Fated (16 page)

I have practice this morning so after I cook some breakfast and get Kaylee cleaned up we head out to the practice space, which doubles as my shed that we have managed to sound proof. I pull a pair of headphones off of the wall and put them on Kaylee’s ears, “You have to wear these, baby girl, alright?” she nods her head and I smile and kiss her cheek, “I love you,” she beams up to me and looking down I realize that this is just what my life was panning out to be, and her little light could be enough for me if it had it be.

The rest of the guys come in and everyone acknowledges Kaylee as they come in.

“Hey, Kay,” Brandon says as he walks in and puts his hand down so that she can high five it.

“So, this is the infamous Kaylee that we have heard so much about?” Jake says looking up to me as she shoots me an asking look as if asking me if he is alright and I nod my head and then she gives him a low five as well which causes me to laugh. “I’m not going to lie, man, that little girl is probably the cutest fucking kid I have ever seen, especially with those goofy headphones on her head. It almost makes me rethink my decision to never settle down.” I can’t help but laugh.

“I told you Jake, I was the same way until S
oph came along. Ask her, in fact, Mar told me to stay the fuck away from her. Her words, not mine.” They all laugh.

Brandon walks over to me and smiles, “Speaking of Soph, how did the other night work out?” he asks and I just look down and shake my head, “I’m sorry, man.”
He reaches up and places his hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

I would be lying if I said that the whole way over to Sophie’s place I was dreading seeing her. My heart still hurts from the conversation that I had with her outside of the bar. I knock once on the door to her apartment and it opens. Mar is standing there smiling but she won’t look me in the eyes, which means that she knows what happened. I hate that I can read her like a book.

“Mar, don’t pity me. I just want her to be happy.” I say which causes me to laugh.

“Am I that obvious?”

“Only to those of us who have known you for a while.”
I say as she lets me in and I sit the bag down on the floor and then walk into the living room. “So, where is she?”

“Getting out of the shower,” she tells me and then I hear the door to her bedroom open and I cannot think about the last time that I was in there. Her naked body underneath mine and I have to put Kaylee down and get my mind off of such things.

“Austin,” she says, not meeting my gaze. “Thank you again for keeping her it really helped me out a lot.” I see how well rested that she looks, but for some reason I don’t think that she looks happy. I hope that work is just stressing her out.

“It isn’t a problem, Soph, just let me know when you want me to do it again. I’m really open to it
anytine.” I pause, “Oh yeah, look I took this, this morning.” I say pulling out my phone and showing her a picture of Kaylee with the giant headphones on which makes her laugh.

“Oh god, she is so cute. You have to send me that picture.” I nod my head to her.

“In fact, don’t tell them that I told you but Jake even said that she almost makes him reconsider his decision of never settling down.” She laughs along with me and then we hear Mar gasp and when we look over we see Kaylee holding herself up on the table and you can see in her eyes that she is going to take the first step on her own.

“Austin,”
Sophie gasps as she grabs a hold of my hand.

“Shh, don’t let her know that we are watching,” I switch my phone to the video mode and I keep it on her, a minute later she lets go and one, two, three, and
then falls down, but we lose our minds and clap, screaming along with Sophie. We look to one another and hug so tightly out of excitement and then almost like it was a part of our day to day lives we pull back from the hug and out lips touch. I hear Mar gasp again as we pull back quickly and pretend like nothing at all happened.

I’m so proud of my amazing wife, we now have our second child and I got to see the miracle the goes along with it. I hug Mar as I walk over and they place baby Logan into my arms. I look at my little man, my partner in crime. I love Kaylee more than anything that I can explain but it’s almost like a different kind of love, a love for a daughter and a love for a son. This is my purpose to life, my children, and my wife. I never thought in a million years that I would have a family and here I am with more than I ever thought was possible.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sophie

I apologies for my husband, he is beyond emotional right now so I will finish considering that this story has been years in the making. I am exhausted yes, but I am ready to finish this one and maybe go on to the next.

After the kiss Austin and I don’t acknowledge it, we just let it go, but it lingers in me. I know that what I said at the bar that night was a lie, and I know that I love him beyond words can explain, when he came after me that night I knew that it would always be him, if I ever had a doubt before. Then when I saw him the next night it crushed my heart. I stood outside of his house for an hour and I could hear him crying, and playing. I wanted to go back inside and tell him that I didn’t mean any of it that I wanted him and only him, that I wanted my family. That since he walked out of my life in Miami it was only him, always only him, but I didn’t I was too chicken I just turned around and walked home with my head held low. I slept that night but with constant thoughts of Austin. I know that he has a show tonight and I am thinking about going, but then I have a better plan as I pick up my cell phone and call Sarah.

“Hey, Soph,” I hear her say into the receiver.

“Hey, can I talk to Brandon real quick?”

“Yeah,” she says curiously
and I hear her hand the phone over to Brandon and I know that they were still on their way to the bar where they were going to be playing soon, “Hello,” he says as a question into the phone.

“Hey, can you help me out with something?”

Mar is completely al
right with watching Kaylee; I knew that she would be, as I am getting ready to go to the bar.

Paige and I walk out of the door an hour later and I know that the show is already going on, but I don’t want Austin to see me there before I am ready for him to. I have my long hair pulled up into a beanie and I am wearing a hood, not too out of the normal for the cold winter in Manhattan. We walk into the bar and I instantly begin to sweat. I see him standing on stage, and I try to avoid his eye contact.

We walk to where I see Sarah and I sit down next to her.

“You’re really going to do this aren’t you?” she asks me and I nod my head, “You’re crazy.”

“Sometimes you have to do something drastic,” I laugh. The intermission breaks shortly and I watch Austin walk across the room to the bar as Brandon approaches me and grins.

“You have no idea how hard this secret
has been to keep. They are setting out the keyboard now. Are you ready?” he asks me.

“No, but I’m still going to do it.”

“It’s so romantic,” Sarah squeals. She quite often reminds me of a child. I get up from the chair as Paige sits down a shot.

“Take it.”
She motions to me.

“Thanks,” I toss back and walk with Brandon back to the backroom and I am nervous beyond belief.

“Soph, you have no idea how excited this makes us, we have been pulling for you two since before I even met you.” Brandon tells me as Jake walks up to me and sighs.

“You are really pretty.”

“Thanks, Jake.”

“So, I have to ask, is it true?”

“Is what true?” I ask him, curiously.

“That Austin was a huge man whore before he met you?”
And I laugh.

“Oh yeah, in fact my sister didn’t want me to have anything to do with him at first.”

“How did she change her mind?” He asks.

“Well that’s a story for another day.” I laugh and Brandon looks to me.

“We have to go out now; the lights are down so no one can really see us. I can only imagine Austin is wondering what the fuck is going on.” This makes me laugh, nervously, as I let my hair fall around my face, placing the beanie on my head again and I take off the jacket.

I start on the keyboard and then Brandon fallows along on the guitar shortly after, we start playing Jason Reeves ‘Photographs and Memories.’

I begin to sing the first verse and I feel like I can’t make it through this until the lights come up as I begin to sing the chorus, it is until I meet Austin’s eyes that I finally feel calm up in front of dozens of people. As I look to his eyes I cannot break our connection. I can’t take my eyes away from his especially when I notice the glint of water on the edge of his eyes, or when it slips out and slides down his face. I let my own fall down my face as well, keeping my voice steady. He walks up to the stage the longer that the song goes on and after the five and a half minutes go by and I stop he doesn’t stop himself, but jumps onto the stage next to me and warps me up in his arms I pull back from him and look up to him and just as we did this morning our lips instinctively fall down to one another’s. I think that there are people clapping in the background, but none of them matter at this moment. None of them matter ever as long as he stays in my arms. I finally pull myself away and look into his eyes. “Austin, I love you. I should have never tried to push it away. It’s you. It’s always been you.” He smiles looking back down to me.

“I love you too.”

That night I stayed until the concert was over and then we went home together. Mar had told me to go over to his house to give us a night where we didn’t have to worry about Kay. Which we did, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but once the morning hit we were both up extremely early and headed over to my apartment to get her.

In life things take you by surprise, and I have no clue how many things really caught me off guard in my life, but the one thing I would truly never forget is how one night when I thought my life was in shambles I met the one man of my dreams in a restaurant bar. He wasn’t anyone’s ideal ‘man of my dreams’, but he was mine. He made me rethink myself and made me into a better person. He gave me things in my life that I never thought I even wanted. He was a whirlwind in my life he came and left before I even had time to grasp him, but sometimes when things are meant to be, when you are fated for someone, it doesn’t matter how long you know them, it doesn’t matter how much you don’t want it, and it doesn’t matter how many times you think that they are gone for good fate will always find a way for you to be with the one that you are meant to be with. Austin saved me from myself and I saved him from his life, and we have never stopped challenging each other and I hope that we never do.

The End

Epilogue

Austin

Sometime later

Just kidding about that The End stuff.
Did you really think that we were going to leave you there? Please, I started this story; I’m going to end it. I found all of this sitting on Sophie’s desk a few days ago and decided that I was going to add to it. Ha Ha Ha.

We have been married for five years now, and I love her more and more each day. Logan is two and beautiful little Kaylee isn’t so little anymore, she is six and taller than any six year old should be. In fact, I had to punish her yesterday for saying the work, fuck, but I was a little impressed that she used it correctly. I cannot believe that she is swearing, well I couldn’t until I read through this manuscript and realized that Soph and I have some pretty terrible mouths ourselves. Well, Sophie’s business is doing really great in fact we have moved away from Manhattan to L.A., I know it’s a huge change, but Paige is in New York running that branch and Soph has start
ed one out here and it is doing really well. I have started up my own business as well. It is surprising a recording studio. The whole band is out here as well and we still play gigs here and there, but it’s just not something that I really want to do with the babies, especially with the little one on the way. I know we have a problem; the guys keep making fun of us that we are going to eventually have a baby farm, but I can’t help it that I am beyond attracted to my wife.

Now that I am done the check-up.

I was so nervous, I am so glad about how we planned it as I am standing on the be
ach without any shoes on, a pair of pants and a button down white shirt, with no tie… I hate ties one of the reasons why I hated working for my father’s firm so much.

Anyways, the water splashes up and occasionally I feel a splash on my skin as I am waiting. I see Kaylee
walking toward me and my heart melts and she sees me and starts to run the few people around us begin to chuckle. Then Mar walks up the rows of chairs that sit and Jake laughs poking me in the back, “Hey man, it’s so weird actually dating someone.” I can’t believe that he is saying this to me right now but I can’t leave it alone. I turn and whisper to him,

“And like I said before, you hurt her and I will break both of your arms so you will never be able to drum again.” and he laughs. We still can’t believe that Jake and Mar are dating; in fact, he is pretty serious about her. He has stopp
ed looking at any girls at the bars that we play. He grins at her as she comes up and at first I think it’s sweet until my mind goes blank. I see her, my beautiful bride. She smiles at me and my heart sinks. She comes down by herself not because her and her father are still on the outs because they are not anymore, but because we decided on a tiny ceremony. There are only twenty people with us but it’s all that we need. My hands are sweating and I can’t control myself as I want to sprint towards her and carry her back up here with me. I’m sure that would make it interesting and I decide at the last minute that I am going to do just that. When I briskly walk toward her she stops and looks at me. I smile at her as I lean over and kiss her, saying, “I couldn’t wait to do that,” and I pick her up and carry her to the front. The preacher looks at me like I am crazy and I just shrug, saying, “I’m impatient,” which causes everyone to laugh.

We decided to write our own vows and when the time permits I look to Sophie and I smile, “My sweet, Sophie, oh what a ride that we have been on,” and everyone watching us laughs a bit, “I sat up for hours this past week trying to put into words how I feel for you but I couldn’t, because what I feel for you can’t be summed up in words. I’ve tried a million different ways and I was never able to get it right, but that’s when I figured it out. We’re never going to get it right. It’s always going to be hard and complicated and frustrating and life is going to spring up on us at the last minute and take us by surprise. So Sophie, what I vow to you, is that I will never stop trying. No matter how bad we mess up. I will never stop. Sophie, I will never give up on us.” She smiles and I see a tear running down her cheek. Then I slide the ring onto her finger

“Austin, when you came into my life I thought that you would be the death of me, but it was farther from the truth. You taught me how to love again. You showed me that sometimes the bottom isn’t so bad after all, and that we all get there when things are about to get really good. You showed me how to live again; I vow to never stop living.” I smile to her and it makes my heart happy to see her happy. Everyone claps and we walk back down the aisle walking to the small room in one of the hotels to have the reception.

I see John and walk up to him shaking his head, “Well John, I ended up in your family anyways,” and he starts laughing.

“I’m glad; I have never seen her happier in her whole life.”

“Thanks,”
I say walking towards the bar and then my dad walks up to me, “Hey dad,”

“Austin that was something out there,”

“You know I always like to be dramatic. Dad there’s something I want to thank you for.”

“What’s that?” he asks me.

“Thank you for watching after her when I wasn’t around, and I’m sorry that I left with no way to contact.”

“No, I understand, I pushed you too hard to do what you never wanted to.”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to dad, it’s just that it wasn’t my dream.” I pause, “I loved working in the office with you, when you were being nice to me, but music has always been my real outlet.”

“I know that now, I’m sorry that I tried to suffocate it,” he pauses looking over to Soph, “She’s a special girl.”

“I know, anyone who could calm me down is special.” He laughs along with me.

“She reminds me a lot of your mother.” He says to me and it brings up a small pain in my chest.

“She does, doesn’t she?” he nods his head.

“Why didn’t you ever tell Sophie about your mother?”

“I did, eventually. But it was just too hard for me, when she died dad I fell into this dark hole and I couldn’t get out of it until Sophie came in and saved me.”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t do more to help you after the accident.”

“It’s fine dad, lots of intensive therapy helped out a little bit, told me that it wasn’t my fault, but I’m not sure if I ever believe it.”

“It wasn’t,” he tells me looking into my eyes and I shrug, “No, I don’t mean to bring it up son, but I never blamed you for it. The driver in the other car was drunk and hit you.
It was his fault.”

“I know that now.” I stop, “It just took me longer to realize it.”

“Sophie?” he asks me.

“No, Kaylee,” I look to my daughter running around with one of the young boys and I can’t help but think that it is way too early in her life for her to be chasing boys around.

“It always made me laugh that you had a daughter.” My father says to me.

“Yeah, yeah, because it’s karma coming back around?”

“No, because now you will have two women having you wrapped around their fingers.” I’m not sure if I like what my father just said, “And the fact that you are eventually going to have a mental breakdown over the boys, especially if she still looks like Sophie with your eyes.”

“I know,” I shout, covering my face with my hands, and he laughs, walking and getting his gin and tonic and then walks back toward the party. I walk toward my wife and I wrap my arms and sigh.

“You have a good talk with you dad?” she asks and I nod my head.

It was good. He made me feel better about what happened to my mother… P.S. I put that in there so you would know what happened. Cause it’s the only thing that we didn’t cover.

Oh, I have one more thing I want to share before I leave.

My crappy steak comes to the bar and I look at it. Why again did I have to eat here? Could have gone across the street to Ruby Tuesday’s but it’s basically the same place

“Can I get another drink, sweetheart?” I flirt with the bartender and she grins shyly looking down at the drink and grabbing it. I see the dark black hair walk across the windows on the side of the building and I can’t help but take in the black workout pants and the oversized sweater. I’m not sure why people come out to eat not dressed up for the occ
asion. I mean I know that it isn’t the nicest but it’s still a restaurant. I hear the door open behind me but I don’t even bother to turn around and look until she sits down two stools over from me and I have to take a glance at the frumpy little thing that dresses like that out in the world, but she’s not frumpy, in fact she is stunning even with the clearly dyed black hair.

“Can I get a Grateful Dead and a shot of Tequila?” She asks the bartender and I take a sip from my jack and coke that sits in front of me.

“Straight for the hard stuff?” I say just trying to get a rise from her.

“It was a long drive.” She tells me and now I’m intrigued. There’s something about her, I’m not sure what it is.

“Where are you coming from?” I can’t help but ask her.

“Boston,” she tells me. Huh, that’s strange, I’m pretty sure that is where Mar’s sister is from as well the one that’s in some sort of trouble.

“Ouch,” I smile the grin that will normally get me anything that I want. She leans over to me and I think that maybe my grin has worked and it makes me a little sad, I don’t want to use that on her, and I’m not sure why. I’m not sure what it is about her but I actually want to hear her talk.

“You do realize that literally every woman in this restaurant is staring at you.” I smile at her, but I do know that. I can’t help not to.

“No, I hadn’t.” I lie to her. I watch as her lips curl around the shot glass and she throws it back and I can tell that she is a pro at it. I can’t help but watch her lips curl around the straw and instantly I begin to have dirty thoughts about her.

“Bullshit,” she says and I am stunned for a moment. I haven’t ever had someone call me on my lies.

“Excuse me?” I ask her, almost stumbling over my words.

“Bullshit,” she repeats herself, “Every man knows when he has gathered the attention of the entire room.” I then decide to turn it on her.

“Do you?” I ask her, grinning.

“Excuse me?” she asks me this time and I am slightly amused.

“Do you realize that no one was looking over here until you sat down?” I only slightly lie.

“Whatever.” She says and motions for another
shot; I wonder how many she can drink.

“See, you can’t assume that everyone knows something when you don’t even see it yourself.” Truth is every
man watched her walk in and even in frumpy workout pants.

“You don’t even know me.” she spits out at me and I feel as if I have been attacked.”

“You’re right.” I admit to her, “So, why are you driving from Boston.” And why do I want to know her?

“Moving,” she sighs and I can tell that it’s something that isn’t good.

“Where to?” I ask her.

“Ah, no,” she says, and it makes me laugh. I’m not even sure why.

“Alright then why are you leaving?” I ask her, for whatever reason I’m actually interested in her life.

“My life fell apart.” I’m really intrigued now.

“How so?” I’m not sure why I actually want to know maybe it’s because she is the first girl that has ever called me on my bullshit.

“I don’t even know you.” she tells me again.

“Alright, but sometimes it helps to tell a completely stranger. Come on let me try and help.’ I actually care, this is weird. I want to make sure that she is going to be alright. This girl has a strange effect on me. she opens up completely telling me about how she had a business and a fiancée that she thought she was living a perfect like and then her business sunk and how she just locked the doors for good and I look at her and say, “That sucks, what about your fiancée?” Bravo Austin, so eloquently put.

“Well,” she has an adorable nervous laugh, “We were supposed to get married on the fifteenth and Wednesday night after I walked away from my business I went back to the apartment that I was forced to move into with him because I had lost mine, and I was taking a bath. He came home, not knowing that I was home, with his girlfriend.”

“That’s awful,” I tell her, and I hate this guy that I have never meet for hurting this beautiful girl. If she was mine I would never hurt her. I would never cheat on her. Wait, what am I thinking?

“That’s not even the worst part,” she tells me and I’m not sure I can handle it getting any worse. I look to her wondering how it could get worse. “Well, they we’re together before him and
I where, in fact she lived there with him before I lost my apartment.” I’m lost.

“I don’t understand,” I tell her, “Why would she be alright with that?”

“Well, it was their plan, he was going to marry me, and then divorce me, for the money. My business, when it was doing well, was a goldmine, well when it fell I never really admitted it to him. I was planning on telling him that I had to close up that afternoon, but… anyways I kind of lost it.”

“Lost it?” I ask her.

“Yeah, it was like my breaking point.” I can’t help but smile at her, “Why is that funny?” she becomes offended.