Belonging
Page 27
“Do you now?” Kell quirked an eyebrow, sharing a look with his bandmate.
“Uh-oh, pay attention, man,” Crispin teased. “The pressure’s on you now.”
“No kidding,” Kell chuckled, watching Becky and Gwen take off into the front room.
Still laughing, Gwen followed Becky into the turreted front room they used as an art studio. There, she greeted both Keegan and Dorian. After hearing the news, they both congratulated her while Becky went about packing her things for the tour. The driver and bus would arrive at dawn.
“I hope I haven’t forgotten anything.” Becky counted her sketchbooks, pencils, and watercolours.
“I know what you mean. I went over my list a few hundred times,” Gwen said. “I have my notebook, my laptop. I hope it’s enough to keep me busy while on the bus.”
“Just remember to have some fun, too,” Dorian said, gathering his own sketchbook from his drawing table.
“What’s Heather bringing for entertainment, besides you, Dorian,” Gwen asked jokingly. At the frown on his face, she looked questioningly from Keegan to Becky. When they only shrugged, she wished she had never asked.
“I’m afraid, Heather’s not coming with us,” Dorian said with a sigh.
“Oh, sorry, I thought…”
“She changed her mind at the last minute,” Becky explained.
“Yeah, no worries,” Dorian said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “She decided to sign up for some summer classes. It’s fine, really.”
“Damn right,” Keegan said. “The two of us will have an awesome time as the only single guys in the band. Plenty of ladies where we’re going.”
“I suppose,” Dorian said with a reluctant smile.
When the guys left the room, Gwen turned to Becky and recognized the concern on her face. “That’s too bad. I liked Heather,” Gwen said. “But I guess classes are important too.”
“Yeah… I’m worried about Dorian now, though,” Becky confessed with a measured smile. Giving her head a shake, she then waved her hand. “All these brothers.” She giggled. “One’s bound to worry me now and again.”
“I like the way you see them that way… brothers,” Gwen said pensively. “You know, I’ll admit, I may have been a little jealous of the way Crispin spoke of you at first. But I see now, you all have a special bond.”
“Well, to be completely honest, I may have had a tiny crush on each of the Goths at one point,” Becky admitted with a rueful smile. “They’re all cute in their own way. But the more time I spent with each of them, the more I started to see them as family members. But you know, even before I met them, from a distance, I saw the good in them, and that goodness is what attracted me to the House of Goths in the first place.”
“You sure it wasn’t Kell?” Gwen teased.
“Haha, you got me there.” Becky blushed. “But seriously, besides that gorgeous hunky Goth, I love them all like brothers.” Coming to her, Becky tugged Gwen in for a hug. “Now you, I think of as my sister.”
“Oh, Becky, that means the world to me.”
***
“How is the writing coming along?” Crispin asked, sliding into the chair next to Gwen. They’d been on the road for a few hours already. While Kell and Becky ‘napped’ in the private bedroom at the back of the bus, and Dorian and Keegan sat across the way, going over set lists, Gwen had found herself a quiet spot to attempt to start her book.
“Oh, I haven’t gotten very far.” She giggled, closing her laptop, but not before he saw what she was doing, looking up tourist attractions in Rome. “You’ll be happy to know, our itinerary’s coming along well.”
“Cheeky monkey…”
“Oh, Crispin, the book will have to wait. I can’t help myself! All I want to do is look up things to see and do on our upcoming trip! I haven’t even begun to look up Ireland.”
“Hey, writing is writing. Be it fiction or travel guides, do what makes you happy.” Leaning in real close, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a little velvet box, and placed it on her laptop. “This is for you.”
“What is it?” she asked, curious. He had already bought her an engagement ring. “I don’t recall you coming into the shop for anything else.”
“This I bought all by myself. Go on, open it.” Doing so, she snapped the box open to find a small pewter pendant shaped like a clover inside. “It should hook onto your bracelet.”
“It’s a four-leafed clover!” she said with a smile as she picked it up and studied it. On one side, a little map of the earth was etched. On the other side were words and she read them aloud. “Find your soulmate, find yourself.” When she looked at Crispin, he had the dreamiest expression on his handsome face.
“I hope it makes up for the one you lost.”
“Of course it does, Crispin. I love it!”
He held out his hand for it and she placed the pendant in his palm. “All my life I’ve searched for a place to belong. I’ve yearned for that feeling of belonging,” he explained with a thoughtful smile. “When I went off to England, my goal was to find myself. But as fate would have it, I found you, Gwen, my soulmate.”
“Soulmates…” she repeated.
He nodded and kissed her sweetly before continuing. He turned the pendant over and pointed at the tiny etched map of the planet Earth. “With you at my side, the entire world is my home.”
“That’s beautiful, Crispin,” she said as he took her wrist and carefully attached the pendant to her bracelet. The bracelet that had brought them together. “I feel the very same way. When I’m with you, I feel I can do anything. My anxieties are still there but I can handle them better now. You calm me and excite me at the same time. I love you, Crispin.”
“Well, aren’t we the perfect pair.” With a wink, he leaned in and kissed her. “I love you too, Gwen.” He then sat back and draped his arm around her. Glancing around the tour bus, he watched his bandmates. He smiled when Kell and Becky finally emerged from the back.
“Awesome idea, this tour bus,” Kell said as he passed, patting his shoulder. “Thanks again, Crisp.”
“You’re very welcome,” he said, chuckling at the rosy glow on Becky’s face. “From now on the Kingston Quartet only travels in style.” Crispin’s heart filled with joy at being able to give back to his friends since they had always been so generous of heart with him. He may be very well off in the monetary sense, but he also realized how truly rich he was with friends such as these, his family of choice.
The End
Thank you for reading this book. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it.
If you get a moment, please leave a review where you purchased it from. I would greatly appreciate it.
Dear Reader,
if you enjoyed reading House of Goths, be sure to follow up with the following books by Maria Bernard.
Books by Maria Bernard
These Bones Rockstar Romance Series
Falquen’s Nest - Book One
Joy and Sorrow - Book Two
Bleed Out Your Heart - Book Three
Jesse’s Reign - Book Four
House of Goths Series
House of Goths - HOG Book 1
Belonging - HOG Book 2
Stick Shift Lips Rockstar Romance Series
Hand in Glove - Book One
Sound Shelter - Book Two
Sweet Reprieve - Book Three
Reluctant Hero - Book Four
Stick Shift Lips Series Spinoffs
Dream Crush, LA Summer
A Dream for Winter
Stand Up and Shout
Also by Maria Bernard
The Balcony
Wherever Girl
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to my husband, Jeff, my very own personal rockstar.
To my readers, thank you for your encouragement.
About the Author
Maria Bernard is a Canadian author of Contemporary romance, focusing on the rock star genre.
Maria literally eats, sleeps a
nd dreams with romance in mind. One day the idea to share the many stories and scenarios that swirl endlessly in her mind came to pass.
Dare to share in her adventures in love and romance. Maria’s stories are heavy on emotion and focus intimately on each of the characters as thoughtful, sensitive individuals.
Fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other.
Connect with Maria Bernard
Website
http://www.mariabernardauthor.com
Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/MariaBernardWriter/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/MariaBernard_1