Songbird Freed

by Lisa Edward

  I knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you okay in there?”

  She slid the door open, her eyes watery as she looked at me sheepishly. “I’m fine. Just need to finish up in here.”

  The door was left ajar as she went over to brush her teeth. So she had been vomiting, and it wasn’t the first time recently. My stomach did a little backflip as I realised what this could mean.

  Looking down at Tori, I whispered, “I think you’re getting a little brother or sister, Princess.”

  I went and sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing Tori on my knee. “So, what we were talking about before, Tara,” I called to her, unable to hide the smirk on my face, “with moving to the house. We don’t have to. We have plenty of room here with the two bedrooms. There’s only the three of us after all.”

  Tara came in, giving me that knowing look of hers. “Okay, Mr Smarty-Pants, I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you—” her hand went to her stomach. “—we’re having another baby.”

  My eyes widened and I could feel the tell-tale sign of tears. She looked at me, leaning up against the doorjamb in her sexy lacy underwear, and watched my face.

  “It will mean more changes, of course,” she stated. “I won’t be able to play with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra past this season, and if you go on tour with the band, I won’t be coming.” She frowned and looked down at her hands, fiddling with the engagement ring so she could see the tattoo on her finger underneath.

  “Then we won’t go on tour,” I said, matter-of-factly. “There are no dates set, so, we just record the second CD and see what happens after that.”

  “But it’s your dream, Cole.” She looked at me, teary eyed.

  “And the MSO is your dream, but family comes first. At least, for us, family will always come first.” Tori climbed off my lap and onto the bed. “I can’t wait to have another baby with you, to fill the house with kids and laughter. That’s the only thing that’s important.”

  I held up my left hand to her, the tattoo of her name on my ring finger a constant reminder of where my heart lies.

  Slipping off the engagement ring, she held up her left hand to me, showing me the matching tattoo of my name on her finger.

  Tara came over and kissed Tori, making her giggle, before planting those full red lips on me. I melted into them. It was the most extraordinary thing, kissing Tara; she always tasted sweet like strawberries, her lips drawing me in until I forgot about everything else around us.

  “We can’t tell anyone yet,” she said, taking up position on my lap. “I’m only nine weeks, and after last time, I want to get through the scan and make sure everything is okay. So …” She placed her finger over my lips.

  Kissing her finger, I smiled. “Okay, I’ll try to keep the secret.” I knew that I probably wouldn’t.

  “You said everyone’s here already?”

  “Yep, even Richard is here with Jase.” I grimaced exaggeratedly. I was still in two minds about the guy, but I knew Tara liked him, so I kept my reservations to myself.

  Tara slapped me on the chest and went to stand. “Don’t be like that. Jase really likes him.”

  Throwing my hands to the side, I replied, “Hey, I’m happy for him, I just can’t understand how any guy can’t want to get lost in pussy.” I pulled Tara back onto my lap. “Like I did this morning with you.” I nuzzled her neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of coconut and frangipanis in her freshly washed hair. “And I hopefully will again tonight.”

  She playfully pushed away my wandering hands. “If you play your cards right, you never know your luck.”

  And that’s why I’m marrying you.

  Tara lifted up the dress I’d bought her from the bed just as Tori was about to crawl over it. She took in the detail around the neckline. “I love this dress. You have such great taste. But it’s white, babe, it’s going to get grubby with Little Miss Sticky Fingers in about ten minutes.”

  She had to wear the dress. It was white for a very specific reason.

  “Just humour me. It will look great on you.”

  I watched Tara slip the dress on, and then I helped zip it up. It fit perfectly, and my stomach clenched as we took one step closer to this night being everything I’d hoped for. Turning, she held her soft curls to one side so I could fasten the locket around her neck, then I helped secure the charm bracelet that she always wore. I knew the bracelet had come from Riley, but I also knew it was special to her, and over time I’d gotten used to seeing it. Maybe one day I’d replace it, but not yet.

  Finally, Tara was ready and we headed out to the living room. She greeted everyone with a hug before seeing Riley and Gabby in the corner, standing slightly away from the group.

  “Hey, I remember you!” Tara exclaimed with a huge smile. “So great to see you again.” She gave Gabby a friendly hug before pulling Riley in to her arms. That little pang of jealously hit me in the gut, but it was gone in a split second. I knew there would always be a connection between them, but I also knew that she loved me unconditionally and nothing would come between us again.

  Now that we were all here and ready to go, we made the short stroll across the road to the beach. Jay, Marcus and I had been over earlier, cheekily roping off an area of the public beach for our party. We’d gone to great lengths to ensure everyone knew where they needed to be at exactly what time in order for this extravaganza to work, so we had to be at that particular place on the sand.

  Tara was talking to Riley and Gabby again. She seemed to like Gabby, and so did Riley, which was great. He hadn’t let go of her hand since they’d arrived, which I took as a good sign. My unease with the whole situation had settled down with him being so far away, but it had taken Kelli convincing me that Tara would want him here for me to write to him and invite him along.

  I’m glad I did. Seeing him with Gabby made me think that maybe he had finally moved on—not that anyone could completely get over Tara. Even Marcus, who was totally wrapped up in Nicole, would from time to time give Tara a look that lasted a little too long for my liking. But that was the pull that she had on people. She was one of a kind, beautiful on the inside and out, and once you were fortunate enough to get to know her, you were hooked for life.

  The sun was due to set in about twenty minutes and those butterflies were going crazy in my stomach. It was nearly show time.

  Jay passed me a guitar and asked if I wanted to sing a couple of our new songs. It was all rehearsed, of course—this whole evening had been planned to the minute, but as I looked over at Tara, she seemed nonethe-wiser.

  As we were playing, I kept an eye out for Tara’s parents, John and Cynthia. Cynthia, in particular, had wanted a big church wedding for Tara, with about five hundred people that we didn’t know. But I’d finally talked her around by telling her that Tara wouldn’t go for that, so it was either on the beach, or not at all.

  My dad had also been invited, but not my mum. She was no longer a part of my life, and I was totally fine with that. Dad had finally seen Mum for what she was: a manipulative, conniving witch, and he’d left her. Good riddance, I’d said.

  The next song on our secret set-list was ‘Best Day of My Life’ by American Authors. It summed up how I felt about today so I went straight into the song, and smiled to myself as Tara sang along, doing a little dance in her seat. There was a crowd gathering around us, they were listening and singing along too, and Tara smiled and laughed as people of all ages joined our not so private party.

  It was time.

  With my stomach tied in knots, my heart beating hard against my chest, I looked around at our group and gave Nicole a subtle nod. She got up from beside Tara, telling her to stay seated, that she’d be back in a minute. Jay started playing ‘Marry You’ by Bruno Mars as I started singing. Tara did a double-take as she noticed a few people in the crowd dancing, doing the same steps. She looked around. More people were joining in; everyone seemed to know the routine.

  Standing in front of Tara, I held out my hand as I s
ang about wanting to marry her. She placed her shaky hand in mine, slowly standing as she looked around at the one-hundred-strong crowd that had gathered, all dancing the secret routine they’d been practicing for the last couple of weeks in what was commonly known as a flash-mob.

  By the end of the song, Tara was in tears. Her breathing was ragged as she threw her arms around me. There was only one thing left to do.

  Taking a deep, calming breath, I tried to get my emotions in check as I got down on one knee, still holding her hand.

  “I know we’re already engaged, but I need to ask.” I took a deep breath, the tears blurring my vision. “Tara, I love you more than I can find the words to express, but I’ll try, so here goes.”

  She smiled, holding onto my every word.

  “Every day with you is an adventure, and I fall more and more in love with your spirit, your compassion, your generosity and the way you love Tori, and me. It just blows my mind.”

  Tara was fully crying now, not just a few tears, but smiling and sobbing at the same time. One look at her face and I broke down, but there was more I wanted to say to try to tell her how I felt about her.

  “The look of pure love shining in your eyes when you look at me—I wear that love like a suit of armour. It keeps me safe; it makes me feel invincible.” I wiped my eyes and tried to compose myself. “It makes me believe that as long as we’re together, everything else will fall into place.”

  She reached out, gently wiping a tear from my cheek with her thumb.

  “Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”

  “Now? Here?” she asked, looking around. “I’d marry you any day, anywhere.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Of course I’ll marry you. I love you so much, Cole. What we’ve built together is so precious to me.”

  Nicole, Kelli and the burlesque girls came forward forming an honour guard, all dressed in similar shades of pink and mauve. As the crowd pushed back, John stepped forward. He placed a simple flower crown on Tara’s head, then took her hand to walk her barefooted down the sandy aisle.

  Tears were flowing as Tara realised it was really happening. Each of the girls had rose petals and tossed them in front of Tara and John as they made their way towards Nicole and Kelli, who handed Tara a small bouquet of roses. At the end of the aisle, Marcus and Jason had raised an archway covered in mauve flowers while I stood waiting, holding Tori.

  It was the longest wait of my life, but I took in every moment as I watched the love of my life walk towards me, her face beaming with happiness. When they reached me, I passed Tori to John so I could hold Tara’s hand.

  It was a simple ceremony as the sun set over the ocean, turning the sky hues of orange and red, and we pledged our love for each other, and said our vows.

  It was perfect.

  I’ve always believed that fate is in our own hands. That we choose our path and either suffer the consequences of bad decisions, or reap the rewards for perseverance and determination to get where we want to be.

  I pursued Tara because from the moment I laid eyes on her, she was all I could see in my future. Now, as I kissed the bride to a raucous round of applause from our friends, I thanked the stars for my wife.

  My Tara.

  The End

  Read other books by Lisa Edward

  This one is for the soldiers. The brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives who risk their lives selflessly every day. I hope you know how much we appreciate your service and what you do to keep our country safe.

  A very special thankyou to Sergeant James Trenham for his insight into military life, both at home and overseas. I found it invaluable while writing some of the scenes in this book.

  To all of you who have come on this journey with me, your support has been overwhelming and your passion for my boys always brings a smile to my face.

  To my amazing street team – you rock ladies! Thankyou so much for your encouragement and all the positive energy you send through your posts and comments.

  To the best beta-readers ever, Mel, Sali, Monica, Megan and Donna. You always push me to do better and I appreciate it so much.

  To Lauren, your editing always makes me ‘do’ and not ‘feel’ and if I can make you cry I know I’ve done a good job.

  A huge extra special thankyou to Monica and Mel, for being awesome sounding boards and letting me bounce some crazy ideas off you to finally get to something that makes sense.

  A massive thankyou to Jessica for all the amazing teasers and trailers you have made, not just for this book but for the entire series. I am in awe of your talent.

  To Ariana for organising the cover reveal and release blitz for me – I don’t know where you find the time to do all the extra things you do for everyone.

  Robin for the most amazing cover ever! And Emily for all your tweaks and formatting genius that make these books look so polished.

  To my family for your love, support and understanding – thank you.

  Lisa Edward is the author of The Songbird trilogy, and the novella Duty of Care.

  While Lisa Edward has called Melbourne Australia home for her entire life, she has lived and worked in England, and travelled through most parts of Europe and the United States. She loves nothing more than spending time with her husband and beautiful daughter, or curling up into the early hours of the morning with a great novel. By day, Lisa works in the analytical IT field, so relishes the opportunity to foster her creative side through writing. Her deep appreciation for literature was nurtured from a young age, being taught to respect books and get lost in their stories. She enjoys reading honest and realistic novels that are relatable, thought provoking and leave a lasting impression. She can’t write without music playing, using the emotions from different songs to invoke those of her characters. Lisa takes inspiration from her own life experiences, the people around her and those she has met in her travels.

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