“Yep. I had a checkup yesterday. We actually went to this ‘Mommy and Me’ place, and I got to have a 4-D ultrasound. You have to see these pictures.” She goes to stand, but Tristan scolds her.
“Don’t move, woman, I got this.” He pulls the pictures from the clip off the refrigerator and hands them to Stacy.
“So, you ready for one of those?” Tristan asks, pointing to the pictures the girls and Kace are now gushing over.
Am I? “Someday,” I reply, brushing him off. I’ve never given it much thought until now. I like kids, and Mia is a ball to be around. I’ve never thought about being with one woman long enough to want my own, but standing here, watching Stacy smile with Logan as they look at the pictures, I can see it. I can see her growing round with our baby. The thought doesn’t scare me; a year ago, it would have.
“She good?” he asks, nodding toward Stacy.
I clap him on the shoulder. “Yeah, man. She’s good.” Better than good—she’s fucking amazing.
“Now that we’re all here, the label is putting together an after-party. It’s scheduled right after the show in two weeks. They would like for all of us to attend,” Gavin explains.
“I guess we’ve been lucky up to this point. This is the first time they’ve summoned us,” Kacen comments.
“I thought we were going to get lucky,” Tristan adds.
“Is this a bad thing?” Logan asks.
“Not really, it’s just a fucking dog and pony show. The last thing any of us want to do is schmooze after putting on a show,” Kacen explains.
“Girls’ night,” Stacy says, high-fiving Logan.
“Oh no, sweets. ‘All of us’ includes the two of you.” I hold a hand out to help her up, and she immediately tucks into my side. I fucking love that shit. Love that she knows that’s where I want her.
“But we’re not part of the band,” Logan chimes in.
“Baby, you’re my wife. Of course you are.” Kacen kisses her.
“And you.” Stacy lifts her head to look at me. “You’re mine, remember?” I say, just for her ears only.
She grins. “I might be able to get away from my boyfriend, but he gets jealous easily, so we’ll have to be covert about it.”
I kiss her.
What the hell else am I going to do with her? She gets me, yet she’s still mine.
“Ugh, I have nothing party-worthy that fits. Do we have to go?” Logan whines.
“Yes, baby, I want you there. You look beautiful in anything. Besides, it’s two weeks from now, which gives you two time to find something new,” Kacen croons.
“Something sexy,” I whisper in Stacy’s ear.
“I’ll let them know that we’re in,” Gavin announces.
“Do we have a choice?” Tristan fires back.
“No, but it’s nice to make them think we’re playing the game. Because that’s exactly what this is,” Gavin replies.
“Fucking Wilson,” I mumble. The CEO of Stone Records is a dick. He knows we hate this shit, especially after a show, but he doesn’t care. It would be different if the party was for the band, because we could come straight from the show, but it’s the label’s shindig. We have to appear “presentable”—straight from the dick’s mouth.
On the bright side, my girl gets to buy a sexy dress, and this time, she’ll be going home with me at the end of the night. She makes everything better.
Two more weeks and we’ll be back home. It’s been exhausting being on the road, and I’m so ready to sleep in my own bed. That is until I remember that Cole won’t be in it. We’ve managed for both of us to sleep in either his or my bunk every night since we agreed to take this thing between us to another level. Cole insisted that there was no way in hell I was sleeping without him, so we make it work. I was reluctant at first, but I can admit that I would rather be squished in that bunk with him than sleep without him. Surprisingly, it’s not all that bad. I snuggle in close and he keeps his arms around me. That’s how we both like it.
We haven’t talked about how things will be with us when we get home. There’s a part of me that’s still afraid that the shine of a new relationship will wear off and we’ll drift apart. Then I see the way he looks at me and I know I’m being crazy. Cole Hampton doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do, and he wants to be with me. I believe that. He’s made it a point to assure me each and every day.