Bet Me Something (Something Series Book 3) (37 page)

My hands ran
down his chest, and I took a ragged breath. “You kind of made up for it in
there a little bit.” I gave him a small smile. “Maybe it had to happen that way
in Vegas for me to realize you and I weren’t so different when it came to
letting others keep us in a light we no longer wanted to be in. Kryptonite is a
bitch and not to abuse the phrase, but we both needed to work on our shit.”

His hands ran
down my back, caressing me lightly. “You might stay longer than three weeks?”

“Maybe. I’ll
have to see how it goes.” I wasn’t going to commit to anything at this point,
no matter how much I’d miss him.

I looked over to
where everyone else had come out, appearing uncertain whether or not they were
interrupting something. “I think everybody is ready to go, but I’ll see you
tomorrow at the baptism. We can talk after.”

He moved in and
hugged me tightly. “Tell me you love me more than club sandwiches?”

I nodded. “Even
with the avocado and bacon.”

***

The baptism of
Josh and Haylee’s beautiful little girl was lovely. My brother and Sasha stood
up as godparents to baby Abigail during the ceremony, and it was clear that
every single person attending was there to celebrate. Although Rebecca and Ben
had shown up, they were on their best behavior and, thankfully, didn’t come for
the brunch at the Singer’s home afterwards.

While chatting
with Sasha outside on the back patio, I smiled when Josh came up to us and
settled his gaze on me.

“Sorry to
interrupt you ladies. Kenzie, do you have a few minutes?”

“Of course.” I
was curious about why he wanted to speak with me.

He led me into the
house to a large office on the first floor, shutting the door behind us. “I was
hoping to make this casual, but considering I’ve led you into my father’s
office, it seems a lot more, uh, formal now.”

Josh had always
seemed rather serious to me even while growing up. Since he wasn’t one to show
too much emotion until recently with his wife and baby in the picture, I’d
never really had a direct rapport with him. We’d always related through my
brother, who seemed to bridge the gap between the formality of Josh and his
goofball little sister. The fondness had always been there, but not a comfort
level where I could feel relaxed with him.

“I don’t mind.
What’s going on?”

He walked
towards a picture of his father with himself and his brother, clearly taken when
both boys were teenagers. “When our father died, Colby was doing his undergrad,
and I’d just graduated college. Even while getting my MBA, I started taking
over the business, diving straight into the responsibility. At the time, I
think it was my way of coping with the loss of my dad. To work harder and
longer in order to prove myself worthy of his legacy. My brother, on the other
hand, seemed to slide further into partying, taking it to the other end of the
spectrum. In hindsight, I realize it was his way of managing through his grief during
that period.”

“You were both
still young.” I couldn’t imagine, at my age, going into grad school while
learning the financials and everything there was to know about the
multi-million-dollar family business because I needed to become the CEO.

He smiled.
“Looking back, I can see that, but at the time, I stepped into this sort of
disappointed, judgmental father role where Colby could really do no right.
Maybe I was unconsciously resentful that he had the freedom to do what he wanted
while I was worried about investors, financials, and staffing back then, or perhaps
it was that he was so extroverted while I struggled to be social. I really
couldn’t say. But what I do know is that I should’ve been there to guide him,
support him, and cheer him on. Instead, I always seemed to be too busy or
dismissive. And when the incident occurred three years ago with the blackmail,
I was so preoccupied with saying I told you so, that I didn’t give him credit
or see that it was a turning point for him. It’s especially hypocritical of me,
having changed the way I have over the last year, not to have given him the
benefit of the doubt that he’d grown out of that phase of his life.”

“I hope you told
him that.”

He nodded. “And
then some. That first night I went to LA, I don’t think he was ready to hear
it, but over the last couple weeks, we’ve continued to talk, and our
relationship has really improved. He’s back in charge of his company fully,
something I should’ve done years ago along with trusting that he’d know best
what direction he wants to take it in. Anyhow, my point in telling you all of
this is that I owe you an apology, Kenzie. I’m sorry that I contributed to what
happened in Vegas. That I jumped to conclusions instead of listening. But I’m
grateful that you stood up for him and for what you had together, a
relationship that he deserved. And I owe you a thank you for telling me what
needed to be said even when it couldn’t have been easy.”

I smiled.
“Apology accepted, and you’re welcome. I’m happy you two worked things out.”

“Now here’s the
part he’s probably going to kill me for, but in my new role as supportive big
brother championing the things that matter most to him, I’d be remiss if I
didn’t tell you that I know how much he loves you. And if there was any
lingering doubt for anyone that you two weren’t a match for one another,
watching you last night turn an argument into something else dispelled the very
thought. You have an undeniable connection to one another which both Brian and
I can’t believe we didn’t see sooner.”

“I love him,
too, but there are still things we need to figure out.”

“I’d say no
pressure, but we’re both aware there’s no such thing when you take a
relationship public and involve family who clearly would like to see the two of
you together. Anyhow, that’s all I wanted to say.”

“Thank you for
doing so. It means a lot.”

He hugged me and
then opened the door, revealing Colby on the other side.

“There you are.”
He glanced between us.

“I’ll let you
two catch up.” Josh gave me a wink and his younger brother a slap on the back
before returning to the party.

“Did my big
brother just wink at you?”

I giggled. “He
did, indeed.”

Colby grinned,
took my hand, and quickly led me up the stairs to his childhood bedroom.
Shutting the door, he simply held me in a hug. “I’ve been dying to do this all
day.”

My arms went
around him, holding him tighter. “This feels nice.”

He pulled back,
kissing me softly. “So, what were you talking with Josh about?”

“He wanted to
tell me he was sorry about Vegas. He also said you love me.”

He smiled. “He’s
right. I do, and that’s why I need you to know that however long you wish to
stay in Bali, I’ll be waiting when you get back. It won’t be easy, but I don’t
want you to have any regrets or feel as though I’m holding you back. And with
the backup singer thing, maybe I can meet you at some of your concert venues
over the summer.”

“Thank you.” It
meant a lot to have his unwavering support.

“When you return,
we can take things as slow as you like. I’ll plan a romantic date and maybe we
can start over?”

“That would be
nice. Now stow that PDG and let’s get back downstairs to the party.”

Traveling to
Bali was deeply personal for me. I’d needed to prove that I could exercise my
independence as well as take time to think about what I wanted for my future. But
two weeks in, and it had clicked, so when the volunteer coordinator asked for
people to give up their slots a couple days early because they were overbooked
in the housing, I jumped at the chance to go home.

The only person
I’d told about my change in plans was my brother who was picking me up at the
airport in Virginia. Since Colby was due to be home, my idea was to surprise
him.

I’d exchanged
emails with Colby every day, sometimes twice a day. Although I still had some
reservations about his ability to reconcile with his past, I had no doubt how
he felt about his future. Or more importantly, that he wanted me to be part of
it. I read his last email to me, received yesterday, for the tenth time,
laughing at his words.

Dear Kenz,

I’m in Virginia
today visiting my beautiful niece. My brother informs me, upon looking over my
shoulder uninvited, that I should not tell you how many times per day I’ve
jerked off thinking about you. I, of course, had only put that in here knowing
he’s a nosy fucker and wishing to give him a hard time. (But we both know
you’re dying to hear the number now, aren’t you?)

He’s also
offered up his opinion that I should get on a plane this week to come see you.
Brian, equally unhelpful with his wisdom, has seconded that idea but not
because of me. Nope, he would just like you home safe and sound on US soil as
soon as possible. He didn’t appreciate it when I reminded him that you got hit
by the car in LA, hardly a testament that being stateside is necessarily safer.

 Haylee has
vetoed Josh’s advice, insisting that you need this time. Sasha was overheard
telling Brian that he needed to have some testicular fortitude and suck up the
fact that you’re all grown up and across the world until you’re ready to come
home.

In conclusion,
our families are seriously incompetent at giving good advice. So in case you
wish I would get on a plane, I’m gonna have to rely on your cues, sweetheart. Just
know I’m supportive of how ever long you want to stay. Miss you and I LOVE YOU!
(All caps means it’s a lot btw).

Flashing my PDG
and wishing you could see it, Love, Colby

Stepping off the
plane at Dulles International in Virginia, I went through customs and then
smiled at my brother and Sasha, who both met me outside of baggage claim.

After hugs all
the way around, I followed them out to the car only to be surprised when
instead of getting on the highway, they pulled into the private terminal.

“Where are we
going?”

“To Los Angeles
where Colby is,” Brian supplied.

“I thought he
was here.”

We parked and
got out of the car, walking towards a jet that was waiting.

“He was, but he
left yesterday because you’re not the only one with a surprise.”

“What?” Maybe
the lack of sleep from the long flight was making me slow. What was I missing?

Brian sighed.
“He’s going to kill me for telling you, but if you’re up for it, you could
really shock the hell out of him as we came up with an idea.”

“Who’s we?” I
asked following him up the steps onto the private jet.

Onboard were
Haylee, Josh, and Mrs. Singer, along with baby Abigail.

“What’s going
on?”

My query was met
with smiles all around with Josh answering. “We have a plan if you’re game.”

***

I blinked at my
reflection in the mirror and turned to admire my backside, currently encased in
black leather pants. The feeling was both strange and erotic against my skin.
The four-inch platform shoes and a pale pink flowy top contributed to what
Haylee dubbed the glam rocker look. I couldn’t believe both Sasha and Haylee
had gone shopping for my outfit, giddy for Colby’s reaction to it. My hair was
up in a high ponytail, and my makeup, courtesy of Sasha, completed the sexy
look.

We’d landed in Los
Angeles, a couple of hours ago and were now at a hotel getting ready before
going where Colby was. Luckily I’d slept on the plane after finding out that
Colby had indeed been planning a surprise of his own. Turns out he’d setup a
fundraising concert to raise money for the Children’s Hospital and it was
happening tonight. Josh wouldn’t go into the reasons why, leaving that for his
brother to tell me.

“Christ, it
looks like sex threw up all over you,” Brian halfway protested when I stepped
out into the main room of the suite to meet everyone.

“That’s a really
interesting image, Bri,” Sasha laughed, putting her arm around him. “Your sister
is allowed to be sexy.”

Josh shook his
head, siding with Brian. “Sister and sex should never be used in the same
sentence, but you look, uh, good, Kenzie.”

These two
clearly didn’t know how to give a grown-up compliment to the little girl they
still envisioned when they looked at me. Luckily, it wasn’t them I wanted the
attention from. “Enough of the awkward-for-everyone flattery, boys. Let’s go.”

When we arrived
at the venue and I glanced around, I couldn’t believe Colby had pulled this off
in such a short time. According to Brian, Colby had approached the Children’s
Hospital board about fundraising with a yearly concert that would be dedicated
toward bringing in money for a music program and helping families. As if I
didn’t love him enough already.

Once Brian’s
signal came through via text, I took out the phone that Josh had given me to
use which would flash up as an international number. Dialing, I held my breath,
waiting for the sound of Colby’s voice.

“Hello?”

“Hi, there.”

“Hey, this is an
unexpected surprise. Uh, hold on a second while I find a quieter spot to talk
to you.”

Right now I knew
he was backstage and hopefully, if my partners in crime were effective, heading
towards the back offices, which would allow me to take my position unnoticed.

“Where are you?”
I asked.

“Believe it or not,
I’m at a concert. There, that’s better. I can hear you. Is everything all
right?”

Given that we’d
only exchanged emails the entire time I’d been gone, he was probably wondering
why I was calling him. “Yeah, it’s good. What kind of concert?”

“It’s a charity
one. Uh, are you still planning to come home in another couple of days?”

I smiled, not
technically lying. “No, I’m afraid not.”

He sighed.
“Right. Okay. I take it you’re still trying to decide what you want to do?”

“Actually I
think I’ve figured that part out. I’m still doing the backup singing job for
the Misfit Toys tour next summer as I think it’ll be a great opportunity, but
in the meantime I’m planning to go back to school.”

“Music school?”

“Sort of. I’ve
decided I want to be a teacher. The time here with these kids teaching them
songs and instruments really made it click within the first couple of weeks. It
should have dawned on me months ago because it was right there in front of me
with the volunteer work at the hospital. There are a lot of ways I can do it,
but since I want to be a music teacher specifically, I’m applying for UCLA’s
music education program. It’ll mean another couple years at least if they’ll
transfer over some of my credits, but it feels right, if you know what I mean.”
I’d already spoken with my parents who were keen to pay for school, but I
planned on getting a part-time job to offset the cost of living expenses.

“I don’t know
why I didn’t realize it, either. Then again, it’s not the first time that the
best thing in front me was something it took me awhile to see.”

I chuckled.
“That was pretty smooth.”

“Would’ve gone
better with the grin. So how much longer do you think you’ll stay there in
Bali?”

“I would’ve been
home sooner if someone had told me about the charity concert he’d put together
to raise money for the hospital.”

He cursed
softly. “Our families can’t keep a secret worth a shit. I wanted it to be a
surprise for you when you returned.”

All these days
away from him with his daily emails and unwavering support—and then to find out
he’d planned this fundraising concert to surprise me was touching. “What
prompted this?”

“I know how much
those kids from the hospital mean to you and kept thinking about that little
boy from the day I spent with you. I thought maybe going back there would, I
don’t know, make me feel closer to you, so I bought forty hand-held video games
to drop off for the kids. Before I knew it, I’d spent a couple hours with Tyler
and his family. He’s responding to his leukemia treatment really well, but
they’ve been there two months. His mom had to quit her job, and his dad is
still trying to work to keep the medical benefits, not to mention pay the
bills, but that means he can’t be there full time.”

His voice had
grown thicker, and I swallowed past the lump in my throat, listening as he went
on.

“So I went back
to the office and talked to Rhonda, my assistant. Then I called my brother who,
within an hour, had Haylee on the phone. I mean, talk about embracing this
whole foundation idea. Obviously Haylee would since she lost her parents to
cancer.”

“Wait. What
foundation?”

He chuckled.
“Guess I forgot to mention that part. I started—well, technically Gamble
Enterprises and its subsidiaries, which includes my production company—started
a foundation for the support of cancer patients and their families. Tonight is
only the tip of the iceberg, I hope. Hell, Rhonda, my assistant, has already
organized a group from the office that is doing this bicycling event, with the
profits going to the charity foundation, and Josh said his assistant, Nigel,
whose partner had cancer, wishes to plan a dinner out in New York in the next
few months. Catherine has already offered up a charity fashion show.”

“All of this in two
weeks?”

“More like four
weeks. I actually went to the hospital a couple days after I left you in Vegas.
I remember you posed a question months ago on our way back from New York:
don’t
you ever want more?
And the answer is: yes, I do. And this kind of work
gives me something to feel good about. Tyler talked about taking nothing for
granted and living in the moment. At freaking eight years old. So I wondered
how I could for one second spend time regretting my past when these kids are
there fighting for a future one day at a time. It’s such a wasted effort.
Anyhow, the idea for the concert started when I met with…”

I stopped
listening after his words about his past.

“Are you there?”

“Yeah. I’m here.
I can’t believe you did all of this Colby.” I was completely stunned.

“This separation
has been rough, and I’ll be honest and say at first I didn’t appreciate it as
much as I should’ve. But it was the best thing for us, especially for me to get
my priorities straight. This was supposed to be a step towards proving that to
you.”

“I think you
took that step when you said thinking about your past is a wasted effort. The
only question left is whether you can trust that I feel the same way.”

“I do,
especially now. I’m literally counting the minutes until you’re home, Kenz. I
miss you so fucking much, it hurts. And if that makes me sound like a girl,
then so be it.”

I smiled, and it
was all I could do not to tell him I was here, but luckily my brother was
waving me over to take my spot on stage. “It doesn’t, I promise. I miss you,
too. I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you soon.” Real soon.

“Okay, I’d
better go too. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”
My heart raced, and I handed the phone to Josh, smiling at the group of them
leaving to meet Colby in the front row. It was crazy that I was more nervous
about seeing him than about singing my song.

***

A swell of pride
swept over me from the way Colby stood up to address the crowd, explaining that
they’d raised almost two hundred thousand dollars thus far. I had to hold in
the tears when he explained that it had started because of knowing me and how
much music and the kids had meant.

Hanging back
behind the curtain, I smiled when I saw Brian take the stage with him. Funny
how the two most important men in my life had no issue with being in front of a
crowd; in fact, they sort of relished the spotlight when I thought about it.

“Please welcome
the inspiration for this evening, as well as my little sister, Kenzie Lane to
open up this evening with her rendition of “Feels Like Home,” Brian’s
commanding voice introduced.

Colby’s face was
priceless before the spotlight dimmed.

I walked out
with the band starting to play. Closing my eyes, I started to sing the Chantal
Kreviazuk song. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate one for the occasion,
telling the man I loved that he was my home. At the end, the crowd broke out in
applause, but I only had eyes for Colby in the front row staring back at me.