My Only Regret (Twisted Fate Book 1) (33 page)

T
he party consisted of the band members, family, the stage crew and a handful of concert attenders who managed to snag a backstage pass. There were tables of food and drinks, and music played in the background. We walked in and the applause started.

“Holy shit Rhyann! That song was awesome. I can’t believe he wrote a song for you. That's so cool,” gushed Mel, as she came over and hugged me. “Can you believe that show? What a rush.”

“Yeah, it was something else. I’m still on cloud nine,” I smiled. I looked over and caught Jesse’s eye as he winked and jerked his chin in my direction. By now I had come to understand that was his way of saying he loved me from across the room. I returned the chin lift and blew a kiss.

“Next stop Vegas baby,” Mel announced, loudly, laughing until she saw the look on my face. “Something wrong?”

“No, quite the opposite actually. I want to do something while we’re in Vegas, but I want to keep it a secret from Jesse and I’m going to need your help.”

“You got it Rhy. What are you thinking?” I pulled her aside and told her my idea. We called Stefani over and filled her in since I would need her help. If everything fell into place we would pretend to go out shopping and catch a show before meeting up with the guys to watch their show at the MGM Grand.

A
fter the party we headed back to the bus and everyone went straight to bed. It had been a long day for all of us. I changed into shorts and a tank top before climbing in next to Jesse. We both were lying on our sides facing one another.

“Hey,” I said, quietly.

“Hey yourself,” he smiled and brushed his thumb over my lips. I kissed the pad of his thumb tenderly.

“I really loved our song. I can’t believe you surprised me like that.”

“I wanted it to be special for you. I’m glad you liked it baby. You are a great inspiration,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on my waiting lips.

“How far is it to Vegas?” I asked.

“About eight hours. The guys will get some shut-eye and then leave sometime early in the morning. We don’t have a rehearsal scheduled until after six. What do you want to do all afternoon,” he asked, pulling me closer. “I have a few ideas.”

“I’m sure you do Mr. Montgomery,” I teased. “I’m sorry honey but I made plans to spend the day with the girls. We were going to get pedicures and go shopping. I thought you would be busy getting everything ready. I could cancel if you want me to,” I offered.

“No, don’t worry about it. We have a whole lifetime to spend together. You go have fun with the girls. You don’t get enough of that kind of time. I’ll be fine. I’ll hang out in the casino with David and watch him lose a few hundred bucks.”

“Does he always lose?”

“Every time.” He laughed, softly.

“If he always loses then why does he keep playing?” I asked, dumbfounded by the idea of throwing away money.

“I guess because there’s always that one time it might work out,” he yawned. “Oh man, I’m tired. You mind if I close my eyes for a few minutes?”

“Go right ahead,” I said, yawning too. “Night honey.” I whispered, as his breathing turned into light snoring.
 

I
woke several hours later, unable to sleep. I was feeling apprehensive about returning to the city responsible for making me both elated and heartbroken all in the same day. We weren’t staying on the bus during this leg of the tour. The MGM had put us up in some of their best suites since the guys were their headliner for the weekend. Rather than running the risk of waking Jesse with my restlessness, I decided to get up and join whoever was driving the bus. I threw on a hoodie and went out to find that Charlie was sitting in the driver’s seat.
 

“Morning Charlie,” I announced. “Can I make you some coffee?” I started filling the carafe.

“Oh wow, that would be great. Thanks Rhyann.
 
What are you doing up so early?”

“Couldn’t sleep. Don’t get me wrong, that bed is comfortable and all, but it’s not home. I’m also trying to get used to the whole concept of moving while sleeping. Where are we now?”

“Just east of Bakersfield. We’ve got about another four hours to go,” he answered, cheerfully. I handed him a mug of coffee and sat down in the front seat opposite him.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked, putting my feet up on the dash, making myself comfortable.

“Not at all,” he laughed. “Glad to have the company. Won’t Jesse miss you though?”

“Nah, he was out cold. I can understand why though. They put on one hell of a show.”

“How’d you start working for Jesse in the first place?” he asked, making polite conversation.

“Oh you know, I was in the right place at the right time,” I shrugged. “You really want to know?”

“Sure, we've got four hours to kill. I’ll listen to anything that keeps me awake darlin’.” I rolled my eyes playfully and told him the entire story, leaving out the sexy parts. When I finished he nodded his head and stated, “That sounds like the Jesse I know, chasing after the hottest woman in the bar. I’ll bet at the time he didn’t realize he had met the love of his life.”

“That’s sweet Charlie. I’m sure he didn’t bet on a lot of things back then, including getting married in Vegas,” I mumbled.

“Is that why you’re having trouble sleeping? Are you nervous about going back there or something? You know he’s crazy about you, right? I mean, you are seriously that man’s entire universe. Even when you two were apart, all he ever talked about was how much he missed you. Trust me, you’ve got nothing to fear sweetheart. Best to leave those ghosts buried.”

“You’re probably right. I know he loves me. This town just changed us you know. Thanks for the kind words though, I appreciate it.”

“I’ll tell you what I would appreciate,” came Jesse’s voice from behind us. “I would greatly appreciate it if my gorgeous wife would come back to bed with her husband, instead of hanging out with one of his best buddies.”

“Guess that’s my cue to leave,” I groaned. “Thanks for the talk Charlie.”

“My pleasure sweetheart. Thanks for the coffee, and the company,” he saluted, playfully.

“I missed you,” Jesse said, kissing my forehead. I followed him back to the bedroom where we spent the next two hours cuddling and making love.

I
spent the afternoon with Mel and Stefani shopping and taking care of my surprise for Jesse. I knew he was going to love it. When I left Jesse at the hotel I'd told him we would be gone all afternoon and would just see them backstage before the concert. We all went for pedicures and then parted ways for an hour while I popped into a little shop nestled between a coffee shop and an adult novelty store. I stepped in and looked around at the hundreds of sketches hanging on the walls, before browsing through the wide assortment of albums on the table. A sound that reminded me of the dentist’s office echoed faintly from beyond the main area. A young man who appeared to be my age stepped out from one of the back rooms to greet me.
 

“What can I help you with today?” he offered a warm smile, and I was instantly calmed.

“I would like a tattoo.”

“You ever had a tattoo before?” He looked me over casually

“Yes,” I pointed to my wrist and continued scanning the images. “I’m pregnant, is it safe to get a tattoo?”

“Well, it’s safe here because I follow all of the health codes. Our equipment is sterilized in the autoclave regularly and I use fresh tips with each tat that I do. I’m assuming that you don’t want the tattoo on your belly or any place around that area, right?”

 
“I think that I would like this one," I pointed to a photo that hung on the wall beside his station. "I'd like it on my hip, is that okay?." He smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Excellent choice. They are a kick ass band. You know, my older brother designed that one.” My eyebrows rose in question and he continued. “Yeah, the lead singer came in one night after a show and told him what he wanted. C.J. sketched it out and the guy loved it. He inked him right there on the spot, in this chair. This photo was taken a few days later when the guy stopped by with the rest of the band." I leaned forward and stared into the eyes of the man I adored, proudly showing off his new tattoo.

"How long will it take?"

“Shouldn’t take more than ninety minutes.”

Two hours later I walked out of the shop sporting an awesome tattoo. Mel had texted me multiple times while I was on the table wanting to know where I was. It had taken longer than expected, but the end result was totally worth it. I entered the pub and found the girls sitting in a booth near the back.

“Sorry ladies,” I pouted my lips. “What did I miss?”

“Oh not much, we spent way too much money on shoes and a handbag. Let’s see it,” Mel replied, reaching for my arm.
 

"It's covered right now, I'll show you later, but trust me when I say it looks amazing. Do you think he'll like the idea? We've never discussed how he felt about me getting a tattoo."

“He'll love it!” Stefani responded, certainly. “You are permanently marked as his. He will be over the moon,” she laughed, taking a sip of her beer.

“I think he’ll be pleased,” I smiled, wickedly. “But I think he’ll be shocked when he sees that it's on my ass!”

“Shut the front door! You got a tattoo on your ass? I thought you were getting it on your shoulder. Girl, you are two kinds of crazy,” Mel screamed.

“Well, I know at least one of us is getting sex tonight,” Stefani quipped. “When are you planning on showing him?”

“Well, it will have to wait until we’re back in the room. I don’t want to be responsible for the show being cancelled,” I joked. We finished up at the restaurant and I made a quick call to Jesse. He answered on the fourth ring.

“Hey baby, having fun?” I could hear music and loud voices in the background.

“Yeah. Are you rehearsing? I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You're not interrupting me. I always love hearing your voice,” he replied, sounding sexy.

“That’s sweet. I’ve missed you too. So, what time should we be there, did we agree on seven?”

“That works. It will give us some time alone before we go on stage. I need some serious time with those beautiful lips,” he moaned.

“I’ll meet you backstage. I’ll be the girl with the neon “taken” sign flashing over her head,” I teased.

“You bet your ass you’re taken. You belong to me, baby. Always.” I heard someone call his name. “Honey, I’ve gotta run. Have fun with the girls. Oh, by the way, don't be surprised if I look a little different when you see me. I had my hair cut.”

Oh no, I loved his hair.
"When you say cut, how short are we talking?" He laughed at the hesitation in my voice.

"It's shorter, but there's still plenty left for you to run your fingers through. I told the girl that was the only stipulation I had. Gotta keep my girl happy. I really need to go, can't wait to see you."

“Me too. Love you.” I stuffed the phone in my back pocket and sighed.

“Ugh, that face. I know that face,” Mel rolled her eyes. “She’s thinking about sex right now.” Stefani covered her face to hide her laughter.

“I am not! I’m just thinking about how much I love him. It’s not always about sex you know. That’s not all we do.”

“Uh huh. Sure. You’re just in there doing your nails together.” She shook her head and headed down the sidewalk back to the hotel.
 

W
e needed plenty of time to get ready. I had taken my leather outfit and make up to Mel’s room this morning. We spent the next two hours fluffing our hair and stuffing ourselves into tight fitting clothing. We looked hot! We made our way down to the lobby with fifteen minutes to spare. The casino was overflowing with gamblers and observers, making it difficult to get through the crowd.
 

When I made my way backstage I couldn’t find Jesse anywhere. I asked several members of the crew, but no one had seen him. I finally gave up looking and decided to wait for him to find me. I grabbed a bottle of water and waited, watching the other people around me.

“Your neon sign is flashing,” drawled a husky voice behind me, and I giggled with delight. “Damn girl, you are too hot for me. Are you sure you’ve got the right man?” he teased, wrapping strong arms around my mostly flat stomach. “Pregnancy looks great on you momma. I love you in leather.”

“Ditto,” I smiled, turning to admire his lower half. I looked him up and down, taking in the beauty that is Jesse Montgomery. His hair was now shorter on the sides and longer on top. He had it styled back, but ran his hand nervously through it when he caught me staring. The effect was a sexy mess that suited him and looked intentional. I licked my lips hungrily.

“Do you like it?” he asked, nervously. I responded with a wet kiss, intending to let him know just how much I appreciated the new look. His lips parted slightly and I claimed the vacancy with my tongue. When we pulled away, breathless, he smiled against my mouth. “I'll take that as a yes.”

“Hell yeah it’s a yes,” I drew my fingers through it, slowly. “I like it a lot.”

“I can tell,” he chuckled. “Seriously, Rhyann, I am really loving this outfit on you. I can’t wait to take it off later.” He planted a single kiss on my swollen lips. His hands reached down for mine and he stroked my knuckles with his thumbs.

"I've got something to show you. I was going to wait, but now I'm all turned on by your sexy hair." I laughed. He leaned in and rubbed my nose with his. "I got a tattoo." I smiled and he pulled back with a look of surprise on his face.

"What? Where? Let me see." He pulled at my clothing, trying to peer down my shirt." I swatted his hands away and lowered the zipper on my pants. "Um, babe, we don't have time--" He stopped talking the instant he saw it. His finger traced around it carefully, his eyes never leaving the ink. "I love it." He spoke the words softly as the tip of his finger traced over the cracked heart. I hoped he didn't mind that I'd had the band's logo permanently etched on the highest part of my ass.

"I'm so happy because I was afraid you'd be upset because we didn't discuss it first."