by Zoey Derrick
“I love it when you take me like that,” I groan. “So primal,” I tell him and he shivers, wrapping his arms gently around my chest, under my breasts.
“I love that you let me be myself,” he says softly.
“It’s the perfect balance. Kyle is sweet and you’re an animal,” I tease and he laughs as he slips out of me. I sigh at the loss and he helps me wash my hair and body before washing his own. He helps me dry off when we’re done and I have a new cami, one of Kyle’s t-shirts and a pair of wide legged sweatpants to slip into.
“You look…”
“Frumpy?”
He laughs. “No, actually, you look comfortable and still sexy as hell. I love that you’re wearing his t-shirt.”
I smile. “I can change.”
“For my mother, no.” He shakes his head. “I want you comfortable. Have you seen yourself today?”
“No, why?” He lifts up my shirt and slides my pants down.
“Because you look amazing.” He sits down on the toilet and kisses my belly. It isn’t any bigger than it was yesterday, at least not noticeably bigger, but his gentle kisses make me want to cry.
“I’m gonna cry if you keep that up, big man.”
He looks up at me and smiles. “Not my intention.”
I run my hand through his hair. “I know it wasn’t. It’s just…when you guys touch me down there, it’s impossible to describe. It’s sweet and it’s a massive comfort to me. Right now it makes me cry because I’m an emotional roller coaster, but you loving on me, loving on our babies, it…it makes me love you so much more.”
I watch as Talon’s eyes well with tears. “I’m so scared.”
“Aww, there’s nothing to be afraid of, Talon. This happened for a reason, it happened because it was meant to be and what happens from here on out is how it’s supposed to be. Being scared means you love me and you love them. I’m scared too,” I reassure him softly.
“I know, I’m trying to be strong. It’s hard.”
I give him a small smile. “It is hard, believe me, I know. It’s hard because I’m trying to stay strong for you and for Kyle and for the babies.”
“That sounds like a lot.”
“It is, but it’s all worth it. In the end, when I can hold them and kiss them and love them more than I already do, it makes it all worth it.”
He kisses my pouch one more time and then lifts my pants back into place and lowers my t-shirt. “I will try to remember that,” he says softly. “Now, it’s time to feed you.” He smiles and we leave the bathroom.
When we step out of the bathroom, my nose is assaulted with the delicious smell of bacon and eggs and syrup. I go into the kitchen and Kyle is standing at the little tiny two-burner stove. Pans on both, one with sizzling bacon, eggs in the other and on a hot plate are pancakes. My mouth waters.
I walk up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Hey baby girl. How you feeling?”
“Starving.”
He laughs. “You amaze me. Half an hour ago you were puking and now you’re ready to eat.”
I laugh with him. “I can’t help it. I had no idea you could cook,” I tease him.
“Oh, don’t get your hopes too high. I’m not that good.”
“Well, I appreciate it.” Talon joins us after taking our towels back to the bedroom.
“Ky?”
“Yeah?”
“Why don’t you go take Addison’s picture, before she eats.”
“Oh,” I perk up, “good idea. Come on, cowboy.”
“Go, I got this.”
“You don’t want to see?” I ask Talon.
He shakes his head, “That’s going to be your guys’ deal. I’ll see the pictures when you’re done.” He smiles, takes the spatula from Kyle, kisses him on the cheek and Kyle and I go back to the bedroom.
“Where, baby girl?”
“The back of the door?”
“Sure,” he says as he pulls his phone from his pocket. “Want me to send it to you?”
I shake my head, “No, take one with mine. I’d rather not send them out just yet.” I wink.
With my right shoulder to the door, I lift my shirts to just below my breasts and lower my pants like Talon did in the bathroom. Kyle snaps a couple pictures with his phone, then mine. I can’t stop smiling because he’s smiling. “Face me,” He says and I do, he takes another picture with my phone. Then he comes over, kneels before me and kisses my pouch.
I run my hands through his hair; I’m trying not to cry. He pulls back before it becomes too intense for me, then stands and kisses me. “Breakfast should be ready.”
I smile, “Good, I’m starving. I’m going to pull my hair up and I’ll be right out.”
“Okay, baby girl.”
He leaves the bedroom and I find a scrunchy. My hair is still wet, but I don’t feel like drying it right now.
When I get back to the galley, Talon is sitting down and Kyle is dishing up plates. Mouse has joined us and I can hear someone in the shower. Judging from the bunks, it’s not Dex.
Tori comes out a few minutes later, just as Kyle is setting a heaping plate in front of me. “Hi Tori,” I say with a smile.
“Good morning.” She’s already dressed. I’m impressed, god only knows what time she gets up. “There enough for me?” she asks Kyle.
“Absolutely,” Kyle says as he sets buttered toast down in front of me.
“I’ll bet you a hundred dollars you can’t eat all that.” Mouse says to me with a laugh, and he’s right, the plate is heaping with eggs, bacon and pancakes.
Talon and Kyle both laugh. “You’re on,” I tease him and dive into my food. I devour the pancakes first. “Jeez Kyle, these are really good.” I keep going, plowing through three pancakes, then onto my eggs and bacon, which I break up mixing it into egg scramble. “Do we have any cheese?”
Kyle is watching me eat, a look of awe on his face. “Not shredded. I’ll add it to the grocery list.”
I nod and dive into my concoction and eat some toast to go along with it. With only a couple of bites left to go, I feel ridiculously full, and I don’t need the money, it’s a matter of principle now. I down my glass of apple juice before I take the last couple of bites. “Fuck me.” Mouse says with a laugh. “Where the hell does it all go?”
I laugh. “It used to go to the gym with me, but not so much anymore…” I leave it hanging in the air.
“Dude,” Talon says to Mouse, “did you finish your cheesesteak last night?”
“Hell no, I had like half of it left, plus a good chunk of fries.”
“Me and Kyle too.” He thrusts his thumb at me. “She ate it all, including the fries.”
“I’m never betting on you again.” Mouse looks at me and laughs. “You’ve certainly proved me wrong.” He reaches into his back pocket, pulls out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and slides it over to me.
I slide it back, “I don’t want your money, Mouse.” He looks sad. “I would have eaten it all anyway for starters and it’s not entirely fair when you’re eating for three.”
He raises an eyebrow to me and Talon stiffens slightly. “What do you mean ‘three’?”
I laugh. “Talon hasn’t told you yet? Or you haven’t figured out why I puke every morning.”
“Well yeah, I figured that part out a while ago, but three?”
“Twins, Mouse, I’m having twins.”
“No fucking shit!” he says with a big ass smile on his face. “That’s fucking awesome.” He covers his mouth. “Sorry.” The entire room erupts into laughter.
Dex peeks his head out from behind his curtain. “What the hell, guys?”
“Dude, Addison’s pregnant.”
“No way.” Dex laughs. “Way to go, guys.”
“Oh, there’s more, Dex,” Mouse says. “She’s having twins.”
Dex damn near falls out of his bunk. “Well, I guess if you’re gonna do it, might as well do it right. Congrats guys!” I see Dex sniff the air…”How the hell did
I miss bacon?” And just like that ADD Dex shows up and is off onto something else.
“Where’s Peacock? Might as well tell him too.”
He steps out of the bathroom. “I’m right here, Addison. Congrats you guys. That’s fucking awesome.” Peacock slaps hands with Kyle then with Talon.
“Dude, I lost a bet to her,” Mouse chimes in.
Peacock looks at him, “What was the bet?”
Mouse laughs, “I bet her a hundred bucks that she couldn’t eat three pancakes, four strips of bacon, a mountain of eggs and two pieces of toast. She fucking devoured it, dude. She won’t take my money though,” he says dejected.
“Why not?” Peacock raises an eyebrow.
“She said it wasn’t fair, which is why the entire bus now knows she’s pregnant and with twins.”
“Well, then buy her something nice,” Peacock says.
“Like what?”
“Hell if I know, ask her boyfriends,” Peacock says with a laugh.
The banter continues for a little while longer and my heart swells with pride that these guys are family, my family, our family, and regardless of the fact that we’ve only been together a few short weeks, the band thinks that our news is amazing. No one asks who the dad is; they all just congratulate Kyle and Talon together. Throughout the entire conversation, I see Talon and Kyle smiling, interacting with their friends and I can visibly see weight lifting from their shoulders. It doesn’t matter to the band who the father is, so why should it matter to both of them.
“We better go,” Kyle says. “Dex, there’s still some bacon.”
“Thanks, man.” he calls from his bunk.
“I’ll get coats,” I volunteer and stand. My head spins hard, my stomach whirls. I sit back down.
“Addison?” Kyle kneels before me.
“I’m alright, stood up too fast.”
“Relax a minute, angel. I’ll get our stuff.”
I put my forehead in my hands and breathe through the nausea. I really don’t want to vomit, I haven’t done it after a meal yet and I really don’t want to insult Kyle. But something isn’t agreeing with me. “I’m sorry, cowboy, but I need you to move.”
He’s stunned for a moment then moves. I skirt past him straight for the bathroom and throw up. Kyle is by my side in a moment. “Baby girl, I’m so sorry…”
“Stop,” I say between heaves. “Apparently they don’t like bacon,” I say quietly.
“How can you tell?”
I heave again, sending more chunks up. After a couple of dry heaves it passes. “Look,” I point to the toilet. “Its just bacon.”
He laughs. “I’ve never seen that before.”
I laugh too, “Me either.” There is other stuff there too, but the primary content is bacon.
“So I guess we have to take bacon off your menu, huh?” I pout and he laughs. “For now at least.” I smile and flush.
“Let me brush my teeth and I’ll be out.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m great now.”
He shakes his head, smiles, and then leaves me to brush my teeth.
When I come out, “Bets off, you ralphed,” Mouse says with a laugh.
“Whatever, it stayed down for more than twenty minutes.” I cross my arms over my chest and tap my converse covered foot on the floor.
“Yeah, okay, fine,” Mouse pouts.
I laugh and lean over the table. “I don’t want your money, Mouse. It’s all good. Challenge me in a year when I’m not pregnant, double or nothing.”
He bursts out laughing. “You’re on, Red.”
“You okay, angel?” Talon asks.
“Perfect. We ready?” He nods and holds my coat out for me. I slide my arms in and I go to take my purse.
“Nope, I got it,” Talon says, serious.
“I can carry my own…” He just shakes his head. I roll my eyes.
“It weighs more than five pounds.”
“Oh for Pete’s sake.” I laugh and walk down the steps and off of the bus and climb right into the center of the back seat of the SUV. Talon slides in on one side and Kyle on the other.
“I threw this in here for you, thought you’d want to catalog your breakfast. Though, I don’t know if it counts anymore.” He raises an eyebrow.
I smile at him. “It still counts, they apparently don’t like bacon.” He cocks his head so I explain to him.
“Okay, that’s funny.”
“No, it’s not,” I pout, “I love bacon.” Everyone laughs and I take my journal from him and pull my phone from my pocket and I flip through the pictures Kyle took showing them to Talon as we drive toward his mother’s house.
We got to her house around eleven, and she has this beautiful one story house and is the lone building in a cul-de-sac. She’s a petite woman, about five four or five and round around the middle. She dotes on Talon and I’m surprised when Talon introduces me as his girlfriend and Kyle as his boyfriend, though she already knows Kyle. I imagine a phone call or two from her in the coming days, wanting more information about the relationship, but for now she brushes it off. She doesn’t take to me right away but when I step into the kitchen to help her with lunch, she warms up to me a little bit. I eat, despite not being very hungry after breakfast but the guys give me that look.
We don’t stay very long once the boys notice that I’m starting to fade. She becomes disappointed when Talon tells her that during the tour break he needs to be in LA to take care of business. I know that’s not the case, but he’s going to be there because I have another appointment. He doesn’t tell her about the twins or even that I’m pregnant, which is okay with me. I understand immediately why they’ve grown closer over the years. She is very loving and affectionate toward him and her pride in his success is palpable.
It’s about one when we return to the bus, but I’m so tired that I fall asleep on the way back and the guys take me to bed. “How long do you need to get ready?” Talon asks as he lays me down.
I shrug, “ninety minutes?” He looks at the clock.
“So wake you up about five thirty?”
“I don’t need to sleep…”
“Nonsense angel. Sleep as long as you like, if you’re up before then great, if not, we’ll wake you.”
“What about sound?”
He smiles, “we got this. You sleep.” He kisses my forehead. Kyle follows suit and they both leave me to sleep.
“Baby girl…”
“No,” I groan.
“Yes love, time to wake.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, throwing him off balance and he falls onto the bed next to me. I snuggle into him and fall back to sleep.
“Come on, baby girl. It’s time to get ready and you need to eat. I made you mac n’ cheese,” he taunts me to wake up and he knows that will do it.
“Fine. I’ll get up, only because you have mac n’ cheese for me.”
He laughs and I crawl out of bed to pee.
When I come back he’s sitting on the bed with a big bowl for me and I climb up, he gives it to me and I start eating. “I’m going to be an elephant by the time this pregnancy is over if you keep feeding me like this.”
He laughs, “I doubt that. You’ve hardly gained any weight so far and you’ve been eating like this for over a week.”
“I just wish I wasn’t so tired all the time.”
“It will pass. Pretty soon we won’t be able to keep up with you.”
I finish eating and I drink my apple juice. When I’m done, I start to get ready for the show. I decide to just pull my hair up tonight, not wanting to mess with it, and I do my make up while still in the clothes I slept in.
I put on the red dress Kyle gave me, accent it with my thigh high fishnets and a garter that’s now sitting a little higher on my waist and rather than the big heels, I go for my calf high Doc Martins. I sweep my hair off to the side into a messy bun and add a small red flower over my ear. I need to dye it again, but I don’t have time today.
&nb
sp; When Talon comes in he stops dead in his tracks. “What?” I say.
“You look amazing.” He comes over and wraps his arms around me. “I love that dress on you.” He leans down and kisses my shoulder.
“Thanks, big man.”
“Listen, the guys want to go out after the show. I want to take Kyle, will you come too?”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t have the energy for something like that, but I want you to take him out. Spend some time with him.”
“I don’t want to leave you here alone,” he says.
“I won’t be alone, Tori and probably Rusty will be here. I have some work to catch up on and it will be great for you and Kyle to spend some time together, the two of you, without me.”
“Alright, angel. As long as you’re okay, but if you’re not, you better call us.”
I tap his nose with my finger. “I promise.”
The show goes amazing, as always. The ritual tonight doesn’t change, though Dex has taken to calling me preggo, quietly of course, whenever he’s near me. I smacked him the first time he did it. Then laughed the second. My visual of Kyle’s arms wrapped around me sort of came true tonight when he put his hands on my pouch while Talon kissed me. It made my heart swell.
Our duets went great, again he got a little glossy eyed, but he contained himself. When we were done, he hugged me, kissed my cheek and whispered I love you in my ear and I walked off stage, right into Kyle’s arms and a big Talon smile when he looked at both of us.
The greenroom was packed and I was the center of attention, much to my dismay. But this is the added show, again after our duet went viral. Pictures were taken and autographs signed and I retired to the bus after some argument with Kyle about him going out tonight. He didn’t want to go, but I reminded him about what I said yesterday and he reluctantly agreed.
