by Piper Lawson
It’s everything I’ve been terrified of these past weeks come to life at once, and it’s my own damned fault for keeping this from him. I’ve made it worse.
“Who called the police?” Nina demands, and I turn toward her.
“I did. But everything’s fine now.”
“Everything’s not fine!” Carter shouts, his voice reedy as he points at Jax, who’s looking between his fist and my business partner, glaring at both. “He hit me with no cause whatsoever.”
“Oh, there was cause.” Jax’s voice is deathly low, and Mace places a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“There’s no problem,” I insist, crossing to the officer who appears to be in charge. “I phoned to get help finding a friend of ours, and I appreciate you coming, but we’ve found him.”
“My face is bleeding!” Carter wheezes from behind me, and I wince. “That man hit me, and I would like to press charges.”
The officers survey all of us standing on the steps in our evening clothes.
“We can take statements here or down at the station,” he says to Jax, who’s at the bottom of the steps, fists still clenched, staring like he can’t believe any of this.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Jax lunges for Carter again, and one of the officers steps between them as my throat tightens in shock.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jamieson, but we’re gonna have to do it this way.” He’s behind him, putting cuffs on my fiancé.
The sight of those cuffs spurs me into action. No matter what remains unanswered between me and Jax, no one’s taking my fiancé away. “Stop it!”
But the officer marches a semi-compliant Jax down the steps. I follow, tripping in my heels and narrowly avoiding wiping out. “Jax!”
By the time I’m at the bottom, the officer’s got him in the car. I pound on the back window. Jax is saying something, but I can’t hear.
The officer who cuffed Jax rounds the hood of the car and holds up a hand. “Ma’am, you’re going to have to step back.”
“Bullshit I am.”
It’s one thing for Jax and I to disagree, but no one comes between us.
I whirl on my heel to take in the other officer, who’s got a notepad open and is talking to Carter. “What are you doing?”
He pauses, patient. “Taking statements. If you’d prefer to give yours down at the station with Mr. Jamieson, that can be arranged.”
I don’t consider myself a rebel. Bucking authority has extended to my professors and Cross. I’ve never gone up against an armed police officer before, but I can’t contain my agitation.
“You bet your ass I will,” I bite out.
The second officer walks down the stairs and gets into the passenger seat of the car. I watch the vehicle pull away, panic vibrating through me.
“Haley, we still need to talk about this proposal.”
Carter’s voice has me taking the stairs two at a time, my ankle wobbling halfway up before I stop in front of him.
“If you want to submit it, go ahead, but those cops took Jax away in a squad car. That’s what matters. It’s all that matters. We’ll still have a business two weeks from now, with or without this client. And I’ll have to figure out how to step away for more than two weeks at a time, because when I have this baby“—his eyes widen on mine—“I’m going to have to.”
Hands find my shoulders, comforting. Serena.
“Where’s Annie?” I ask her, emotion suddenly catching up with me.
“Here.”
Jax’s daughter appears at the top of the stairs, eyes wide.
“Come on.”
I jerk my head toward the parking lot, but by the time Annie’s down the stairs, Mace already has the Bentley pulled up.
I throw him a grateful look. “I’m driving.”
Mace cocks his head. “How about you take the back and let me drive, Mama Bear? There’s been a lot of excitement tonight.”
I shoot him a glare before rounding to the passenger seat.
Annie slides into the back, followed by Serena.
After fastening my seat belt, I pass Serena my phone because my hand is shaking. “Our lawyer’s in the contacts. Can you call and tell him what happened? I don’t think I can do it without swearing.”
She nods. “No problem.”
“Good.” I twist around to meet Annie’s worried gaze. “Now let’s go get your dad.”
“I wish I didn’t have to do this, Mr. Jamieson,” the police officer, who can’t be older than the stripper cop from the bachelor party, apologizes as he shuts me in the cell.
I rub my wrists to erase the feeling of the metal cuffs he removed moments ago. “Makes two of us.”
I don’t care that he feels like shit about this. I care that I’m in a lockup cell less than forty-eight hours before my own wedding and my fiancée just announced she’s pregnant with my child.
“At least it’s a quiet night. No one’s gonna bother you much.”
Bother me? I’m behind bars with two days until the biggest moment of my life, we have no wedding venue, and my fiancée is out there somewhere with the dickhead who put me in here.
“You know I’m a huge fan.”
I turn on my heel, take the three strides that carry me to the back of the cell, and lean my head against the wall, shutting my eyes.
“I have all your albums. My favorite is Redline.” He goes quiet a minute, and I think I’ve been granted a reprieve.
Until he sings under his breath.
I resist the urge to grind the heels of my hands against my eyes. It’s been a long time since I truly couldn’t escape my reality. I like to think I’m always under pressure, but this is the first time in a long time I’ve felt like this.
After two full verses, the singing stops.
I crack an eye to see the cop surveying the inside of my cell. “I know it’s not the greatest in here, but it could be worse.”
“I’ve been in lockup before,” I say under my breath.
“Really?”
“I was eighteen. I took food to feed my family.” I remember it like yesterday. Cross showed up, gave me an ultimatum. One that changed my life.
“Well, then I’m glad.”
I blink at him. “Excuse me?”
“It gave us your music. It’s the way it was meant to be. You know, I wanted to be a major league pitcher,” he says, conversational. “Was all-state in high school. But I saw someone get robbed at gunpoint in my neighborhood. Seeing it firsthand, I knew I wanted to do this. To make a difference.”
Despite the thoughts circling my head, I can’t help tuning into his words. “Few minutes later, you wouldn’t have seen that. Maybe you’d be on ESPN right now instead of here.”
He shakes his head, rocking on the balls of his feet. “Not how it was meant to be. The universe has a plan.”
Before I can turn that over, I hear a familiar female voice come from down the hall. “I need to see him.”
There’s the sound of some debate, followed by footsteps.
Haley appears, her hair messy around her face, her heels clicking on the floor. The fierceness in her expression is replaced by relief when she sees me.
“Jax! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I’m at the bars in a heartbeat, reaching through to grab her arms. Her fingers clutch my forearms as she looks me over head to toe, breathless. “Listen, about the pregnancy—“
“Before you do, there’s something else I need to say.”
She reaches for my hand, presses it against her stomach. I focus on the warmth under my hand through the thin dress, try to process what she’s saying even though it feels as if my brain is incapable of producing a single rational thought right now.
“I was afraid to tell you,” she confesses. Those words, and the pain in her voice, stop my heart. “At first it was because of the miscarriage last time, and then I was in Philly, and that seemed like a terrible thing to say on a video call. So, I decided to wait for the right time. But then t
he other day, you said something about kids changing everything, not always for the better…”
I curse violently enough one of the officers coughs. “I found condoms in Annie’s suitcase. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to stress you out more.”
Understanding has her brows lifting, her mouth forming a little O. “That’s why you were so worried about her.”
I nod. “Turns out they were Kyle’s.”
I’m still pissed I made such a mistake, but I can’t think about it because she’s studying me, her eyes damp with unshed tears.
Her closeness soothes my aching chest, but the pain doesn’t go away. It deepens, spreads through my gut. But with it comes another emotion, a bigger one.
“Hales, sweetheart…” My throat works. “I’ve always wanted kids with you. Probably since you stole my hoodie.”
“You gave it to—“
“Fine. I gave you my hoodie. You stole my heart though.”
Her eyes crinkle at the corners.
“And I don’t give a fuck about the timing. I had it all planned out, the timing, but I can’t control it. I get that. This is our future, our adventure. As long as I have you, I can do anything.”
“Really?” Haley’s gaze meets mine as she traces a finger down one of the bars, and I’d give all I have to melt them from between us.
My own eyes burn as a tear slips down her cheek, and I wipe it away with my thumb.
Her voice is low and soft. “I think, deep down, I knew you’d be on board. But I felt like there’s been so much change these past few years that I’ve barely kept up. Now… it matters. With you and Annie and the baby“—my chest swells hearing her say those words—“everything matters more. I’ve never had much family, so I’ve learned to take care of myself. But this is bigger than me, and I’m afraid I’ll mess it up.”
I’m aching to hold her so damned much. I’ve never resented anything the way I’m resenting the steel between us. “You’ll be a great mom. Hell, you are to Annie already. She looks up to you.”
The glistening in her eyes makes me swallow my own emotion. “Besides. By all standards, I’m a terrible father. I spent ten years on the road leaving my kid with her aunt and uncle while I toured packed stadiums.”
Haley’s eyes widen. “You are not a terrible father.”
I think about the condom debacle earlier. “Pretty sure Annie might say I am. Point is none of us are qualified, Hales. We do the best we can. Sometimes it’s terrible. Sometimes it’s pretty great.”
“You’re right.” She sucks in a breath and holds it. “You’re right about something else too—I have been working too much. Between the move and our baby, I’ve been throwing myself into the things I know I’m capable of. But I want to be here, Jax. I want to be in Dallas, with you. And I want to be a mom,” she vows, and I think again of how damned lucky I am.
We’re in the middle of a jail two nights before our wedding, but my mouth curves into a smile. “I’m scared too. But ten years from now, maybe I’ll be back on a stage, or maybe I’ll never pick up a guitar again. Only thing I know is I’m going to love you, Haley. Nothing could make me stop.”
Her face flushes with happiness, and I feel as if a huge weight’s been lifted off us both. “I’m glad we’re getting married. And then I’m glad we’re going to Bali so I don’t have to look at unpacked boxes anymore.”
“I’ll have someone unpack them while we’re gone,” I promise, and she laughs. “But first, we need to get out of here. Is he pressing charges?” I look at the officers, but it’s Haley who answers.
“No. And I told him I’m taking the next two weeks off and won’t be looking at work until I get back. And your lawyer should be here…” She glances down the hall. “Now.”
“Good. Because there’s something I want to show you.”
A throat clearing has us both looking past Haley.
The cop shifts on his feet. “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Jamieson, but would it be all right if I got a selfie?”
15
Haley
“Can I look?” I ask Jax.
“Not yet.”
The ground bumps under us as the golf cart covers our backyard.
Yard is the wrong word. Estate, farm, small nation is more like it.
“I’m pretty sure you’re taking me somewhere I’ve never been,” I say, my fingers still over my closed eyes.
“My ego says that every time we’re together.”
I snort at his cocky tone.
I’m still reeling from the arrest. Seeing Jax get taken away in a police car, seeing him behind bars, sent a spike of cold through me… chased by the conviction that I would’ve torn down the entire jail to get him out if I’d had to.
The idea of being separated from him was intolerable, which reminded me of a truth I’d forgotten: as long as I have Jax, I can figure anything out.
Maybe Jax felt the same, because when everyone descended on us at once when we arrived home, he silenced them, saying, “We’ll talk in the morning. Go to sleep.”
Now we’re bumping toward God knows where at two in the morning in a golf cart.
I hadn’t meant to tell Jax about my pregnancy at the rehearsal dinner—if there was a right time, it definitely wasn’t that—but it tumbled out. I hadn’t realized how much keeping that in had cost me until I saw his face transform at my announcement.
I’ve never seen him look so stunned. But the second he was released, he kissed me as if he couldn’t even wait to get out of the building, hands stroking down my sides, thumbs caressing my waist with a kind of reverence I never knew I wanted.
The golf cart stops. Anticipation works through me even before he says, “All right. You can look.”
I blink my eyes open, and my chest tightens. “Jax, what did you do?”
I grip the overhead bar and shift out of the cart, my eyes locked on the huge wooden structure. The gazebo’s a story and a half tall and big enough to hold a carousel.
“You said you wanted one. So, we built you one.”
My hands run over the wood, smoothed and finished. The color is pale white in the moonlight, the beautiful lines and curves etching themselves into my heart. “This is…”
“Tell me you like it.”
I take the three steps up, stop in the middle, and stare into the peaked roof. Then my gaze drops to the floor, the checkerboard pattern of dark and light wood reminding me of the chess games we used to play.
By the time I look back at Jax, I’m so full of wonder it’s incredible I can find words. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“When?” I ask once I get control of myself.
He runs critical eyes over the beams and benches. “Had a little time on my hands while you were gone the last month. The guys helped.”
Conviction works through me, along with acceptance and utter adoration. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
His brows lift. “Perfect, huh?” His hand finds my stomach, his thumb stroking as if he’s processing what this all means. “My wife and the mother of my child said I’m perfect. Now I wish I could record it. Ahead of the times I dodge diaper duty or dress our kid wrong.”
“You’ll never hear it again,” I tease, though I’m secretly fantasizing about the family we’ll have together.
Seeing Jax with Annie already melts my ovaries. Seeing him with a baby? Our baby?
Between our new child’s around-the-clock needs and my desire for him, my fiancé may never sleep again.
Jax’s touch stills, then drifts south. “That’s too bad. Because there’s a lot I’d do to hear it.”
There’s no cockiness in his voice this time, only love. His hand finds me, and my breath hitches, the cool air burning my lungs contrasting with the sweet heat from his fingers.
He pulls back too soon, and I have to swallow my protest. “We shouldn’t do this here. It might hurt you. Or the baby.”
I bite my cheek. “The baby’s fine. He or she is this big rig
ht now.” I hold up my thumb and forefinger.
“So, I don’t need to hold back.”
I shake my head, trying not to laugh at how intent he looks. The concentration on my fiancé’s face when we talk about this baby is like nothing I’ve ever seen.
“Not for a few months at least.”
Despite my assurances, he lays me down with care on one of the benches.
We make love, and it feels like home. He feels like home.
Jax touches me reverently, stroking me into a state of need. I touch him everywhere, as if I can’t get enough, because I can’t.
Every time I try to speed up, he slows us down. Eventually I give up fighting it, let the overwhelming sense of rightness wash over me.
When he slips inside me, I sigh at the way he fills me, body and soul.
Finding love is easy. Keeping it, trusting it, putting it first on the good days and the bad ones… that’s what takes courage.
When we come down after the high, I’m looking up at the beautiful ceiling, marveling at the craftsmanship. “This is really the perfect place,” I murmur. “It feels like home, Jax. It feels like us.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Jax’s low voice strokes down my spine. “There’s something I need to tell you, too.”
I turn toward him, the hairs on my neck lifting.
“The minister called earlier tonight at the rehearsal dinner. He won’t to marry us in his church.”
My heart stops. “Are you kidding? Why not?”
“Apparently, our offer to replace the urn Nina defaced smoothed things over until he started receiving threatening emails from environmental groups and concerned individuals after Kyle posted his video on social media, and he won’t ‘bring any further wrath upon his congregation.’”
I search his face, but he looks more amused than concerned. Maybe spending a few hours in jail changed his perspective. “But how are we supposed to find a new location for a wedding on two days’ notice?”
Jax shifts onto an elbow, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “You called this the perfect place. Who am I to argue with my wife?”
My fingers dig into his arms as I realize what he’s suggesting. “That’s insane,” I inform him, although there’s a new tingling in my chest. “Impossible. And even if it were possible? Nina would never speak to us again.”
