A Time to Move On (19 page)

But when he got close enough, Mack
cut across the road and came to a skidding halt. He turned the motorcycle off
and hurried from it. Laura's knees were tucked to her chest. She shook her head
fast as Mack approached.

If there was one thing that worked
for them, it was silence.

So Mack gave Laura silence.

He walked up to her and pulled her
at her ankles. He then grabbed her waist and pulled her off the hood of the car
to the ground. He wrapped his arms around her body and held her tight.

Mack remained there until Laura
spoke first.

“Mack… no…”

Mack gently pushed Laura out to
arms length. “Yes, Laura, yes. What the hell are you doing right now?”

“I don’t know. I think running.”

“But you’re on the side of the
road. On this damn road. Again.”

“Maybe I’m out of gas.”

“Are you out of gas?”

Laura shook her head. “No.”

Mack sighed. “Then what is this?”

“I don’t want to be in your way,”
Laura said. “The band and tour. Everything you’re doing. It’s amazing and
perfect. I can’t…”

“I love you,” Mack said. “Laura,
I’m in love with you. That’s the answer to your question. Yes. I love you.”

“You love me?”

“Yes. I love everything about you.
No matter what happened before. You make it all okay. I can push through it all
because of you. My life has purpose now, Laura. That’s what you’ve done for me.”

“I’m in love with you, Mack. But I've
never had anyone love me back. I don't know how to do this.”

“Well you didn't run. You took a
little detour, maybe, but you stopped. You are already learning how to do
this."

“What if I try to run again?”

“I’ll track you down,” Mack said.
“Our journeys have crossed. We’re together now. Traveling to the same place.
You can’t deny it, Laura. Not what we have. Not this love. This is real.”

Laura blinked and her eyes filled
with tears. “What do I do right now? Tell you I love you? Tell you I want to
spend the rest of my life with you? Tell you I want to be with you every day of
my life? But what if I tell you I want a family. I want what I lost. I want
what was once mine…”

Mack pulled Laura close again and
touched her face. “You tell me everything you want and I'll make it happen.
That’s my promise to you. Tell me you love me. Tell me you want to spend the
rest of your life with me. Tell me all your dreams of having a family. Why do
you think I bought the house I did? I know what I want in my heart, Laura. And
now I have someone who wants it too.”

Silence came again and they stared
at each other. Slowly, they moved closer.

Laura’s lips were sweet. Mack
kissed her with the deepest passion he could find. His heart raced faster than it
did when he played music. He slipped a hand to Laura’s lower back and kept her
close. They kissed on the side of the road for what felt like hours.

Laura let her lips flutter against Mack's.

“I love you, Mack.”

“I love you too,” Mack said. “And don't
ever think I won’t chase you down. I’ll follow you to the end of the world.”

“There is no end... the world is
round,” Laura quipped.

“Then I’ll just keep going and
going. Until I find you. I want this feeling forever."

“What do we do now?”

“You’re coming to our concert,
sweetheart. You’re going to experience everything a rock star has to offer.”
Mack kissed Laura’s lips. “On and off stage.” He kissed her again. “Each and
every day.” One more kiss. “Until the tour is over… and then it’s just us. For
the rest of our lives.”

“That sounds like a commitment,”
Laura whispered.

“One I’ll make everyday for you.”

“And I’ll do the same for you,”
Laura said.

They kissed one more time and Mack
pulled at Laura. “Leave the car. It’s out of gas, remember?”

Laura laughed as she ran with Mack
to the motorcycle.

They got on and drove away from the
car. Away from the spot that had changed so many lives. With the right woman's
hands wrapped tightly around him, it was time to move on.

(20)

It was the loudest crowd Mack ever
experienced in his life. They cheered and sang back so hard that it was
sometimes impossible to hear the sound through his ear piece. The opening night
of the tour was exactly what was to be expected.

Gone By Autumn opened the show with
a flawless performance that turned the crowd into what it was now. They were
electric. It took all of three songs before the band decided to go against the
written set list and just do whatever they felt like. They played whatever
songs the crowd screamed for them to play. It was like the show of a seasoned
band that had been around for decades and was out there having a blast.

When the band got together for
their acoustic set, they went as close to the edge of the stage as they could
get. Mack sat there and looked out to the tens of thousands of fans. They were
batting around beach balls, dancing, and cheering. Everyone was together to
celebrate music. The show slowed for the sadder songs, but the audience didn’t
lose their luster for a second.

What amazed Mack the most was how
they all knew the new songs. The album had been out barely a few days and the
fans already memorized all the words. During one of the new ones, Luke turned
his mic around to the crowd and stopped singing. The band sat there and played
the song while the audience sang back to them.

The set ended up running an extra
thirty minutes and once the show was over, Mack threw all the drumsticks he had
out into the crowd. Except one. That one was for Laura. Because without her
tragedy and her love and her beauty, this night would have never had the same
meaning.

Fallen Tuesday stood at the front
of the stage and took a bow. The crowd cheered for what seemed like forever
after the band left the stage. Mack wiped his face with a towel and then took
Laura into his arms. He kissed her once, twice, and then lost himself in the
moment. He only stopped kissing Laura when Luke whistled at him. He motioned
and the band came together. The band, along with the ladies, gathered together.
They used to be just five guys who could play rock n’ roll music. They were now
ten people. Ten people who understood rock stars and romance. They were a
family, in the truest sense of the word.

With their arms all around each
other, Mack looked around. Everything he lost was in the past. He was only
focused on everything he had right now. And what he hoped he would continue to
have.

“I never say it,” Mack said, “but I
love all you guys. You are my family. And this band… this tour… this is
everything.”

“No,” Luke said. “This isn’t
everything. The is just the beginning.”

Everyone nodded and then Mack asked
for a minute with just the band. Laura slipped away with Amy, Carina, Emily,
and Mel. Mack put a hand to Luke’s shoulder and then to Jake’s. He looked at
Gray and Trent.

“I can’t say it enough,” he said. “You
mean so much to me.”

“You mean the same,” Jake said.
“You big mush.”

“He falls in love, loses his mind,
and turns into a big sap,” Luke said, nudging him with his elbow.

“I lost my mind a long time ago,”
Mack said with a smile. He then looked back at Laura. “But that woman and her
love makes everything whole again.”

It wasn’t just Mack who was whole.
Fallen Tuesday was whole again. The music. The life. And most of all, the love
would keep them on top of the charts for a long time to come.

*~*~*

Ryan lingered at the side of the
stage. He had been there for most of the show while the rest of Gone By Autumn
walked around backstage and had a few drinks. Ryan planned on drinking later.
This night hadn’t just been about the opening of the tour. Or being the opening
act for Fallen Tuesday. This was about learning from the best so Ryan could do
the same damn thing. For years, Gone By Autumn played in small clubs and loved
every second of it. Now, because of a dumb whim to send a demo to Fallen
Tuesday, they were officially on a tour.

The stage was being taken apart and
Ryan watched Fallen Tuesday as they stood huddled together talking. When they
split up, they all went to the backstage area. Ryan turned and looked out at
the arena now. What once was completely full of screaming fans now contained
nothing but memories in the concrete and seats. Ryan’s ears buzzed from the
music. He loved that feeling.

The band was set to be on tour for
the first major leg of the Fallen Tuesday world tour. They would get to travel
to so many new cities and play all the famous venues.

It was a childhood dream of his
that was coming true before his eyes.

Ryan spotted the rest of the band
as they greeted Fallen Tuesday in the hallway. The energy was running high.
Ryan knew he couldn’t stand alone forever like this. Soon, the stage would be
taken apart and put on a truck. That truck would drive to the next city. And
then Gone By Autumn would have to get on their bus and travel to the next city
too.

Ryan took a few steps and then
heard a whistle. He turned his head as their band manager, Sam, was charging
toward him. Sam was young, in his mid twenties, with a clean cut face and
devilish eyes. His suit jacket danced out behind him as he waved his hands, his
cell in his left hand.

“What’s up?” Ryan asked.

Sam looked to the right, eyeing the
band. “I have something to tell you, Ryan.”

“Something wrong with the band? The
show? The tour?”

Sam shook his head. He looked at
Ryan and put a hand to his shoulder. “Listen to me. I don't know how to tell
you this… but your father was released from jail today.”

And just like that, the nightmare
returned.

The
 
Brothers
 
of Rock
 
novels featuring rock band,
 
Gone by Autumn
 
–

In the next part of the
Brothers of Rock series, follow the band GONE BY AUTUMN. The five books will
feature five new band members and plenty of romance, suspense, drama, and
rockstars who are larger than life and super sexy!

Gone by Autumn:

Ryan (singer)

Tanner (guitar)

Asher (guitar)

Gabe (bass)

Blake (drums)

Don
’
t miss the new release from Karolyn
’
s bestselling pen name,
 
London Casey
.

BACK DOWN DEVIL MC
 
is here
…
 
are you ready for bikers and romance?

-
    
 
OUTLAW
REVENGE

-
    
 
CRASH
& BURN

-
    
 
DARK
FALL

*AND MORE*

OUTLAW REVENGE
A Back Down Devil MC Novel
Emily didn't want to go watch a bunch of bikers fight each other, and by the
time the fight is over, her best friend is shot dead and Emily finds herself
clutching the leather cut of a sexy guy named Gaige as she's on the back of his
motorcycle, escaping gunfire.
As Vice President of Back Down Devil MC, Gaige Gaen's world is consumed by the
club, the life, and finding a way to make it all work. The last thing he needs
on his plate - or in his bed - is a woman like Emily. He can't stop looking at
her, and he definitely can't stop touching her. He promises to avenge the death
of Emily's best friend, Rachel, but then the situation takes a turn for the
worse when Rachel's father - a rich man hell bent on revenge - shows up and
wants answers that the MC doesn't have.
Emily is in fear of returning to a past she had escaped. She and Gaige can't
seem to stop their feelings for each other, and as her dangerous past digs its
way into the present, Gaige and Back Down Devil are now in the line of fire.
The war in Emily and Gaige's hearts rage on, but the war outside needs to be
fought... the question is, who is going to make it out alive?

***

CRASH & BURN
A Back Down Devil MC Novel
Stealing a motorcycle, crashing it, witnessing a bomb explosion, and being held
at gunpoint while begging for her life is a far cry from the life that Avery
Smith is trying to escape in the first place, but as she winds up in the
strong, sexy arms of another biker, she can't help but wonder why she would
want to leave that life ever again.
Landon Cryen knows it's a mistake to bring Avery into the clubhouse. There's
too much going on right now. In the midst of a raging war with a rival crew,
they have to satisfy a business deal and find the ones responsible for almost
killing a fellow member in a bombing. But sensing Avery's pain - and feeling
her body - has Landon questioning everything he believes in. The pressure puts
him over the edge and soon he and the Back Down Devil MC are blackmailed into
handling the murder of a man who can potentially take down the MC.
Avery knows she should run away, but she can't escape Landon - or Back Down
Devil MC. She knows more than she should, so she decides to step up and prove
her feelings for Landon and her respect for the club.
Once Avery steps into a dangerous world without the protection of the MC, she
has to find the strength that had once been taken from her... the question is,
will her strength be enough to make it back to Landon's arms safely?

***

DARK FALL
A Back Down Devil MC Novel
Kaity Parkner is on the run and the last person she expects to help her is a
shady looking biker. Little does she know, her protection will cost her a
bullet wound, a car explosion, and the fight of her life.
Erik thinks about taking his own life every single day he's alive. The only
thing stopping him is the determination to find the people responsible for the
bombing that covered his face in hideous scars. When Erik begins digging
around, the last person he expects to meet is a beautiful woman that he
stupidly promises to protect.
From the first second Kaity looks at him, he can't believe that she is looking
at him... and not his scars. However, the club is Erik's life and Kaity has
been invited in, but her confession forces the club to put her trust to the
test... Back Down Devil MC cannot afford to have a rat amongst them.
With no other choice, Kaity puts herself in the crosshairs of a major war.
Will her years of experience give the club enough time to find their answers or
will unexpected secrets get them all killed?

***

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