Evan stands next. “I am thankful for the life Sienna is growing inside of her. I am thankful for the love she shows me every day, and I am thankful that I found her.”
Aw. That’s sweet. And I can see the love radiating from Sienna as she looks up at her rock star love. When he sits down, she kisses him like crazy, making the table erupt.
We listen as the rest of the guys say what they are thankful for. Finn gets up and says he’s thankful for Jackson surviving, which makes his mom teary-eyed. Christian said he was thankful for Vanessa and everything that she does for the band. Axel got up and said how thankful he was that the boys wanted to take this next step in their careers. Oscar was thankful for his sister and family. Who knew Ragnar could be a little pussy cat? Then it came time for Chance and my heart stopped. I knew he would never say he was thankful for me, but a tiny bit of me hoped that he would come out and tell the world that we were kind of together. Instead, he said how thankful he was for his bandmates and Dirty Texas for having faith in them, basically reiterating what the others said. I was so stupid to think he would say anything else, to think he would acknowledge what we have.
And now it’s my turn. I stand up and clear my throat as I look at all the people sitting around these large tables, I truly am thankful for everyone who is sitting at this table. “I am thankful for Finn and Evan’s hot-as-hell brothers,” I say, giving them a wink, which has everyone bursting out laughing. “I’m thankful for Dirty Texas. You guys have changed my life. You’ve welcomed me into your lives with reluctant open arms.” This makes them chuckle. “You’ve made me feel like I’m part of your family, something I’ve never truly felt before. There’s a saying I read that says,‘Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs. The ones that accept you for who you are.’And you all have. So, thank you,” I say as I raisemy beer up to them, trying not to be an emotional bitch. “I’m thankful for Vanessa, whose crazy idea it was for us to come join Dirty Texas on tour. You changed my life with that.” I nod at her. Tears glisten in her eyes. “And lastly, I am thankful for you, Sienna. My ride or die. My other half. Sorry, Evan, but we all know it’s true.” I smirk at him.
Evan smiles. “You’re the only person I would ever share her with.”
“Sienna, you saved me when I didn’t realize I needed saving at a time when I was at my lowest. You found me and made life worth living again. Made me realize I was worth it.” When I look over at Sienna, she is bawling her eyes out.Sorry, not sorry.Because everyone here needs to know how much she means to me. And maybe I also need to remind myself thatI’m that bitch.
“I love you,” Sienna says, getting up and hugging me.
“I love you, too,” I tell her as we stupidly cry as the table erupts in applause.
“We love you, Derrick,” Christian yells out as everyone starts chanting my name.Wow. Don’t stop. More please.I bathe in the spotlight.
12
DERRICK
We’ve made it back to Australia, and it is so good to be home. Vegemite. Normal bread. The sunshine. Clean air. Good chocolate. All the things I didn’t know I would miss since leaving her behind, and the best bit was arriving at Sienna and Vanessa’s family retreat in the Byron Bay hinterland, a gorgeous part of Australia. It’s my happy place here. You feel like you’re a world away in the ancient rainforest, nothing but the sound of the birds and cicadas echoing around you. The slow pace of life is what I’ve needed after the whirlwind of a year I’ve had, and not to mention the stress of starting up a business. As the days tick by, I can feel my batteries slowly recharging.
We celebrated Christmas with the Dirty Texas gang and their families, with Sienna and Vanessa’s families before the rest of the crew head down for the wedding. It was funny seeing the boys freak out over the insects or the weird animal sounds that the rainforest produces. These burly, tattooed, womanizing rock stars shrieking like little kids because a cockroach flew near them or a possum screeched at night near their cabin, or a snake was found on their deck eating a frog. Hours of entertainment.
After Thanksgiving, I distanced myself from Chance. Anytime he messaged me to see if he could come over or if I could come over to him, I told him I was busy, which was the truth, I was helping Sienna get things ready for Australia and making sure the boutique was set up while we were gone. I ran into Chance while out with Parker one night. He turned up on the arm of one of Parker’s model friends. That wasn’t awkward. Thankfully, I was able to busy myself with one of the guys Parker introduced me to, a hot Italian stallion named Andrea. The man was hot. And kinky. He spoke dirty words to me in Italian, and I was gone for. Chance who? I took him home, and we ended up spending the entire weekend together, never leaving the bed. Of course, my phone was blowing up with messages from Chance, but I ignored them, he was having fun with his own fuck buddy. After that weekend and my subsequent ignoring of Chance’s messages, he stopped chasing me. Do I miss him?Yes.And that sucks, I still want him.
“Derrick!”
That voice, it’s been a while since I’ve heard it. The wedding guests have flown in after Christmas and have been slowly arriving at the resort in dribs and drabs. I didn’t know Sons of Brooklyn had arrived yet. It was only a matter of time until we ran into each other. The resort is big but not that big. Turning around, I slide a wide smile across my face and greet Chance warmly.
“Hey, Chance, how are you?”
“How am I? I’m surprised you remember who I am,” he answers snarkily. I raise a brow in surprise at his tone. “You’ve been ignoring me.”
“I’ve been busy, see all this,” I state, waving my hands around, “I’ve been helping Sienna and Evan organize their big day. Plus, the shop and my styling business have been busy, andI’m also looking at buying my first home. So, like I said, I’ve been busy.”
Chance frowns at me. “I’ve missed you.” He pouts.
“I doubt your bed has been left cold.”
He rolls his eyes. “Derrick …”
I hold up a finger to stop whatever bullshit he is about to say. “Don’t you Derrick me. You owe me nothing, just like I owe you nothing. We aren’t dating, we aren’t anything.”
“Derrick …”
I shake my head. “Friends, Chance, that’s all we are. Now, if you will excuse me, I must go.” With that, I turn on my heel and head toward my cabin, leaving Chance alone in the rainforest.
Chance has left me alone the past couple of days, and I am thankful I’ve been busy helping Camryn with Sienna’s bridal and baby shower, which distracted me from his absence. I felt guilty after telling him to basically fuck off, but I’m also proud of myself for standing my ground.
“Dessert time,” I say giddily because I know what is about to happen.
Bursting through the doors are the half-naked hunks that have been serving us all day. They start dancing and gyrating around the party.
“Derrick!” Sienna screams, covering her face as they dance around her.
“This is your dessert.”
