by Cari Quinn
“Aggie helped raise us, and Drooper gave her plenty of reasons to be a hard taskmaster.” She dragged Teagan away from me and enveloped her in a hug. “Finally, we get to meet you. We’ve been begging him to bring you to visit.”
“You have?” Teagan patted her shoulder, but when Jenny didn’t let go, she finally hugged her back in full Teagan mode. “You need to tell me about Drooper.”
“No, she does not.” I tugged Teagan back to stand beside me. “Where’s Mom?”
“Primping. Lord knows why. Though she does have a little bit of a crush on your bassist manslice.”
Oz’s heavy booted foot jangled as he hopped off the bus. “Manslice? Me?” He nodded. “‘Sup, Jenny.”
“Hey, Tree.”
Daisy tucked herself under Oz’s arm. “My manslice, thanks.”
“Aww.” Jenny’s face softened. “Oz, you actually have a nice girl? What happened?”
Oz gave Daisy an absent kiss on the temple. “Crazy, right? Daisy, meet Jenny Dallas. Cooper’s not-so-little sister.”
Daisy held out her hand. “Thanks for having us. We are very excited about the alpacas.”
“And steak,” Oz added.
“Rude.” Daisy rolled her eyes. “Excuse my manslice.”
“That’s not going away anytime soon, is it?” Oz muttered.
Daisy’s quick and easy smile widened. “Nope.”
Jenny laughed. “I missed you crazies. Head over to the house. We’ve got quite the spread of food set-up in the back to hold you over until dinner.”
“Yes!”
Zane and Lindsey followed as everyone got caught up. The small talk and laughter were welcome as a few of the security guys came out to make sure all was well and ended up staying for the ridiculous layout of food my mom put together.
I took Teagan’s hand and headed for the main house.
“Are you sure she’s going to like me?”
“Teag, of course she is.”
She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous. We’ve talked on the phone a few times.” She clutched my hand with both of hers. “It’s just…”
“Different?”
“Yeah.”
I opened the sliding door leading to the back of the huge one-level house. My mom’s Australian Shepard came racing to the door. I immediately dropped to my knee and took all the love.
“Okay, okay, Sadie.” I pushed her off before I got a tongue down my throat. That was reserved for Teagan.
And because Sadie was shameless, she loved all over Teagan, who was more than happy to fawn all over her.
I stood up as my mom stopped on the threshold to her kitchen.
“Ma.”
“Oh, Cooper. I was trying to get cleaned up before I saw you.” She wiped her hands on the ever-present flour sack towel she tucked in her front pocket.
There were a few more lines around her eyes from her endless hours in the sun, but my mother was still ridiculously stunning. Her dark hair was cut to her shoulders, and her widow’s peak had a streak of gray to it. She crossed to me and crushed me in one of her perfect mom hugs.
The scent of sunshine, wool, and her one indulgence, Dior, washed over me.
She pushed me back and gripped my arms. “God, how did you get bigger?”
I laughed. “We get bored on the bus. There’s a lot of weightlifting.”
“Evidently.” She peered around me. “Hello there.”
I cleared my throat and held my hand out to my girl. “Mom, meet Teagan Daly. Teag, my mom, Melissa.”
“Hi.” Teagan’s grip was bone-shattering.
My mom didn’t give her a second. She immediately went to her, cupping her face. “Oh, you’re so beautiful.” She looked up at me with shiny eyes. “Cooper? She’s gorgeous.”
“I’m aware.”
“Um, thank you.” Teagan laughed and even her eyes were bright pink. She dabbed at the corners. “Sorry, sympathy crier.”
“We’ve heard so much about you.” My mom rubbed my arm. “And now all his people are here. I’m so glad you guys could make it happen.”
“He surprised us with the news today.” Teagan narrowed her eyes. “He’s sneaky like that.”
“Well, I’m just glad to see my boy. The whole band is a bonus.” My mom thumbed away a tear. “Okay, that means you two can help me with the food.”
“Oh, of course.” Teagan immediately brightened and followed my mom into the farmhouse kitchen. It hadn’t changed much in the year since I’d been home. Just a few new things here and there and a fresh coat of paint.
The punch of maple baked beans made my mouth water. “Man, you went all out.”
“Not every day I get such fancy New Yorkers in my home.” She smiled. “Teagan, you can take that salad out. I’ll make this strong guy heft out the cast iron one.”
“I’m pretty strong.” Teagan went for a white and blue bowl. “This one?”
“Yes, please.”
I followed Teagan over to the table and dropped a quick kiss on her mouth. “I’ll be right out.”
She glanced at my mom and then back to me and did that lip bite thing that drove me crazy. “Did I do okay?” she mouthed.
“More than,” I murmured.
Relief flushed her cheeks as she straightened her daisy-covered sundress. “Okay, off I go.”
I watched her leave, my heart thudding so loud I missed the first thing my mom said.
“Cooper?”
“Hmm?” I turned with a smile. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I could just eat her up. You marry that girl.”
“Ma, you don’t even know her.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and came out with the little crystal piano I’d bought. “But I’m kinda ahead of you for the first time…ever.”
“Oh.” She waved her hand in front of her eyes. “Cooper Maxwell Dallas, you are not dropping this on me right this minute.”
“Well, I didn’t do the asking yet. In fact, I was sort of hoping you might keep everyone busy, so I could sneak away with Jenny to get a ring in town.”
“In town? Our jeweler is like one-hundred years old.”
“Actually, Old Man Johnson handed over the reins to his granddaughter. I was looking at their brand-new website last night while I was freaking out about doing this thing.” The words tumbled out of my mouth. I blew out a slow breath. “Sorry. I’m just really—ugh. I love her like crazy, Ma. I could throw up at the thought of proposing but not doing it is worse.”
“Oh, baby.” She threw her arms around my shoulders. The waterworks were on full display, and she finally let me go to tug the tail of the towel out of her pocket. “Whoosh. I swear, I didn’t think it would ever happen. You took so damn long to tell her you loved her.”
Well, I sort of hadn’t done that part yet. But she knew. She had to know.
“It’s good, right?” I stared down at the little piano box. It was so dainty and yet strong, just like Teagan. “I was out shopping with her, and we were in this fancy music store. And there it was behind the register. I just knew I had to get it and do it now. Like a lightning bolt.”
“That’s how it’s supposed to happen.”
“I asked her dad that same day. You know, the whole can I have your permission thing. I wanted to ask her mom too, but it didn’t quite work out that way.”
My mom’s hands went to her hips, and her chin lifted. “You asked her dad before telling me?”
I winced. “There was no plan. I’m just jumping without a parachute here.” And I had been a damn parajumper. A lack of plans was a hell no in my former life. I cleared my throat. “I didn’t even know I was going to do it right then. Things just kept happening like dominos. It’s all so new and confusing. She’s my best friend and…” My face flamed. “And then, we were more. Finally.”
“Well, I’m glad to know your sex life is fulfilling.”
“Ma.” My heart hit my toes. “Can we not?”
“What? Your father was just as in
tense as you are. How else could he convince me to marry him after only knowing him for four days?”
“Days? I didn’t know that.”
“One of a kind love.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Okay, let’s get this food out there, and I’ll sneak you and Jenny out.” She huffed out a breath. “Marriage. Wait, does this mean babies too? I know not right away, but the chance of babies?” She clutched my arm. “You would make the most beautiful babies.”
“Mom, let’s get to the proposal first and see how it goes, okay?”
“Right, of course. Oh, I can’t wait to tell Aggie. She’s going to pass out.” She rushed over to the table and picked up chips and dip. “Okay, muscles, get the beans, and let’s get this show on the road.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It took more than a few minutes to get out of there. Noah caught my sister and I trying to escape, which sucked but it wasn’t surprising. He had to know something was up with my request to visit home.
At least he’d been unobtrusive through the process. And my sister only busted my balls marginally. In the end, we’d walked out with something that was far more perfect than I’d ever imagined. Lady Fate was giving me some heavy signals, and I was taking them all and running for the endzone.
It took a while to get back, but I was almost positive Teagan hadn’t even noticed I was gone. She was in the alpaca field, and her red and gold curls were blowing in the breeze as she helped feed some of the babies.
Suddenly, one took her out and she landed on her butt with three babies in her lap. I headed into the enclosure, my heart racing, but she was too busy laughing to notice me.
“All right there, babe?”
She pushed the peachy-brown cria, who was going for her hair, and spit out a bit of hay. “I’m wonderful.” The baby came right back and nuzzled her neck before plopping into the triangle between her crossed legs. “I made friends.”
“So I see.” I crouched down in front of her and gave the little one a scratch. “And who might you be?”
“Your Aggie let me name her. They were only numbers.” She smooshed its face. “You’re not a number, are you?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that they numbered them just to make sure they survived. Lucky for Teagan, these little ones were almost ready for the pasture. At least based on the color of the tiny tag on her ear. “And what would her name be?”
“How’d you know it was a her?”
“I gave my mom the startup money for this place.” I planted my ass on the grass across from Teagan. My legs didn’t bend like hers, however. “She likes to give me way too much info.”
“Aww.” She buried her face in the baby’s neck. “That’s awesome. I’m sure she was very appreciative.”
“She tried to hand me my ass, actually. Said she could take care of herself.”
Teagan’s laughter lit the cloudless sky. “You’re surrounded by stubborn women.”
“Tell me about it.” I leaned in and picked a piece of hay out of her hair. “It took some convincing…and possibly a certified check she couldn’t ignore.” I gave her a rueful smile. “But she made it work, just like I knew she would. She and my sister went into business together. My sister does the dyeing and most of the pattern stuff.” I shrugged. “They’re always busy, but they’re happy, secure, and independent. A win all around.”
She gave the baby alpaca a little snuggle then set her aside. “Her name is Marmalade, by the way.”
“Of course it is.”
Teagan crawled to me and straddled my lap. Dear God, don’t let her feel the box in my pocket. But she seemed intent on a different kind of goal. One that left me with an armful of sunshine-soaked Teagan with my favorite peachy scent chaser.
Her arms slid around my shoulders. “I really like your family.”
Relief shot through me like the summer storms that blew through the mountains, swift and fierce. I gripped her hips and caught her mouth in a slow, sweet kiss. “I’m very glad.”
“I didn’t get to talk to your sister for long.” She lightly raked her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck. “Where did you guys disappear to?”
“I had to get the full report my mom will never give me.”
She nibbled her lower lip. “Is that so?”
“Just making sure they’re okay. Being so far away, I don’t get home as much. And now with all the crap going on, I don’t want to bring any danger here.”
“Yeah, I understand. But maybe we can do Christmas.”
I smiled into her neck. “Maybe we can bring your parents here and do it up blended family style?”
“Really?”
“Really.”
She hugged me tighter. “I didn’t think I could ever be so happy with what’s been happening all around us.” She rested her cheek against my shoulder. “Sometimes I feel a little guilty about it.”
“Don’t.” I eased her back. “We only have one life, and I’m not wasting any part of it with you anymore.”
Her gaze drifted to my lips then back to my eyes. “I…”
My heart thundered so loud, I could barely hear around it.
“Yo! Would you two come up for air? We have to get back on the bus.”
I collapsed into the grass. That part I definitely heard.
Teagan rested her hands on my belly. “Jamie is a serious ruiner.”
I lifted my head. “What were you going to say?”
“It’ll keep.” She climbed off me and got up, and then held her hand out to me. “C’mon, Dallas. We gotta go to work.”
I yanked her down and rolled her over into the sweet grass. “They can wait a few minutes.” Then I kissed my girl in the sunshine with a ring burning a hole in my pocket and my future in my arms.
Twenty-Five
I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a more beautiful amphitheater in my life. Brooklyn Dawn had last played here right before I’d joined the band, so this was my first time here. The mountains behind the stage were a touch overwhelming. Like they’d carved the bit of stone and wood right into the land and allowed us mere mortals to play for Mother Nature. The Black River flowing behind it was made for tubing, since it had been a dry summer so far.
It was the perfect setting to wind down our summer tour. It still felt a little strange to be finishing up in not too long, but then again, everything attached to this tour had been odd. As if a specter had been hanging out on the fringes, coloring the tone of the shows.
Thank God, it didn’t seem to translate to the crowds. There was nothing but smiles on the faces of the stream of concertgoers. Especially today on this perfect summer day.
I nodded to Cole, who had shadowed me to the side of the stage set-up so I could get a look at the place. “I’m good to go back in.”
He pressed something at his ear and checked in with the team before we headed back into the dressing rooms. Daisy was putting the finishing touches on Lindsey’s hair. For once, volume wasn’t a problem for all of us girls. The humidity was a bitch at these outdoor shows, but Montana was blissfully temperate.
I was already dressed for the show, and because we were a co-headlining tour, it was our turn to go first tonight. Normally, I liked a bit of quiet before a show, but today had been full of laughter, crazy cute alpacas, and possibly a new bit of family added to my life.
I was an only child. My first taste of crazy had been joining Brooklyn Dawn. My parents were about as all-American as you could get, and we were the quiet kind of family who played Scrabble every Sunday. Nothing like the busy Dallas family with their ranch and yarn business headed by a strong woman who had carved out a life for her loved ones even with so much loss.
Cooper had come from that. A man who valued family in all its forms.
I glanced over at him, pacing in the dressing room. He’d been a little off since our trip out to his mom’s place. Not exactly secretive but definitely antsy.
Had it been because I’d almost blurted out the big L word? It had been such a s
hort time since we’d changed our relationship, but it felt right. Better than right. He was the other piece I’d been looking for all my life.
“Go in ten, people,” Noah called from the hallway.
I swear, he’d become our tour manager more than just the head of security lately. He seemed perfect for the role, even if he’d probably deny it to his dying breath.
I went over to Cooper and slid my fingers between his. “You all right?”
“Yeah.” His forehead was creased, and I watched him forcibly relax. “It’s just been one of those days. A lot going on.”
“Right.”
He kissed my forehead. “I gotta check on something. See you on stage?”
“Where else would I be?”
He started to walk away then turned around and caught me up in a hot, hungry kiss. “Right, gotta go.”
He released me, and I staggered a little. “Well then.”
Lindsey came up next to me. “Everything okay?”
“I think so. He’s being a little weird.”
“Well, he’s male. They’re thinkier sorts than we give them credit for. Don’t get me wrong, they definitely aren’t obsessing on the same things we do, but they aren’t quite as oblivious as they like us to believe.”
“I’m learning that.”
Lindsey squeezed my fingers. “You guys are really good together. I was a little worried about a Fleetwood Mac thing, to be honest.”
I laughed. “Pretty sure we won’t be trading partners in the band.”
“No, thank God. But I don’t want anything to hurt my family, and love makes us all a little crazy.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that.
She took my other hand and looked me straight in the eye. “Yours is the good kind of crazy.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.” She fluffed my hair. Some part of me would always be the little sister, and I was really okay with that. “Now, it’s time to go kick some ass.”
We all took our places. The sea of faces out in the crowd and across the lawn were obviously ready to have a good time.
The sun painted the crowd in a golden hue, and the sky was so blue it hurt to look at it. And there was nowhere I’d rather be. That sizzle of excitement took hold. The one that told me a show would be extra special. It buzzed under my fingers as I laid my fingers on my keys. The stage wasn’t big enough for my Steinway, but I had a feeling we were going to be doing a lot of running around tonight. Everyone seemed charged up.