That had made me smile.
When Tom had gotten off the phone, he’d told me that both Jake and Denny had been on him during the two weeks we were apart. Apparently, they had gotten sick of his mopey, unshowered, and moody ass, and they’d told him to get his fucking act together, and apologize to me, and then beg me to take his sorry ass back.
With me now being Tom’s girlfriend, Jake had invited me to the wedding.
So, we had flown over to England, and I just got to see the most romantic wedding ever.
Now, we’re just finishing up listening to the speeches after eating an amazing dinner.
Jake takes his seat after finishing off his speech, and now, we’re all clapping and cheering, raising our glasses to toast the happy couple.
Tom has his arm slung around the back of my chair, his fingers playing with my hair, while he catcalls Jake for being sappy. Although he is teasing, I can see Tom’s eyes are shining.
I lean over and whisper in his ear, “Tom Carter, are you about to cry?”
He stares at me in horror. “Of course I’m not gonna fucking cry. Um…all male here.” He emphasizes by thumping his hand against his chest. “I don’t cry.”
I know that’s not true. A week ago, I’d held Tom while he cried in my arms after he told me about his dad. But I won’t remind him of that. I’ll leave him with his man pride intact.
“He cried at Forrest Gump,” Denny says, leaning across the table from his seat next to Tom. “We watched it one night back when we were in college, and he cried like a fucking baby at that part when Lieutenant Dan turns up at Forrest’s wedding. Magic Legs,” Denny says in a Forrest Gump voice. “I called Tom Magic Legs for about a year after that.” He chuckles.
“What the fuck, dude?” Tom hisses. “I can’t believe you just told her that.” He turns to me. “Ly, I was drunk, and it was a really fucking sad part in the movie. I didn’t cry like a baby, like fucknut here is saying. I might have shed, maybe, one minuscule tear. But that was it. Asshole here called me Magic Legs ’cause I’m an awesome dancer.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Magic Legs.” Den looks at me again. “Cried like a baby,” he reiterates, grinning. He runs his fingers under his eyes, catching pretend tears.
I start laughing, but I clamp my hand over my mouth when Tom gives me a death stare.
“Can’t believe you cried at Forrest Gump, man,” Smith says, shaking his head at Tom.
Smith is TMS’s lead guitarist. He took Jonny’s place in the band when they started recording again. And seriously, I’d never tell Tom this, but holy wow, he’s seriously hot. He’s wife, Carly, is really gorgeous too.
Tom flips Smith off before taking a swig of his beer. “Whatever,” Tom says, turning to Denny. “You’re no better. Hey, Simone, did Den tell you that he cried like a little bitch when we were watching Beyoncé sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Obama’s inauguration?”
Simone is Denny’s fiancée, and Tru’s best friend. She’s really pretty and so sweet. She’s really made an effort to make me feel welcome and part of the group.
Denny gives him the middle finger. “Thanks for that, assface.”
“You’re welcome.” Standing up, Tom gives a half-bow. Then, he sits back down.
Simone laughs. “Don’t worry, babe. I still love you even if you are a dork.” She leans over and gives Denny a peck on the lips.
“Smith cried when we got married,” Carly, shares.
“Jesus, babe.” Smith gives her a look.
She just shrugs, smiling.
“I think crying on your wedding day is sweet,” Simone says.
Denny stares at her. “Don’t expect me to cry on our wedding day.”
Tom leans forward. “Simone, the second you say I do, he’ll be The Star-Spangled Banner all over again, trust me.”
He winks, and Simone giggles.
Denny lifts his hands in defeat. “Fine, whatever. I’m man enough to admit that I cried while hearing Beyoncé kill our national anthem. It was a bad experience for me. Fucking horrible. I still have nightmares about it now.” He fake shudders.
“True,” Tom agrees, nodding. “Seriously, what was up with that? But then, she did totally make up for it when she sang it again live for the press.”
Simone and I look at each other and bust out laughing.
“Jay-Z is one lucky bastard,” Tom muses. “Really, who cares how she sounded? She’s seriously hot. I pretty much spent the whole time looking at her—”
“Um…hello?” I stare at him, returning the death stare I received moments earlier. “Lyla Summers. Your girlfriend. You remember me?”
“Like I could ever forget you.” He grins down at me, and he presses a kiss to my pursed lips. “Don’t worry. Just an observation, babe. Window-shopping is not a crime. As long as no purchase is made, it’s all good.”
“Right…” I graze my teeth over my bottom lip. “So, you won’t mind if I do some window-shopping then?” I cast a glance around. “Because I’m seeing some seriously hot British men here that I could spend hours window-shopping over.”
“Okay. Enough.” He takes hold of my chin, turning my head back to his. “Let’s not get carried away here. Rules have changed. As of now, we only window-shop each other. Deal?”
“Dealio.” I smirk, knowing I won that round.
He leans in and presses another soft kiss to my lips.
“Ugh, can’t you leave the poor girl alone, Tom Cat?” I turn to see Stuart pulling up a chair beside me.
“Jealous?” Tom smirks at him.
“You wish,” Stuart bites.
“What?” Tom cups his ear. “You’re saying, you wish you could have my meat? Sorry, dude, but I’m off the market now, and sausage never was my thing anyway.”
“Yeah, how did that happen exactly? And I don’t mean the meat, but you off the market?” Stuart looks at me. “Seriously, I need to hear this story. How did a great girl like you end up with our Tom ‘Cat’ ‘Rub the Lamp’ Carter?” He gives me a look of total bewilderment.
“Stuart’s just jealous ’cause he never got to rub the lamp,” Tom says, putting his arm back around my chair.
“You’ve seen the tattoo, right?” Stuart asks me. He winks, letting me know he’s teasing Tom.
“I’ve seen the tattoo.” I nod before sipping my wine.
“And you still want him?”
I cast a glance at Tom and then look back to Stuart. “Yeah, I do.” I smile.
“And that’s because my girl is the smartest girl in the world.” Tom’s arm comes around my neck, pulling me close, and then he presses his lips to my temple.
I love it when he calls me my girl’.
“Oh God, now, he’s doing random acts of PDA. I feel vomit rising. Seriously, Tom, if you get down on one knee, I’m outta here.”
“Um, no proposing today. I’ve got Tom down for being with Lyla for a year before he pulls out the ring. Tom proposes to Lyla within the year, and I’m down five thousand bucks.”
My head whips around to Denny.
“Jake and I made a bet,” Denny tells me at my questioning stare.
Um…what the hell?
“Yeah, I bet up to a year…but now, I’m thinking six months max, and Tom Cat will be getting down on one knee.” I hear Jake’s voice, and look up to see him and Tru standing at our table.
They look ridiculously beautiful together. Perfect.
“Why aren’t I in on this bet?” Stuart asks Jake.
“You want in?” Den asks.
“You know I do.” Stuart laughs.
“Yeah, count me in,” Smith says.
“Seriously, what the fuck? What is it with people betting on me recently?” Tom exclaims.
He gives me a look, reminding me of the bet I made with Sonny. The bet I made as an excuse because I was jealous over seeing Tom with another woman.
It takes me a minute to realize that Tom’s not freaking out over the mention of marriage with me. It’s surprising, bu
t nice to know that marriage could be a possibility down the line for us.
Way, way off in the future.
“Tru, you remember Lyla?” Jake says, gesturing to me.
“Of course I do.” She smiles. She moves around the table and walks with an effortless grace, considering she’s in heels on grass. She leans down and kisses my cheek. “Thanks so much for coming out to our wedding.”
“Thanks for having me here.” I smile. “It was a beautiful service.”
“All on Jake. I can’t take any credit for it.” She gazes at him lovingly.
Tom’s arm comes around my shoulder while he continues to talk to the guys.
I see Tru’s eyes follow his movement. Then, she looks at Tom. Catching his eye, she gives him a playful grin.
“Not a fucking word, Bennett.” He points at her.
Still smiling, she corrects him, “Wethers now.”
“Damn fucking right you’re a Wethers,” Jake says, pulling up two chairs for them.
He lets her sit first. She sits by Simone, and Jake sits next to her.
“And I wasn’t going to say a word,” Tru continues to Tom. “I was just going to say that it’s good to see you happy.”
“Should I be worried that she’s not giving me shit?” Tom asks Jake.
“Nah.” He puts his arm around Tru, bringing her close to his side. “She’s feeling sentimental today. Right, baby?”
“Right.” She smiles up into his face.
I can see the love between them, like it’s a living, breathing thing.
It’s wonderful to see.
Tru looks over at Tom, a smile edging her lips. “Give me until tomorrow, Tom, and we’ll be back to our bickering selves.”
“Thank fuck for that.” Tom laughs, running a hand through his hair. “You were starting to scare me for a moment there. But as we’re being nice today, I want to say that you look really beautiful, Tru.”
“Thank you, Tom.”
“Okay, enough!” Stuart’s hand goes up. “Tom, you’re freaking me the fuck out. Acts of PDA, telling Tru she looks beautiful? Seriously I’m not used to all this niceness. It’s too much, too soon. Can someone just hurl some abuse at me or Tom just so I can feel normal again?”
“Calm the fuck down, Powder Puff. You know I’ll never be nice to you.” Tom smirks at him.
“And the world is right again.” Stuarts places his hand dramatically against his chest, setting us all off laughing.
Calvin Harris’s “I Need Your Love” starts to play. I love this song. It’s such an infectious tune.
Turning my head, I see the makeshift dance floor start to fill. Tru’s mom, Eva, and her dad, Billy, are on there. Eva has Tru and Jake’s son, JJ, in her arms. As Eva gently sways with JJ, Billy throws out some interesting dance moves. Eva throws her head back, laughing at him. I smile at them both.
“I need your love,” I whisper-sing along with the lyrics.
Tom leans close and says in my ear, “You wanna ditch these losers and dance with me?”
“Sure I do.”
He takes me by the hand, and I let him lead me onto the makeshift dance floor.
When we move past Billy, who’s still going at it, he pats Tom on the back. Tom smiles at him and then pulls me close, wrapping his arms around me. He starts to move us to the music. He’s a surprisingly good dancer.
“So, you really are Magic Legs.” I grin up at him.
“I told you. I dance as well as I fuck.”
“Can’t argue with that.” Inching onto my toes, I brush my lips against his.
“Ly,” he murmurs. “I’ve been thinking about something…something I wanted to ask you.”
“Okay. Just checking here, but you’re not gonna get down on one knee and have Jake win his bet, are you? Because I love you and all, but we’ve only been together for a week,” I tease.
“Technically, nine weeks, if you include the tour and my fuck-up fortnight.” He smiles at me. “And don’t worry, Firecracker. The only reason I’ll be getting down on my knees in front of you tonight is to bury my face between your hot thighs.” His fingers dance over my ass.
I shudder against him, my panties instantly soaking. I love it when he’s so direct about sex.
“You’re wet,” he whispers in my ear, knowing full well that I am.
He knows what his words do to me.
“Yes,” I breathe.
I’m wet and so ready to have him inside me that it’s not even funny.
“You wanna find a dark corner and have a quickie?” I bite my lip suggestively.
His eyes darken. “Like I would ever turn you down for sex…but before we disappear to that dark corner, there’s that something I need to ask you…”
“Oh, yeah, sure…go ahead.” I stare up into his eyes.
He suddenly looks unsure, nervous. It makes me a little nervous as to what he needs to ask me.
“Well, I’ve been thinking…seeing you this past week, working toward forgiving Dex after what he did to you and the way you forgave me when I fucked up. You’re an amazing person, Lyla. And it’s got me thinking. Maybe I need some closure in my past. I’m not saying I can ever forgive my mother…but it’s been eleven years. I was thinking maybe it’s time I go see her. Talk to her.”
I put my arms around his neck. “I think that’s a really good idea.”
“Okay. And I wanted to ask if you’d come with me?”
“Of course I’ll come with you.”
He exhales. “Okay, good. While we’re on the fix-it road, do you want to go see Rally at all? I’m guessing he knows we’re together…and he’ll be having a shit fit,” Tom muses, his face turning into a grin.
“He’ll definitely be having a shit fit, but”—I shake my head—“I don’t care. And I don’t need to see him or talk to him. There’s nothing to fix with Rally. We didn’t fall out. We just didn’t communicate, and that was his doing. He was never there. He let me down my whole life. I’m not gonna chase after a man who doesn’t want me in his life.”
Tom’s expression changes, and he holds me closer, pressing his lips to mine. “I want you in my life all the time. I love you,” he murmurs over my mouth. “And all this…” He gestures around at the wedding party going on around us. “I know the guys were joking before about us getting married, and it’s definitely too soon…”
He emphasizes with his eyes. And I nod, agreeing.
“But I do know that the day I decide I want to get married…you’ll be the girl I’ll be asking.”
The emotion I feel at his words momentarily overwhelms me. My eyes glittering, I say, “I guess we have a lot of amazing things to look forward to together.”
“We do.” He smiles. “There are a lot of things I want to do with you, Firecracker.” His smile transforms into a mischievously sexy grin. “Starting with that quickie in the dark corner.” He grabs me by the hand.
Laughing, I let Tom drag me away, quickly looking around to make sure nobody witnesses us sneaking off.
I stare at him as he leads me into Tru and Jake’s house.
My heart is so full of love for Tom.
A love I never thought I’d be able to feel—let alone, feel it for Tom Carter.
It’s funny how the one person I thought I would never be with in a million years turned out to be the one I was looking for all along.
Who would have thought it? The untamable Tom Carter, and me, Lyla Summers, the one who tamed him.
Or what I should probably say is, the untamable Tom Carter who tamed his ways for me.
Acknowledgments
Ending The Storm Series has been a real toughie for me. The TMS family has been a big part of my life for a long time now, so letting them go has been difficult. A lot of tears have been shed, a lot of wine drank, and countless tubs of Ben & Jerry's devoured to get me through it.
As always, there are people to thank for putting up with my crazy, but the first always has to be my husband, Craig. He's the one who listens to me when I
talk about the characters in my head, and he doesn't look at me like I'm crazy when I speak of them as if they're real. He listens to my 3 a.m. meltdowns because I can't figure out the next scene in my book. He's a total gem. He's my very own BBF.
My children, who let Mummy spend time with her books—I love you beyond time and space, to infinity and beyond.
My girl, Sali Benbow-Powers—I could ramble on about how much I adore and appreciate you. Instead, I just have two words for you—Bom Sex!
Trish Brinkley—You brighten my days. I can't wait to squeeze you in July! I heart you a million.
A big thank you to Christine Estevez—Girl, you are a one-woman dynamo!
My amazingly supportive agent, Kimberly Whalen—As always, thank you for everything you do.
I want to thank my editor, Jovana Shirley (Unforeseen Editing), for doing an amazing job. With your help, TTS became everything I wanted it to be and more. Also, sending a big thank you to Najla Qamber Designs for creating TTS's beautiful cover.
To all the bloggers who work tirelessly to help our books reach new readers—My appreciation to you is never-ending.
And to you, my readers—the ones I converse with online, the ones I've met, the ones I haven't—I'm sending you the biggest thank you of all.
Samantha Towle is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She began her first novel in 2008 while on maternity leave. She completed the manuscript five months later and hasn't stopped writing since.
She is the author of contemporary romances, The Mighty Storm, Wethering the Storm, and Trouble. She has also written paranormal romances, The Bringer and The Alexandra Jones Series, all penned to tunes of The Killers, Kings of Leon, Adele, The Doors, Oasis, Fleetwood Mac, Lana Del Rey, and more of her favorite musicians.
A native of Hull and a graduate of Salford University, she lives with her husband, Craig, in East Yorkshire with their son and daughter.