Surrendering (Surrender 1)

“Did you get knocked out?”

“No, Gabe’s playing this hand for me. I needed to talk to you. I’m so sorry about the weekend. I swear I’ll make it up to you next weekend in Atlanta. Maybe I can get us a room at the Ritz Carlton.”

“Declan, stop it. No one knew this was going to happen and I bet my dad is just being over-the-top. You’re not getting us a room at the Ritz because I want to stay with the whole crew and your sisters are coming. I like the plan for Saturday night and I only have one regret about the whole thing.”

“What’s that?”

I crawl over my bed to him and straddle his lap. “Since Will has to hang the whole weekend, we won’t have a lot of privacy Saturday after the show. I had hoped we could go back to your place and spend the entire Sunday alone and in bed.”

“Sparkle, you can’t talk to me like that when I have to go back into the living room with those guys. The images in my mind are X-rated. And I can promise you, we’ll get that chance soon. We can drag out your birthday until I feel you have fully been given everything you want.”

“Umm, I like that idea. This weekend with you and the band. Next weekend, Atlanta. Then the following weekend, we can conclude the celebration.”

He leans down and kisses me deep. I roll over pulling him on top of me. I want him to come to bed and let Gabe finish his game. Before I can say anything, my door flies open.

“Are you kidding me? That’s twice in one day. Can’t you two refrain for a couple of hours?” Abbi interrupts us.

“Abbi, the door was closed. You could have knocked. But to answer your question, yes, we have refrained for the last several hours.” I laugh at her as Declan moves off me.

The bulge in his pants is obvious and I give him a look to let him know. He curses under his breath and goes to my bathroom.

“You invited us for a movie so we came. How did I know my brother was in here? Last I knew, he was playing poker. So here we are. Where’s Gabe?”

“Gabe’s sitting in for Declan for a sec. He wanted to come back here and apologize about Saturday night. The rest was just my good fortune.”

They crawl up on my bed and Declan walks out of the bathroom.

“Babe, obviously we’re staying here tonight. I’ll be back later.” He kisses my cheek.

“I hope you win.”

“Knowing you are fifteen feet away in bed gives me incentive either way.”

A few minutes later, Gabe comes in and starts The Hangover. We can hear the constant cheers and groans coming from the living room, but I still fall asleep in the middle of the movie.

Chapter 30

Birthday Weekend

I’m actually pretty impressed with myself. I’m ready to go with five minutes to spare even though our shopping had taken longer than planned. Abbi decided we needed new outfits for the show tonight since we’d probably see a lot of people home for the holidays; she wants to look ‘hot’. I have the impression she wants to impress a certain someone, but she doesn’t want anyone to know.

Will was a good sport with all the shopping at first, but by the fourth store, he demanded we ‘find our shit’ and head back. Lucky for him, I had already found the perfect top and Abbi had found the shoes she was searching for.

We stopped for a late lunch/early dinner and then headed home to get ready for The Steamroom.

Declan had left around noon to go home and head to the bar early. They were expecting full capacity tonight and he wanted to make sure we had a reserved table and backdoor access to the band room. He wanted us there by 7:45 to avoid the crowds. I heard him tell Will that he was going to ask Mark to watch our table as well.

Since there was a good chance I’d be meeting some of the Collins’ old friends and my birthday hit at midnight, I wanted to dress up. I choose a pair of black skinny jeans with my knee-high boots and an emerald green wrap around with three-quarters length sleeves. The shirt is the exact color of Declan’s eyes; it cuts low, but has a hidden snap right above the breast line to keep it closed. My hair is falling in long loose curls down my back. I spray on my Marc Jacobs oh Lola and head to meet the group.

“Whoa Nelly! You look HAWT!” Ella screams when I get to the kitchen. She’s pouring us each a drink.

“You too! I love that dress!” She’s wearing a navy blue jersey knit dress with nude peek toe pumps.

Abbi walks in and I whistle. “Smokin’ hot. You look incredible. Jimi’s going to go crazy.” She’s in a black dress with red strappy heels. Her hair is pulled back with a few loose strands framing her face.

“You really think so? Wait, why do you think I dressed up for Jimi?”

“Oh come on, Abbi. You two aren’t fooling anyone. It’s obvious that you two are dancing around each other. He looks at you the same way you look at him. I think this is a good thing.”