What's Holly going to do??
~Slade’s Point of View~ The temptation to leave my office camera on while Holly met with the guys was overwhelming. But I didn’t do it. I had to accept I couldn’t control everything all the time and it went without saying that the guys knew how important this was to me. They were part of the key to getting Holly back in my life. They all knew the stakes. This had to go well, no … great. Perfectly. She had to want this life again because they all come along with it. It most definitely isn’t just me she’s coming back to. We’ve all always been a package deal. One of the calls I’d made this morning just brought by a gift I’d had made. I had to make a grand gesture, I just had to. But it had to be more than just that. I'd also been on the phone while Holly was busy, and I couldn't wait for the next couple of days. Though giving Angie my credit card gave me a mild stroke, I knew it would be worth it. By the time Holly and Lukas emerged from my office it was all set up. But first we ne
~Holly’s Point of View~ Even though I was desperate to sleep, Slade and I made love for an hour last night before finally going into a coma. I was in so deep, so far down the Slade Norris path it was pretty clear there was no turning back. And the way he looked at me only showed he was long gone. Way past gone. He wouldn’t tell me what he had planned today but when we found ourselves outside of the LA baseball stadium with the boys, I knew damn well what he was doing. He had to have some big plan, he wouldn’t be Slade otherwise. “Mom get a picture,” Chase shouted. He grabbed his cousin in a headlock and they both smiled huge. Ruby and I took a ton of pictures with them in front of some signs. “Hey you kids wanna come in,” I heard, as we all turned. There was a man standing at what appeared to be a side door. He looked rough, covered in tattoos, but he had a nice smile. Before any of the responsible grown-ups could respond the boys were already running toward him. I immediately
~Slade’s Point of View~ “You’re really not gonna say what we’re doing Mr. Norris,” I heard, as I looked down at Dylan. He was the spitting image of his father, who looked just like the picture I’d seen of Gene at the garage. Clearly the DNA runs strong for the Pendletons. He was also polite as hell. Nothing like all my friends were at that age. As Dylan and now Chase waited for me to respond, the flutter of helicopter blades became clear. Both boys started to talk about how cool it was, whereas my brothers damn well knew … it was for us. Cause they know that’s how I do things. Sure enough when it began to land in the field in front of us, everyone picked up on the fact that it was our ride. “Slade!!! Shit bro! I’m ready for an adventure,” Corey said, slapping me on the back. I smiled as everyone got super pumped while we waited to load. What was the point in having money if you didn’t spend it on experiences with your friends and family? It was my thing and it brought me so muc
~Slade Point of View~ The guys all headed into the restaurant to meet the ladies, and I sat on the bus staring at my phone. There was one call I needed to make, I’d been dreading it. But it was time, I couldn’t put it off anymore. RING RING RING “Darling! Are you still freezing to death,” mom asked, laughing. “Hey mom. No, I'm in LA. But uhm, I’m not alone and that’s why I’m calling actually,” I said, practically holding my breath. I was far closer to my parents than my brothers were, my mom and I were especially tight. She loved the band and their antics, for the most part. If they weren’t trashing her house anyhow. However, she thought it was a riot when they trashed mine. “Like … a female friend? More than a friend…” she asked, clearly excited. There had been a few women over the years I’d introduced to my parents but none that I’d ever called my girlfriend. None whose parents I met. Mine just happened to be around for events or different things. My dad was still the CEO of h
~Holly’s Point of View~ After dinner, we lazed around the house, and I hoped for a quiet night. Chase and Dylan of course were more than happy to soak up the hotel pool while the Pendletons sat on the phone talking to a realtor and plotting a million other things. They were dead serious about moving. So much so that they were bothering people on New Year’s Eve. That pretty much left me as the big decision maker. What I ultimately decided would be the way of things. And now I had two families waiting on me to make up my damn mind. A part of me truly wondered how I could go home. Back to a quiet house. A house with so much of my past … that I wasn’t sure held any of my future. If you’d asked me a month ago if I’d ever leave it, ever consider selling my parents’ house I’d have thought you were high. But now, it suddenly doesn’t seem so weird.I texted Chase to see if I could take him to breakfast … where to, I had no idea. But Slade had a driver on demand more or less, I was certain
~Holly’s Point of View~ “I gave the driver a couple options, you can let Chase pick, they’re all close to the hotel,” Slade said, kissing my neck as I finished my hair. The plan had been to take him to breakfast but apparently they all stayed up the whole night at a party the hotel threw. Ruby insisted the boys didn’t sneak any drinks but after speaking to him on the phone I wasn’t totally sure. I knew a hangover when I heard it. Yeah I was sneaking liquor out of my dad’s cabinet when I was his age but Chase was nothing like I was, he was responsible. So I needed to believe. I looked at my phone and it read almost 4pm. DING DONG “You expecting someone,” I asked, putting down my flat iron and unplugging it. He had already told me the driver would probably just beep when he was outside. “Ohh, yeah,” he said, jumping up like something was nipping at his heels. Me being me, I had to follow. It was a messenger, with a suitcase tied to his arm by a handcuff. “Ohh shit,” I whis
~Chase’s Point of View~ When mom stopped mid sentence her face looked freakin’ terrified. I saw a man behind her I didn’t recognize and immediately tensed. “Hey honey, sorry I was late,” I heard, and blinked to see the driver, moving to wrap his arm around mom. It happened so fast I barely registered it, but the driver stepped between mom and the guy and punched him in the face. He shot out his arm and jerked it straight up with his fist balled. It was like a total Chuck Norris move, and he knocked the guy to the ground. I grabbed mom’s wrist as everyone screamed and moved back. A gun went flying and I pushed my mom behind me, not even realizing I was doing it. The driver had his own gun drawn as he kicked the guy hard in his side. Suddenly everyone had their phones out, recording it. “Someone call the cops,” I shouted, pissed off. Really?? They’re all just going to record it but do nothing to help?? “Mom, give me your phone,” I snapped, turning around. “I’m… I got it,” she
~Slade’s Point of View~ “Why won’t she talk to me,” I barked to Goldie, as we stepped inside. “She thinks it’s because of the ring and it probably was, he saw the ring and figured she was loaded,” he said. I ran my hand through my hair and grunted. Fuck. “I was right there just as soon as he got close to her, but who would have thought someone would be dumb enough to rob someone on a crowded sidewalk,” he said, scoffing. They don’t care if they think they can make some money. Anybody can be robbed anywhere. I immediately felt sick, terrified she would leave me. She’d say she can’t live like this, in this world. Fuck it, I’d sell this house and move into a small apartment in a heartbeat if it meant keeping her by my side. The money doesn’t mean a damn thing to me if it means losing her. Nothing means anything to me if she’s not by my side. My mind flashed to how many times we’d made love this week, unprotected. I said a quick silent prayer about that, maybe it was selfish. But