Trent (Redemption Romance Book 4)

by Anna Scott

  I knew with Reed's outburst, he was just giving us shit. Gavin was right, he would never be into that kind of thing. He was not a womanizer by any stretch of the imagination. Even when we were all in Paris on furlough a few times, Reed hadn't gone to the clubs with us. Well to be fair dance clubs, yeah, BDSM clubs and sex clubs - hell no. Not Reed, he was way too shy for that shit.

  "We're not going to Lottie's, just chill. Drink your beer, eat some more wings and calm your tits." I reminded everyone in the most authoritative voice I could muster, considering how much I already had to drink, which was a lot. Thankfully, I wasn't driving.

  I was agitated. We had been sitting around drinking and shooting the shit now for three hours. Dinner had been devoured at my favorite steak house, then we'd sat our asses down on bar stools to drink. Not much to do at Ralph's, besides losing at a few games of pool and bullshitting. Sheila, our waitress, a middle-aged brassy blonde with fake tits had been hitting on Reed all night. That was the highlight of the entire night. Every time she came over to service us, she pressed her balloon tits into his arm and rubbed up and down his chest with her dragon lady red nails. She was cooing and puckering her overly made up lips. That shit was just too funny not to enjoy. Reed had gotten plenty of shit for it, including Justin and Felix pulling condoms out of their wallets and throwing them at Reed's head.

  Reed had plucked the two packets up between his beefy fingers and inspected them, then was a pitying glance at the two, shook his head and smirked. "Thanks, guys, but I can't use the small ones, I need the magnums. Size fourteen, you know." Referring to his shoe size, then he'd tossed them back and even patted Felix's shoulder in sympathy. That had been so funny, Jake spit beer out and Luke laughed so hard, he fell off his bar stool.

  Glancing at my phone for the ninetieth time, Reed called it, "Fuck it, let's go." Thank the good Lord.

  Nodding my agreement, we decide that we had given the girls enough alone time. We were ready to go claim our women. What Reed was claiming, I wasn't sure. As far as I knew, he had a thing for Gillian but never pursued it. He hadn't been dating, but he wasn't a serial dater, so it wasn't new.

  On the way to the trucks, we lost Felix and Brian, who decided to call it an early night. I knew the truth. As soon as I saw Brian nod over to Felix, it was obvious that they were going to the strip club.

  "Enjoy," I shout at their retreating backs, not giving two shits since I knew that no matter what they might find in a room full of horny men staring at a few overly made up naked women, nothing would come close to what I had with Amber. The old dime a dozen line my mother used to say came to mind when thinking about the type of women they would find. I almost felt sorry for them - almost.

  The House of Blues security was a little more restrictive for the VIP boxes. It took Gavin texting Tyler before he came and we were allowed entry. Walking into the suite, I eyed the space. Dark painted walls were backlit with black lights. Dim lights were strategically placed around seating areas. It gave off just enough of a glow that was easy to see, but not so much light that the stage and the sea of people below are obscured. In that setting, I could see that Tyler was right when I talked to him earlier in the week. They were able to enjoy the club atmosphere, see the show and have fun while being completely separated from the insanity.

  The girls were laughing, but as soon as they saw us coming in, each man splitting off from the pack, prowling toward his own woman. The entire space went quiet, or that was what it seemed like to me.

  As soon as Amber was in my tractor beam, it was like the rest of the world vanished, and any awareness of my surroundings faded away into obscurity. I did note. However, the ridiculous view we must have all made to bystanders. Each of us moving slowly across the reasonably large space. It was too big for this small of a party for sure. We must have given the appearance of predators stalking our prey. Even Reed was stalking Gillian, making me momentarily consider if he was finally about to make his move.

  Dan stood out from the crowd, instead of swagger, he just walked normally over to Vanessa. In light of everyone else's ridiculous behavior, he looked odd.

  Focus once again solely on Amber, I reached her, grabbed that sexy as hell woman I missed so much over the last few hours and began to sway to the almost hypnotic music from below. BRMC was playing Aya from the stage, one of their slower songs, allowing me to move in close and rock my hips with hers. With our eyes locked together, the world disappeared, and it was just Amber and me. I knew that was just how our life would be. Our focus on the other to the exclusion of just about everything else.

  The following week blurred by until Friday night, after the rehearsal and dinner. After, I remembered that Amber was sleeping at her parent's house. That traditional shit about not seeing the bride. It would have made sense for me to go back to my own condo to sleep, but since Amber and I had been back to us, I hadn't slept without her, not once, and all I could think of was being close to her.

  Settling in the cool sheets, Snowball stepped on me, over me and all around, clearly searching for Amber. Eventually, he gave me an irritated look, which I was sure I shared. He plopped down with a cat style scowl. Strategically, he turned his back to me, probably to show his extreme unhappiness at the situation and growled several times in succession. Knowing that Snowball's only dream in life was to be the ultimate cat badass, I gave him my best-terrified face, to which he appeared to roll his little cat eyes and he turned away from me. Apparently, I wasn't very convincing.

  "I miss her too, you know," I told the cat, not expecting a response since he was a cat and all. To my shock, he replied, he lifted his tail and farted on me.

  "Jesus, are you fucking serious with that? What the hell did you eat?"

  I had to escape the bed. Deciding to head to the kitchen, allowing the room to air out a bit, I found some salami, crackers, and a beer. Hell, Amber wasn't there, and if a crumb fell on the bed, with no woman there to see it - it didn't happen, right? Besides, the cat just ass gassed me, so I wasn't going to feel bad about beer and salami breath with him. I might have even breathed in his face on purpose just to get back at him.

  Snack eaten, I rolled on the bed feeling irritated by the crumbs now scratching my skin. Standing up again, I looked at the clock and realized that it was just after midnight. Quickly, I brushed the sheets clean-ish and laid back down.

  Tossing, turning, rolling around, I tried to pet Snowball, but he was so exasperated with me over Amber not being there that he gave me yet another dirty look and swatted at my hand.

  Minutes, hours, decades passed while I lay on Amber's pillow, staring up at the darkened ceiling. "I can't stand this shit," I muttered into the darkness. Amber should be next to me. Reaching for my phone, I knew it was stupid to text her. It was after one in the morning, but I couldn't help myself.

  Trent: Miss you, sweetness, hate this bed without you. I can't wait until tomorrow.

  Staring at the screen for a full five minutes, I watched it black out without a response. I set it on the nightstand and begin to think about some of the time Amber, and I had spent together.

  The first time I saw her, I'd gone to watch football at Nolan's house. It was at least three years ago, she had just started working part-time with Aurora. They were working hard to get the store off the ground. Amber's quick wit and outlandish mouth caught me from the first sighting. I was seeing Stephanie at the time, so I hadn't approached though I wanted to. Stephanie and I had been dating a while, but to be honest, it wasn't a relationship that was going anywhere. The minute I met Amber for the first time, things between us started going down hill, and we broke up a few weeks later.

  I only got the casual introduction to the entire crew that day but damn, that woman. It had been something, staring a little too long into those aquamarine eyes. I was captivated by her easy, bright smile. I dreamt of her that night - the first of many very nice dreams.

  Our first date, sitting across from her at the table, she was nervous, a little jittery but so swe
et and soft. I loved the moments we spent together that night and all the ones to follow. I was pissed when she suggested we keep things quiet for a while. I knew within a couple of weeks of dating that I wanted to scream it from the rooftops, that Amber was my girl. I still regretted giving into that request. I wondered if I hadn't, would we have been able to keep it together after our world fell away. The heart-wrenching months, after the miscarriage and after Nolan were some of the lowest in my life. The time I spent locked out of her life had been like a prison sentence. I didn't date, hadn't even looked at another woman. I knew, even though she wanted me to believe that she moved on, that she hadn't been out with anyone else either.

  I could only imagine how beautiful she would be tomorrow. The one truth that held was the knowledge that in fifty years, she would be even more beautiful than she was now. When the smile lines appeared around her eyes. When her hair grayed. When we weren't as strong, physically, as we were now, she'd be even more amazing to me then. I couldn't imagine loving her more than I did at that moment, but somehow, I knew that I would. Her dreams, our dreams of a future together were pure, they were simple, but they were absolutely beautiful.

  Waking to the shrill sound of my phone ringing, I grabbed it from the nightstand and answered.

  "It's tomorrow," Amber's sleep softened voice whispered.

  "I don't ever want to spend a night away from you again."

  "Me neither."

  "I love you, you know."

  "I know. I love you too." She confirmed, and just the sound of those words coming from her mouth caused my heart to grow again. I felt like the Grinch in that kids Christmas movie my sister liked so much when his heart grows bigger at the end. My heart grew like that every time I heard her tell me that she loved me.

  "Can't wait to see you. Do I really have to wait all day?"

  "You do, but I'll meet you at the end of the aisle, two o'clock sharp, okay?"

  "Okay, I'll be the one in the suit."

  "And I'll be the one running toward you."

  As we disconnected the call, an odd wetness dripped down from my eyes, at the image she gave me.

  Amber

  "Darling, this is for you." Mom said as she handed me a small box, wrapped in beautiful gold paper and tied with an elaborate white ribbon. My mom was a master wrapper, our Christmas tree looked like it could have been on the cover of some magazine, her decorating and wrapping skills were so good.

  "You look beautiful, sweetheart," Dad added, as he reached out and cupped my cheek.

  After carefully removing the paper, I opened the box and discovered a beautiful pair of pearl earrings with sapphires and diamonds placed all around in a wreath shape.

  "Mom, these are beautiful. Thank you, thank you both."

  "Something blue." She explained simply.

  I'd kept my jewelry simple, opting to wear a pair of pearl studs that matched the necklace Trina had given me. My dress was a light cream color with a fitted bodice, sweetheart neckline, slim straps that crossed in the back. The satin bodice was simple at first look, but the top and straps were lined with tiny pearls and lace accents. The skirt was full, just as I always dreamed it would be. the satin showed beautifully in the light, under a layer of fine lace. The veil matched beautifully. Instead of tulle, it was the same lace as on my dress and completely lined with tiny pearls. Pearls were sewn into the lace at seemingly sporadic intervals as well. With my hair pulled back at the sides and cascading down my back in large, soft curls, the pearl covered hair comb perfectly accentuated the soft curls the stylist had framed around my face. The look was simple, pretty and extremely feminine. I had a feeling that Trent would like it.

  Since it was November, in Texas, the weather was questionable, so I opted for a small satin jacket that matched, covering my shoulders, back and arms for any time we spent outside, just in case.

  The dress was traditional, romantic, and befitting the little old church where we would be wed. My boots were a fun and an unexpected touch to the outfit. They would be much more comfortable than heels for the long day too.

  Sitting in my childhood bedroom with my parents, I was surrounded by their love. It was a love I found overwhelming, even smothering for so long. Now that I understood it better, I could better see it for what it truly was.

  "Thank you both, for everything." My quietly spoken words were loud enough for both of them to hear. Dad held my hand, sitting next to me at the foot of my bed and Mom was perched on the dressing table bench in front of us. I realized that they were holding hands, and Mom was holding mine. This was the last time I would be here like this, in this room, with them as their daughter. After today, I would be married, and I knew that like my mom did, I would follow my husband to the ends of the earth. I would love him, and be by his side forever more.

  "It's time," my father told me, as I stood and waited in the small nursery room at the back of the church. The walls were decorated with zoo animals with comical faces, clouds on the ceiling and for just a moment, I wondered if they kept the brides in this room to get us ready for what came next. I was surrounded by my girls, Aurora, Hope, and Dawn, as wells as Natalie, my mom, and Trina.

  Nodding at my dad, I broke away from the girls and moved to my father's side. As I started to take his arm, he turned to face me, taking me into his arms and pulling me in for a tight hug.

  I heard the faint noises of the girls filing out of the room and their music begin. I knew that they were about to begin their separate walks down the aisle. Soon, it would be my turn.

  "You've always been precious to me, Amber. I couldn't be more proud of the woman you've become. I pray that this life will bless you with everything you hope for."

  After kissing my cheek, he pulled back, and I saw the tears swimming in his eyes, the ones I could feel in my own. One last smile and he reached behind me to pull over the opaque blusher veil that would cover my face for the ceremony. I knew, it was old fashioned and trite, but the idea of Trent unveiling me after we said "I do" was one of my favorite daydreams, so I opted for a veil I could actually see through.

  Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, my dad squeezed me one more time as the strains of Pachelbel's Canon began. The large wooden doors to the beautifully unassuming sanctuary were opened. As we walked silently onto the aisle, I could see it all. Our friends and family lined the old oak pews, sprays of white and pink roses accentuated the raised pulpit, and Trent stood next to the minister, with Gavin, Reed, Luke and Jake to his left.

  Watching his face closely, even with the distance, I saw his eyes sweep over me. His lips tipped up at the sides, and there was a distinct gleam in his eyes when they locked on mine. Within steps of entering the vast room, my pace increased to the point that I practically dragged my father behind me. All I could do was get to Trent, to the man who, within minutes, would be my husband.

  Shaking his head, Trent laughed and stepped down the four stairs. He caught me as I launched myself toward him when he got within reach. I could hear the chuckling from our guests and my father's resigned sigh, but I didn't care. I was in Trent's arms. It was where I belonged, where I'd always belonged, and I didn't ever want to leave them.

  Trent's eyes were locked on mine, a thin veil of lace separating us. I almost wished I hadn't worn it. I didn't want anything between us. I wanted his lips on me desperately, but the words he spoke next were more than enough.

  Trent

  Sucking in a breath, I gazed upon the most beautiful bride in the world. Amber was standing at the top of the aisle, arm in arm with her father. Even from where I stood, I could see the emotion on the other man's face. I prayed desperately that someday I would have the same heartbreaking task of walking my own daughter down the aisle, to some schmuck who would never be good enough for her.

  Amber looked incredible. The dress was perfectly her. She was stunning. A smile crossed my face when I noticed the tips of her Tony Lamas poking out as she began to walk toward me. My throat was tight with emotion, and I
knew that if I needed to say anything in that moment, I wouldn't be able to.

  Amber's free hand moved down. She was still holding her flowers but lifted the hem of her skirt just enough to ease her way as she began to walk faster, then faster, almost at a jog toward me. She was just as desperate as I was and that was about the best feeling in the world.

  With a laugh, I took off toward her, skipping the steps and not caring what anyone thought. I caught my mother's delighted eyes as I rushed toward my girl. Meeting them in the middle, I grabbed her up, pulled her off her feet and clutched her to my chest. She was mine now, and no one would ever come between us.

  "You're my redemption, my relief from pain, my solace. You're my reward." My whispered words, for her alone. They were enough to make a single tear escape her beautiful eye and trail down her perfect face.

  Thankfully, when we finally took our places, the pastor looked amused, and not irritated. I had noticed her father's glassy eyes when he shook my hand just before he walked over to stand beside the front pew.

  "Who gives this woman to be married today?"

  "Her mother and I do, with great joy." Her father announced, and as I glanced back at him with a smile of pure gratitude. His chest was puffed out with obvious pride; he was clearly a happy man. I envied him right then. I watched with hopeful expectation as my very soon-to-be father-in-law joined his wife of over thirty years in the pew and clasped hands with her. When he leaned in to wipe a tear from her face and kissed her lightly, they each smiled lovingly at each other and turned to face us once more.

  My focus back on the love of my life, it took every bit of willpower I possessed, to keep myself from kissing her.