Ryder (Resisting Love) (12 page)

*****

Chapter 20

Lexi

After Ryder and I talk about the whole Nikki thing, I'm kind of unsure of where to go from there. He tells me about Saxon and everything they’ve talked about, and how Saxon is finally willing to let me go. After I hear that, I decide to go over to his place, so we could finally talk. I’ve been so angry and bitter at him for so long, I think it’s about time to let it go and move on. I don’t think he and I will ever be close again, but the weight will be off my shoulders. With encouragement from Ryder I get dressed and leave to go see my ex boyfriend.

I knock tentatively on the door, and take a step back when Sax’s older brother Kidd answers it. Kidd's real name is Michael Tate, and I have no idea why everyone calls him Kidd. They just do.

“What are you doing here?” he asks curiously.

“Just wanted to talk to Sax for a minute,” I tell him. Kidd searches my eyes and then nods.

“Come in, AJ, he’s in his room,” he says, opening the door for me.  I take the familiar steps to Sax’s room and open the door, peering in. Sax is lying on his bed, bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. My eyes roam his sculpted abs and the tattoos displayed on his body.

“Sax?” I ask softly. He sits up, looking alert.

“AJ? Is everything okay?” he asks, giving me a quick once over.

“Everything's fine. I just wanted to talk,” I respond.

“Okay, sure. Take a seat,” he says, gesturing to his bed. I sit down and take a deep breath.

“I’m glad you and Ryder talked,” I start.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a selfish dick, AJ I just didn’t want to let go of you. I’m sorry, for
everything
,” he says sincerely. This is the Saxon I remember.

“I forgive you, Sax,” I tell him, “but I will never forget. We both need to move on from this. I think this is the first step, so thank you.”

He nods. “I'll always be here for you, though. Okay? Anything you need. Anything. You’re always welcome here.”

I give him a small smile, and walk over and give him a peck on the cheek. I pull back and run my finger over the scar running through his eyebrow.

“I never said sorry for this, did I?” I ask.

Sax chuckles. “I deserved it.”

“Yes, you did. But I’m still sorry. It does give you a more rugged appearance, though,” I tell him.

“Should I warn Ryder that you like to throw things when you’re angry?” he says with a chuckle.

“Hopefully he will never find out,” I say dryly.

“Give Ryder hell, AJ!” he calls out as I leave. Then I do something I never thought I would do again. I walk out of Saxon Tate’s house with a smile on my face.

Epilogue

Six Years Later

I’m standing in the crowd with Tee at our VIP spots right in the front. My son, Killian, is at home with Tee’s parents, who offered to watch him so I could be here to support Ryder. The band comes out and my eyes instantly roam over my husband. He only gets better with age. He's wearing a pair of leather pants that leave nothing to the imagination, no shirt. Over his ribs ‘Lexi’ is written in large font. He loves to show it off any chance he gets.

Ryder gives me a sexy wink before addressing the crowd. I love listening to all of the songs he's written himself instead of doing only cover songs. There are several songs dedicated to me, and I blush every time I hear them. There's even one song I helped him write.

Ryder and I have been inseparable since we got back together, and about three years ago we finally tied the knot.

Morning Alliance
made it huge. They're no longer opening acts for big bands, they have people opening for them, instead. Since all band members are now married, they have a strict no groupies policy. It was enforced two years ago when Jet finally tied the knot; he was the last of the boys to settle down. They're all completely loyal and devoted to their women. It’s an amazing thing to see, especially in their line of work.

After the concert I head backstage and I run into Ryder’s arms the moment I see him. He lifts me up and kisses me greedily. “God, I love you.” 

“I love you too, Ryder,” I tell him, framing his face with my hands. I rest my forehead against his, and then whisper, “I’m pregnant, Ry.” He instantly pulls back, his eyes wide, and his mouth open in shock.

“Really?” he breathes out.

“Really,” I add with a giggle at the expression on his face. Ryder puts me down gently, and puts his hands on my flat stomach.

“You really are the gift that keeps on giving, Lexi,” he says with a smile. My heart melts when he gets down on his knees and places kisses on my stomach.

“If you’re a girl and you look like your mother, I’m going to have to buy a few shot guns,” he murmurs to the baby. I giggle.

“Or bodyguards. Like five of them!” he continues. When he whispers “I love you so much already,” I can’t stop the tears that fall.

“I love you, Ryder,” I repeat.

“You better,” he says with a grin as he stands up and captures my lips in a kiss. I trail my fingers down his neck, brushing the beautiful script written there.

Without music, life would be a mistake.

―
Friedrich Nietzsche

The End

Coming soon

James

James Steele leads a complicated life, a life that makes it hard to get close to people.  James’ secrets caused him to lose the woman of his dreams, Sasha Crawford. James has now moved on with Tatiana, a lovely woman whom he works with, someone who understands his reasons for secrecy. When Sasha comes back into the picture James will have to make a decision. Will he stay with Tatiana, a woman he has grown to care for? Or step up with explanations for Sasha, the woman he can’t seem to stop wanting?

Sasha, a foolish romantic, had thought she had found the love of her life in the sexy James Steele. That was, until she saw him in the arms of another woman. Heartbroken and betrayed, Sasha now had a new take on romance, using dating and men as a way to get over the pain of losing James. When their paths cross again and James now has a new woman, how will she react? Will she let go of all the hurt and anger, and move on? Demand answers? Or lay her cards down, and fight to win back the man that was once her everything?

Coming soon

Derek

Rylie Sullivan hasn’t had an easy life. She is broken, so broken she doesn’t think she will ever be fixed. When she meets Derek, he barges into her life and tries to break down the walls she has so carefully construed to keep what’s left of her safe.  When Rylie’s past mixes with her present, will Derek stand by her and help her survive? Or will he bail for the next pretty thing?

Derek Tremaine has had it easy. Coming from a wealthy family and blessed with good looks, Derek has breezed through life. After years of one night stands, and a few half ass attempts at relationships, Derek has almost given up on ever finding the woman for him. When he sees Rylie however, he can’t help but be drawn to her. Rylie is different, more so than any other person Derek has met.  Rylie’s beauty- her tattoos, piercings and beautiful blonde dreads drew him in, but it’s her sweet, kind nature that makes him want to stay around and protect her. Winning Rylie’s heart will be his greatest challenge yet, but Derek knows the reward will be more than worth it.

Which is why Derek has no intentions of letting her go.

Wrong Kind of Love by Amanda Heath

Releasing June 27
^th
, 2013

Chapter 1

GRACE

The water from the showerhead is scalding. It burns along my skin, turning it a lovely shade of pink. I can’t bother to care, since I want all this blood off of me. Its not my blood mind you. No it’s
his.
I stare as the pink tinged water rolls down the drain. I’m sitting on my ass with my knees pulled up to my chest.

My mind is completely numb.

I refuse to think about the things I have done. I refuse to think about what I have been through. Life throws you shit just to fuck you up. Well life can take a damn hike. I have had enough shit happen to me in my 17 years that I refuse to let anything else bad happen to me.

“You need to get that blood washed off.” My older brother Aiden’s voice grumbles through the shower curtain. “I have some clothes set out for you. We still have to dye your hair.” I see his shadow lift its hands up to pinch between its eyes.

“Okay.” I whisper. Standing up I grab the body wash off the rack that is hanging off the showerhead. I scrub myself three times, just in case. I want all
his
blood off of me. What I did was so horrible, but I can’t seem to have any remorse for it. That bastard deserved it. For what
he
did to Aiden. If only
he
had wanted me. But no
he
wanted a boy. Not that makes it any different, but then I could have saved Aiden from the horrible things
he
did. If only.

I step out and dry off. I wrap the towel around my body when I’m done and sit in the chair that sits in front of my mother’s vanity. “I’m done.” I call out to my brother.

“About time. We have to get out of here like 5 minutes ago.” He picks up the latex gloves lying on the vanity and proceeds to slather my hair with bleach.  It burns my scalp and I wince. My hair is a natural honey brown, but I’m going into hiding. I have to become someone different. I have to leave behind everything I love. Everyone I love, well, except for Aiden.

My PlayStation 3.

My weed.

My black all-star chucks.

All my t-shirts with their dirty innuendos.

My baggy jeans with all the holes.

Instead I’ll have to have a completely different lifestyle. I will have to actually get up every morning and do my hair and makeup. I will have to wear designer clothes and shoes. I will have to talk like a complete and total airhead. Jesus I need a joint. I want nothing more than to forget the past couple of hours and get high. That’s the life of a stoner for you though. When life gets to hard to handle, toke it up.

Aiden doesn’t say anything to me while he bleaches my hair. I don’t expect him to. What happened was out of my control, out of everyone’s control. Though we were eventually planning on getting out of this hellhole we call life, things just seemed to have sped up.

I’m going to leave the house I grew up in tonight, or early in the morning, whichever way you want to look at it. Aiden is going to drive me to Arkansas, which is a 20-hour drive straight through. He is going to drop me off at a hotel where I’m registered under Grace Breadfield. (This is not my real name.) When its time I will go to the university of Arkansas in Fayetteville and register for classes. Which is scary because I haven’t even graduated high school yet.

Don’t ask me how this is possible, because I don’t know. Aiden apparently knows someone who hooked us up. Fake ID, birth certificate, social security number, and high school diploma. I do know why he chose Arkansas. No one would look for us there. I have never been there, nor have I ever talked about it. I was born and raised in New York City, so Arkansas is a far cry from home.

Anyone who knows me will tell the police that I wouldn’t go far from New York. This is what I know, where I’m comfortable. My friends would laugh if they heard Arkansas is where I ended up. I have always wanted to be an actress. My mom even paid for classes since I was 5. I know how to speak in a southern accent, and it doesn’t sound fake.

The last few years I kind of drifted from my dream, but now I kind of have to live it. I might not become famous or get paid, but its that or tear my family wide open. This way no one finds out what we are all trying to hide.

“Get in the shower and wash that out. We have to do mine next.” Aiden’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

Its funny how when you’re little and you wish you could run away and live some exciting life, but it never happens. Well Aiden and I were some of those kids and we always wanted to run away together. I don’t know about living an exciting life in Arkansas, but at least we get to do it together. I wish that it were under different circumstances.

“Okay.” I say softly, sticking my head under the bathtub facet and washing out the bleach.

When I’m done I do the same for Aiden and help him wash it all out. We get dressed in our new clothes. It’s funny what you can buy with a lot of money. Something I never indulged in before. I had nice things growing up, but I didn’t out right buy the most expensive things I could. Aiden did and does. Though he knows clothes and shoes, oh and guys. My brother hits for the same team. Not that it’s ever made me love him less.

“You ready to go, love?” Aiden says walking into my bedroom, for the last time maybe.

I stand up off my bed and look into the mirror on the back of my door. I don’t know the girl looking back at me. Her hair is platinum blond and mine is honey brown. Her eyes are dark blue and mine are brown. Her shirt is pink and shows way too much cleavage. While my shirt would have been black and said something like “If its long and hard, then it’s probably my baseball bat.” Her skirt is made of lace and stops about an inch from my knees. I would never be caught dead in a skirt. Baggy jeans all the way for this girl. Her shoes are ballerina flats made of leather I’m pretty sure Aiden got at Prada. I would have on chucks. Never anything else. She also has a Gucci bag slung over her forearm. I wouldn’t be caught dead with a purse.

“Yes.” I say cringing at my appearance. Lets get this show on the road.

I stop to admire Aiden in his changes. His hair isn’t as light as mine but its still a dirty blond where I’m used to honey brown. His brown eyes are now green but I can still see the pain in them. I don’t think he would ever get rid of it. I know I won’t.