by Jodie Larson
My brows draw together. “Told me what?”
A knowing smile curls her lips. “Trust me, everything will be okay.”
“Based on my history, I’m not so sure about that.”
“What do you mean?” Adrienne sprinkles a few more puffs onto Lyric’s tray.
I think I can trust Adrienne enough to give me the guidance I’m looking for while keeping my secret. “My ex—Jayce’s father—bailed when I told him I was pregnant. He had his whole life ahead of him and didn’t want to be dragged down by a family that would hold him back.”
“And?” Once again, the lightbulb goes off. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “According to four little sticks and one confirmation from my doctor.”
She leans forward. “And he doesn’t know yet?”
“I haven’t seen him.” I swallow hard, pushing back the tears I know are coming. “The last time I had to do this, it didn’t end well. And with the tour coming up, I guess my fears are louder than reason.”
Adrienne grabs my hand again. “You know, I was pregnant with Lyric while the guys were on tour. It was hard at first, but Quinn kept me sane—as strange as that sounds.” We laugh. “Now our support group has grown. Tatum and Lizzie are here. Any one of us would drop everything to help the other, that includes you.”
A tear breaks free. “B-but what if he rejects me.”
“He won’t. Believe me, he loves you. And I’m pretty sure you love him too.”
Wiping away the stray tear, I smile and nod. “More than anything.”
“Good. When they get back from New York, you need to sit him down and talk. Tell him your fears. Keep everything in the open. Not confiding in each other never works. Kade and I learned that the hard way.” She pats my hand. “You two remind me of how we first were together. That’s why I know you’ll be fine.”
The waiter comes back with perfect timing as we glance through the menu and I find something that will probably agree with my stomach. Over the next hour, we compare pregnancies and she fills me in on being a wife in the band. Not that I’m there, but it’s easier than saying girlfriend. Plus, it keeps the crazies away.
Pax ended up staying a few extra days in New York. Every late-night show wanted them, along with the local radio stations. They did as many as they could, with promises to stop back once they go on tour.
Jayce FaceTimed him every night. Pax was a good sport and gave him daily updates on where he went and what he saw. Even took a video when he went to the Statue of Liberty. It melted my heart the way he thought of Jayce while he was gone, quieting my fear that he’ll leave when he finds out about the baby.
Mom stands at the stove, cooking dinner while I stay on the outskirts by the door. My nausea comes in waves with the smell of cooking food exacerbating it. We’ve decided to cut back on my domestic skills regarding the kitchen. Safer on my stomach, and everyone else’s.
“What time is he picking you up?” She stirs the pasta before turning off the stove, ready to drain the water.
“Any minute.” I pick at my nails. “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”
She laughs and brings the strained pasta to the bowl on the counter, tossing it with the vegetables inside. “Honey, I think this is the best decision you’ve made in a while.” Wiping her hands, she walks over and frames my face. “You’ve finally stepped out and found what you’ve been looking for: a man who loves you and your son. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. Now take this happiness and spread your wings. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine.”
I hug her tight, thankful she’s been accepting of my repeat situation. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too.” With a final hug, she leans back, tears rimming her eyes. “Now stop that. Nick is coming over and you’re going to ruin my makeup with all your hormones running around.”
The doorbell rings as I laugh, walking to the door to greet the man I’ve been waiting for my entire life. Dressed in his usual shorts and graphic shirt, he’s sans baseball hat, but still with the aviators. Dirty blond hair and a couple days’ worth of scruff on his chin ignites a fire in my belly.
Later.
“Hey,” I say, reaching up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss.
He wraps his arms around my waist and deepens it slightly, enough to leave me dizzy and disoriented as we hear excited footsteps come running down the hall.
“Pax!”
We break away in time for Jayce to leap into his arms and squeeze his neck. “I missed you.”
Pax sets him down and ruffles his hair. “I missed you too, bud. You and your mom.” He looks up, his eyes twinkling. Heat colors my cheeks. How is it after all these months he can still affect me like this?
I’m blaming the hormones.
Grabbing our overnight bag, I take Jayce’s and follow Pax out the door. My steps falter as we get closer to the car parked on the street.
“Whose is that?”
Pax smiles. “Mine.”
“What happened to Breck’s car?”
He shrugs. “I didn’t want to keep using it, so I bought my own.”
“But, why? What about your bike?”
Opening the back door, he tucks Jayce into a car seat, already set up. “I still have it, but it’s not exactly family friendly.”
Oh, shit. Adrienne told him. Or he knows. Probably Jenny and her big, fat mouth. “Family friendly?”
“Yeah,” he says, holding the door open for me. “You, me, and Jayce. Can’t exactly take the three of us for a ride on my bike.”
“Oh, yeah,” I say, buckling my seatbelt after he shuts the door and climbs in his side. I must say, I’m impressed with his selection. A new Audi SUV. Plenty of room for everything we’ll need. Only Pax doesn’t know it yet.
The drive to his place is short, though it seems like a lifetime because I can’t shut my brain off. Jayce, on the other hand, makes the time fly by with his questions and stories Pax missed while he was gone. The entire ride back to his condo, he never let go of my hand, making sure we’re always in constant contact.
“Where are Breck and Lizzie?” I ask when we walk through the door to a very quiet and empty place.
He laughs. “We’ve been gone for over a week. Trust me, they needed alone time, too.”
My cheeks redden. Duh.
Jayce heads straight for the couch, his legs fly in the air as he hits the cushion at a running speed. “Can we watch Chicken Little again?”
I laugh. “Where are your manners?”
Pax walks over and selects the movie for him. “Absolutely, bud. Can you do me a favor?” Jayce gives him his full attention. “Can you stay here and watch the movie while I show your mom something?”
Jayce gives him a high five, followed by a thumbs up. “Got it.”
“That’s my man.” Pax winks and leads me down the hall to his bedroom. After he closes the door, a fresh round of nerves mixed with desire run through my body.
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to do that,” he says. “Yet.”
Oh, there’s the possibility I’m looking for.
“Good because I don’t think his attention span would keep him from not finding us if we don’t join him within the next ten minutes.”
“And I’ll definitely need more than ten minutes with you,” Pax says, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I rest my hands on his chest, feeling his heart beat fast. He’s nervous about something.
“What’s wrong?”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. “Nothing’s wrong, but I wanted to talk to you about this summer.” He grabs my hand and leads me over to the desk in the corner, pulling out a large piece of paper from a cardboard cylinder. “I know you wanted to table it for later. Well, it’s later.” Unrolling the sheet onto the length of the desk, I look down, trying to understand what I’m seeing. Looks like a blueprint of some sort.
“What’s this?”
Pax leans over and grabs my hand, tracing the lines wi
th our joined fingers. “Here’s the living room, and a large enough kitchen for Jayce and I to make all sorts of meals together. And we’ll have a big backyard. I can build him a fort and we can take walks down to the stream in the back of the property.”
A house? He wants to build a house for us. Not him. Us.
“This is in Kansas City?”
He nods. “I’m looking for a place here too. I have an agent working on it. Somewhere in a good neighborhood, close to your mom and sister with the best school for Jayce.”
My heart expands in my chest. He’s serious about us, making plans, following through, taking everything into account.
Don’t cry. Not yet.
I smile and look over the blueprints again. Nerves radiate off Pax as he stands still next to me, gripping my hand like his life depended on it.
“Just one thing.” I ease his worry with a smile. “There aren’t enough bedrooms.”
He draws his brows together. “What do you mean? There’s our room, Jayce’s, an office, two spare bedrooms for when your family comes to visit.”
“But where are we going to put the nursery?”
Now he’s utterly thrown, practically speechless.
“Nursery?” It takes him a few seconds to process what I’ve said. The moment it hits, his whole face beams with joy. “Nursery?” Placing his palm flat against my stomach, he looks straight into my eyes with hope.
“You’re really stuck on that word.” I laugh, only to keep my tears from falling.
Pax laces his fingers into my hair, his thumbs running gently over the crest of my cheeks. “You have to say it.”
I smile and oblige. “We’re having a baby.”
Within seconds, I’m off the floor as Pax spins us around, laughing into my hair. I cling to his neck, closing my eyes so I don’t get dizzy.
Pax must realize the same thing because he sets me down and crashes his lips to mine, devouring with a need I match and feel.
Both Jenny and Adrienne were right. This is nothing like before. He was making plans, giving us a future, planning a life without knowing what to plan for. Those are not the actions of someone who will run. That’s a man you keep and never let go.
“I love you so much,” he says against my lips. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”
I cup his cheeks, enjoying the feel of the scruff. “I have a good idea.”
Dropping to his knees, he presses his lips to my stomach over my shirt. “Hey, baby. It’s Daddy. Your mommy and I love you very much and can’t wait to see you.”
That’s it. The tears fall effortlessly down my cheeks. This man has rocked my world, thrown me in every way possible. He’s the love of my life and appeared when I wasn’t looking. I don’t believe in fate, but there must have been a reason why I waited so long.
Pax stands and kisses me again. “How far along are you?”
“Not far. Six weeks, I think? I go in for my first official appointment next week. Apparently, I need to have a long conversation with her about the effectiveness of the birth control I was on. This is twice now I thought I was protected and got a pleasant surprise.”
A wicked gleam hits his eyes. “So, you mean that night on the couch?”
I nod. “Looks like that was the winner. Otherwise we’ve been the poster couple for every condom ad out there.”
“You know what this means?” He drops his voice low, pulling me into his chest.
“Food cravings, hormone swings, nausea, and sleepless nights?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. No more being in a condom ad.”
I laugh and kiss his lips. “Of course you’d think that first.”
“Hey, the deed is already done. Can’t get you pregnant twice.”
Such a man thing to say. “Remind me to thank you when I’m pushing this child out of my vagina in eight months.”
He laughs and takes my mouth again, leaving me speechless.
“I love you,” I say against his lips. “Thanks for knowing what I wanted before I did.”
With a final peck, he presses his forehead to mine. “I love you.”
A tiny knock turns our heads. “Uh, guys, you’re missing the movie.”
I smirk. “Told you.”
Pax grabs my hand, kissing the back of it before opening the door to a very unamused five-year-old. “Let’s watch the movie.”
Pregnancy has Kylie practically glowing. The band has been on tour for almost two months and I can’t believe the changes in her body. They’re subtle, but as someone who is an expert in everything Kylie, I’ve noticed them—mainly her slightly rounded stomach and fuller breasts. Not to mention pregnancy has made her very sensitive and responsive. Every touch easily sparks her desire, especially now that we’re past the first trimester. It’s like she’s a sex demon—wanting it all the time when we’re together.
Tonight is no exception as Kylie writhes underneath me, panting out my name as we reacquaint ourselves after being apart.
“God, I’ve missed you,” she says, latching her teeth onto my shoulder as I hit her favorite spot, careful not to put my full body weight on top of her. The bite stings slightly, only driving me harder, though not too hard because I don’t want to hurt her. Both she and the doctor have tried to convince me that sex will not hurt her or the baby, but I think they both fail to understand how excited we can get when we only see each other once a month.
I’ve managed to make every doctor’s appointment we’ve had, even using Adrienne’s doctor in Kansas City while we’re there for the summer. She’s highly recommended and understanding, knowing she won’t be seeing the pregnancy through to the end. I keep our twelve-week ultrasound picture pinned to my wall in the tour bus, always keeping our little miracle with me. Now I understand why Myles called his son E.T. That picture is freaky looking. Of course, Mason Donovan sounds much better than E.T.
“Don’t stop,” she pants out again. I roll us over and cup her perfect, swollen breasts in my hands, teasing her nipples as she rides my cock, chasing a second orgasm. Within minutes, she whimpers as she tries to keep quiet, her tight pussy squeezing my cock, pushing me right over the edge with her. Kylie collapses on my chest, sweaty and panting as I lazily run my fingers up and down her spine. Our joined heartbeats match in rhythm, calming the other down.
“I love you, my beautiful wife.”
Kylie lifts her head up, tears rimming her eyes as she takes my lips. “I will never get tired of hearing you call me that.”
“Then I’ll make sure to keep repeating it over.” Kiss. “And over.” Kiss. “And over again.”
One thing we did before leaving for the tour was get married in a private ceremony, needing only our closest friends and family present. And to protect us, we got a confidential license, which I didn’t even know was a thing. Like I told her before, I’ll do anything to protect her and Jayce.
My mom has been over the moon with Kylie and Jayce in town. They’re really getting along well, which I knew they would. Kylie’s even let Jayce spend the night once or twice, after much begging from both parties involved. It helped that we’re still in Kade’s—or I guess Myles’—old house just down the street from her. With the new house almost finished, I figure we’ve got another two weeks or so here. But I’m very happy with the progress and how everything’s turned out. The additional two rooms will be a huge benefit. You know, in case something—or someone else comes along. Now I understand why Kade always wants to see Adrienne pregnant. Being a dad is the greatest thing in the world.
A knock at the door has us scrambling to put clothes on.
“Mom? Dad? Can I sleep with you guys tonight?”
That little boy melts my heart every time he calls me Dad. He didn’t even wait until we were married. After we told him about the baby, he decided that it was time all on his own. Pretty sure Kylie cried for a solid hour the first time she heard him say it.
“Sure, bud. Come on in.” His tiny feet shuffle across the carpet before flinging himsel
f onto the bed and crawling right between us. Jayce snuggles into my side like usual. I look over his head as Kylie smiles, thankful she won’t have the little heater clinging to her. Another upside to being pregnant, she never has to curl into me to stay warm. She is her own incubator. Now she snuggles in because she wants to.
These two are my heart and soul, coming into my life right when I needed them. Sometimes the best changes happen when you least expect them.
It’s always a little bittersweet when something comes to an end. This series that wasn’t supposed to be a series has become one of my favorites I’ve ever written. I had no idea each of the guys wanted their own stories until they kept talking in my head. And it’s because of you readers that this series exists. Thank you never seems enough. But this road was not paved alone.
To my husband, thank you for encouraging me when I feel lost, for pushing me to do better, for supporting me as I travel this road, and believing in me like no one else can.
Andrea, without you, I wouldn’t be writing this today. Your words of encouragement, your friendship, all of it…I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’m beyond blessed to have you in my life.
Kate, thank you for being my adult and making me do the things I don’t want to do. And for being such an amazing friend. I don’t know why you picked me, but I thank my lucky stars every day that you did.
Stacy, I can’t thank you enough for being my biggest cheerleader, for believing in my words and encouraging me to keep going when I don’t think I can. And since our husbands are practically inseparable, this means more family fun time and hanging out for us!
Murphy, your talent always amazes me. I can’t stop staring at this cover and how perfect it is with the rest of the series. Thank you for your patience with me, since I’m the world’s most indecisive person.
Ellie, I love you more than ever. I’m so glad I found you and even more glad that you want to keep me around.
Stacey, you are truly the best in the business. Thank you for letting me be one of your biggest pains in the rear.
