Skipped a Beat

by Salsbury, JB

  “I got this one.” I wink. I turn quickly and throw all my weight behind my knee which connects with Steven’s balls, dropping him like a sack of mud. “Never insult a pregnant woman.” I turn back toward Ryder whose eyes are shining with love and a lot of pride. “We can go now.”

  He hooks me by the back of the neck, pulls me close, and kisses me hard. “Watching you knee a guy in the balls shouldn’t turn me on, but that was hot.”

  “It’s the belly,” Blake says as we head back toward the elevators. “Nothing sexier than a ripe woman.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Cam mumbles.

  Killian grips his junk and cringes. “I think I heard his nut pop.” With his free hand, he offers me a high five as we step onto the elevator. “Excellent placement, Jade.”

  “Thanks. Now, before we head back to LA, can we eat? I’m starving to death.”

  Ryder’s eyebrows pop above his perfect blue eyes. “Starving to death? You made us stop for clam chowder on the way here.”

  “I was too nervous to eat then.”

  His eyes widen. “You killed a bowl and five bags of oyster crackers.”

  I catch Cam shaking his head and mouthing the words, Don’t argue. Feed her.

  “I’m craving a lobster roll.” We walk out into the lobby, and Killian settles next to me.

  He throws an arm over my shoulders. “Whatever you need, mama. I could go for a lobster roll.”

  “Add a beer and I’m in,” Cam says.

  “Two beers and I’m in,” Blake says next.

  I grin at Ryder who finally concedes. “Anything for my girls.”

  Epilogue

  Four months later…

  Ryder

  “Admit it.” From my position in bed, flat on my back, Jade’s legs straddling mine, I grin at my very pregnant girlfriend. “You finally appreciate country music.”

  She’s still catching her breath, her cheeks flushed and her hands braced on my chest. “If I say I do, you’ll stop seducing me with it.” She tosses her hair off her face, and the movement at our connection makes me groan. “So no, I’m not quite convinced.”

  “Hmm, not convinced, huh? I thought Dierks Bentley would be an easy sell.”

  She smiles shyly. “You thought that about Eric Church too.”

  “You came apart in my arms to Luke Bryan just last night, babe.”

  “It’s the hormones.”

  “Liar.” I run my hands up her swollen belly, palming the firm globe and getting kicked in return. My gaze darts to Jade’s and finds her smiling warmly at me. “Your daughter is as feisty as her mother.” Another kick jabs my hand, followed by a long stretch that has Jade sucking air through her teeth. “Easy, Katie. You’re too big to be doing yoga in there.” I rub the tiny, protruding appendage in soothing circles until it disappears.

  In these last few months of pregnancy, Jade has become sexually insatiable. Waking me in the middle of the night, dragging me away from social gatherings, and she’s even shown up at our rehearsals, not that I minded. Once Katie gets here, we’ll be forced to take a six-week break and then sex will take a backseat to sleep, so we’re getting our fill now. Added bonus, the doctor said sex can induce labor. Jade’s due date is in two days, and she’s had about all she can take of pregnancy, so I’m doing my part to help her out. It’s no hardship.

  She pulls off of me and gingerly rolls to my side on the bed, her warm naked body kept at a distance to make room from her belly. She puts a hand on my chest, and I pull the sheet over us, then weave my fingers into hers.

  “There’s something I’ve been thinking about.”

  I peer down at her. “Oh, yeah? Something you’ve been thinking about more than sex? Because—”

  She flicks my nipple. “I’m serious,” she says, laughing.

  I gather her hand back into mine. “Okay, no more joking. What have you been thinking about?”

  She tucks deeper into my side, hiding her face. “I was wondering if…”

  “You know you can ask me anything, Jade.”

  “Do you still want to marry me?”

  I’ve been asking Jade to marry me every day for the last month, but she keeps turning me down saying she wants to make sure I still want her after the baby is born. She’s insane. Of course I still want her. I want them both, but the ultimate decision is in her hands.

  “Of course I do.” More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life.

  After the press found out about us, and Jade’s belly started growing, the world has been speculating I’m the father. We decided the best response was no response, let them think what they want. I’m not complaining. I want the world to believe the little girl growing inside Jade’s body is mine.

  Fuck genetics. In my heart, Katie is my daughter.

  “I was thinking, I mean, how would you feel about me putting your name on the birth certificate?”

  My eyes dart to hers, and I roll to my side, gathering her hair behind her head and pulling her lips to mine. I kiss her sweetly, my eyes burning with emotion. “Tell me you’re not joking.”

  Tears gather in her lashes. “I’m not joking.”

  “I’m serious. I couldn’t handle it if you took this away from me. I’ve been hoping you’d invite me to be Katie’s dad, but I haven’t wanted to push you—”

  “You’ve been asking me to marry you every day.”

  I kiss her again. “So maybe I’ve been pushing a little.”

  She kisses me back, her hands sift into my hair, and she whispers, “Ask me again,” against my lips.

  “Jade DeLeon, you would make me the happiest man on the planet if you’d do me the honor of being my wife and allowing me to be Katie’s dad. I pledge the rest of my life to making sure you girls never go hungry, you always have a home, and you’ll both be so loved by me you’d never want or need for anything more. You can trust me with your heart, Jade. From now until I breathe my last breath, both your hearts will always be safe with me.” I kiss salty tears from her cheeks, and she nods. “Is that a yes?” I can hardly believe this is happening.

  She smiles. “Y—”

  “Wait!” I hop up fully naked and run to my dresser. “Let me do this right.” I find the small black box, rip out the three-carat diamond solitaire ring, and turn around to see her eyes devouring my body. “Stop it.”

  “Stop what?” She smirks.

  “You know what. This is a big moment, and we can’t get derailed.” I cross back toward the bed and drop to one knee. The sun streams in and douses her honeyed skin in a golden glow. Her face is framed in curls tossed around after a night of sleep and lovemaking, and her smile… those two dimples I’ve kissed more times than I can count. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than you.” The words get garbled in my throat as I consider the gift Jade is giving me—a lifetime of her love and a family of our own.

  She pushes up, bracing her weight on one elbow, and leans in pressing kisses along my jaw. “I love the way you look at me.” More kisses to my ear. “The way you see me.” She presses a soft kiss to my lips. “The way you love me.”

  I slip the ring on her finger. “Marry me.”

  Our gazes meet just inches apart, and she says, “Yes. I will marry you.”

  I push her back to the bed and climb on all fours over her. Making sure to keep my weight off her body, I dip down and sink into a long, wet kiss. Her nails scrape up my back and into my hair. I groan and she lifts a leg, hooking it around my hip and pulling me closer.

  I break the kiss. “Katie Kyle has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

  She smiles, so big and full of love I feel it in my chest. “It really does.” She looks thoughtfully at me. “You’re going to be a great dad.” Her hand settles on her belly. “We’re both so lucky to have you.”

  We kiss until our lips are swollen and sore.

  “Our ride to the Staples Center is going to be here in an hour and a half,” I say between kisses.

  She moans when I pull he
r from the bed and walk her toward the bathroom. “Promise we’ll pick this up in the shower?”

  I catch a glimpse of her ring finger, and my dick grows even harder when I consider making love to my fiancée for the first time. “Everyone is going to see that ring tonight.”

  “I know.”

  “The fans, the press, it’ll be world news before your head hits the pillow tonight.”

  “I know.”

  “You sure you’re ready to take all this on?”

  She wraps her arms around me, her cheek to my chest. “I’m willing to face whatever is thrown at us. I’ll do anything to keep our family together.”

  I could stand here and hold her like this all night. Nothing has ever given me this feeling of rightness before. Not Rachel, not my family, not even my music. There is nothing I wouldn’t give up, no dream I wouldn’t walk away from, if it meant keeping Jade and Katie safe and happy.

  This is what real love feels like.

  * * *

  “Are you sure Ben’s ready for this?” Jade whispers in my ear from our spot backstage at the Staples Center.

  After the accident, Jesse hated having to put our Los Angeles fans on hold until we got word about Chris’s health and when he’d be ready to play again. Turns out, the road to recovery has been longer and harder than Chris or any of us ever imagined. He gave us his blessing when we mentioned finding a temporary guitar player to finish out the tour with this last show.

  The question ringing in everyone’s heads was who we could find who was as good as Chris.

  The answer came immediately from Jesse.

  He insisted there was only one guitarist better than Chris.

  Jesse’s own brother.

  Pastor Ben Langley.

  Getting him to agree took some convincing, but Ben’s never been able to deny his younger brother, and he agreed to come to LA, learn our set list, and play.

  And fuck me, the guy can play!

  After our first rehearsal, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. My shock intensified even more when Ben apologized for being rusty.

  Rusty!

  Yeah, the guy is a fucking guitar-playing prodigy.

  With my fingers buried in Jade’s hair, massaging the back of her neck, I whisper back, “He’s definitely ready for this.”

  Bethany plops on the couch next to Jade and grabs for her left hand. “Let me see the ring again. It’s so gorgeous! Did you guys pick a date?”

  I lift a brow at my future wife. Wife… wow. It’s too much to believe I get to keep her forever.

  She shakes her head. “Childbirth first, then wedding plans. Though, I want something small and easy. I don’t want a big fuss.”

  “You’ve met my family, babe. You think Delilah and Eve are going to be cool with small and easy and no big fuss? You want that, we might want to consider eloping.”

  She chews her lip, hiding her smile. Everyone from my dad to Kill and Ax have welcomed Jade into their lives as if they already knew she’d eventually become a permanent member of the family. “Maybe a big family wedding wouldn’t be so bad. But something casual. Low-key.”

  I chuckle and kiss her temple. “Low-key. That’s cute.”

  “Bethany,” Jade says. “Would you be my maid of honor?”

  Bethany’s brown eyes grow wide, and her grin spreads across her entire face. “Are you serious? Me?”

  Jade shrugs. “You’re kind of my only girlfriend, so yeah—omph!”

  Bethany nearly knocks me out when she throws her arms around Jade and squeals like a baby monkey. “Yes, of course I will be your maid of honor! I’ll get Ashleigh to help me throw the bachelorette party, and we’ll go to Vegas, yeah! Ryder, you can hook up something in Vegas, right? We’ll need to book in advance and—”

  “Take it easy, Ocean’s Eight,” I grumble, imagining Jade looking sexy as sin strutting around Vegas with a fucking tiara on and snagging the attention of every male in the vicinity. “Bachelorette parties are overrated.”

  Now Jade lifts a brow at me. “Are bachelor parties overrated too then?”

  “Fuck yes, they are. Why would I want to hang out with a bunch of dudes and women I don’t want to touch when I could hang out with you and touch you all I want?”

  “Awwww.” Bethany sighs. “That’s so sweet. Okay, how about a bachelorette spa day. I think with a new baby, you’ll be in need of one.”

  “Perfect,” I say.

  Jade elbows my ribs playfully. “She was asking me.”

  Jesse struts over, grabs Bethany from her seat, takes her vacated spot, and pulls her onto his lap. “What are we talking about over here?”

  “Wedding plans,” Bethany says. “Jade asked me to be her maid of honor!”

  Her happiness seems to draw him in, and Jesse pulls Bethany down to kiss her smiling lips.

  Ben walks up, his eyes on his phone. “Jesiah, do you—wow.” He shakes his head and averts his eyes to look at me. “Half the time I try to talk to him, he’s got his mouth all over her.”

  I nod because Ben’s not wrong.

  He looks back at his brother. “You gonna let her come up for air?”

  Bethany breaks away from the kiss laughing, and Jesse glares at his brother. “I can’t believe I’m getting cock-blocked by a pastor.”

  Bethany slaps Jesse’s chest. “I can’t believe you just said cock and pastor in the same sentence. That’s sacrilegious.”

  I laugh. “You just said cock and pastor in the same sentence.”

  She covers her ears. “Shh. Stop it! Now I’m picturing…” She shakes her head as if doing so could rid her of her thoughts. “Just stop.”

  Ben rubs the back of his neck. “Wow, this is awkward.”

  Jesse doesn’t seem the least bit put-off and simply shrugs.

  Ben clears his throat. “What I was going to say is Elliot and Ashleigh just got here and they don’t know where to meet us, so I’m going to head out and—”

  “I’ll go!” Bethany jumps up. “Jade, come with me. I want you to meet Ben’s daughter Elliot, and my best friend, Ashleigh.”

  Jade manages to stand quickly for a woman who’s nine months pregnant, and I take my time drinking in her voluptuous curves. Her tight black leggings hug her ass that I had my hands full of just hours ago. Her tits are double the size and so sensitive to the touch. As sexy as her body is, she turns her head and smiles, and I feel that shit all over. My chest gets tight, my head swims, my blood heats, and my lips tingle to kiss her. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  I grab her hand, kiss her knuckles, and give her a tug to bring her lips down to mine where I kiss them and whisper, “Be safe.”

  “I will.”

  Before she’s out the door, I punch out a quick text to Ty who’s standing just outside to stay with them.

  Ben takes the seat between me and Jesse. He’s traded in his usual jeans and collared button-up for black jeans and a faded Nirvana shirt. His hair is longer than usual, just enough to be messy on top. He looks a lot more like his brother now. He leans forward, his eyes on the door.

  “You nervous?” I say.

  He turns toward me as if my voice surprised him or reminded him he wasn’t alone. “No.” His eyes go back to the door.

  Jesse leans forward to meet my eyes. “Ashleigh. Ben’s got the hots for her but he refuses to make a move.”

  “Shut up, Jes.”

  Jesse doesn’t seem to hear his brother. “I don’t blame him. The woman’s got a big personality.”

  “What woman?” Ethan asks from across the room. That fucker has selective hearing.

  I glare at him. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Ethan will jump on most anything female, and Ashleigh is far from unattractive.

  The door swings open, and Elliot comes racing into the room in a streak of purple and pink.

  “Uncle Jesiah!” She barrels into Jesse’s arms.

  “What’s up, squirt?”

  Jade, Bethany, and Ashleigh saunter into the room laughing and s
miling. Ethan’s on his feet instantly, his eyes fixed on Ash. Oh, great…

  Ben’s back stiffens as he watches Ashleigh and Ethan talk, and it seems to take great effort for Ben to rip his gaze away to focus on his daughter. “Hey, what about your dad?”

  Elliot doesn’t leave Jesse’s side but smiles at Ben. “Oh hey, Dad.”

  “What have you girls been up to all afternoon?”

  “Ash took me to the beach, and boys whistled at her when she walked by!” She turns around and sticks her butt out. “Her bathing suit went up her butt like this—”

  “Whoa,” Jesse says, pulling her to the couch beside him. “I think we get the idea.”

  Elliot giggles. “The boys like her bottom. A lot.”

  Ben’s jaw gets tight. “How… fun.”

  I smile inwardly.

  Looks like a fire might be starting between Pastor Ben and Ashleigh.

  Jade

  “What do you mean, ‘is it necessary’? Of course it’s necessary,” Ryder yells over the chanting crowd as he guides me to the high-backed, overstuffed bar stool placed at side stage with a high table stocked with plenty of water. “You could go into labor any day now. I want you off your feet.”

  I roll my eyes and fake offense but sit and inwardly groan as the muscles in my lower back rejoice. “You’re kind of a bossy fiancé.”

  He smirks. “This is what it’s like to be loved by me. Intensified by the fact that I’m loving on both you and our baby.” He runs soft kisses up my neck and nips at my earlobe.

  “A girl could get used to this,” Ashleigh says as she takes the seat to my right. “Where’s the tequila?”

  “Ty!” Ryder calls to security. “Can you get Ashleigh here some Patrón?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Ashleigh raises her brows. “That was easy.”

  Bethany and Elliot take the seats to my left, and Jesse kisses Bethany while Ben gives Elliot last-minute instructions to stay with Bethany. Ethan winks at Ashleigh and then the lights drop, and the place erupts in applause.

  “I love you, babe.” Ryder’s big hands palm my belly. “Love you too, Katie.”