Billy turned to look up at him, her blue eyes searching his as she smiled.
“I do love you,” she said, feeling very sentimental. “I’ve always loved you—just too much has gotten in the way before.”
“Well, nothing’s going to get in the way again.”
“How do you know?” Billy asked, grinning.
“Because I won’t let it, that’s why,” Skyler said very seriously, his light green eyes looking into hers.
“We won’t let it.”
Later that night, in their room at the Hotel del Coronado, they stood on the balcony, looking out at the ocean. He stood behind her, wearing white pants and no shirt; she wore a classic white peignoir.
“You win,” he said softly as he leaned down to kiss her shoulder.
“Win?” she said, turning around to face him. “Win what?”
Skyler looked at her for a long moment, a lopsided grin on his face. “One baby, and that’s it,” he said, his tone serious even as his eyes danced humorously.
“And you made this decision when?”
“Today, at the wedding. Seeing you with Jerith’s baby… You looked happy. I guess I’m curious what our baby would look like.” He sounded frustrated at having to try to explain his feelings.
She stood on her toes, kissing him. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” Skyler said, shaking his head. “You haven’t seen how lousy I am with kids. I’m not good at diapers, I can’t burp them to save my life…”
“And you’re probably the most incredible, doting father alive.”
Skyler looked skeptical.
“Well, then,” Billy said, reaching up to untie her peignoir. “I think we should get started, don’t you?”
A week later, Billy, Skyler, Jerith, Nicolette, Ryan, and Chelsea sat at the Grammys, the other members of the band to one side of the group. The fans had gone crazy when Billy and Jerith stepped out of the limousine. Like a good omen, their album had gone to number one that day. Now, waiting for the announcement, Billy turned to her bandmate.
“Oh, little thing I think I should mention,” she said in a whisper.
Jerith bent his head to listen to her; little did they know that the camera was on them at that moment, as the TV personality narrating the awards talked about their meteoric rise, fall, and rise again.
“What is it?” Jerith asked, his blond hair falling over his shoulder, an ever-present grin playing at his lips.
“I’m going to get pregnant,” Billy whispered back.
“You’re what?” Jerith said loudly, startling the people around them. Sheryl Crow and the guys from Matchbox Twenty, who were sitting in front of them, all turned around to look at them, even as the cameras rolled on Jerith’s reaction. People watching the show had no way of knowing what Billy Montague had just told Jerith “Kid” Michaels, but his reaction had caused a real stir.
“Shh!” Billy said, already starting to laugh. “You heard me, you dope. I’m gonna have a child.”
Jerith leaned forward, looking around Billy, and put his hand out to Skyler. Skyler grinned as he took it, shaking his head ruefully. “Don’t even ask me how she talked me into another kid.”
“I know her, remember.”
“Thanks!” Billy said, hitting Jerith on the arm as the world watched, fascinated by the exchange.
Nicolette leaned forward then. “What’s goin’ on down there?”
Jerith leaned back over to her and whispered, “Billy and Sky are going to work on getting pregnant.”
Nicolette sat motionless for a moment, then laughed. “That’s great. I thought you didn’t want any more kids,” she said to Skyler.
Billy leaned forward with a smile. “When I set my mind to something…”
“Your mind had nothing to do with it,” Skyler assured her.
Billy looked at him for a long moment, then started to laugh again. The sound was infectious, and Jerith started to chuckle as well. Within moments, all four of them were laughing while the “young people” in the group, as well as the rest of the country, looked on.
They almost missed the announcement of their category. But Nicolette shushed them all, reaching out to take Jerith’s hand.
“For best album of the year, the nominees are…” the announcer said. Billy and Jerith looked at each other, each reflecting on how far they’d come in the past three years. They’d been blown apart, and then put back together so much the better for it. It was amazing.
“And the winner is… Free from the Fire!”
Jerith and Billy yelled in unison, and then turned to their respective spouses, hugging them. Then they were standing and hugging the other members of the band, and trying to make their way to the stage. Skyler moved to sit next to Nicolette.
“How’d we end up here?” he asked her, marveling at the curves life could throw.
“Tell me about it,” Nicolette said, shaking her head.
The band had made it to the stage by that time, and Jerith, who had always been their spokesperson, stood at the mike. He looked very handsome in black chinos, a white long-sleeved shirt, black boots, and a black leather vest, his hair flowing loose down his back.
“Well, this has been an incredible year,” he said, his grin perpetual. “Billy and the Kid has seen a lot of trouble, but I think we’ve come back from it with a vengeance.” He held up the Grammy as if to prove it. “We want to thank all our fans who put up with a lot of problems, and stayed loyal even when it didn’t look like we’d ever make another album. I personally want to thank my wife and son for putting up with me,” he said, his gaze falling on Nicolette and Ryan. Then he glanced at Billy, and she nodded. “And since Billy’s a newlywed, she wants to thank her husband for everything he will put up with in the years to come.” His smile was brilliant then, as he once again held the Grammy aloft and took Billy’s hand.
Nicolette watched with tears in her eyes. It was incredible, the hand life had dealt them, and all she could do was thank God for the day he brought Jerith into her life. She could see that Skyler was thinking along the same lines, and she leaned over, bumping his shoulder with hers.
“I guess they have their hits and we have ours, huh?” she said.
Skyler couldn’t have agreed more.
You can find more information about the author and series here:
www.sherrylhancock.com
www.facebook.com/SherrylDHancock
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Also by Sherryl D. Hancock:
The WeHo series follows a group of women from Los Angeles as they navigate the ups and downs of love, life, work, and everything in between.
www.vulpine-press.com/we-ho
The MidKnight Blue series takes us on a journey with Midnight Chevalier, the tough ex-gang leader who switches sides and works to put away those she used to fight beside.
www.vulpine-press/midknight-blue-series
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