Complication (Rock Stars & Romance Book 6)

by A. K. Evans

  “You’re not,” I argued. “I can see how you’ve been these past few days. I know you’re hiding how you really feel in order to take care of me. I love you for wanting to give me that, but you need to let me give you something, too.”

  There was an audible sigh, followed by a lengthy silence. I let him have that time. I wasn’t going anywhere, and I really wanted him to share.

  Eventually, he spoke.

  “I used to think I knew what I wanted in my life,” he began. “I was completely content with living the rock star lifestyle. Even over these last couple of years, watching everyone in the band fall in love and settle down, I was convinced I’d never want that.”

  “You’re allowed to change your mind, Roscoe,” I assured him.

  “I know that. But it’s been eating at me every day for the last week to know that the life I’ve lived for so many years, thinking it was everything that it wasn’t, ended up putting the most important thing to me in danger,” he replied.

  My heart squeezed in my chest.

  I didn’t doubt for one second just how much Roscoe loved me, and it hurt my heart to know that he believed he was responsible for what Maria did.

  My hand drifted slowly up his chest toward his collarbone. When it finally settled on the side of his neck, my thumb stroked up and down along the front column of his throat. “It’s not your fault that Maria did what she did,” I told him. “I don’t blame you, and you shouldn’t be blaming yourself.”

  The hand Roscoe had resting on my hip slipped down to my lower back. His fingers traced gently over my skin there as he replied, “I feel like I don’t deserve you, baby girl. I love you so much. And for the last week, all I’ve done is worry about you realizing how much better you deserve.”

  “Roscoe, you’ve made me the happiest woman in the world,” I promised him. “You have to know how important you are to me.”

  He shifted his body closer to mine, lifting his hand from my back to the side of my head. As his fingers drove into my hair, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. His lips lingered there a long time.

  For me, it was such a sweet and simple gesture, but I had feeling there was something else behind it for Roscoe.

  Moments later, he admitted, “I’m scared, Sienna.”

  I was caught completely off-guard. My body froze as I tipped my chin up to look him in the eye. “What are you afraid of?” I asked.

  His eyes searched my face, and he swallowed hard. “Months ago, the day after I saw you at the grocery store, I had the guys over,” he started. “The subject of the pregnancy came up, and they got me to see what was really bothering me. They believed I was worried how you’d feel about me once you got to know me better. I tried telling them and myself that I was who I was and that I’d never make apologies for it. Now, I realize that they were right.”

  “How do you think I feel about you?”

  “I know you love me, baby. But I also think it’s not unreasonable to think you might also be worried about how much my past could affect our future,” he confessed. “What happened with Maria isn’t likely to ever happen again, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t groupies. I’d never stray, Sienna. I can promise you that. But I also don’t think you should have to constantly have the life I lived thrown in your face.”

  The man was going to make me cry. The simple fact that he was worried about something that hadn’t happened and might not ever happen indicated just how important this was to him.

  “Do you love me?” I asked.

  “More than I ever thought possible.”

  “Are you going to remain faithful?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Smiling, I pressed, “And are you going to be present to raise this baby with me?”

  “Without a doubt,” he promised.

  I pressed a kiss to his lips. “That’s all I need, Roscoe. No matter what else comes our way, we’ll deal with it. We can’t control or predict what might happen down the road, but if I know that you’re with me through it all, I don’t need anything else.”

  He took in my words and considered them. I wasn’t entirely sure he believed what I’d said to him. I wanted to calm those fears, the same way he’d always made reassuring me a priority.

  “I know who you are. Before we got together, I knew how you lived your life. Maybe I don’t know all the details of every encounter you’ve had, and I probably don’t want to, but I know your past exists. I’m not with you for your past. I’m with you because I love the man you are right now and the man I know you’ll be in the future, both as a partner to me and a father to this baby. You’ve got to trust me when I tell you that none of the other stuff matters to me,” I added.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  This time, Roscoe kissed me. But it wasn’t a simple peck on the lips. This kiss was so much more. It was packed with so much emotion, something beyond anything I’d ever felt from him. It was beautiful.

  When a moan tore up my throat, Roscoe pulled his mouth from mine and said, “Stay like that. I’m going to get in bed behind you.”

  I smiled. I loved how he refused to make me do any work, not even something as simple as rolling to my opposite side.

  Roscoe got in on the opposite side of the bed behind me, helped me out of my clothes, and brought his hand between my legs. I was already wet for him, so not long after he played for a little bit there, he pushed his erection inside me.

  He held my top leg up, driving into me from behind, as he shoved his other arm between my body and the bed so he could wrap his hand around to squeeze my breasts and tease my nipples.

  My head dropped back, my neck twisting in his direction.

  Roscoe claimed my mouth with his and delivered a bruising kiss.

  He continued to thrust his hips forward, building me up quickly even though he kept his pace languid. I never would have imagined I’d be this close to the end of my pregnancy and feel such desire for a man while craving what he could give me, but here I was, living the dream.

  The pleasure built, the worries faded away, and before I knew it, my body was experiencing pure bliss as Roscoe delivered an orgasm that overwhelmed me.

  I barely came down from it when Roscoe buried himself deep and groaned through his release.

  “How does it get better?” he asked, his cock still inside me.

  “What?”

  “With you,” he clarified. “How does it get better each time with you?”

  I smiled, felt my heart swell to near bursting, and answered, “I think that’s love.”

  Roscoe pressed a kiss to my cheek and agreed, “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

  I was, but I didn’t need to rub it in.

  Instead, I kissed Roscoe back. And a little while later, after he’d cleaned us both up, I fell asleep feeling safe and loved in his arms.

  Four Weeks Later

  “…Seven, eight, nine, and ten. Great job.”

  My head dropped back as a rush of air left my lungs. This was, by far, the most difficult thing I’d ever done. But it was bound to be the most rewarding.

  According to the doctor, Roscoe and I were just a few more pushes away from meeting our baby. I couldn’t believe we were finally here.

  With Roscoe on one side of the bed and Addy and my mom on the other, I felt so much love and support. But they weren’t all that I had. His mom was also with us in the delivery room, and his father, my father, and the rest of the band were all out in the waiting room anticipating the arrival of our little bundle of joy.

  “You’re doing amazing, baby girl,” Roscoe said, as he pressed a sweet kiss to my forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”

  I didn’t have the energy to respond, but I knew he knew how much I appreciated his words. I closed my eyes and tried to rest and breathe. But I did it with a smile on my face. Because despite the effort, the exhaustion, and the pain, I was precisely where I wanted to be.

  “Okay, Sienna, there’s another contraction coming,
and I think if you push like you’ve been pushing, we’ll see this baby’s head this time,” Dr. Langley declared.

  “I can’t wait to be aunt again,” Addy bubbled as she lifted my leg. She and my mother had been alternating with holding my leg while Roscoe held the other.

  I took in a deep breath, held on, and began to push. Ten counts later, I took another breath, and pushed again. By the time I got to eight, Dr. Langley instructed, “Okay, stop pushing.”

  I exhaled and allowed my eyes drift to Roscoe. He was looking down between my legs, and the emotion was written all over his face. I wanted to keep my focus on him, but a sound came from the opposite side of the bed. That where I found my mom’s hands covering her mouth and tears in her eyes. Addy was smiling brightly, and Roscoe’s mom was just as emotional as my mom.

  “Are you ready to find out if it’s a boy or girl?” Dr. Langley asked.

  I nodded.

  “Alright. One more push,” he urged.

  My eyes went to Roscoe, I took in a deep breath, and I pushed. Then it happened in a mix of time that felt both fast and slow.

  Cries of happiness and joy from my mom, Addy, and Roscoe’s mom filled the room while Dr. Langley announced, “It’s a girl.”

  My daughter was immediately placed on my chest as tears fell from my eyes.

  “Oh my God,” Roscoe croaked. “She’s so beautiful, Sienna.”

  I looked up at him, saw the wonder and love in his eyes, and rasped, “She’s perfect.”

  Our little girl whimpered quietly, and I knew Roscoe was melting at the sounds the same as I was.

  I spent the next several minutes in complete awe, obsessing over every tiny detail. From her little fingers and toes to her beautiful lips and button nose, she was absolute perfection.

  After she’d been cleaned up and swaddled, my baby was placed in her father’s arms. He stared down at her like she was the most amazing gift in the world. I couldn’t say I didn’t feel the same.

  While our moms and Addy took off to the waiting room to fill everyone in on the news of our girl, Roscoe made his way to me.

  “I can’t believe how incredible this feels, Sienna,” he said to me. “Thank you for making me a dad.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “Thank you for making me a mom.”

  Roscoe smiled at me before looking back at our daughter. His eyes roamed over her face for a long time until he said, “She needs a name.”

  “I like the one you chose a few weeks ago,” I told him.

  “Which one?”

  “Teagan.”

  “Really?” he asked.

  Nodding, I said, “Yes.”

  The silence stretched between us. He returned his attention to the little girl in his arms. “What do you think, little one? Do you like that name?”

  Seconds passed. I waited, completely content to watch Roscoe with our daughter. Suddenly, he turned fully toward me, placed her in my arms, and said, “Teagan.” Then, he pressed a kiss to my lips and added, “She’s beautiful, just like her mother.”

  “Thank you.”

  For the next few minutes, Roscoe and I enjoyed some time alone with Teagan. And after I was moved to the mom and baby unit of the hospital, our family and friends came up to meet the newest addition.

  I appreciated all of them for being there with us, but if I was completely honest, I couldn’t do much besides keep my focus on Roscoe and the way he was with our little girl. The longer I watched, the deeper in love I fell.

  Epilogue

  Roscoe

  Two Months Later

  Fatherhood.

  It was my greatest accomplishment in life.

  And while I was still struggling to figure it all out, terrified that I wasn’t doing any of it right, I loved every single minute of the journey.

  Teagan was, quite simply, the apple of my eye. I adored that little girl like I never thought possible.

  To think that back in the summer, not long after I’d returned from touring with My Violent Heart, that I’d believed I wanted nothing to do with Sienna’s pregnancy killed me now. I would have missed out on all that I experienced throughout the last half of the pregnancy, and that would have been tragic.

  But this?

  Missing out on taking care of her, loving her, and providing for her while watching her grow and explore and discover the world around her would have been the biggest mistake of my life.

  How I ever thought that having a baby would have ruined my life was beyond me. It was nothing but foolish.

  Foolish and selfish.

  But now that I knew how wonderful it was, now that I knew how much joy it brought me, I had to handle something else that I knew was going to make my life better.

  Sienna.

  It was crazy to think that not even a full year ago, I wholeheartedly believed that I’d never want to settle down with just one woman.

  Now, the thought of being with anyone else never even crossed my mind.

  It was her.

  Just her.

  The love I felt for Sienna was so strong. There was nobody else that had ever come close to capturing my heart.

  But she did.

  She did it, and from the moment she had me within her reach, she never let me go. I wasn’t going to risk losing her ever.

  So, this had to happen now.

  We’d had dinner together a little while ago, and she’d gone upstairs to nurse Teagan while I cleaned up the kitchen. I’d accomplished that and had locked up the house, so I was climbing the stairs to join them.

  It wasn’t even eight o’clock, but with the lack of sleep we’d had over the last couple of months, we tried to rest at every opportunity.

  Clenching the box in my hand, I walked to the entrance of the master bedroom and stopped there. My eyes settled on the two most important women in my life. My heart swelled in my chest. It was almost hard to breathe at the sight of them.

  And as each day passed since Sienna had given birth to Teagan, I’d fallen more and more in love with her. Sienna was an incredible mother. She might have been concerned in the beginning about how well she’d adjust to motherhood, but she made it seem effortless.

  She was exhausted, of course, but she never complained. All I could do was try to find ways to support her through these early and unfamiliar stages of our daughter’s life. So, I knew she’d nurse Teagan right now, and Teagan might fall asleep. Sometimes, I actually enjoyed when she didn’t immediately fall asleep. Because then I could stay awake in bed for a while to tend to anything my little girl needed and bond with her on my own while Sienna caught up on some much-needed sleep.

  Sienna looked up and locked her eyes on mine.

  “Hey,” she whispered.

  I smiled at her and replied quietly, “I’m the luckiest man in the world. You two are so beautiful. I don’t even know what to do.”

  “We love you, too.”

  I pushed off the doorjamb and walked across the room toward her. Sitting down beside her, I looked down at Teagan and saw that she was still eating, but her eyes were closed. My free hand automatically reached for her. I ran the back of my finger down her chubby cheek.

  “You’re a miracle worker, Mom,” I marveled, returning my attention to Sienna.

  “I don’t hold a candle to you,” she debated.

  Cocking an eyebrow, I asked, “How do you figure that?”

  “First of all, Teags absolutely loves you,” she began. “But it’s so much more than that. I think you should know that it’s because of you that I’m able to be a good mom. The way you look after me, the way you take care of us… you’re my miracle worker.”

  “You think you want to hang onto me for a while?” I teased.

  “Hmm,” she replied, attempting to make it seem as though she was seriously considering my question. “I think so.”

  “You know I’m never going to let you go, right?” I asked, my tone now serious.

  “I would love that.”

  Without hesitating, I lifted the b
ox, opened it, and showed her the ring.

  Sienna’s eyes dropped to it and widened. When she returned them to me, I said, “I thought I knew what I wanted in my life for the rest of my life. I was so wrong. But I’m thankful every single day now that you came into my life and showed me how much I was missing. I never want to live a day without you, Sienna. You and Teagan are my whole universe, and I want more of this with you. More time, more babies, and a lifetime of love. Will you be my wife?”

  Tears had filled her eyes and one escaped and began rolling down her cheek as she nodded at me. “Yes,” she rasped. “Yes, Roscoe, I’ll be your wife.”

  I leaned forward and kissed her lips as my thumb stroked along the apple of her cheek. When our mouths separated, I pulled the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger.

  “It’s gorgeous,” she murmured.

  “I had it made especially for you,” I told her.

  She admired the ring for a bit before lifting her gaze to mine. “You’re going to be my husband,” she said proudly.

  “Yes, baby girl, I’m going to be your husband.”

  Teagan emitted a noise, forcing us both to look down at her. She was staring up at the both of us. Obviously, she was too young to truly know what was going on, but I told myself that this moment was just as special for her as it was for Sienna and me. We were her parents, and she’d have the both of us together for the rest of our lives.

  “Can I stay up and cuddle with the two of you tonight?” Sienna asked.

  “You think you can?” I returned.

  “Probably not, but I want to try,” she said.

  I chuckled. “Okay.”

  After giving her one more kiss, I climbed into the bed on the opposite side. Sienna handed Teagan over to me. Once I had her settled in the crook of my right arm, I reached my left one out behind Sienna. I curled her into my chest and held her tight.

  “I love you,” I told her.

  “I love you, too.”

  For the next few minutes, I sat there in bed, holding both of my girls in silence, loving every minute of it. I never felt more fulfilled in my entire life.