Lost Until You (The Sorrentino Brothers Series Book 1) (3 page)

Even though it was the end of spring and football season hadn’t started back up yet, Coach Myles held onto my position for the upcoming season. It was hard to replace a quarterback with as much experience as I had, but I knew in my heart that I was not playing again. That my dreams, my career in football, were over.

I went back to my apartment in Delaware needing to get away from everyone. I knew my family felt bad for what happened, but them hovering over me wasn’t something I could handle any longer.

I stayed in my apartment, turned off my cell phone, and pushed every-one away. I slept during the day, and at night, I partied my ass off with my buddy Jack.

Leaving the team meant losing my scholarship. It wasn’t something I ever expected to happen. 

It took me some time, but with the help from my family and friends, I was finally able to sober up and continue on with my degree. That’s when I met the girl of my dreams.

I never understood the true meaning of love until I first laid eyes on Jazz. She captured my soul, stole my heart, and somehow turned me into fucking mush. My brothers thought it was funny how much I’d changed, but they were the least of my worries. Jazz was made for me and the night of Brayden’s graduation, I knew I had to make her mine. There was no other way to go about it.

Her brown hair flowed down the bottom of her back with curls that bounced every time she turned. Her striking body, curves and all, made it nearly impossible for me to keep my hands to myself. And now, all these years later, Jazz was as beautiful today as she was the day she walked into my life. I was one lucky sonuvabitch.

She didn’t care if I was hurt or couldn’t make millions playing ball. All Jazz wanted was my love and attention, pushing me to be all I wanted to be.

Our relationship stayed strong over the years. Jazz was the girl of my dreams; someone I didn’t even think existed. My junior year in college, I finally got the courage to propose to her.

We got married on the beach just like Jazz had always wanted since she was a little girl. We said our vows, promising one another a happy life. My girl completed me as I did her. That was all that mattered. The world could end and I wouldn’t care. As long as I had Jazz by my side, I was complete. I was whole.

I graduated with my master’s degree in business management, and opened up my own construction company on the shore. If I couldn’t play ball that was my next best choice. I was great at building things, and worked well with my hands at creating structures.

When our daughter was born, my world brightened even more. The experience of being a father was something I couldn’t put into words. I never knew how much I could love someone until I saw the little baby I created. My life could only get better from there.

Things might have not gone in the direction I had planned, but I could not have been more thankful for what I had; two beautiful girls who completed me—mind, spirit, soul, and body— giving me a reason to live.

Chapter Three

Jazz

I continued working in the resort town during the summer, making enough money to sit comfortably through the winter, not having to worry about finding another job to pay my bills. Brax promised to take care of me, but I couldn’t let him. I had to put forth the effort on my part. I wasn’t the type of girl to sit still.

From November to April, I had extra time on my hands, forcing me to get bored easily. I wanted to find a career for myself. Something I enjoyed taking part in. I needed direction; I needed to set goals. Being married young was simple, but there were a lot of gaps in my life that needed to be filled.

When Brax opened up his own construction company, he worked long hours every day. Being alone gave me the extra push I needed when I finally realized what I wanted to do.

I’d always wanted to get into photography. It was a dream to further my expertise. But I couldn’t afford a decent camera. Instead, I had taken pictures on my phone and emailed them to myself. Then I downloaded them onto my laptop and then edited each one individually.

I was proficient with designing graphics and transpiring images into perfection. I had a great eye for art. I loved taking a random shot and then photoshopping it into so much more than the normal eye could see. If you’d heard the saying, “
A picture is worth a thousand words
,” I believed it wholeheartedly. It was one of my favorite quotes. You could capture so many little things in the picture that most people would never notice had they not taken the time to admire the beauty from within.

That year on Christmas morning, I opened a large box from Brax.  I was so flabbergasted that I immediately started crying. I couldn’t believe he bought me a digital camera. The gift might have been small to him, but it meant the world to me.

During the winter, in my spare time, I started doing freelance shots. I created a Facebook page to help get my name out to those looking for a photographer. That was when my first set of customers contacted me. From there on out, I met my customers at their destination of choice, shooting whatever kind of scene they desired; Christmas, weddings, birthdays. You name it—I did them all.

When Savanah was born, I was finally able to let go of my waitressing job and stuck with what I loved best. I was comfortable in my surroundings and ecstatic to do something I genuinely enjoyed. For the first time in my life, other than having my daughter and marrying my best friend, I finally found my calling.

Around the time Savanah turned three months old, Amelia offered to take her three days a week to help me get my business jump started after the break I took for maternity leave. I needed to get organized and focused. It helped having the most amazing guy in my corner. I always knew Brax loved me, but what he did to help further my career would never be forgotten.

We just got back in town from celebrating Savanah’s first birthday at Brax’s parents when I noticed Brax chose a different route home. I sat up in the passenger seat, looking over at my husband.

“Where we going?” I rubbed my eyes.

 “Just lay back and relax, baby. We’ll be home soon.”

I peeked in the backseat, checking on our daughter before dozing off into a slumber rest. I was exhausted. Having a healthy one-year-old kept me busy all day.

Savanah was hard work, especially when she didn’t sleep through the night as much as I would have liked, however I wouldn’t trade her for the world. God surely knew what I needed when He blessed me with my little girl.

As I fell into a blissful dream, hands unexpectedly wrapped around my body, lifting me out of the seat. My eyes jolted open and the first thing I noticed was it being dark outside, the street lights barely flickered. I found my footing as Brax set me on the ground, unsure of what was going on.

“Where are we, babe?” It was so foggy I could barely see two feet in front of me.

Brax ignored my question and jogged around to the other side of the car. He picked Savanah up out of her seat and met me back on the sidewalk. Taking a hold of my hand, I followed him up to the door. Brax reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.

“Are you ready?” he smirked. It might have been dark out there, but I knew my man and he was up to no good. It was written all over his face.

“Yes,” I replied. “Let’s get this over with.  I’m exhausted.”

Brax stood behind me and covered my eyes, then flipped on a light switch. I could barely see the lit room since his hand was blocking my view.

“How am I supposed to see if you’re covering my eyes?”

He leaned down on my shoulder and kissed my neck.

“Before I show you everything, I want you to know I did this just for you. Not only do you deserve what’s in here, baby, but you deserve the world. Just know, there is no amount of money to put on how much you mean to me. I love you.”

My husband was good to me. I adored him more than anything in the world.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as Brax walked in front of me, brushing his lips against mine.

“Are you ready?” he mumbled against my mouth.

I nodded my head. It never failed. My man always got the best of me. There was no doubt—I wouldn’t trade him for the world.

“Good. Because you deserve nothing but the best.” He removed his hand slowly.

I took a step back and opened my eyes, outright shocked. I was speechless. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Across the room, a sign lit up behind the counter, displaying, Hour Glass Photography in bright, cursive lettering. The walls were painted black with white trim and pink designs throughout. All of my props, cameras, tripods, and backdrops were neatly organized, giving the studio a homey feel. I turned around and faced the love of my life completely baffled.

“I can’t…” I covered my mouth as tears smothered my eyes. “I can’t believe you did this.”

Brax stepped forward with our daughter, hugging me close to his chest. “You deserve so much more, baby.” He kissed my forehead. “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” Was he joking? “I love it, B. Oh my, God!” I squealed with excitement.

 Wrapping my arms around his waist, I hugged his body tight. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve your love, but God, thank you. Thank you for being so good to me.”

Brax tipped his head forward, kissing me again then swatted my ass.

“Good. Now go look around. I ain’t got all night.”

My husbands, oh, so, famous words.

Taking photos wasn’t just a hobby—it was a dream. And now, thanks to my husband, I was able to live all three of my dreams at once; I was a mom, a wife, and a full-time photographer. I couldn’t have been happier.

<>Brax<>

My shop was located across from the Giant shopping center in Millsboro. When I bought the warehouse, I did a lot of work to make it suitable for my business. I turned the front half into an administrative area, making four offices and a waiting area for customers and business partners to relax and feel comfortable. The back of the warehouse held our supplies for jobs along with forklifts and other warehouse material stationed throughout.

Since the previous owner was someone my father catered for during the holiday season, I was cut a surprisingly good deal. One I could not have beat had I purchased from a random seller on the market.

With a lot of long hours busting my ass, I was proud of my success. Jump starting into a career today wasn’t always easy. Job production in the Delaware area was shit these days.

Since we were kids, my parents had saved money for my brothers, cousin, and I. They put fifty bucks each week in our individual banking accounts, giving Brody, Brayden, Brix, and I a good chunk of change to start off with after college. For Christmas and birthdays, they put more money in, surprising us with interest accumulating over the years.

The only stipulation to receiving the money was that we needed to finish school. If, for some reason, we dropped out and didn’t bother to further our education, the money would have been donated to a local charity of our choice.

I never told Jazz how much money I was expecting. I wanted it to be a surprise after the studio was completed. Just seeing my wife’s face light up was worth every dime invested. 

Chapter Four

Jazz

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Present
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Time flew by today faster than I had anticipated. I was able to schedule three new appointments and order a new lens while still managing to clean up the studio. Pam, my assistant, helped me organize the props, dust and clean the floors, and other miscellaneous things I had procrastinated on doing. Once we finished our tasks, I shut everything down for the day and locked up the studio behind us.

“Do you have any plans for the weekend, Pam?” Sounding the alarm, she walked with me across the parking lot.

“Gary was talking about going to dinner tonight, but that’s about it. I have a house that needs to be cleaned, so I think I’m pretty much set for the weekend,” she snickered. “Have fun at your dinner, honey. I bet you’re excited to see Brix. It’s been a while since he’s been home, hasn’t it?”

I unlocked my SUV and threw my bags in the trunk.

 “He’s been around but hasn’t really been himself. After having to do an extensive round of physical therapy after the surgery, the doctors are saying he may have to have another surgery to cut off the bad nerve running from his neck down to his elbow.”

“Ouch.” She wrinkled her forehead.  “That doesn’t sound good. So, is he out of the Marines now?”

“He was discharged after the surgery.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I think it’s for the best, personally. He’s been in a lot of pain too, so to help take his mind off things, I invited him and his girlfriend, Tanya, over for dinner tonight.”