your feedback and support will help me to keep improving my storytelling skills.
About The Author
L. M. Dalgleish
L. M. Dalgleish is a life-long book lover w
hose passion for romance novels began in the long sleepless nights following the birth of her first baby. Two more babies later and she’s still in love with strong, sassy heroines and sexy, but emotionally unavailable (at least to begin with) heroes.
She lives in Canberra, Australia, with her husband, three kids, and a very large, very fluffy dog. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging with her family, reading, eating too much pasta, and watching horror movies. Fractured Hearts is her debut novel.
If you would like to get in touch, please feel free to contact me at lmdalgleishauthor@outlook.com.