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Chapter 21
"Happy
Birthday dear Sierra, Happy Birthday tooooo you..." Brian, Nick, Kevin,
AJ, and Howie smiled as the finished singing.
"'C'mon, blow
out the candles, make a wish!" Taylor patted Sierra's back as she leaned
forward over the cake.
"Thank you guys, you really didn't have to do this." Sierra didn't
even want to know how red her face had become.
"Don't thank us, this party was Brian's idea, you should've seen him planning
this whole thing." Kevin Laughed.
Brian tore his eyes away from Sierra's face long enough to send his cousin a
warning glance. Kevin just smiled back at him. "Okay, who's up for some
cake?"
Sierra noticed Brian's eyes on her. She was laughing when she threw her arms
around him.
He thought his heart stopped. He knew his brain did. Gently, he pulled his hands
free and pressed them lightly against her back.
"This is wonderful Bri, How did you even find out it was my birthday?"
She couldn't seem to look away from his blue eyes.
"Well, I just happened to over hear your friends saying something about
you turning 19 soon. Give or take a few days."
His smile was slow, devastating. "You look great."
"So do you. I've never seen you all dressed up before." She pulled
him into another hug, burying her face between his neck and shoulder. He smelled
amazing too, she thought.
"Sierra."
She jolted when Rob spoke from behind her. Fear. It spread through her sharply.
Rob hooked one arm firmly around Sierra's waist, pulling her away, and briskly
nodding at Brian. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry about what happened." She
winced when he stroked her hair. "Happy Birthday, have you missed me?"
He whispered heavily in her ear, noticing Brian's shocked look from the corner
of his eye.
It was a nightmare, she thought. Painfully, she remembered the shouts and slaps
that she'd lived with for the past year. Trying to find the strength that seemed
to just be gone suddenly, she tried to pull away from his grasp.
"Robbie, what are you doing here?" His grip on her arm tightened.
She got up the courage to look at his eyes. "Let go of me." She said
under her breath.
"Sierra," Brian's jaw was taunt. "Who is this?" He wanted
to know why every instinct in him, had his fists itching to bash this Rob guy's
face in.
Sierra remembered to breathe. "Rob, let go of me." Her voice was angry.
He smiled.
"Oh, come on darling, I thought you'd be happy to see me surprising you
on your birthday. But now I see you have better things...err.... should I say
people to do." He eyed Brian in disgust.
"You have no right to be here Robbie, I am asking you to leave." She
tugged at her arm. He didn't loosen his grip.
"Hey, listen, I don't know who you are, but let go of her." Brian
felt rage pumping through his veins when he looked at the fear on Sierra's face.
Hearing the commotion, the rest of the group came over.
"Whoa, what's going on?" AJ and Nick came up behind Brian, feeling
the tension thick between all of them.
Taylor grabbed April's arm instinctively. She pointed angrily at Rob. "What
the F*ck are you doing here?"
"I'm getting the feeling that I'm not welcome, Taylor, is that true?"
His smile was thick with deception.
"Hell no, you're not welcome here. So leave Rob, get it through your thick
skull and leave." She seemed to be the only one not afraid of him. Unlike
Sierra who still stood, shaking a bit in his grasp. She couldn't speak.
"Look, I just stopped by to say 'ello to all of you fine people, so now
I'll leave." His fingers dug into the arm he held. "Let's go Sierra."
"She's not going with you. Now let her go." Brian, now completely
oblivious to his surroundings, stepped between the two, and pushed Robs shoulder,
who simply laughed in return.
"Brian, don't." Sierra took a breath and regained her composure for
the moment. "Listen Rob, let's just go into the house and talk for a bit,
alright? Leave them all out of this."
"Good idea." He eyed the five men that stood to his left. "Nice
meeting you boys. Do enjoy your little cook-out." He pulled Sierra up the
beach to their house.
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