“Somehow I think this whole trip is going to be like that.” Lexi shook her head.
“That’s this crazy rock and roll lifestyle, baby.” Dre rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. “We just sit back and keep our men in line when their egos get too big. That’s the fun part.” She grinned wickedly and rubbed her hands together.
“That’s a full time job on its own,” muttered Lexi.
All the women burst out laughing. Kenyon wiped the tears from her eyes. “Oh, this one is a keeper. Noah needs someone who can keep him in line and not just give him whatever he wants. I think that’s been his problem in the past.” She looked to the other ladies who nodded. “We can tell you’re different from the others, otherwise we wouldn’t be wasting our breath. All the other women Noah dated weren’t very smart. Plus, all they ever did was agree or do what they thought he wanted them to do.”
“Some of them were downright mean. They never showed that side to Noah, but as soon as he wasn’t around, they didn’t have the time of day for us. They wanted the status of being Noah Matthews’ girlfriend. We kept quiet because we want him to be happy but we sure didn’t cry when he finally got tired of those bitches and broke up,” Dre said as she expertly snagged Rafe who was crawling toward the open terrace doors.
“But how do you know I’m different? We just met. For all you know, I’m a cold hearted bitch.” Lexi spread her hands.
The other two women looked to Dre, the one who had been around the guys the longest. “Lexi, we know Noah. We’ve seen such a change in him in the past couple of months. And it’s not just the long overdue vacation, so get that out of your head. We’ve talked to him on the phone. He sounds so happy, and when he talks about you, girl, you can hear it in his voice. Besides, you didn’t see the look on your face when the kids launched themselves at Noah for a hug. You’re in love with him. It’s written all over your face.”
Lexi sighed. “I really don’t know what to do about all of this.” She gestured with her hands. “I have enough money on my own, so I’m not after that, it’s the whole rock and roll lifestyle. That’s not me. How can we have a future if he’s got to be here and on the road?”
Kenyon came over and gave her a hug. “That’s something you’ll have to figure out between the two of you. If anything, the three of us prove you can make it work in that world. But it is work. Ren and I have a deal. Once the band stuff is done we are moving somewhere else. Somewhere outside the spotlight.”
Dre broke in with, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You said kids. Is there something you need to tell us?”
Kenyon smiled at them. “Well, if you must know…”
Dre and Sam screamed and started jumping up and down, hugging Kenyon at the same time. Lexi looked over to where the guys had turned around and were shaking their heads at them. She saw Ren say something to them and get patted on the back, stumbling forward at the force he was hit with.
Ren shook his head and walked toward his wife, bravely wading into the happy women. “Come on, leave the pregnant woman alone. Geez, you’re going to bounce Junior all around.”
Sam punched him on the arm. “Let us have this moment. This is so awesome. I’m so happy for you.” She looked over at Lexi who had a puzzled expression on her face. “After Brandon, they weren’t sure they’d be able to have another child. So this is truly a blessing. We should have a toast.”
“Already on it.” Noah said as he handed a bottle of apple cider to Sam and popped the cork on the champagne. “It’s a good time to celebrate.” He framed her face in his hands. “I am so happy for you.”
“Hey, what about me?” Ren shook his head, “You know, I had something to do with it.”
Noah punched him in the arm and put him in a headlock. “Yeah, about two minutes worth. She’s the one who has to do all the hard work.”
*
The adults and children lay sprawled on the furniture after dinner. The younger children picked an adult to cuddle up and doze on and Lexi thought back on the evening and how fun it had been spending time with them. She typically didn’t loosen up that quickly with new people, but they put her at ease. The women were so nice and she could tell they genuinely cared about each other. She tried not to over-analyze everything or dwell on the fact she was a small town photographer, in comparison.