Redeem Me: Oakville Series:Book Four (10 page)

Chelsie

A
fter the little show Angel put on, the girls pulled me from the dance floor, and I’ve been sitting here staring off into nothing with my mind racing. I apologized to Dallas, but thankfully, he laughed and said he’s been there before and he had fun. He also said to call him if things don’t work out with Angel. I’ve never been so fucking humiliated in my life.

“So, care to tell us what that was all about?” Amber asks.

“As if we don’t already know,” Holly throws in. What exactly is it they think they know?

“Your guess is as good as mine. What the hell would make him act like such a Neanderthal?” I have a feeling I know, but I’m not getting my damn hopes up again.

“The only thing that turns any man into a Neanderthal is that little green eyed monster called jealousy. Don’t play little miss innocent either, you knew exactly what you were doing out there,” Amber says before giving me a wink and downing her martini. I have to admit, I was trying to get a reaction out of him, but I never expected the one I got. Was he really jealous? Or did he act that way because if he couldn’t have me, no one else could?

“He saw you out there dry humping that gorgeous man and lost it. No woman of his was going to be touched by anyone but him,” Holly explains. No woman of his? I’m not his woman. He made that perfectly clear. “It’s about time the two of you told each other how madly in love you are.”

“I don’t lo—”

“Bullshit!” they both say in unison just before Fallen Angels hits the stage. I’m thankful the blaring music makes it impossible to talk. The girls leave me alone for now and enjoy the show, but I’m so consumed by everything they just said, I don’t even hear the band. Do I love Angel? I know I feel something, but is it love? I’ve never been in love, so I have nothing to compare it to. If my heart skipping a beat every time I see him or getting tongue tied whenever I speak to him are symptoms of love, then I imagine it’s possible.

I look around until I spot Angel sitting at the far end of the bar. To my surprise, he’s looking at me, too. My stomach begins to flutter, a hundred butterflies flying around in there, battling for space. But, questioning my feelings is all moot. Whatever I feel doesn’t matter. I can’t be with someone who isn’t honest with me. He needs to trust me or things between us will never work. And he hasn’t let on that he feels anything more than a rise in his pants for me.

The next forty-five minutes are spent with me glancing at Angel and him looking back. Whenever our eyes meet, we both look away like we’ve been caught doing something wrong. When he gets up and begins walking in my direction, my heart stops and the butterflies flutter again in full force. Slowly, he makes his way to me, never once taking his eyes from mine. I should tell him to fuck off after his barbaric behavior earlier, but I can’t find it in me to do so.

Stopping in front of me, he leans down, bringing his lips to my ear. The smell of his cologne fills my nostrils and my mouth waters. His warm breath across my ear has me breaking out in goose bumps. The feelings this man stirs in me are out of control.

“Sweet pea, we need to talk. Actually, I need to talk and I need you to listen. Please wait for me after our set,” he asks in a whisper. He pulls away, his eyes pleading with me to give him the chance to say what it is he needs to say. My head screams at me to run far away before I get my heart broken, that this man is so out of my league. On the other hand, my heart begs me to go for it, to take a chance and see where it goes. I’ve spent my whole life listening to that voice in my head, and where has it gotten me? Absolutely nowhere. I think it’s time to follow my heart and see where it leads.

“Okay. I’ll wait and hear you out.” He gives me a heart-stopping smile, the kind that has me squirming in my seat, before running to the stage.

I’ve watched these guys play hundreds of times before, but I never get tired of it. Paul and Kyle wheel a piano onto the stage. Looks like they’re changing things up a bit tonight. When Angel walks to it, my jaw hits the floor. I never knew he could play piano. He takes a seat on the bench and begins to speak into the microphone and suddenly those pesky butterflies are back in full force.

“We want to do something a little different for you tonight. I’m gonna give Kyle’s vocals a little break and sing the first song for you all,” Angel announces as the crowd in the bar claps and cheers. He puts his finger to his lips to quiet them. Within seconds, the loud cheers and whistles stop, and he has captured the full attention of everyone in the bar. How does he do that and not look nervous? I would be freaking out if I had all that attention on me.

“There’s a very special lady I keep fucking up with,” he says with a shy grin. The crowd laughs and some boo—at the thought that he could do anything wrong or that he has a “special lady”, I’m not sure. “She’s here tonight. Sweet pea, this is some of what I want to say but can’t ever seem to find the words to say it.” Women angrily scope the room, trying to figure out who the lucky bitch is. Angel stares straight into my eyes, not helping the situation. My heart takes up residence in the pit of my stomach as my palms begin to sweat.

“Well, fuck me sideways,” Holly says, her eyes wide and mouth open. I think it’s safe to say she’s just as shocked as I am. This is so not something Angel would ever do. Even Kyle, Paul, and Marcus are giving him
what the fuck?
looks. When I glance over to Amber, she has a wide, shit-eating grin on her face and she’s clapping her hands like an excited child. When I hear his smooth voice echo throughout the bar again, my attention is snatched away from the girls.

“The song I want to sing is
Broken Arrows
by Daughtry. Sweet Pea, this is for you,” his deep voice announces to the stunned, quiet room. As he begins singing, I forget how to breathe. His voice is beautiful...sensual even. His eyes are fixed on mine, as if he’s pleading for me to hear his words. He sings about having the best intentions, wanting me to see past the worst parts of him, and how his words are always coming out wrong and twisted.

The lyrics bring tears to my eyes. He’s telling me he’s not good at this. Well, guess what? Neither am I. But it sounds like maybe he’s willing to try.

As the song finishes, I’m left hopeful and anxious—hopeful that this could be the start of something between us and anxious for their set to be over so we can get started. The look he gives me as he sings the last line sets every nerve in my body on fire. There’s no doubt in my mind that I want this man. I want him with a need I’ve never felt before. This both scares and excites me. His eyes tell me he feels the same way.

“Well, if that wasn’t the hottest and only romantic thing I’ve ever seen Angel do.” Amber laughs while fanning herself with the menu.

“Sweet pea, looks like you may have just turned Mr. I Don’t Do Relationships into a love sick little puppy,” Holly jokes, looking around the bar. “We may have to escort you out of here with full security. Some of these bitches look like they want to tear your ass apart.”

“She did just accomplish what all these women have been trying to for years now. What’s it feel like to be Oakville’s most hated bitch?” Amber asks, and we all laugh, but it’s only funny until I notice all the evil eyes I seem to be getting. One girl in particular stands out, looking a little more pissed than the others. Riley, I think is her name. I’ve seen Angel with her a few times. I guess she’ll have to find a new man for her weekly booty calls.

After a while, the death glares stop as the women go back to drooling over Angel onstage. Riley, however, keeps an eye on me. All the worry washes away every time Angel’s eyes meet mine. It amazes me just how much he can convey in a simple look. His beautiful brown eyes tell so much. He makes me feel special and wanted, as if no one else in the room matters. I’m a little nervous about what he has left to say to me, but I have a strong feeling it’s not as bad as he seems to think it is. At least, I hope so.

Once the guys finish their set, Angel hands his guitar to Kyle and is by my side. When all his fangirls notice, they start to swarm, knocking me around and pushing me farther away from him. I catch a glimpse of Riley. Her hands are all over him, but only for a moment. There seems to be some heated words between the two. She pouts as Angel removes her hands from his body and plows his way through the crowd of grabby women. As soon as he reaches me, he scoops me up into his arms and cuddles me close to his chest, taking me by complete surprise.

“I’m gonna take you some place quiet so we can talk,” he tells me, causing my heart to jump for joy. As we make our way through the crowd, I turn back to see Amber and Holly giving me a thumbs up with huge smiles on their faces. As we walk past Riley, who’s still giving me the evil eye, I give her the sweetest smile I can muster. If looks could kill, I sure as shit would be dead on the floor right now.

Angel

W
e both sit in comfortable silence as I drive toward the lake. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. Being alone in either of our apartments might make her feel uncomfortable. I need to make my intentions perfectly clear and I don’t want her to think I’m pressuring her to have sex. She will have the say so as to when our relationship moves to the next level.

“Where are we going?” Chelsie asks, breaking the quiet. “Not that I care, just curious.” She keeps playing with her hands and glancing from me to her lap. I’m not sure what’s making her nervous, but truth be told, I’m out of my fucking mind with nerves. I hope to hell I don’t put my damn foot in my mouth like I normally do.

“I thought we could go to the lake, sit by a fire, and talk. Does that sound okay?” I chance a look in her direction. She’s still looking down at her lap. Maybe the lake isn’t a good idea. I should have asked her where she wanted to go. “If you’d rather go somewhere else, we can. I just thou—”

“No. No. It sounds great. I like the lake,” she says quickly, smiling. My nerves ease a bit now that I know she’s okay with where we’re going.

When we get to the lake, I grab the blanket from the backseat, hand it to Chelsie, and we walk over to the fire pit. Chelsie spreads the blanket out on the ground while I get a fire started. It’s a beautiful night—clear skies and a soft breeze keep the temperature cool enough for a fire. Once I have the fire roaring, I take a seat next to Chelsie, our arms touching. If it weren’t for her sharp intake of breath, I’d think I was the only one affected by the contact. I keep my hands clasped together in my lap, trying to keep them from reaching out and taking her in my arms. She’s nervous. The last thing I need to do is scare her off by moving too fast.
Slow and steady
, I tell myself, hoping to calm my own nerves.

She glances over at me, waiting for me to talk. With a deep breath, I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and start my story. “I had a younger sister named Katie. She was taken one day from the park when I was watching her.” Her hand flies to her mouth and she gasps. I give her a moment before laying it all out there. I give her a blow by blow of every event that happened the day Katie was taken. I tell her about my mom, the way she treated me before and after Katie disappeared. I also tell her about my dad. I even tell her about the ring I bought Katie for her birthday that she loved so much.

“My only job was to protect my baby sister and I failed. I failed miserably,” I confess, the hold I have on my emotions slipping away with every word that comes out of my mouth. “If it weren’t for me, she’d still be here.” And with that, the dam breaks. For the first time since the day I lost Katie, tears begin to fall from my eyes, no matter how bad I want them to stop. Crying like a girl in front of Chelsie is the last thing I wanted to do.

Without a word, she jumps into my lap and wraps me in a hug, her body trembling from her own sobs. When she squeezes me tighter, holding in any remaining emotion is no longer an option. Years of built up and hidden emotions begin pouring out of me, and she just holds me tighter. For the first time in my entire life, I feel safe to let go of the storm inside me.

For what feels like hours, she just holds me, gently rocking me, trying her best to comfort me. No one has ever made me feel safe enough to let go. It’s as if I’ve had a bus on my chest for all these years and it’s finally being lifted off.

A few more minutes pass before I’m able to start calming down. I lift my head and look into Chelsie’s eyes. I need to know what she’s thinking. What she’s feeling. Those beautiful eyes are telling me so much. Telling me she feels badly for me, but not that she pities me. I don’t think I could handle it if she pitied me. I can also see love...love for me. My heart almost bursts with the knowledge that she loves me, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t think I’m to blame for everything.