Rock 'n' Stroller - A Rockstar's Secret Baby Romance (Baby Surprises Book 4)

by Layla Valentine

  Shock flashed on Blaire’s face.

  “Are you serious?” she asked. “Like, asking you to come along on tour with him?”

  “Not that serious,” I said. “But yeah, he’s sent me a couple texts from spots on the East Coast telling me how much he wants to see me.”

  “Hottest rock star in the world,” she said. “He could have any girl he wanted, and you’re the only one he’s thinking about.”

  “I know, I know,” I said. “But…”

  I gestured to my big belly bump.

  “Right,” said Blaire. “There’s that. The whole ‘baby’ thing.”

  We continued along, both of us taking occasional glances at my list and plucking the items off the shelves as we passed them.

  “So, what have you been telling him?” she asked. “Just like, ‘uh, too busy to hang with Johnny Maxton himself’?”

  “I’ve been making totally lame excuses about work,” I said. “I mean, I have been really busy so they’re not total lies, but they’re not totally true either. I could easily carve out a weekend to go visit him.”

  “You think he’s getting suspicious?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Part of me was surprised that he was fine with me telling him that I wanted to keep in touch as friends. If I keep doing what I’m doing, he’s probably going to assume that I don’t like him and am letting him down easy.”

  “Plenty of guys would’ve assumed that by this point, I bet,” Blaire said. “Most guys know by this stage in the game that when a girl’s constantly making excuses why she can’t see him, that she’s really just trying to let him down easy.”

  “Not Johnny,” I said. “And I’m glad.”

  We made our way to the register and paid.

  “Coffee?” Blaire asked after we’d loaded up our things in the trunk of my car.

  “Coffee sounds perfect,” I said. “Well, more specifically sitting sounds perfect.”

  “Oh no,” said Blaire. “Are you starting to get the pregnant-lady sore legs?”

  “Like you wouldn’t believe,” I said, reaching down and rubbing my thighs. “I’ve still got months to go, and I’m already really feeling it.”

  After taking a second, we started toward a nearby coffee shop.

  “You’re being a real trooper,” Blaire said. “Being pregnant all on your own like that.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “But you’re being a huge help, too, you know. I really appreciate you.”

  A short time later the two of us were seated at our usual spot near the window, my legs crying out in relief as soon as I put my butt on the chair. The city was bustling outside, the crowds all dressed up in chilly-weather wear.

  “So,” said Blaire, the steam from her coffee curling up and around her face. “How’re things besides being a single pregnant lady?”

  I shook my head and looked away.

  “Crazy,” I said. “The label’s been busier than ever, but I can’t even be there as much as I’d like.”

  “Why not?” asked Blaire.

  “Well, I’m not exactly famous the way Johnny is, but people are starting to pay more attention to Avalon these days. Especially with Bloodborne getting as big as they are.”

  “That’s good, right?” she asked.

  “It’s really good,” I said. “Like, crazy good. But I’m on the verge of finally hitting the success I’ve always dreamed about and I have to hide out like a fugitive or something.”

  “I don’t get it,” said Blaire. “Why’s that?”

  “Because of the baby,” I told her. “I have to keep this pregnancy a secret, right? So if some music journalist takes a picture of Bloodborne or some other band, and I happen to be in the shot, that means there’s going to be a picture of pregnant me on the front page of some internet site.”

  “And if Johnny happens to check…”

  “Bingo,” I said. “He’ll see I’m pregnant and put two and two together.”

  Blaire smirked. “Or think that you’re stepping out on him.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the idea.

  “‘Hey, let’s keep in touch, Johnny,’” I said. “‘Oh, by the way, I got knocked up by some random guy while you were on tour.’”

  Blaire chuckled brightly. “That would send a pretty clear message to him.”

  “No kidding. But seriously, if he found out, I’m sure he’d go right to Rick about it. And if he went to Rick, that would mean this whole plan was screwed.”

  “You’re in a really tough spot, lady,” said Blaire. “No doubt about that.”

  “And I don’t even want to think about what’s going to happen the more pregnant I get. It’s going to be harder to get around, and the bands are only going to get busier. I’ve had to hire a few interns just to pick up the slack from what I haven’t been able to do.”

  “You’re a tough cookie, Kendra,” said Blaire, reaching over and giving my wrist a squeeze. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Most girls I know would be cracking under the pressure.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “But let’s see if I can make it through the rest of this pregnancy and then the rest of his tour before we start pinning medals on my chest. I mean, I’ve still got a few months of raising this kid on my own before I can even think about telling Johnny.”

  “But when you do, everything will be like it should be, right?” she asked, her tone hopeful. “You can tell Johnny about the baby and be a happy family.”

  “That is if he hasn’t found some other girl in the meantime. Or doesn’t run screaming at the idea of being a dad. That’s the scary part—even if I manage to get through this pregnancy without him finding out, and manage to keep my business together, there’s still the whole issue of whether or not he even wants to raise the kid.”

  “I’m sure he will,” said Blaire. “The guy’s crazy about you.”

  “Crazy about me as a woman without a kid,” I said. “I’ve heard about guys doing total one-eighties on girls as soon as they find out that they’re pregnant. What if Johnny’s no different?”

  “I doubt it,” she said. “I can feel it.”

  “I hope you’re right. Either way, I’m not going to find out until his tour’s over.”

  I took a long, slow breath. Getting all of this off my chest had been nice, but it also made me realize just how much stress I had in front of me.

  Suddenly, it all felt very, very real.

  Chapter 27

  Johnny

  I felt like death. Months of touring were finally catching up with me, and the thought of playing another show almost seemed like too much. And there were still months more ahead of us.

  We were in Tokyo, very, very far from home. The band and I had played a lightning tour through Europe, then over to Japan for a series of concerts. I had no idea that we were as big here as we were, but the size of the crowds in Osaka and Yokohama made it clear we had tons of adoring fans even on the other side of the globe.

  And the crowd in Tokyo promised to be the biggest of them all. Tens of thousands of people were on their way to the stadium, and it was my job to make sure that they witnessed the show of a lifetime.

  My eyes flicked over to a bottle of whiskey in the green room. Part of me wanted to grab it, yank the top off, and take a long swig like old times. And I could—it wasn’t like I’d totally quit, even though I hadn’t had a drink since that mess in San Francisco.

  But like the rest of the rock star lifestyle, booze had lost some of its luster. The only drinking that sounded appealing to me was sharing a bottle of wine with Kendra as the two of us hung out in her living room listening to records and talking about nothing in particular.

  It was so strange to think about. I’d spent most of my life dreaming about playing stadium shows in front of thousands of screaming fans, but at that moment there, was only one person I wanted to be with. And she was thousands of miles away.

  Before I could spend any more time thinking all this over, the doo
r to the green room burst open and the rest of the band rushed in, excited, wide-eyed expressions on their faces.

  “Show’s canceled!” Marcus exclaimed.

  I blinked and shook my head, convinced that I’d heard him wrong.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I asked.

  “Show’s canceled,” said Stone. “Just what he said.”

  The guys plopped onto the couches, Stone reaching for the bottle of whiskey I’d had my eye on. He took a long swig before waggling it in my direction. I shook my head, desperate to know what the hell they were talking about.

  “Someone please explain to me what’s going on,” I said.

  Cole piped up. “There’s some kind of flood or something.”

  “Yeah,” said Cole. “Some pipes broke down in the lower levels, and there’s, like, four feet of water down there.”

  “No way we can have a show when there’s that going on with the electrical equipment,” said Marcus, his tone one of disbelief.

  Right at that moment, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Rick confirming what the guys had just told me. In spite of myself, a tingle of excitement ran through me. I felt like a kid who’d just learned we were having a snow day.

  “Sucks for Tokyo,” said Cole.

  “No kidding,” said Marcus. “Rick told me that we’re going to have to come back in a few months and play the hell out of this place.”

  “Fine with me,” I said.

  Marcus gave me a confused expression. “Something wrong?”

  “Just feeling on the verge of a burn-out,” I said. “Don’t feel like I would’ve been able to bring my A-game tonight anyway. Probably for the best.”

  The answer clearly didn’t satisfy Marcus. I could tell he wanted to know why, exactly, I was feeling burnt out. But no way was I about to get into that.

  “How long before the next show?” asked Cole.

  “A few days,” said Marcus. “We’re going back to the States tomorrow—next gig is the homecoming show in Portland.”

  “Damn!” said Stone, wiping his mouth after another pull of whiskey. “A whole few days? I can’t remember when we last had that much time off.”

  “No kidding,” said Cole. “I don’t even know what to do with myself.”

  “Are you joking?” asked Stone. “We’re in Tokyo. One of the biggest cities in the world. We can do whatever the hell we want!”

  Marcus and Cole’s expression lit up.

  “Holy shit,” said Cole. “You’re right. We can tear this town apart!”

  Marcus was excited, but clearly a little more guarded.

  “Let’s not go totally crazy,” he said. “Don’t want Rick getting a call in the middle of the night from some Japanese jail.”

  “I bet the jails here are totally futuristic,” said Stone. “Probably got robot guards or some shit.”

  “Yeah,” said Cole. “And each cell has an anime body pillow.”

  The two guys laughed, and Marcus still had an expression on his face like a worried mother.

  Stone turned his attention to me. “What about you? You feel like getting up to some shit tonight, Johnny?”

  I didn’t. In fact, my mind had already been racing with ideas of what other things I could do with my days off.

  Like go see Kendra in Seattle.

  “Nah,” I said. “I think I’m just going to chill tonight.”

  Stone scoffed and shook his head. “You mean the same thing you’ve been doing every other night of the tour?”

  “You cool, J?” asked Cole. “You’ve seemed off recently.”

  “Maybe he’s going through a blue period,” said Stone with a smirk. “And that means we’re about to get some real melancholy lyrics for the next album.”

  “Nah,” I said. “Just got a lot on my mind these days.”

  “I hope not about the band,” said Marcus.

  “A lot of different things,” I said.

  Marcus clearly wanted to pry some more, but Stone and Cole were too busy eagerly talking over one another with ideas for how to spend their evening.

  “Sake first,” said Stone. “Then once we’re good and plastered, sushi.”

  “I heard Tokyo has some of the best desserts in the world,” said Cole. “Wouldn’t mind checking that out.”

  Stone shook his head. “Man, you’re going to eat yourself into a diabetic coma.”

  Soon the guys were off, leaving me alone once again. As soon as they were gone, I took out my laptop, opened it up, and started checking for the next flights from Tokyo to Seattle.

  Sure enough, there was one with some open seats that left in three hours—plenty of time to get to the airport. Without thinking twice, I bought the ticket. A short time after that, I had a bag packed and ready to go and was out the hotel room door to go catch a cab.

  But, of course, Rick was in the hallway. It was as if he was waiting for me. Once he saw me, he glanced down at my bag and quickly ended the call he was in the middle of.

  “Whoa, whoa,” he said, gesturing to the bag with one hand and slipping his phone into his pocket with the other. “What the hell is this?”

  “A bag,” I said. “What does it look like?”

  Rick was the last person I wanted to see at that moment, and I wasn’t doing a good job of hiding it.

  “I see that it’s a bag, smartass, but why do you have it?”

  “Because I’m about to catch a flight,” I said.

  “What? To where?”

  “Seattle.”

  “Okay, Mr. Man-of-few-words. Want to tell me why you’re about to go to Seattle?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Got some people I want to see.”

  A skeptical look crossed his face.

  “Nah,” he said. “I don’t think I want you going there.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I asked. “You’re not my freaking handler.”

  “I want you to stay in the city with the rest of the guys,” he said. “I don’t want you wandering off before the homecoming show next week.”

  “I’m not going to be ‘wandering off,’” I told him. “I’m going to be there, so stop nagging me about it.”

  “I don’t like this, Johnny. I don’t like you vanishing like this to see ‘some people.’”

  “Well, lucky for me, you don’t have to like it when I want to go someplace. Nowhere in my contract does it say that I have to do what you say with my own time.”

  Rick narrowed his eyes.

  “Tell me who these ‘people’ are,” he said. “I want to know.”

  “You can want all you want,” I said. “But I’m not going to tell you. It’s my own damn business.”

  He stood in front of me like a wall, and I caught myself wondering if he was about to put his hands on me.

  “Like I said, you don’t need to know,” I told him, my tone taking on a hard edge. “Now, get out of my way.”

  Rick continued to regard me with sharp eyes. Several beats passed. Then, finally he moved aside.

  “Fine,” he said. “But I better see you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in Portland.”

  “You will,” I said. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

  I blew past him out of the stadium and caught the first cab I found. Once in the back and on my way, I watched the lights of Tokyo pass as I thought over what had just happened.

  Rick seemed to know what was going on, that I was going to Seattle to see someone in particular. And what’s more, he seemed to have someone in mind. But how the hell would he know about Kendra?

  I put it out of my head, focusing instead on the trip. Before too long, I was at the airport. After a quick check-in, I was on my flight and waiting to go. I was excited and nervous all at the same time—I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this way.

  I had no idea how Kendra was going to react to me coming in unannounced like this.

  But there was only one way to find out.

  Chapter 28

  Ke
ndra

  I was so hungry that I felt like I was maybe two minutes away from taking a bite out of the couch cushion on my lap. It was starting to do the cartoon thing where it gets turned by your hungry eyes into food—this particular cushion turning into the delicious, hopefully very greasy pizza that I’d ordered an hour ago.

  “Where the hell is it?” I asked out loud, now totally impatient.

  My pregnancy cravings were getting out of control. Along with the pizza, I’d asked the delivery guy to grab a pint of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream from the corner store. I didn’t care about paying extra; I needed my pizza and ice cream, and I needed it five minutes ago.

  Moments later, the buzz of the doorbell cut through the din of the TV. It was about the sweetest sound I could’ve imagined. I hopped off the couch as quickly as a woman five months into her pregnancy could and rushed to the door.

  “Little Sal’s,” came the voice on the other end. “Here with your pizza. And your ice cream.”

  “Come on up!” I said in a chipper voice as I pressed the button to unlock the front entrance.

  I was so excited and ready to eat that I found myself hopping from one foot to the other like I had to go to the bathroom. A knock at the door came a few moments later, and I pulled it open so quickly that I nearly lost my balance.

  But there wasn’t a pizza delivery man on the other side.

  It was Johnny.

  “Hey!” he said brightly, the pizza box in his hands. “I figured I’d save the delivery guy a trip up the stairs.” He held up a small brown bag. “Got your dessert, too.”

  I was so shocked that I couldn’t even speak. Instead, I simply regarded him with wide, dumbfounded eyes.

  Then something occurred to me—my belly.

  My hands shot out, and I snatched the pizza box from his hands and held it in a very awkward way over my bump.

  “Um, good to see you too,” he said, now confused.

  “Hey!” I said, still looking at him with a stupefied expression.

  I didn’t want him to see me pregnant. I couldn’t let him see me pregnant. But here he was, Johnny Maxton himself, standing at the entrance to my apartment.