“She loves you like a sister and it hurt her to think about everything you’d been through.” His arm gently wrapped around her bruised ribs. “While I know both Danny and Michael feel badly for you, neither of them pity you. So please, don’t hold it against them.”
“I won’t. It’s finally over and as far as I’m concerned, it no longer matters. I was just curious.”
Several long seconds of silence passed before he spoke again. “So I was thinking,” he whispered against her hair, his voice still heavy with sleep, “how about a Christmas wedding in Vegas?”
Love broke through the protective damn she’d erected and filled her heart with an unspeakable joy. “What about all our baggage?”
“Maybe the airline will lose it.”
She snickered. “That would be nice, but it would be wrong of us to ignore our ghosts. Unless we face them head on, they’ll continue to haunt us.”
“You’re right and it probably won’t be easy, but I’ve never been one to walk away from a challenge. How about you?”
Brooke considered his words. Facing the remainder of her pain and his would be easier if they had each other to lean on. If she had any hope of ever leading a real life and possibly having a family, their issues would need to be resolved. “Are we going to tell your family before we go traipsing off to Vegas?”
“Nope.” He shifted, wrapping his arms a little tighter around her. “I’m a selfish bastard. I want you for myself on that day and every day thereafter.”
“Until we grow old together?”
“Uh-huh.” He brushed his lips over her hair. “It’s forever or nothing.”
She snuggled closer and placed a kiss directly over his heart. “I don’t think even forever would be long enough, but I’ll take whatever I can get.”
Best of Intentions
Excerpt
Chapter One
With one leg propped against the sofa back, Devin McFadden stared out the tour bus window and lazily strummed his guitar. Over the last few hours, sheets of white flakes slowly blanketed the landscape and frost gathered on the outside of the windows. If the road was the same condition, they’d be in trouble.
After growing up in the Pennsylvania Mountains, he understood how dangerous it could be to navigate the turnpike during a blizzard. The best thing for them to do would be to get off at the next exit and find a hotel, but it wasn’t his call to make and management would never cancel a tour date simply because of some bad weather. Playing live was where most of the band’s money was made and the two nights they were supposed to play in Philadelphia had been sold out for months.
An image of the bus swerving then tumbling down a steep embankment flashed before Devin’s eyes. He sucked in a quick breath and shook away the vision even as the familiar surge of adrenaline, which always followed his premonitions, washed over him.
Not now! Devin turned a wary eye back out the window and struggled to get a handle on the situation. Below him, cars and trucks alike passed by, their drivers obviously not giving much thought to the low visibility or the condition of the road. He’d certainly be much happier when they were off the highway, and he was nestled inside a nice, warm hotel room.
“Hey, Steve,” he called over his shoulder toward the driver.
“Yeah?”
“We’re about three hours out of Philly, right?” Steve had been their bus driver for the last two tours. He was smart, conscientious, and took his job seriously.
Without taking his eyes off the road, he yelled over his shoulder. “On a good day, yes, but taking into consideration the weather and the worsening road conditions, you’d better tack on another hour or two.”
Devin sighed. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” He shifted back toward the window, trying hard to ignore the feelings of impending doom now weighing on his shoulders. He could be wrong. Whenever his emotions were in turmoil, it threw off his ability to envision the future correctly, and right now, his heart and mind were a mess.
It wasn’t only his second thoughts about this whole band situation screwing with his head. Though, he was more than a little tired of dealing with all the nonsense that came with being famous. There was a time when having groupies and photographers wherever he turned was cool. Not anymore. More and more, the desire to settle down and lead a normal life filled his thoughts.
“Dude, want to work on the new idea you had?”
Devin peered up to see the band’s singer, and his best friend, Travis looming over him. His lanky frame barely managed to block the light casting down from the tiny recessed light above, while his shaggy blond hair hung into his face, hiding the mischievous look he normally wore.
“Sure. Maybe it will make the time pass quicker.”
Travis nodded. “Don’t I know it, bro. This weather is a killer. I can’t wait to grab a nice hot shower and a good night’s sleep.”
“Me too,” Devin agreed.
Travis’s face scrunched into an exasperated frown, showing off the dimple in his chin all the girls swooned over. “Awe hell.”
Devin arched a brow. “What?”
“I just realized I gotta take a piss before we start. Man, I hope Cooper’s out of the bathroom. Give me a minute okay?” Travis was already heading for the back of the bus before Devin could reply.
With nothing to do but wait, Devin once again diverted his attention to the window. Maybe Travis was right when he told Devin he needed some time off? After five years of back-to-back albums and tours, no one could blame him if he was exhausted. But deep down, he knew it was more than simply being tired.
The image meant nothing, for all he knew it could have been his underlying fears pushing into his subconscious and skewing his ability to see things correctly. He gave a nervous glance out the frost-covered window into the dark and tried hard to push away the feeling of dread shrouding him.
A sign for Mechanicsburg passed by as they rolled along the winding mountain road. Being so close to his hometown didn’t help his mood any either. Childhood memories called to him, urging Devin to return to his roots and happier times. It was the place he loved most, not only because it was home for him, but also because Tess was there. That fact alone should have been enough reason for him to walk away from this never ending rock n’ roll road show, but it wasn’t. Bound by contracts he couldn’t break, he had obligations to fill, and she was already married, anyway. Still, not a day went by when he didn’t think about her at least once, and wonder how she was and what she was doing.
With the image tattooed to his brain, he could still see her face the day he left for California. A mental picture of a time he’d rather forget. She’d faced him that day with a tough façade, but he knew she’d cried after he left. He’d broken her heart, and to this day, he’d never forgiven himself for inflicting so much pain.
He’d always intended on coming back for her after the band was established. Of course, he also knew the old saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions and his would easily cover a mile or more.
For a while after he left, he’d kept in touch. Unable to afford the telephone calls, he’d written to her faithfully every month, but once the band took off, keeping up correspondence had been impossible.
When his mother suffered her first stroke several years ago, he’d managed to sneak back into town for a long weekend to help his brother pack up the house and move her to Atlanta. That was when he’d found out about Tess getting married. He pushed a hand against his sternum in an attempt to stifle the ache that formed there every time he pictured her with another man. Yet he couldn’t begrudge Tess for moving on with her life. It wasn’t as if he could expect her to wait on him forever.
His hand slid from his chest up to his neck where clasped the fire onyx amulet he’d worn since he was a child. Heat pulsed from its center through his palm as he wrapped his fingers tightly around the silver setting. He was sixteen when he’d had the gemstone cut into two pieces and placed into identical charm settings.
“Okay, I’m ready. How about we work out the bridge section before the outro?”
Devin nodded and chucked his concerns aside before turning his focus to Travis. “Sure. It’s not like I have anything better to do.” He moved over and Travis plopped down onto the cushion next to him and blew his hair from his face.
“Based on that reply, I take it you’re still bummin’?”
That was probably the understatement of the year. Devin shrugged. “I guess. Honestly, T, I don’t know what in the hell is wrong with me lately. I have the exact life I’ve always wanted, and I’m still not happy.”
“It’s turning thirty, bro. It makes the best of us wig out.”
It was more than his mood becoming a casualty of his recent birthday, or was it? The big three zero was not only a milestone representing thirty years of his existence, but a huge reminder of everything he still hadn’t accomplished in his life.
Devin smirked at Travis’s remark. Friends from first grade, Travis was by far his closest pal and the one who understood him best. “Maybe, but I’ve never been worried about getting older.” He sighed as he spread his fingers over the guitar neck, and strummed a G chord. “I don’t know. I keep hoping it’s because I’m tired, but I can’t seem to stop thinking about all the things I wanted to have accomplished by this point.”
“You’ve toured the world, played in front of millions of people, and have fame and money. What more could you want?”
How could he tell Travis he didn’t want to be a rock star anymore, that the life he’d worked so hard to build ended up not being what he imagined it would. “I don’t know. I guess it’s probably more of the ‘you always want what you can’t have’ syndrome. All of the ‘what ifs’ are clouding my brain.”
“Are your visions getting worse?”
Devin briefly pondered the flash he’d had and decided against telling Travis about it. He was the only person besides Tess who knew about Devin’s psychic abilities, or rather, Travis was the only other person who believed in them. If he was indeed wrong about the accident, then there wasn’t any point in worrying his friend and if he was right…
“I wouldn’t say they’re worse. Just a little garbled. It’s hard for me to conjure a clear picture. I’ve been so moody lately, I’m unsure as to what’s actually going to happen and what’s my imagination encroaching on the scene. I’ll tell you a little time off would go a long way in healing my mental health.”
Travis slapped him on the back. “Well, pal. That’s not going to happen anytime soon, so I suggest you suck it up and find a way to deal.”
“Yeah.” Devin rubbed the guitar pick between his finger and thumb, then strummed another cord on his Gibson. “I suppose your right. How about we get started?”
Travis opened his mouth, but before he could start singing, the bus swerved, knocking both men from the couch.
Damn! Devin’s gaze rocketed toward the driver’s seat, only to see Steve battling for control of the monster bus. Wouldn’t it figure the one time he dismissed his premonition it would come to fruition?
“Hang on,” Steve yelled as the bus swerved a second time.
Devin let go of his guitar and grabbed for the seat, only to find it out of his reach. A sharp jerk to the left caused him to slam back into the table edge. Pain shot up his spine and he dropped to his knees. The bus swerved a third time and for a moment, he was weightless. The lights inside the vehicle flickered then blinked completely out, leaving him and the other band members trapped in the darkness as the bus began to roll.
Devin flailed about, reaching for anything stable to grab. The sound of grinding metal and screams filled his ears and for the first time in years, he began to pray. From what he understood of precognition, those with the ability to see the future never envisioned their own deaths, but it didn’t mean it couldn’t still happen.
Cabinet doors opened and the contents inside rained down. Using what little telekinetic ability he had, he deflected the objects hitting him in the arm, face and legs. The weightless feeling returned, followed by the sound of breaking glass. The disorientation broke his concentration and something large and heavy crashed into him. Pain rocketed up the side of his face and a copper taste coated his tongue. This wasn’t how he wanted to leave the world. He could see the newspaper headline; Rock band dies in tour bus accident. How cliché.
When he was sure the end was coming, mercifully the bus groaned to a stop. For several seconds, he lay still as his brain scrambled to process events.
“Travis? Steve?” He struggled to see through the inky darkness as flakes of snow drifted through the broken windows and landed on his face. “Cooper, Kyle? Are you guys all right?” His question met a wall of silence and a gust of wind blew through the wrecked vehicle, causing him to shiver.
“Travis, where are you?” he tried to yell, but a sharp sting stabbed through his chest and his words came out as barely a whisper. He jerked against the pain and realized there were few places on his body that didn’t hurt. His right leg felt like a lead weight, while his arm and wrist throbbed in time with his rapidly beating heart. The pressure in his chest increased with each breath, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe and he was sure his head had split open like a ripe coconut.
Silence filled his ears while he grappled with the broken and damaged parts of his body. No matter how hurt he was, he needed to find Travis and get them both out of the bus. He wasn’t sure if a fire was possible, but he didn’t want to be trapped inside if there was one.
Fighting against his own agony, Devin struggled onto his side and craned his neck back to see in the pitch black interior. “Travis, answer me, damn it.”
A moan came from somewhere close and Devin angled his head toward the sound. “T, is that you?” Trying to focus on the direction from where the voice originated, he blinked several times, but only came up with darkness. Was it just dark or was something wrong with his eyes?
He reached around with his good hand and managed to find something warm and fuzzy to cover him, though he couldn’t tell exactly what it was. Intent on invoking a vision, he closed his eyes and worked to breathe deep. Maybe if he could see a flash of the future, he wouldn’t have to worry about Travis. Surely somebody had witnessed the accident and would call for help before they all froze to death.
As hard as he wanted to summon his power, he came up empty. Not only could he not see in real life, he couldn’t see into the future either. He couldn’t even sense the others around him. Where was Travis?
Devin swallowed hard and tried not to vomit from the taste of his own blood. “T,” he whispered as his eyes fell closed. A sleepy feeling flooded through him and he quickly opened them again. He didn’t know much about head injuries, but he did know he had to stay awake, at least until help arrived.
The faint sound of sirens echoed from somewhere in the distance, and Devin began to relax. Everything was going to be okay. Emergency services would arrive and they all would get the help they needed. In a few weeks, when this nightmare was over and they’d all recovered, they could finish the tour. Unable to fight the sleepy feeling any longer, his eyes drifted shut once again. The sirens drew closer and closer, then there was nothing.
Books by Michelle Cary
A Lover’s Ransom
Best of Intentions
Beyond the Tears
Circle of Masters – A Siren’s Call
For Better For Worse
Her Indiscretion
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Shelter Me
Sophie’s Secret
Some Kind of Hero
The Price of Submi
ssion
Michelle Cary
When Michelle isn’t engrossed in her favorite hobby of scrapbooking pictures of her family and friends, she usually can be found with a laptop attached to the end of her fingers. That is when she’s not working to maintain a functioning household or running her two children to and from play dates.
Artistic from an early age, she spent her childhood dabbling in different artistic media. A lover of romance novels, Michelle decided a few years ago to try her hand at creating fictional worlds through words instead of paint. The result has given her an entirely new perspective on the world. Every day affords new opportunities for ideas and new ways to create the perfect happily ever after.
Raised in “small town” Illinois, Michelle now lives in New Jersey with her extremely supportive albeit somewhat neglected husband and their two beautiful children. For updates on her latest work, check out her website and blog at http://www.michellecary.com, or you can visit her myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/authormichellecary.
For more information on Michelle Cary
www.michellecary.com
www.facbook.com/authormichellecary
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