Aww sweet. “It still looks good,” she lied. The best-laid plans of rock stars… Whatever magic he might spin for her through this hiatus could not last. He was destined for a much bigger stage, and this was a timely reminder not to forget that. At the same time, she was so incredibly proud of him.
“And I made you an antipasto platter.” He scowled. “Except these bastards ate it all. I did manage to save one stuffed pepper. It’s in the fridge, hidden behind the yogurt.”
She started laughing at his drunken earnestness. “Kiss me, you fool.” But he pulled away, his expression serious.
“The nominees party falls on our wedding anniversary.”
“I think we can postpone our celebration for the Grammys, babe.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
He was genuinely worried about this. “Jared.” She caught his face between her hands. “Let’s just savor tonight, okay? You’ve worked so hard.”
“We’ve worked so hard. Kayla…” His eyes were suspiciously bright. Her husband got hopelessly sentimental when he got drunk. She intervened before he started sobbing like a baby.
“Yes,” she said solemnly, “I’d love a shot. And crazy monkey sex later.”
He threw back his head and laughed.
“Shush, not so loud,” she told him. “You’ll wake the kids.”
He shook his head. “I put noise canceling headphones on Rocco. He’s in a port-a-cot in Maddie’s room, sound asleep. Dimity’s reading our daughter a goodnight story.”
“Wow, is Dimity drunk too?” Dimity made no secret about her aversion to children. On the tour she’d ensured a safe distance between herself and Kayla’s kids, though Kayla had noticed a growing soft spot for Maddie—No wonder, Maddie was Dimity’s mini-me.
“No, it’s the weirdest thing.” Jared hauled her into his arms. “So, tell me more about the crazy monkey sex. Why should Moss be the only one to get it on in this house?”
“Wait…Moss, already?”
“Don’t ask.”
“I’ll kill him.” But she bit her lip to keep from smiling. “He’s shameless, isn’t he? And the women he hooks up with are the same.”
Even drunk, her husband could read her. “Wife,” he said, intrigued. “What’s turning you on?”
“It’s more of an admiration thing. Those women are so sexually assertive. If I… Never mind.”
“Yeah?” His voice had deepened, his hands cradled her butt. “If you what?”
If I had their perfect bodies. She ducked out of his hold. “I’ll get back to you.”
“You will,” he promised. “Tonight.” He caught her hand. “For now, let me pour you that shot.”
Seth was still standing in the doorway, his back to them and the baby monitor pressed to his ear. As they drew closer, the song on the speakers shut off abruptly. Someone wasn’t happy with the choice. That was the trouble with musicians’ parties—everyone had an opinion on the playlist.
The drummer glanced up, such anguish in his blue eyes that Kayla’s steps faltered. But when he saw them, a switch flicked, and there was his brilliant smile.
Jared hadn’t noticed anything. “My wife wants a shot. Care to join us?”
“I’ll pour.”
“Is something wrong?” Kayla asked him.
“Nothing a shot won’t fix.” Handing her the baby monitor, he led the way to the kitchen.
Curious, she lifted the monitor to her ear, but all she heard was Dimity reading Maddie a story. Whatever Seth had reacted to, it hadn’t been the story of Sleeping Beauty.
Chapter Eight
Jared woke up with what felt like a fractured skull, and Maddie in the bed again. What was this, groundhog day?
“Baby girl,” he croaked when she beamed at him. “We talked about this.”
“Mommy swapped with me cause you snored, Daddy.”
He couldn’t remember coming to bed. “Okay, but you sleep in your own room from now on.”
“Mommy lets me sleep in her bed when you’re not here.”
“She does?”
“Sometimes.” Maddie obviously figured he’d verify her story. “She says she needs a cuddlebug when the bed gets too big.”
Now his heart hurt, too. “How often is that?”
She shrugged.
“Maddie girl, can you please get—”
“My present list!”
“Water,” he gasped. But she was already gone. He closed his eyes, then jerked awake again a few minutes later when his daughter bounced on his chest, looking at her calendar.
“One, two, three…”
The rocks in his head rolled loose and crushed his few remaining brain cells. With a groan, he stilled her wriggling body. This was why he rarely got drunk. The hangover wasn’t worth it.
“You smell like a Sharpie, Daddy.”
He took a second to process. Solvent. Right. “Please get Daddy a glass of water.”
“Mommmmmy!” she hollered at the top of her voice. Jared shoved the pillow over his head. “Daddy wants a drink’a water.”
He was still trembling when Kayla arrived, balancing Rocco on her hip and holding a glass of iced water. His son was using a bottle of Advil as a rattle. Thank you, God.
Moving Maddie to one side, he propped himself on an elbow and groped for the water. “You are my one and only truest love.” He drank the water in noisy gulps.
“Dada?” His son held out his arms.
“His diaper?”