Battlescars: A Rock & Roll Romance

by Sophie Monroe

  “No kissing until the end.” Kevin playfully reprimanded. “Aubrey, it’s your turn.”

  “Jake, when I met you I was a scared girl putting on a tough front. I spent years pushing people away because I didn’t want to get hurt. You were so patient and understanding about everything even when I shut you out, which I did, a lot. But, you pursued me anyway and managed to make me feel both safe and loved. You helped me let my guard down and learn to live again. I’ve been able to experience things that I didn’t think were ever possible for me. Well you know why… but you have given me the strength. You’ve helped me heal. You make me want to be a better person. I knew it was no sacrifice to let you in. I love the fact that you’re passionate, even if you do go balls to the wall with everything. I need that in my life because I’m the exact opposite. We counterbalance each other. You’re everything I could ever want in a husband and so much more. I can’t wait to go on this journey and experience all this life has to offer with you by my side. I love you.” I managed to get it all out without having a breakdown.

  “Can I have the rings please?” Kevin asked.

  Penelope handed Bella to Kayley and brought up the rings. I got Jake a black carbide ring since it seemed fitting for him. Kevin handed my ring to Jake. He took my hand and slid the ring onto my finger. It was a band of rose gold surrounded by diamonds.

  “Aubrey, I give you this ring with my promise to always be faithful to you. I promise to love you unconditionally in good times and in bad. I promise to be what you need when you need it. I promise all these things to you for as long as we both shall live.”

  Kevin handed me Jake’s ring.

  “Jake, I give you this ring with a promise to always love you and be there for you no matter what. I promise to be your faithful, loving and kick your ass when you need it. I solemnly vow this for as long as we both shall live.”

  “Without further ado I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Jake Parker. You may now kiss your bride.”

  Jake took his left hand that now had his wedding band and placed it on my cheek. He leaned in and kissed me. It started out all sweet and innocent until the tongues started dancing. Kevin cleared his throat and Jake swatted at him.

  “There are children present.” Granny yelled.

  We reluctantly pulled away from one another. Everyone stood and clapped. The photographer we hired was busy snapping away. Everyone walked over to where the little reception had been set up. Everything was done in black and pink. Mama Bee and Rosie were busy taking the lids off the trays. I looked around at everyone that came. We were so lucky to have such great family and extended family. I think the word “friends” was too lacking for what they were to us. Ron wheeled over, and we both leaned down and gave him a hug. He said to save him a dance later.

  We made our way through and greeted everyone before getting some food. They totally outdid themselves. We had chicken Parmesan, four different kinds of pasta, meatballs, sausage and peppers and lots of chocolate cake. I tried to sit down in my own chair, but Jake pulled me onto his lap. Blake started the music. Penelope and Kayley were twirling out on the dance floor that had been set up. They became fast friends, and it was adorable to watch. We went to the dance floor. Jake and I had our first official dance with Adele’s Make You Feel My Love. We danced nose to nose as Jake sang the song to me. It was so romantic. When we were done, I danced with my dad, Ron, and the boys. Jake danced with my mom, Granny Jean and Penelope. We walked over to the cake table and cut the first piece. Jake fed me the first bite. I bit down on his thumb as he was pulling out of my mouth. He looked at me with wide eyes. I knew exactly what reaction I was going to get. I placed his piece in his mouth and then smeared the frosting all over his face earning a hooting laugh from Derek.

  “I’m going to get you for that later, Mrs. Parker.”

  “I’m banking on it, Mr. Parker.”

  “Is it time to go yet?”

  “Go? Where are we going?” I asked perplexed.

  “On our honeymoon, silly. You didn’t think I’d forget that little detail, did you?”

  I shook my head because I completely forgot that little detail.

  “We’re off to Tahiti for two weeks. I hired a personal shopper to buy you an entire wardrobe for the trip. Everything is already packed and ready to go.”

  “You sneak.” I swatted at his chest laughing.

  “Well… can we go?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Aren’t there rules against bailing on your own wedding?” I laughed.

  “No. We’ve been socializing for hours. Come on, let’s start making the rounds.” He tugged on my hand.

  We did exactly that. We said goodbye to each person. Everyone wished us luck and a great honeymoon. I went inside to change into more comfortable clothes since we were going to be travelling. Jake said the car was waiting out front to take us to the airport. We would be flying first class instead of private. He was hoping to avoid getting mauled and was glad I was going to be there to keep the bitches at bay. We yelled one last final farewell before heading to the car.

  We arrived at the airport and made it through security and customs without as much as one heckler. We went to the first class lounge since Jake insisted it was safer than sitting with the general population. They called our flight. We boarded the plane and started our adventure.

  When we arrived in Tahiti, we were set up in a little villa right on the beach. We had our own private section of waterfront with no one else around. The sand was white, and the water was crystal clear. I changed into my bathing suit, and Jake did the same. I jumped on his back, and he took off in a run toward the water. He stepped into the refreshing warm water. I felt it splashing up on my feet. He dunked down, so we were submerged from the waist down. He pulled me around, so I was facing him. I leaned in and kissed him passionately. He held me tightly as he sat in the ocean. The water was lapping against my back. We were trying to be discreet in case we had any unwanted visitors or a paparazzi with a long lens. I undid the Velcro to his swim shorts as he slid my bottoms to the side. I moved until we were lined up. I gently lowered myself onto his hardness. We rocked back and forth with the waves until we found our release completely in sync.

  We spent the rest of the honeymoon relaxing and eating. We did do a little sightseeing and some activities, but spent most of the time in our little villa wrapped up in sheets. It was refreshing to be able to go out and not worry about being spotted though. It was almost like being normal again. I was starting to feel a lot better too. The nausea was almost completely gone, and I was starting to get some of my energy back.

  Tonight was going to be our last night on the island. I was looking forward to going home. As nice as it was to be away there is nothing like your own bed. We decided we were going to go to LA first and spend some time there. Then we would be off to Ohio so that we could check on how the building process was coming along. My dad was there a lot keeping an eye on things.

  We were all surprised how quickly it was coming together. It should be though since we had three different full time construction crews there to ensure it was done on time. I was almost at the end of my first trimester already and time didn’t seem to be slowing down. I just hoped that it would be ready in time. I also had my Piper and the boys working on a mission for me to surprise Jake.

  I was under the umbrella stretched out in a lounge chair watching Jake make sand castles like a five year old. He looked over at me and grinned. I shook my head at him and laughed. He stood and walked to the ocean to clean the sand off his hands. He took off in a jog toward me.

  “How’s my baby momma? Do you need me to get you anything?”

  “I’m good. You can go back to creating your village.” I teased.

  He leaned in and kissed me and took off to play in the sand some more.

  We packed up the rest of our stuff and headed back to LA.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The Crow & The Butterfly

  5 ½ months later…

 
Jake

  I rolled over and practically fell out of bed. Between Aubrey and Bella I was lucky if I was able to sleep in bed the at all. We’ve been staying at her parent’s house waiting for our house to be finished. Her queen size bed wasn’t cutting it anymore since her bump was so big. I ended up spending a lot of nights sleeping on the couch lately. I fucking loved her pregnant belly though. We stopped being able to fly back and forth to LA about a month ago because the doctor said it was too risky, especially carrying twins. We went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up, and they said that she could literally go into labor at any time. Her c-section was scheduled for next week already. We found out what we were having a couple months ago and finally managed to agree on baby names. My vote for Karma Jean got vetoed.

  I was looking forward to getting settled into the new house. We were really going to have to work double time to get settled in, and I wasn’t going to let Aubrey do any work at all. All of the furniture is expected to be there at some point today. We were planning on going over there later to make sure it looks good before we move the rest of the boxes in. I got up and climbed out of bed. I grabbed my notebook and pen so I could try and write some more stuff for the new album since sleep was out of the question. I had been feeling so inspired lately that I filled up over three notebooks with lyrics. I headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. I took a seat at the table while it was percolating.

  “Morning.” Tim said walking into the room.

  “Morning.” I replied.

  “You get kicked out of bed again?”

  “No, but I would have fallen out if she moved another inch.” I laughed.

  “You’re a better man than I am. I would have moved into a hotel or something.” He joked.

  “I’m used to not sleeping, and I’m good to go with just a few hours. Probably a good thing, since I have a feeling that sleep will become a luxury come next week.”

  He poured us each a cup of coffee and sat at the table. I decided to go shower and get ready so when Aubrey woke up we could get going. I went into the bathroom and started shaving when I felt Aubrey and her bump come up behind me.

  “Morning handsome.” She croaked.

  “Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I swallowed a bowling ball, a watermelon and the USS Enterprise.” She laughed.

  “You look awesome Aubrey. I mean it.”

  I did mean it. After the first trimester, she cut a lot of the junk food out of her diet since it was bad for the babies. She only ate bacon occasionally and even started walking more. She didn’t even gain that much for carrying twins. I would have thought she looked banging regardless because to me she was the prettiest girl on the face of the earth. She just smirked at me. I wiped the rest of the shaving cream off my face and leaned in to kiss her.

  “Are you ready to go see the house today?” I asked.

  “Yes! I feel like a sardine in this house now.” She pouted.

  I hopped in the shower and by the time I got out she was all ready to go. She took my hand and pulled me out to her car. She was still keeping her car even though I bought her a white Range Rover since it would be easier with the babies. I opened the door and helped her climb in. She was so damn stubborn. I wish she would just take the truck, but she loved her little car. I got into the driver’s seat and drove exactly seven minutes down the road until we reached the house. We had the entire house surrounded by white privacy fencing. I even managed to incorporate a moat around the property. We drove over the little bridge and up to the gate. I punched in the code, and it opened. I drove around the first half of the circle. In the middle of the driveway was an exact replica of Ron’s fountain. The same one we got married in front of. The house had slate gray vinyl siding with a stone front. We had lots and lots of windows too. I helped Aubrey out of the car and opened the door.

  The entryway floor was black tile and the walls were painted a pale gray. There was a small table set up with a mirror hanging above it. It had a bowl on it for our keys. Off to the right, was our family room and the left was our kitchen and dining room. The bottom of the house was built so that all the rooms were connected like a square. The living room was painted a burnt orange color that Aubrey picked out. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but once it was painted I loved it. We had a stone fireplace in there and a large bay window. My 70” TV was already mounted and looked spectacular.

  The dining room was painted navy blue and had white wainscoting. We picked out an antique crystal chandelier to hang in there. The kitchen was everything that Aubrey wanted and more. She decided on all white cabinets with dark granite countertops, while the walls were painted the same blue as my bedroom in LA. I got her all top of the line stainless steel appliances and these really cool vintage lights to hang above the breakfast bar.

  We walked into the den off the kitchen. The den was painted a soft shade of beige. We would most likely use this as a playroom for when the babies got a little bigger. My office was going to be one of the rooms off the den. This was Aubrey’s top-secret project. I wasn’t allowed to know which room it was yet. The buzzer sounded letting us know we had company. I walked to the front door and pulled the camera up on the screen. I saw the furniture delivery truck and hit the button to let them in.

  Aubrey was wandering around, looking for something to clean. Poor thing was nesting like crazy. I unlocked the other side of the door to make the entranceway bigger and led them inside. They brought in the dining room furniture first. Aubrey picked out a white table and navy blue upholstered chairs to match. Next was the living room furniture. It was an oversized beige loveseat, couch and two recliners. They brought in a mocha colored coffee table and put it in the center. They carried in the stools for the breakfast bar and my desk. I tried to show them where to put it, but Aubrey stopped me. I looked at her confused. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me into the living room and made me sit on the new couch. She told me no peeking and left to do more nesting.

  The last of the furniture was all going in the bedrooms upstairs. The second truck for the guesthouse pulled in shortly after they were done unloading. They drove around back and got to work. Aubrey came back and led me back to my office. She put her hands over my eyes and scooted me forward pushing her bump into my back. She stepped around in front of me and pulled her hands away.

  HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!

  “Are you serious?” I felt like crying.

  She nodded and started crying. I leaned in and kissed her before going to inspect it. I couldn’t even imagine how much trouble she must have gone through to find it. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me. Mounted behind my desk was my first red Gibson guitar. I knew it was the same one because the scuffs were in the same spots. I walked around the desk and ran my fingers over it. I couldn’t even believe it.

  “Thank you.” I said sincerely.

  “You’re welcome. I knew how much it meant to you, and I wanted you to have it back. It wasn’t easy to find. I had some help, but ultimately it was me that tracked it down.” She said proudly.

  If it weren’t for her being eight and a half months pregnant, I would have thrown her over my shoulder and carried her upstairs to have my way with her. Instead, I was going to have to take her hand and led her to the bedroom like a gentleman. We did have a new mattress to check out after all. We headed up the stairs and down the hallway. At the end of the hallway, there were doors on either side. Those would be the nurseries. Our room was at the very end behind a set of double doors. I pushed down the handle and opened the door. Our room was painted a sage green, and we picked out the same driftwood style furniture I have in LA since we both really liked it. She pulled me over to the bed and pushed me down. She pulled up her maxi style dress and climbed on top of me. I thought I was going to have my way with her, but it turned out to be the other way around.

  “I’m going to check out my closet.” She beamed when she was done.

  I made sure she had room for a
ll of her clothes, shoes and whatever other kind of stuff she had. I also had a couple things picked out for her. I got her a nice, new piece of jewelry because I wasn’t going to buy her clothes until after the babies were born. However, I did buy her a Juicy Couture diaper bag because the lady at the store said that girls like them. I went and peeked into the nurseries to make sure they got the right furniture in each room. Everything looked perfect. I heard my name being called. I walked in to see Aubrey in the bathroom.

  “Took you long enough. I came in here to pee, and I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”

  Shit! I’ve been mentally preparing myself for this day for months already. I took a moment to collect my thoughts. I thought back to our birthing classes and tried to remember what they taught us.

  “Do you have any pain?”

  “No, but we’re going to need to call Dr. Robinson so she can meet us at the hospital. C-section, remember?”

  “Right. I’m on it.”

  I pulled my phone out and called the doctor feeling completely discombobulated. Next I called Caroline. I asked her if she could meet us at the hospital and bring the overnight bag. I asked her to take the Range Rover since that was the car with the infant seats in it. She was going to leave in a couple minutes. I took one of the towels from the linen closet for the car seat. I helped Aubrey up and couldn’t help but smile. After the longest nine months of my life, it was finally happening. I let myself relax. I helped her down the stairs and back out to the car. I locked the door and set the alarm before pulling out and heading to the hospital.

  We arrived fifteen minutes later. Aubrey already preregistered, so it was just a matter of letting them know we were here. A nurse came down from labor and delivery and brought us up to the third floor. She helped Aubrey change into a hospital gown started an IV. She paged the anesthesiologist per our doctor’s orders. A couple minutes later Caroline came in with Granny Jean in tow. She said Tim was on his way and should be here soon. I held her hand as the doctor came in to administer the epidural. Our doctor came in to let us know she was going to get scrubbed in. She handed me a pair of scrubs to change into. I fished our camera out of the overnight bag and went in the bathroom to change.