The Laws of Music (Love is a Destination Book 1) Page 14

  She took a deep breath. “It’s for the best anyway. I’m a mess right now and I need time to get my life together.”

  “It’s for the best that I email you? Fly in to take you on dates?” Hope turned his smile dazzling.

  She thought about his questions a moment. “Let’s agree to call, text, or email each other while you’re on tour. That’ll give us a chance to really get to know each other.” As she spoke, peace filled her heart. She knew that was the right decision.

  He shifted to stand closer to her. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  “Me too.” She glanced up at him, waiting to see what he would do next. She wasn’t disappointed when he bent down and kissed her. Softly and tenderly at first, but the longer they kissed the more desperate she became for him. When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily.

  “I think you should meet the rest of the band.”

  She smiled shyly. “That’s a very good idea.”

  Max took her hand and opened the door. Four sets of eyes looked in their direction.

  “What are you looking at?” he growled with mock severity.

  Wolfgang held his hands up in mock surrender. “Nothing, man.” Then he ruined it by winking at them both.

  “Uh-huh.” They walked across the living room, past the dining table, and into the kitchen.

  Katie decided she loved the open floor plan. It made the living space so much bigger.

  “Katie, meet Wolfgang.” Max paused and Wolfgang smiled. He was taller than Max and built like a football player, big and muscled. “Wolf plays the drums.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Katie said, taking his outstretched hand.

  “This is Thomas. He’s a genius on the keyboard.”

  “It’s true,” Thomas said, tugging Katie into a hug. He was the shortest of the group with cropped blond hair and hazel eyes. He also had a goatee and wore glasses.

  “I’ll remember that,” Katie said.

  “Then we have Hammond and Steve, our lead and bass guitars.”

  She shook their hands. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

  “You too,” they said.

  “Now, if you don’t mind, I was in the middle of trying to feed Katie when you so rudely interrupted.” He dipped more bread in the egg mixture before placing it on the griddle.

  “Fine, but we’re starving too,” Wolfgang said.

  Max shot him a look. “After she eats, then it’ll be your turn.”

  The guys mumbled their agreement.

  Steve turned on the TV and began flipping channels while Hammond and Thomas both began giving him suggestions on what to watch. Wolfgang stood next to Katie.

  “There’s something different about you,” he said to her quietly when Max left to go handle the TV situation.

  “What do you mean?” She tried not to squirm under his gaze.

  “You’re not like the other girls he’s dated.”

  A tendril of fear coursed through her belly. “How so?”

  “Well, for one thing you’re beautiful.” He winked again. “And you’re kind to him. It’s easy to see that you care about him and not his money.”

  Katie relaxed and let out a laugh. “Thank you.”

  “I get the feeling you’re special.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Well, Max has never cooked for a woman before.” Wolfgang sat on the stool next to her.

  “He hasn’t?” Katie had a hard time believing that.

  “What haven’t I done?” Max returned and flipped the french toast.

  “We weren’t talking about you.” Wolfgang gave Katie a small smile.

  Max gave his band mate a look. “Okay, sure.”

  Wolfgang stood. “I’m really glad you’re here,” he whispered so Max wouldn’t hear.

  “Thanks,” Katie replied, glancing at Max. “I’m glad I’m here too.”

  17 Eight Months Later…

  Katie threw open the door to her brownstone. Birdy was on the couch watching TV.

  “Bird,” Katie said, running over and giving her a hug.

  “Hey, Katie. How are things at Bird, Myers, and Childress?”

  “Really good. Ares asked about you again.” She smiled. “You know he has a crush on you, right?”

  Birdy rolled her eyes. “No, he doesn’t.”

  “Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure he does.”

  Birdy grimaced. Katie didn’t push talk about she and Ares though. Her friend still needed time to work through everything that had happened.

  Katie hugged her tighter. “You know I’m here for you, right?”

  Birdy hugged her back. “Thanks, Kiki.”

  “I’m going to change and take a shower.”

  “Kay.”

  Katie walked into her bedroom and turned on her computer. It rested on the desk Max had sent her the day she told him about landing her new job. Seeing it brought a smile to her lips even now. The man still knew her better than anyone. And he had great taste. Stained a deep amber, the desk was the prettiest thing she owned. It fit perfectly along the empty wall to the right of her closet.

  While her computer warmed up, she changed out of her work clothes and took a quick shower. As the water washed away the grime of the day, she thought about all that had happened the last eight months.

  The short version was Max had gone on tour. Birdy had been released from jail with all charges dropped, and Katie got a job as a junior associate working under Ares at Birdy’s father’s law firm.

  She’d received a call from Jonathon Bird’s assistant a little over a month after Birdy’s arraignment, requesting an interview. Katie thought Birdy had called in a favor for her, thinking Katie was desperate. But her friend swore she hadn’t talked to her father.

  When they called to offer her a job, Katie had said a quick prayer to make sure it was the right thing to do. Peace overflowed within her heart and she’d said yes. Once she was hired, Ares told her he’d been the one to put in a word for her. He was impressed by the way Katie had stood by Birdy through the whole ordeal, doing everything she could to help prove her friend’s innocence. He’d told the partners they’d be lucky to have Katie and that he wanted her on his team.

  She really appreciated what he’d done for her, especially since they hardly knew each other at the time. And it turned out she loved working under him, especially when he put her in charge of contract negotiations. Bird, Myers, and Childress handled contracts for a lot of actors, musicians, and other artists, as well as gaming companies, and fashion designers, in the United States and even overseas. Katie adored her work and thrived. Her new job had already taken her to Milan, Los Angeles (twice), Chicago, and Tokyo.

  Birdy’s situation had been resolved when Ares’ team discovered Bentley was into drugs. He’d hired a detective to search for Bentley’s dealer, a man named Gensen. Apparently, Gensen had attended the same high school as Birdy, Bentley, and Max. Katie was starting to be glad she hadn’t grown up with them. She couldn’t imagine how her life might have turned out.

  The real breakthrough came when Gensen’s wife, Nicole, agreed to testify against him. The reason? Apparently, she and Bentley had been having an ongoing affair. Nicole loved Bentley, though it was doubtful the feeling was mutual. Still, their affair was the reason Gensen killed Bentley.

  Nicole testified that Birdy was only a scapegoat, someone to pin the murder on. Apparently, Gensen employed a pair of thugs to break into their brownstone and steal Birdy’s gun. Nicole had even recorded Gensen bragging about the murder to some of his friends.

  When Nicole’s testimony and the recording were heard, the judge had no choice but to drop the charges against Birdy.

  What a glorious day that was! Katie and Bird had celebrated with their favorite foods: pasta, cake, gummy bears, and strawberry ice cream.

  Katie hadn’t been thrilled to discover Bentley had been cheating with yet another woman while they were engaged, but she was grateful his idiocy produced a means for Birdy’s rel
ease. Since falling in love with Max, she could feel the difference between her relationship with him and her relationship with Bentley. It was apparent she’d never actually loved Bentley, only what marrying him would represent.

  Katie finished her shower, dressed in sweats and a tee shirt. Her computer chimed, indicating a new message. She hoped Max had emailed her. Along with texts and phone calls, they’d been emailing back and forth nearly every day for the last six months. He’d written her one hundred sixty-eight letters, each one filled with great stories, heartfelt feelings, and anecdotes about what he’d been up to. With each passing day, her feelings for him had grown from like-like, to love, to something even deeper than that. They’d confessed their love many, many times over the days and weeks. She couldn’t imagine a life without him. And she finally understood something else, something Max had said the first time she told him about Lance. A person’s life could be changed only if that person chose to allow it to happen. Max wanted to be in a committed relationship. So did Katie. Because they had the same goals and they had God in their lives, they might have trials, but they could face them together. Armed with that knowledge, her fear was replaced by an unimaginable happiness and love for Maxwell Legend.

  He would be home in a week. Katie could hardly wait.

  Sure enough, she had an email from Max waiting in her inbox. She clicked on it.

  There was only one sentence. It said, Open your front door, please.

  She stared at the screen, confused. What did that mean?

  Her phone buzzed. It was from Max. I’m waiting, Katie Kat.

  A wide smile lit up her face. She ran to the front door and threw it open.

  “Max,” she said, breathlessly.

  He was down on one knee. Holey jeans exposed the tanned skin underneath the knee propped forward, but he wore no shoes. And oddity she found both interesting and adorable. His shirt was a butter yellow button up. And in his hands he held a small box. Inside was a thick rose gold band covered in twinkling diamonds. “Katie Marie Green—”

  “Max,” she said again, her voice shaking.

  Birdy had come to stand beside her and gasped.

  Katie stepped forward. “Where are your shoes?” It wasn’t the question she meant to ask. It just came out.

  He laughed, glancing at his bare feet. “I’m not a fan of shoes, Katie Kat. They are on my feet only when they have to be. I hope that’s okay?”

  She giggled. “I like it.”

  “I’m so glad.”

  “How do you feel about my relentless questions? They won’t stop, ever.” She wanted him to understand they were as much a part of her as her blue eyes.

  Max grinned his megawatt grin and her heart melted. “Your incessant questions bring a smile to my lips and my heart. I love them.” He paused, clearing his throat. “In fact, I’ve fallen for all of you. I want to be the first person you see when you wake in the morning and the last person you see before you go to sleep. I want to make you breakfast in bed, take you on walks along the beach, and tell you every single day for the rest of my life that I love you.” He swallowed. “I’m not sure if this—if I’m on your list, but will you do me the honor of becoming my forever friend, my lover, my wife, and my confidante for the rest of our lives and longer?”

  Tears formed on Katie’s lashes. She picked up the ring, slid it on her finger, and helped him to stand. It was true, Max hadn’t been on her list, but he was now, and always would be. Her eyes kept going from Max to her ring that was so perfect. Simple, elegant, and beautiful. “Yes,” she said, throwing herself into his arms.

  He swung her in a circle and they both laughed through their happy tears.

  Birdy was jumping up and down, giggling like a silly teenager.

  After a few minutes, Katie leaned back so that she could see his face. “Katie Kat is growing on me.”

  He chuckled, bent down and kissed her, deeply, lovingly. Katie poured all her love for him into that kiss and she felt him doing the same.

  Birdy cleared her throat after a few minutes. “Enough already. I need to hug, too, Kiki.” She tried to pull Max and Katie apart, but finally gave up. “Whatever.” She leaned in and hugged them both.

  THE END.

  Thank you so much for reading The Laws of Music. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review.

  Be sure to PreOrder the next book in the Love is a Destination series:

  THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION.

  This is Birdy and Ares’s story!

  Reality TV star Pamela “Birdy” Bird has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now she is on her way to Maui for her best friend’s destination wedding. Three weeks of sand, snorkeling, and fun with the bride-to-be. But that’s it! No dating and no distractions. Too bad the producer of her show BIRDY KNOWS BEST has other ideas.

  Ex-Navy Seal and hot shot lawyer Ares Devereux hasn’t had a vacation in years. As best man, he’s ready for some relaxation and he intends to enjoy every moment of the wedding festivities. But he also has an ulterior motive. He wants to show Birdy he’s more than just another lawyer at her father’s law firm.

  Can a reality TV star and a hot shot lawyer find love or will she fly the coup before they get the chance?

  ______________

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