Melody of the Heart (Runaway Train, #4)

“I-I’m pregnant,” she stammered.

The world around me came crashing to a halt. Just like the first time I met her and she took me out, I felt the world grow dark around me. No, no, no. Surely, I had heard her wrong. Once I had managed to recover, I demanded, “What?”

“She said she was pregnant,” Jake called from behind his curtain.

“I didn’t ask you,” I growled.

“Then take it to the bedroom.” He poked his head out. “And congrats, Hot Mama.”

A nervous giggle escaped Lily’s lips at his words. “Don’t tell me you’re happy about me having a baby?” she asked softly.

“Why wouldn’t I be? It ain’t mine, so I’m thrilled.” He stared pointedly at the two of us. “Aren’t you happy?”

I threw up my hands in frustration. “This is so fucking wrong! Damn, this bus. There’s no fucking privacy!” My voice had risen an octave to where I was practically shrieking. Glancing down at myself, I shook my head. “Fuck, this is surreal. I’m standing here with my balls in the wind for one of the most important announcements in my life!”

“Bray, man, it’s—

”We are so not having this conversation with you!” I shouted at Jake. When Rhys poked his head out of the roost, I jabbed my finger at him. “Or you!” Taking Lily by the hand, I dragged her down the hall to the bedroom. After I slammed the door, I began pacing around the room.

Lily was pregnant. My twenty-two-year-old wife of seven months was pregnant. I was going to be a father. “Jesus,” I muttered, raking my hand through my hair.

At a whimper behind me, I turned around. Lily had sat down on the bed and drawn her knees up to her chest. She looked positively grief-stricken. She glanced warily up at me like she expected me at any moment to go utterly batshit on her.

And in that moment, I felt like the biggest asshole imaginable. I mean, what the hell was I doing making my pregnant wife feel like shit? It wasn’t like we were back in high school. We had the means to have and take care of this baby. Sure, things with the band were crazy and chaotic, but rock stars had kids all the time. Besides, there was nothing more that Lily and I had ever wanted than to be parents one day. I guess it had come sooner rather than later.

Striding over to the bed, I knelt down in front of Lily. “Baby, I’m so fucking sorry for reacting the way that I did. I was just so surprised.”

Her brows shot up. “You’re not mad?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “How could I ever be mad about one of my dreams coming true?”

“Oh Brayden,” Lily cried, before throwing her arms around my neck. I cradled her trembling body in my arms as she shed what I hoped were tears of happiness. When she pulled away, she smiled at me. “Thank you.”

“For being an asshole who made you cry?”

“No. Thank you for loving me no matter what.”

I brushed the hair out of her face and then stroked her tear-soaked cheeks. “I’ll always fight for you, Lily. I’ll always fight for us. Now there’s just going to be more of us to fight for.”

Lily hiccupped a laugh. “It’s still so hard to believe.”

“Why didn’t you tell me last night?”

“We hadn’t been together in so long that I didn’t want to ruin it.”

“What kind of asshole am I that would make you think a baby would ruin things?”

Her hand came up to cup my cheek. “It’s not that. I’ve been upset myself. We’ve only been married seven months. You’re touring all the time and hardly home. Not to mention, that I just got my first teaching job, and now I’m pregnant. It was like I worked so hard for what?”

“For a college degree that you’ll have all your life.”

“That’s true.”

“Besides, you know I hate that you’re teaching instead of coming out on tour with me.”

“Once again, you have your dream, and I have mine,” she countered, softly.

Turning her hands up, I kissed her opened palms. “I know, baby. But there’s one dream that we share, and that’s each other. Nothing can take the place of that.”

“I love you,” she murmured.

“I love you, too.” I leaned in to place a tender kiss on her lips. When I pulled away, I smiled at her. I reached for the tie of her robe. Her brows lined with confusion when I pushed it open. Bending down, I bestowed a kiss on her abdomen. “And I love you, too,” I said to her stomach.

Lily sucked in a breath before her fingers tangled in my hair, and she jerked my head up. “I want you to know you’ve made me the happiest woman in the world.”

“Ditto,” I murmured, bringing my lips to hers.

Just as I pushed her back onto the mattress, a loud bang came at our door. “Everything okay in there?” Jake asked.

I groaned. “It was until your nosy ass came knocking!” I shouted.

“I just wanted to make sure Lily was okay.”

“Just when I think Jake is a selfish and unfeeling asshole, he goes and redeems himself yet again,” Lily said, amusement vibrating in her voice.