The Rocker Who Betrays Me

I pulled back just enough to see her beautiful face. “Hey. Miss me today?”

“More than you will ever realize.” She lifted a hand to cup the left side of my face and I was surprised to see her fingers trembling. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Everything inside of me froze. The look in her eyes was full of a fear I didn’t understand mixed with worry and maybe a little bit of excitement. “Tell me,” I rasped out, terrified of what was going to leave that mouth I loved to kiss.

“I love you,” she breathed, making my heart stop for two full seconds before it started pounding against my ribs once more.

In the time we’d been back together, I’d told this woman every day how much I loved her, but she hadn’t once repeated those three little words. I’d been feeling the loss of them, but knew that I had to earn them back. Hearing them now, I felt like she was offering me the world on a silver platter. It was everything I’ve ever wanted wrapped up in her silky voice.

“I love you, too.” My voice was choked with emotion and my eyes stung with tears that I didn’t try to hold back. “I love you so damn much, A

She started to say something else but then looked down at the little box I’d placed in her hand. Her mouth snapped shut and she carefully pulled the little silver ribbon free before opening it.

Around us, everyone went completely silent. I didn’t even think the babies in the room were whining anymore as all eyes turned to A

That is, if she accepted this particular gold band with the five-carat princess-cut diamond that Mieke had helped me pick out earlier that week.

I watched A

I cleared my throat twice before I could get it to work so I could speak. “I’ve been losing my mind for the last month, baby. I don’t mean to rush you. I’ve promised you I’ll give you as long as you need and won’t stop until I’ve proven to you how much you mean to me. None of that has changed, and if you say no now, I’m not going to give up. Fuck, babe, I don’t ever want to let you go. Please, I love you so damn much. Will you marry me?”

“Z...” she breathed, shaking her head. It felt like a lead ball fell into the pit of my stomach, and I fought back a wave of despair and pain. Then she laughed, a happy almost bell-like sound that echoed throughout the room, and she threw her arms around me. “Yes, Z. Yes.”

I didn’t hear the cheers or the claps or even the congratulations as they filled the room from our friends and family. All I heard was her soft sob of yes as she buried her face in my chest and held onto me like I was her lifeline. I held onto her for several long minutes. No one dared to approach us as we soaked up that moment of pure joy.

After a while, A

“So talk,” I encouraged, wiping away her tears with my thumbs. Nothing she had to say could dim the high I had rushing through my veins right then. I had everything that I wanted, everything that I would cherish right there in my arms.

A

The words and their meaning hit me dead center in the chest, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe. When at last I was able to suck in a deep breath, I wrapped my arms around the woman I loved and swung her around twice, kissing her tear-salted lips as I laughed with a happiness that went soul deep. If I’d thought I couldn’t be any happier after having her say she would marry me, I was wrong.

If she was pregnant —and somehow I could almost feel that she was —I would be the happiest man who walked the Earth. I would get to watch her stomach grow with our child this time around. This time she wouldn’t have to go through a single second without me beside her. I would love our baby more than any father had ever loved his child.

That didn’t mean I would love Mieke any less. Nothing could ever make me love my daughter any less. She was the stars in my sky while her mother was my moon, both of them lighting up the darkness I’d been living in for most of my life. Another baby would only make our family complete.

“You’re happy?” A

I kissed the tip of her nose. “Happiest man in the world, A

Her face softened. “I love you too, Z.”

Playlist

“Outcast” by Shinedown

“State of my Head” by Shinedown

“Broken” by Seether (ft. Amy Lee)

“Let Me Go” by Avril Lavigne  (ft. Chad Kroeger)

“Breaking Inside” by Shinedown (ft. Lzzy Hale)

“If You Only Knew” by Shinedown

“Call Me” by Shinedown

“Like I’m Go

“Ashes Of Eden” by Breaking Benjamin

“Burn With Me” by Amaranthe

“Let It Go” by James Bay

“Fire N Gold” by Bea Miller

“Poison” by Rita Ora

“Say You Love Me” by Jessie Ware

“Let Your Tears Fall” by Kelly Clarkson

“Sorry” by Art of Dying

“What Sober Couldn’t Say” by Halestorm

“Last Regret” by Casey Donovan

MORE BY TERRI ANNE BROWNING

THE ROCKER SERIES

Book 1: The Rocker Who Holds Me

Book 2: The Rocker Who Savors Me

Book 3: The Rocker Who Needs Me

Book 4: The Rocker Who Loves Me

Book 5: The Rocker Who Holds Her

Book 6: The Rockers' Babies

Book 7: The Rocker Who Wants Me

Book 8: The Rocker Who Cherishes Me

Book 9: The Rocker Who Shatters Me

Book 10: The Rocker Who Hates Me

Book 11: The Rocker Who Betrays Me

THE ANGELS SERIES

Book 1: Angel's Halo

Book 2: Entangled

Book 3: Guardian Angel

THE LUCY AND HARRIS SERIES

Book 1: Catching Lucy

Reckless With Their Hearts

Reese: A Safe Haven Novella

You can follow Terri A

www.facebook.com/writerchic27

www.twitter.com/AuthorTERRIANNE

www.terria

Coming Soon!

The Rocker Series continues with its final book, Forever Rockers .

Now turn the page for exclusive sneak peeks into two awesome books.

Blood & Loyalties by Ryan Michele

Jag by Stevie J. Cole

B LOOD & L OYALTIES

By

Ryan Michele

C HAPTER 1— C ATARINA