One Last Promise (A Bedford Falls Novel Book 2) Page 26
The band finished their song, and the crowd erupted in applause. Scott gave a little smirk as he looked out at the crowd, his grin growing wider as he saw more people continue to file into the restaurant. “Thanks for coming out tonight on such short notice.”
The crowd screamed and cheered and clapped.
“This is the first time I’ve been on stage in seven years, and I wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for one of the nicest, smartest people I’ve ever met – the entrepreneur restaurateur extraordinaire: Kelsey Lawford.” After some applause, he said, “This next one’s dedicated to the woman who stole my heart…and never gave it back.”
He plucked the opening chords of Bruno Mars’ number one single, “Grenade” on his acoustic guitar until the bassist and drummer kicked into a thumping rhythmic beat. Moments before he was set to begin singing, Scott set down his acoustic then tore off his shirt, revealing the same ripped musculature that was highlighted in a well-renowned women’s pornographic magazine so long ago. He picked up linked chains that served as a guitar strap to a black electric guitar and slung it across his left shoulder. Within seconds, he made it clear he had no intention of following the R&B constraints of Mars’ original version, but instead launched into a reckless, version that only rock n’ roll could provide.
Movement from the kitchen area caught Kelsey’s attention, and she spotted Ashley stepping through the door and into the crowd. She focused on the stage, even though from that angle, Ashley couldn’t have seen Scott, but with single-minded attention, she continued moving through the spectators until she caught sight of her old high school boyfriend. She stared at him for a long moment.
Ashley had made her way over to her sister until they stood side-by-side.
Kelsey asked, “When was the last time you saw him?”
“High school.”
“He writes almost all of his songs about you.”
Tears glistened in Ashley’s eyes.
“What happened between you two?”
Ashley didn’t respond. She just watched Scott.
He stood in place, leaning back while ripping through guitar chords, playing with such controlled intensity fused with so much passion that it looked as though the blistering pace of his fretwork would torch his soul and set him on fire. When he finally ended a dramatic solo, he looked up and set his eyes on Ashley. Far from startled, it seemed like he’d expected their eyes to lock.
He swung the guitar across his back and placed both hands on the microphone as though imagining he’d cupped Ashley’s face in his hands and delivered a line with such restrained subtlety that it seemed that, rather than standing on stage in front of hundreds of people, he sat crouched in the corner of his home, recalling the pain of a broken heart that had never really recovered. Scott kept his eyes on her the entire time, now reaching out a hand toward her as if hoping for a lifeline to relieve the pain that consumed his body.
Tears rushed down Ashley’s face as though the streaks of moisture cascading down her cheeks were composed of fire. She spun around and rushed away, picking her way through the crowd.
Kelsey looked back at Scott, who seemed energized by her reversal, and his soft tone gave way to a hard edge as he sang about giving away his love…while his lover never really returned it. She turned around to see the one man she never expected to see again: Paul.
Looking distraught at the frenzy of activity in the restaurant and unable to comprehend how so many people had packed the building, Paul hadn’t even noticed that she stood in front of him.
Kelsey smiled at his clueless, agitated state. She figured that he’d stopped by expecting to find the lights off and the doors locked.
She nodded to get his attention. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Huh?” Paul settled a disconcerted gaze onto Kelsey. “What?”
She turned around and saw Marisa and Cassandra buzzing around the floor, delivering appetizers to one table after another, while Nina and Brittany did the same on the other side of the floor. At the bar, Alex and Nina’s boyfriend, Nick, had a difficult time serving over a dozen customers.
But she didn’t see Damon in the mix. She scanned the floor. With each passing second, the anxiety that bubbled under the surface attacked her nerves with greater force. If he’d left the bar, he probably spent some time talking with his readers. She couldn’t blame him for attending to them – after all, without his willingness to spread the word about this event, her restaurant wouldn’t be packed right now – but when it came to dealing with Paul, she would have liked some back up. She could handle the situation alone, but if Damon wanted a relationship with her, one of the benefits of that arrangement centered on the unspoken expectation that the man in her life helped her to manage predicaments like this one.
“How’s business?” she asked Paul.
“There are too many people here.” He pulled out his cell phone. “It’s a fire hazard.”
“Before you call the cops…” Kelsey gestured to a plastic plaque on the wall behind him, stating the occupancy code for her restaurant. “See that number? We haven’t reached the limit yet.”
A skeptical stare met her amused expression. “Then you won’t mind if I count each person here to guarantee that you aren’t breaking the law.”
“Either that or you can discuss the matter with the police officer on the other side of the floor.”
Paul knitted his eyebrows together with deep concentration as he scanned the room. When he spotted the uniformed officer with his back to them, Paul’s expression fell.
“Now, if you don’t mind—”
Damon stepped up beside her. “She’s too busy to spend another minute on you.”
His arrival untangled the knot of tension in Kelsey’s shoulders. “No, I want to know a few things. First off, do you even volunteer at the Fennel Kennel Club?”
“No. But I knew you did. That was my way to your heart.”
“You never had my heart.” She felt stupid to have trusted him. Nevertheless, she pushed onward with her line of questioning. “Why did you visit my home on Thanksgiving? Why did you try impressing my parents?”
“To earn your trust,” he said, emotionless. “Same for going to the Dells.” He cocked his head to the side, and a grin formed. “I needed to strand you, so I’d have enough time to get back to Bedford Falls and hire your staff.” He turned his smile upon Damon. “Brilliant strategy, don’t you think?”
Damon curled his hands into fists and stepped toward Paul.
Kelsey pressed her arm into his abdomen, stopping him. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.”
He did as instructed. “If you don’t leave now, I’ll put you through the door, and I won’t even open it first.”
With his smarmy smile still in place, Paul backed up in tiny increments before whirling around and rushing to the door. A moment later, he exited the building.
“Now then,” Damon said, placing a hand on Kelsey’s left shoulder.
She pivoted, shocked at the voice in her ear, and swung an open left hand.
Damon caught her wrist once more. “Are you usually this violent with your boyfriends?”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” she said, letting out a heap of air in relief. “That jerk got me all wound up. What are you doing here?”
“I saw Paul, and I wanted to make sure you were all right. Besides, I wasn’t finished talking with you when we got interrupted earlier.”
She’d prayed that he had more to say. Against her wishes, Kelsey found herself falling for him, and she needed some assurance that if she did, he’d catch her. It would go a long way towards giving herself away without guilt, without reservation.
On stage, Scott plucked on his acoustic guitar again.
The song sounded familiar but out of context to Kelsey. But once Scott started singing, she hit on the title: “Head Over Heels” by Tears for Fears.
“When we’re together,” Damon said, “I get a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time: a feeling of contentment a
nd excitement and, yeah I’ll admit it, I’m even a little scared. But that tells me what we have is worth it, that it’s special, that it shouldn’t be taken for granted.”
She’d read similar sentimental statements in his books, and she couldn’t deny that they pulled her toward him because of the earnestness in his voice. But if he’d written words like that so often, did they spring from his mouth with similar ease? Kelsey wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to let go of her reservations.
“I don’t know much about you,” he said, “but I know how I feel when I’m around you. And that hasn’t happened…look, I can’t promise you anything: I haven’t been in a relationship in a long time. Hell, I forget some of the things boyfriends are supposed to do for their girlfriends.”
This time, she liked hearing him refer to her as his girlfriend. It felt like she’d earned that title, that she hadn’t just been given that status with little thought and consideration. Kelsey felt they were on the precipice of something strong and meaningful. She moved closer, mesmerized by the intensity with which he spoke. She stepped into his embrace and slung her arms around his shoulders. She liked the way her arms rested there and how they encouraged Damon to intensify his gaze.
“So I’m really your girlfriend, huh?”
He spread his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest, so that mere inches separated them. “You got a problem with that?”
Kelsey’s mouth opened at the power and urgency of his grasp. Heart beating fast, mouth going dry, she shook her head, unable to stop from falling into those eyes.
“Good.” Damon slipped a hand to the nape of her neck and plunged his palm into her long hair, tilting her head toward him.
The intimacy of his touch and how it affected her made her take in another breath through parted lips. That’s when Damon pressed his lips to hers, tightening his grasp around her waist with each passing second, revealing that he desired her in ways that made him react with an animalistic urge to have her now.
It seemed more erotic due to the nature of this public display of affection, considering that she prided herself on remaining professional at all times while in the public eye. But tonight, no one knew her. Besides, they were all focused on the Scott. Not her.
She let out a light groan, and he took her mouth with wild abandon. She got lost in the demanding insistence behind his kiss, in the way his fingers ran through her hair, in the way his body moved against hers. If he could make her respond that way from a simple kiss, what might he do with other, more sensitive parts of her body? And how would she react under those tempting conditions? Kelsey certainly looked forward to finding out!
Damon parted from her and smiled. “I hope you’d like to get used to that.”
Her smile matched his. “I might need a little more persuasion.”
“Oh, you’ll get it.” Then he turned serious. “But if things go the way I hope, you’ll get something else.” He placed a hand over his heart. “Are you prepared for that?”
She gazed into his eyes and found complete honesty there. “I’ve been prepared for years. You might get more than you bargained for.”
He grinned again. “I’m counting on it.”
She lowered her head. “Good. Because I’m counting on you.” Then she met his eyes. “Don’t let me down, okay?”
“Never.”
“Promise?”
“With everything I’ve got.” And with that, Damon pulled her closer and kissed her once more.
Kelsey felt the tremors of uncertainty disintegrating with each passing second. As she fell into a deep, comfortable embrace, she could sense their lives entwining: it had been a long, difficult journey to reach this moment in time, but it had finally arrived. And rather than living it with doubt and trepidation, she decided to place all of her trust in the man holding her. Because this time, unlike every romantic letdown leading up until now, Kelsey’s future had finally overshadowed her past, and she looked forward to every moment of it.
Thank you for reading One Last Promise! I hope you enjoyed it! I would really appreciate it if you reviewed One Last Promise (even one line is a huge help!). Reviews help readers and authors find books, and they’re crucial to help authors build a readership.
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The Bedford Falls concludes with Ashley and Scott’s story in One More Chance.
Also by Sydney Bristow
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One More Chance
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www.sydneybristowauthor.com