“And you guys shot to stardom.”
“Not exactly. We still played bar and clubs, just bigger ones. LiteStar contacted us and our popularity slowly grew, at least until we released ‘Midnight Dream.’ Shit got crazy after that.”
“That was only at the end of last year.”
He winked. “Exactly. It’s why I’m more comfortable here with you than in any VIP section in the world.
My heart raced in my chest. Trying to ignore the way his words made me feel, I gave his shoulder a light shove.
“There’s no way you’re more comfortable sitting here rubbing my feet than having people waiting on you hand and foot.”
“There are perks, but sometimes I miss the days of sitting in my basement writing songs with my friends.”
“You guys don’t write your own songs anymore?”
“No, we do. But, it’s not the same. The last song Monty and I worked on was on my tour bus as we were driving through the night to get to the next show.”
“You don’t get much time off, do you?”
He shrugged. “Not really while we’re touring.”
“What about when you’re not touring?”
“Things are much less crazy. The only time we spend at the studio is when we’re recording.”
I wanted to hear more about Heath’s life. It gave me an idea of how much time I could expect our baby to have, but I couldn’t stop the yawn that slipped past my lips.
“Let’s get you in bed.” He patted my leg where it rested on his lap.
“I don’t want to go to bed yet. I want to know more about you.”
He smirked. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back tomorrow for your appointment.”
“Are you sure you want to go?”
“I’m positive. I want to be there for you.”
It might have been because I was so exhausted, but I couldn’t stop the excitement that he said he wanted to be there for me. Not just for the baby but for me. I yawned again.
“You’re exhausted. And I promise I’ll tell you anything else you want to know tomorrow.”
Heath moved my feet and stood, reaching out a hand to help me up. I placed my fingers in his, enjoying the tingles that raced up my arm.
“I’m going to put you to bed, then head back to my hotel. I’ll be back to pick you up in the morning.”
For a moment, I thought of offering to let him stay at my place. Instead I bit my tongue to keep the words at bay.
There was no way I was going down that road again. That was how we got in this mess in the first place.
CHAPTER 18
Heath
As I pulled into the lot of the medical building, my stomach twisted and turned. Not that there was a chance in hell I’d admit that to Jenna. Each day that passed I felt like I earned her trust a little bit more. I worked for each hard won piece of it, but I wouldn’t give up until she truly believed I would be there for everything. With only two more days after today, I didn’t have a lot of time left. That wouldn’t stop me from checking in with her while I was on the road.
When I arrived at her house this morning, she was up dressed and pacing the living room floor. Surprising considering how exhausted she was the last night, and the fact she had to work tonight. The little amount of sleep she got was starting to worry me and I didn’t know how to convince her to slow down.
“Is this the place?” she asked, glancing out the front window at the tall white building.
“It is. They’re located on the fourth floor.” I pulled into a space and turned off the car. When I glanced over at Jenna, she was still staring at the building. Taking her hand in mine, I rubbed my thumb over the back of her hand. “What’s wrong?”
She looked over at me. “It feels a little weird to be here instead of the clinic.”
“Trust me, I get it. But if we can afford better for our baby, then that’s what they’ll get.”
She scoffed. “Who’s this we? I can’t afford any of this.”
“But I can and our baby deserves the best we can give them.”
“You know I still want to argue about you spending all this money?”
I lifted her hand and pressed my lips to the back of it. “I know. But you don’t because you know I’m right.”
“Smartass.” She rolled her eyes and climbed out of the car.
I met her at the front and placed my hand at the small of her back as I led her through the front door. After taking the elevator up, we checked in and it wasn’t long before we were called back to see the doctor.
The nurse held out a folded paper. “Please put this on Miss Forino and the doctor will be in to see you.”
The door closed behind the nurse. I turned back to see Jenna glaring at me. I lifted a brow.
She twirled her finger around. “Turn around.”
“What? Why?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “’Cause I have to get undressed to put this on.” She held the paper thing up in her hand.
“So. Get changed.” I didn’t get what the big deal was.
Her cheeks turned a cute shade of pink. “I’m…I’m not getting changed in front of you.”
I wanted to laugh, except I had a feeling I’d get in trouble. Instead I pointed out the obvious. “Um…Well, considering I’ve already seen you naked, otherwise we wouldn’t be here, I don’t see what the big deal is.”
Her mouth dropped open. “The big deal? The big deal is I didn’t know who you were then.”
I lifted my hands. “Which means it should bother you even less now.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “Unbelievable.”
“Fine, if it will make you feel better now, I’ll cover my eyes.” I placed my hand over my eyes. “But I can guarantee I’m gonna see a helluva lot more in the delivery room.”
“What?” she squeaked and I couldn’t help but move my fingers to see the indignant look on her face. “Who says you’ll be in the delivery room?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in the chair. “Who says I won’t be there?”
The look that crossed her face might have been cute if it wasn’t being used to try and keep me from the birth of my child. “You don’t get to decide.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t be there.”
She opened her mouth to say something and closed it again, before spitting out, “You don’t know me.”
“That is the whole reason for me being here and we have months to get to know each other.”
And with those words, I realized the truth. We had months to make this decision. Why was I making such a big deal about it right now? If she still felt that way in a few months’ time, we’d have to talk, but I wouldn’t let her stop me from seeing the birth of my first child. “Let’s not worry about this right now.” I lifted my hands and covered my eyes.
“Okay.” She sighed. A few minutes passed when she spoke up again. “You can look now.”
I uncovered my eyes and found her seated on the table in a paper hospital gown with a paper sheet covering her legs.
Her eyes darted around the room, never landing on one thing in particular.
“Are you okay?”
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m just a little nervous. I have so many questions, I don’t know where to start.”
I pulled the chair up alongside the table and took her hand in mine. “Ask whatever you want to know. I promise you have as much time as you want.”
A corner of her mouth turned up. “Thank you.”
Less than ten minutes later there was a light knock on the door. I expected to be waiting much longer, considering how long I’d waited in the past for doctors. It still amazed me what money and fame could get you.
“Miss Forino, I’m Dr. Sheridan,” she said, walking over to Jenna. “Let’s see what we can find out about this baby today, shall we?”
“That sounds great.” Jenna gestured to me. “This is the baby’s father.”
I reached a hand
out to the doctor. “Heath Marshall.”
The smile the doctor gave left me with the feeling that not many men came to the office unless they were married. I’d be there for every appointment I could, unless we were on the road.
I moved the chair back out of the way and stood off to the side. Dr. Sheridan asked Jenna a bunch of questions before completing her exam. She rolled over a table with a small TV on it. “I want to do a quick ultrasound to check the baby’s progress.”
Jenna nodded, but I could see the tension in her shoulders and the way she twisted her fingers together. I moved closer to the bed and took Jenna’s hand in mine. The TV flipped on and after a few seconds an image appeared on the screen. I had no idea what I was looking at. Apparently, neither did Jenna. I glanced down at her and noticed her furrowed brow as she stared at the screen.
“I don’t see anything,” she said, her gaze never once wavering.
Dr. Sheridan stood and pointed to a small white dot near the side of the screen. “The baby is right here. You can see its heartbeat right there.”
Suddenly the dot on the screen zoomed in and I could see the flutter of the baby’s little heart.
“Holy shit,” I whispered. I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived but seeing my son or daughter’s heartbeat wasn’t it.
“Oh my God.” Jenna had covered her lips with her free hand. “Seeing this makes it all so real.”
I wanted to lean down and kiss the top of her head. Caress her face. Anything to bring me closer to the mother of my child, yet something told me this wasn’t the right time. With as much joy as I could see on Jenna’s face, I could also see a bit of fear in her eyes. Right then, she needed me to prove that I would stand by her. So that was what I did. I held her hand as the emotions running through her passed.
Dr. Sheridan turned off the monitor and moved the table out of the way, coming to stand next to Jenna’s bedside. “You can sit up now. Everything is moving along exactly as it should be.” She picked up Jenna’s chart and made a few notes before looking back up. “Now, there are a few things you’ll need to cut from your diet or reduce as much as you can. I have a list I’ll give you on the way out.”
Jenna sat up, adjusting the flimsy paper gown as she went. “Can I ask like what?”
“Sure, things like caffeine and sodium are the main two, but there are a few others.”
“Shit.” Jenna slapped a hand over her mouth and I wanted to laugh at the wide-eyed stare she gave the doctor. “Sorry about that.”
She smiled. “Not a problem. But I’m guessing caffeine is going to be an issue?”
“And sodium. I work nights, so a lot of the stuff I eat is prepackaged.”
Dr. Sheridan nodded. “Yeah, I can see how that will be a problem. But cut out as much as you can. The extra salt will just cause swelling the later in the pregnancy you get.”
“Guess I’m going food shopping this week.” She glanced up at me, like I might be mad it would mess up our week.
“I’ll take you tomorrow morning,” I offered.
“Okay, since that’s settled, do you have any other questions for me?”
“I have a million questions,” Jenna said. “But I don’t know where to start.”
“It doesn’t matter where you start. I’ll answer anything you want to know. And it doesn’t have to be today.” She patted Jenna on the leg. “We want to make this a wonderful experience for you. So even if you think of a question later, you can always call the office or ask at your next appointment.”
“I have one question,” I said, moving closer to the table. “Was the clinic right about the due date?”
She nodded. “Yes, I’d say November 10.”
The doctor turned back to Jenna. “Have you decided which question you wanted to ask first?”
“I guess I’d like to know ways to stop throwing up every day.”
The doctor laughed. “Wouldn’t we all. Unfortunately there’s no real answer to that.”
Dr. Sheridan spent the next thirty minutes answering every one of Jenna’s questions. By the time we walked out of the office, the tension that had tightened her shoulders since I’d picked her up had eased a little.
“Feel better?” I asked as we stepped out into the cool spring morning.
The corner of her mouth curved up. “I do.” She stopped and turned to face me. “Thank you for getting this set up.”
“I told you, anything you need and I’ll be here.” We started walking again. “Now, what do you want to do for the rest of the day? I only have a few days left and I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”
Her eyes darkened, but she kept the smile in place. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about that. Was she sad I had to leave or that I wanted to spend the time with her? Normally, I felt confident with women, but Jenna flipped me inside out. I never knew if I was coming or going with her. Then again, no woman had ever called to me the way Jenna had.
“You know I have to work tonight, right?” Jenna said as we reached the car.
“I do, but until then, you get to spend the day with me.”
She lifted a brow. “And how are we spending that time?”
“First, we’re going to get you lunch. Then, you’re going to help me check out some apartments in the area.”
“What?”
“Apartments.” I glanced over and realized she’d stopped walking. I backtracked to where she stood. “What’s wrong?”
She gave her head a quick shake. “I guess I didn’t think you’d really get an apartment here.”
This time I did reach over and take her hand in mine. “Of course I would. I don’t want to keep staying in hotels.”
“I know, but…”
I tilted her chin up with my finger and stared into her eyes. The uncertainty that lingered there was like a punch to the gut. I had to hope that with time I could erase her doubt. “One of these days I’ll convince you to trust me.”
She sighed. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that…”
“It’s that, what?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
“I guess I’m just used to people not sticking around.”
“I don’t think anyone who’s met you would leave because they wanted to.” A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. I reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I can guarantee none of them wanted to.”
Her crystal green eyes stared up at me, holding me captive. I wanted to lean in and press my lips to the plump lips in front of me. Even after two months I still remembered how soft they felt under mine.
I stepped back. It wasn’t the time nor the place. Getting Jenna to trust me didn’t require us getting back into the bed. She seemed to be caught up in the moment too. The pink tint to her cheeks turned bright red. She quickly glanced away and made a beeline to the car.
I followed behind, unlocking the doors, and Jenna wasted no time climbing inside. For a few minutes after I pulled from the parking lot, I thought I’d ruined everything I’d built up over the last few days.
“Where do you want to look?” she asked, glancing over at me from the side of the car.
Relived, I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye, keeping the other on the road. “How about you show me the areas worth looking at? This way as we get closer to the tour wrapping up, I can see what’s available.”
“I can do that.”
After too big of a lunch and hours driving around the nicer parts of the city, I had at least three different options for a small apartment. In the end, I’d rent it if it was the only option, but I still held onto the hope that things would go very differently by the time the tour was over.
I’d dropped Jenna off about an hour ago to give her time to get ready. She said she wasn’t ready for everyone to know, so even though I didn’t like it, I left her at her place, promising to see her at the club tonight. I spent the entire time at the hotel, pacing the room. The quick thump thump thump of the baby’s heartbeat pla
yed over and over in my head. On one hand, I wanted to call Sawyer, tell him all about it, except on the other hand, I didn’t want to get to the club too late and have Jenna alone.
All I could think about was the last asshole who thought he had a right to treat her like shit because of his money. The part of me that believed in the goodness of people wanted to think that pricks like that were few and far between. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I drew my T-shirt over my head and pulled on a black button-down, rolling the sleeves up to my elbows. I shoved my wallet in my back pocket and out the door I went.
The lot was practically full when I pulled up to the curb for the valet. I gave the attendant my keys and went inside to find Jenna. The hostess practically fell over herself in an attempt to get to me.
“Welcome back, Mr. Marshall. I’ll take you right upstairs.”
“Thank you,” I said with a nod of my head.
Her smile brightened. As she led me toward the stairs for VIP, I noticed her glancing back every once in a while. At one point, she caught me and gave me a wink. The woman was beautiful. Long, dark hair with eyes to match and a deep tan complexion, but nothing compared to the sexy blonde I spent the day with.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked, batting her eyelashes as she showed me to a couch and table in the corner.
“No, thank you,” I said, looking around the space for the woman I came to find.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the hostess still standing next to me, at least until my eyes connected with the green ones I’d been searching for.
CHAPTER 19
Jenna
My heart thundered in my chest. The sound so loud, I was surprised no one around me heard it. Heath’s gaze bore into mine. It was one of possession and appreciation. The cool gray color of his eyes was deceiving considering the heat that radiated from them as they roamed down my body. A shiver raced through me almost as if his gaze was a physical touch.
Nina, the hostess for the night, stood next to Heath practically drooling. The possessive part of me wanted me to tell her to get the hell away from him and find a man of her own.
Cover Me (Jaded Ivory Book 3) Page 14
