Read Surprised By You (The By You Series) Online
Authors: Kelly Harper
Surprised By You (The By You Series) (5 page)
“Serves him right, taunting you like that while you were helpless.” She gives me a devious, little grin. “I have to admit, it was a little funny seeing you like that. I don’t think I could have ever imagined seeing my favorite cousin, Maggie, behind bars!”
A little laugh escapes me. “Yeah, you better watch out, now I’m a hardened criminal.”
The laughter dies away as I turn back to the burned cake. I nudge it with my finger. It’s as hard as rock.
“I guess I really made a mess of everything today. So much for being an awesome girlfriend.”
Sarah moves closer to me and rubs my back.
“Your heart was in the right place, and that’s what’s important. Haden’s a good guy, and he’s lucky to have you.”
“I just wanted to do something special. But instead, I have to figure out how to tell him that I lost his favorite guitar and then managed to end up behind bars.”
Sarah lets out a warm laugh and beams up at me.
“It’s not all
that
bad. I tell you what, let’s go get a late dinner, on me. We can still make some good memories tonight, and you can put all this crap behind you.”
I shake my head.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. I just want to go back to the bus, curl up on the bed, and wait for Haden to get back. If he’s not there waiting for me, already.”
She lets out a soft breath and nods her understanding.
“Keep your head up. You’ll start feeling better soon.”
“I hope so.”
“I’m sure of it.” She grins at me.
I wish I could share her enthusiasm. It’s nearly impossible to get my little cousin down. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her sad or depressed a single day in my entire life.
“What are you going to do?” I ask, as we make our way out of the tent.
“Billie’s somewhere down on Bourbon Street. I’m probably just going to go meet up with her and try to keep her out of trouble.”
“That sounds like a good time. Have some extra fun for me.”
“I will.”
We wish each other well before we part ways. A part of me wonders about the life I could have had if I’d gone off to college like I had originally planned. But then I couldn’t imagine my life without Haden in it. Ever since we’d first met he’d been the rock that had seen me through the hardest of times. And now, when all I wanted to do was something nice for him, I had to go and mess it all up.
The lights in the bus are off when I get back to it. Just as I’m opening the lock to push the door open, a familiar voice calls out to me.
“Maggie! There you are!”
I turn to see Bartlett cruising up on a golf cart, its tiny motor is whirring as he stops next to me.
“I’ve been looking all over for you.” His voice is rushed and his breathing is heavy.
“What is it?” My pulse races at the thought that something is wrong. My mind goes to Haden and I instantly think the worst.
“Haden sent me. He needs you.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
He frowns at me.
“Nothing’s
wrong
. The
Rolling Stone
people are having some kind of after party and he wants you there. He sent me to track you down.”
I let out a soft breath, finally able to breathe again.
“I’m really not in the mood to go to some party…”
“It seemed like a pretty big deal to him. He’s been looking forward to seeing you all day.”
My heart pulses at the thought of Haden talking about me all day. I’ve wanted nothing more than to spend time with him, too. Maybe going to the party wouldn’t be such a bad thing? After the day I’ve already had I don’t think there’s anything else I can’t handle. Especially if it means spending time with the guy I’ve been thinking about all day. Maybe afterwards I’ll even be able to sneak a little alone time in with him as well.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!”
We pull up to the front of a restaurant in the French Quarter and Bartlett drops me off. The narrow streets of the Quarter are just as packed with people as I thought they would be, but the restaurant looks elegant from the outside.
Stepping in, the first thing I see is a sign announcing that the
Rolling Stone
party is back in the VIP area, with an arrow pointing down a hallway. There’s a hostess behind the front counter smiling at me.
“I’m here for the party,” I say, gesturing toward the sign.
She tilts her head. “You must be Maggie.”
I give her a puzzled look.
“How did you know that?”
Her smile widens.
“I was told to look for the Fire Haired Angel that would be showing up soon…” her eyes dart up to my bright red hair. “…so, I took a guess.”
Haden must have given her my description so she would know to let me into the VIP area.
“Right this way,” she says, walking around the counter.
I follow her down a narrow hallway toward the VIP room. The hallway turns to the left, and I can hear the loud, raucous sounds of a party echoing from down the way, but the hostess leads me in a different direction. She opens a door on the opposite wall, and begins climbing a narrow set of stairs.
“I think I’m supposed to go back there,” I say, pointing back the other way.
She smiles down at me. “No ma’am, your table is right this way.”
Even more puzzled, I follow her up the stairs. They’re wooden and they creak. When we get to the top, she holds another door open and gestures me through.
“Enjoy your meal,” she says, as I step out onto the roof. I turn to give her one more confused look, but she’s already disappeared back down the stairs.
Stars shine bright through a tiny clearing in the clouds, giving ample light to see what’s around me. The sounds of partying echo up from the street below, but everything on the rooftop is quiet and peaceful. The roof extends even farther upward on my left, creating a little path that winds its way forward. I follow the path, stepping nervously, until I round a corner up ahead.
My breath hitches in my chest when I see what’s just around that little bend.
Laid out in front of me is the most romantic setting I’ve ever seen. A table is setup with candles flickering on it. A silver champagne bucket sits on a stand with a bottle nestled inside. Flanking either side of the table, standing and watching me with smiles on their faces, are Sarah and Haden. Sitting between them is the guitar I thought I would never see again—Haden’s National Estralita Deluxe.
Sarah’s smile spreads even wider when our eyes connect, and she bounds up to me.
“Please don’t be mad at me,” she says, beaming up at me.
I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”
She’s holding something and she hands it to me. It’s the security pass I thought I’d left at the guitar shop. I stare at it, confused, before my gaze returns to her.
“It was all Haden’s idea. He put me up to it as soon as he found out I was coming to the Festival.”
“You sabotaged me?” I say, dumbly.
She waggles her cell phone in front of me.
“Billie doesn’t actually have a cell phone. She’s weird like that.” She gives me a bashful look. “He told me to keep you busy. He didn’t want
you
to ruin
his
surprise.”
I give her a wide-eyed, disbelieving stare. My mind is still trying to piece everything together.
“You had this the whole time?” I hold up the pass. “You had this the whole time and you still let me get taken off to prison?”
Sarah laughs like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever heard.
“It was just lockup, not a Federal penitentiary.” She gives me a big grin, then shrugs a shoulder. “Besides, I kinda liked his surprise more than I liked yours.”
“But, you…”
She grabs me by the shoulders, fixing me with a serious look.
“I love you, too.” She gives me a quick peck on the cheek, then tilts her head toward Haden. “Now go have a night to remember. He loves you, and you deserve it.”
And with that she bounds away, leaving just Haden and me on the rooftop. He’s wearing the tight, dark jeans I love so much, and a red shirt with a tribal pattern on it. I walk up to him, trying to take in the whole romantic setting in front of me. When I’m close enough, he wraps his huge arms around me.
“You knew all along?” I say, gazing up at him.
He tilts his head, a few strands of his long hair fall forward as he does.
“Well, the guitar part surprised me, but Sarah tipped me off. I had one of the roadies pick it up.”
A roadie. Not a trucker. But basically the same thing.
“And you know about the police station?”
He nods once.
“I know about everything.”
My thoughts race to what happened with Kyle, and he gives me a knowing look. He’s always been able to read my mind.
“
Everything
,” he repeats. “But I don’t want to talk about any of that right now.”
“Is that so?” I say, pressing myself into his hard frame. “So what do you want to do?”
His fiery green eyes burn like bright embers.
“I want to enjoy this romantic dinner with my love. And then I want to drag her back to the Honeymoon Suite I got us and have my way with her all night long.”
His hands slide up my back as he pulls me into a deep kiss. My insides lurch at the thought of having him in a hotel room all to myself for the night. We’ve been on the road so much lately that I can’t remember the last time we slept in a nice, comfortable bed.
When we break apart I give him another long gaze. A tiny smile turns up the corners of my lips, it doesn’t even begin to compare to the excitement buzzing through my chest.
“Do something for me, first?” I say. His eyebrows rise, curiously. I tilt my head toward the guitar. “Play me a song.”
A smile flashes across his face.
“I think I can manage that.” He picks up the guitar and props it on his knee as he sits down. “Any requests?”
“Our Song,” I say, without hesitation.
He grins.
“Our Song, it is.”
Butterflies erupt in my stomach when his fingers begin moving along the fret board. His playing is as hauntingly beautiful as always when it’s just the two of us. I’ve seen him perform enough times to know that he plays differently when we’re alone. I don’t know how to describe it other than to say that he plays in a special way, a way meant just for me. The focused look on his face always sends my heart racing.
Our Song is beautiful. It reminds me of all the reasons that I love Haden Cooper—not that I need any reminding. It reminds me that, even when the Universe throws me the craziest of days, even those days when I wish I would have just stayed in bed, I always have Haden there to be my rock. He’s never let me down, and I can’t imagine a time that he ever would.
What more can a girl ask for?
Dear Universe,
I take back what I said before about hating you. Maybe you know what you’re doing, after all.
Stay cool,
Maggie
PS, Kyle is still an asshole. Do something about it.
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Books by Kelly Harper
The Professor Series
The By You Series
Surprised By You
The Power Play Series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Like for many, my life didn’t really begin until my 30th birthday. That was when I decided I was done with the corporate ladder and was going to start publishing some of my stories to see if people liked them. Fast forward a couple of years, and I’m still amazed that I’m able to spend my time doing something I’ve loved doing since I was a little kid.
Most of my free time is spent working in front of the computer at various coffee shops around Houston. But when I’m not working on my next book, I’m probably sitting in front of the TV with my eyes glued to whatever Netflix show I’m currently binge watching. Do we really have to wait this long for the next season of Orange Is The New Black?!
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