“Here you go, Jenna.”
Damn, Dillion had perfect timing with the drinks. I picked up the tray. “Let me get this up there.”
Doug still looked a little worried. “Okay, but let me know if it’s too much. You just started feeling better. I’d hate to see you wear yourself down again.”
If only he knew, I still didn’t feel better and I probably wouldn’t for the next seven months. I’d just gotten better at hiding it. “I’m fine.” He kept watching me and I knew it wouldn’t cut it. “I promise I’ll tell you. Thanks, Doug.”
He grinned. “Anytime.”
I scooted through the crowd with the tray in my hands, making sure to deliver Heath his drink last. When I handed him the glass, I could tell he wanted to say something. Instead, he shook his head and thanked me for the drink before looking back at his phone. Throughout the night, I could feel his eyes on me as I moved from group to group, keeping their drinks filled and smiles on their faces. Happy customers meant better tips.
That didn’t stop me from glancing over at him every once in a while. His long brown hair sat in messy waves against his shoulders, with gray eyes I knew got even deeper when he was aroused. After the two drinks he switched to plain soda. I couldn’t blame him. We weren’t talking about plans for dinner the next night. This was going to change both of our lives forever.
The worst part of the whole night was watching a few gorgeous women sit down with him, trying to get his attention. It should have told me something when he signed autographs for them, the whole time keeping his gaze focused on me. But the green-eyed monster had his own way of making me feel insecure. Heath had only come back because I was pregnant. Otherwise, I probably would have only seen him if I’d gone to a Jaded Ivory concert. Yet, there he sat ten feet from where I stood, waiting for me.
Near the end of the night, the crowd had died down, with only a few left in the VIP section. Heath being one of them. Thankfully tonight wasn’t my turn to close the club. Heath’s knee began bouncing up and down a little over an hour ago when I cleared his table. I knew he was ready to talk, so I cashed out my last tab and walked over to where he sat.
“Let me get my stuff and I’ll meet you out front.”
“I’ll pull the car up.”
My first reaction was to tell him no, that I’d take the bus. But that was ridiculous. I’d already been on my feet all day. Why should I walk to the bus stop when he would give me a ride home? “Okay.”
He stood and I watched as he walked out the front door. I looked around the place for Doug, hoping he was in his office. I didn’t feel like explaining why Heath was taking me home again. In the locker room, I grabbed my purse and backpack. When I stepped out into the cool spring night, I glanced around for the expected sports car. Imagine my surprise when the window of an SUV rolled down and I could see Heath sitting behind the steering wheel.
When I didn’t immediately reach for the door, he leaned over and opened it himself. “I promise I just want to talk.”
A nervous laugh bubbled up. “It’s not that. I honestly wasn’t expecting an SUV.”
He tilted his head to the side. “What were you expecting?”
I climbed into the passenger side and shut the door. “Some type of sports car.”
Once I had my seatbelt on, he put the car in gear and turned onto the street. “Good thing I planned to dispel all your myths about rock stars tonight.”
I glanced over at him, unable to stop the smart remark from leaving my lips. “So you are all the same, but not what I’d expect?”
“I don’t give a damn about anyone else but me. And no, I’m not like any of the shit you read in the paper about other musicians.”
I sighed, my shoulders dropping. “I owe you an apology. You told me last night the picture didn’t give a clear indication of what was going on. And still, I pushed back. I’m so sorry. Deep down I knew you weren’t the guy I was looking at on that tabloid, but somehow in my fear of the unknown, I convinced myself it could had to be true.”
“Don’t be scared. We’re going to figure it all out together.”
He turned in the direction of my house.
“You remembered where I live?”
He peeked at me out of the corner of his eye. “I do.”
“But it was only one night.”
“Maybe that night was more memorable for one of us than the other.”
I laid a hand over my stomach. “I wouldn’t say that. And now we have something that will remind us for a lifetime.”
“Yes, we do.”
In the muted light of the car, I couldn’t see the expression on his face, but it sounded like there was a smile in his voice. Maybe I was hearing things. Although he’d flown all the way here after I told him. The whole thing was messing with my head.
We were both silent for the rest of the ride. I still couldn’t work out the man beside me. That was my fault. I’d been so worried I’d slipped into bed with a guy who had more one-night stands than I count, all because I was vulnerable, that I pushed him away first thing the next morning. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d gotten the man completely wrong.
That morning he apologized for letting things get so far. He wanted to comfort me, to show me there were people out there who did care. And I judged him based on a stereotype. After all that, he came when I called for help, even as I tried to keep him at an arm’s length.
We pulled up in front of my house and in the blink of an eye, Heath was around the front, opening my door and helping me out of the car.
“You know I’m pregnant, not hurt, right?”
“Yes. But, there’s nothing wrong with me helping you out of the car. It’s a big drop.”
I glanced down at the small step down from the SUV and almost laughed. He was acting like he’d rented a Monster Truck to pick me up in. “You do realize I’ve been on my feet all day. This small little step is nothing.”
“It’s not, but it’s something I can do to help. I watched you bust your ass all night. I wanted to help you, but I had a feeling you wouldn’t go for it. Not from me. Not when you think I wouldn’t care about my own child.”
“Heath—”
He covered my lips with his finger, slipping the bag from my shoulder with the other hand. “Let’s go inside and get you off your feet, then we’ll talk.”
“Okay.” I pulled the keys from my bag and led him up the walkway.
The spring brought with it longer grass and weeds. I needed to mow the front yard. Time hadn’t been on my side. I unlocked the door and pushed it open, trying to let Heath through first. He wouldn’t have it and gestured for me to go in before him. With the feeling we’d spend more time on the porch arguing about it than it was worth, I walked into the house, dropping my keys onto the table by the door.
“Have you eaten tonight?”
“Yeah, I had something at the diner before I went to my shift at the club.”
He shook his head. “You need to eat. Go get changed and I’ll find you something.”
I sighed. “You’re not going to find much in the kitchen, but you’re more than welcome to try. If you don’t mind, I’m going to grab a shower really quick.”
“Go ahead. I’ll find food and wait for you in the living room.”
Before he could say anything else, I took my bag from him and made a beeline to my bedroom. The minute I laid eyes on the bed, memories of the night that brought us to this place flooded my head. I’d been with enough men to know what I liked and what I didn’t like. There’d been something different about Heath that night. Something that I pushed out of my mind when I was awake but couldn’t run from in my dreams. If only life were really that simple. But I knew my life didn’t fit into the perfect little mold of a fairy tale. No way would the sexy ass rocker fall for the poor girl, down on her luck.
I pushed those thoughts out of my head, because in the end the only thing that mattered was that he was here to help take care of our child. Or at least talk about what we
needed to do. And that said so much more than the magic my lonely heart wanted to conjure.
Thankfully, this time my brain was in charge. I dropped the bag on the floor and grabbed clothes to put on. Leggings and a T-shirt would have to do. I didn’t have it in me to give a shit about my appearance. Besides, if he really planned on sticking it out, there’d probably be worse days on the horizon.
After racing through my shower and getting dressed, I walked back out into the living room to find Heath sitting on the couch with a pizza waiting on the coffee table.
“I know it’s not the healthiest option, but it’s the best I could do this late at night. You weren’t kidding when you said I wouldn’t find much.”
He opened the box and the smell of pizza finally hit my nose. I waited for my stomach to protest. Ironically it didn’t. Instead it growled so loud, I was surprised it didn’t try to claw its way out. Heath looked down at my stomach then back at me.
He lifted a brow. “Hungry?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” I took the plate he offered me and pulled a slice from the box onto my plate. “I haven’t been eating a lot lately.”
The smirk fell off his face as his eyes narrowed. “Why the hell not? You need to take more breaks and eat.”
I set the plate down on my lap and stared him down. One thing I planned to make clear from the beginning—he wasn’t in charge, I was. “Don’t you dare get pissy. First, I won’t be leaving either of my jobs until I have to and that decision will be mine, not yours.”
He lifted both hands and nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I worry.”
“I won’t fault you for worrying, but I draw the line at you telling me what to do.”
He waved his hand at the pizza. “Please, eat then.”
I lifted the slice to my mouth and took a bite. I braced my feet on the floor for the moment the piece hit my stomach. I had no idea whether it would revolt and make it come back up or if it planned on playing nice today.
“Why do you look like you’re about to run?”
I looked down at the way I’d seated myself at the edge of the couch and almost laughed. “For the same reason I haven’t eaten much. Your child thinks making me vomit up most of what I eat is fun.”
His whole body froze. His eyes locked on mine. He swallowed hard and whispered, “My child…”
I dropped my eyes to the floor, afraid to see his reaction. “So you believe me and don’t think this is some kind of stunt for money?”
That seemed to snap him out of his daze. “Why the hell would you think that?”
I shrugged. “You’re a celebrity. You have fame and money, something I’ll never have. I’m sure people will think I’m using you.”
“I don’t think you’re that kind of person. Besides, I was there the night you got pregnant. I already know the condom broke. Did your doctor say why the birth control failed?”
“No, the doctor at the clinic didn’t know. They said it could have been that the stress of dealing with my grandmother’s illness messed with my body chemistry. I guess we’ll never know.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re here now. No reason to worry about the whys. We need to focus on what we do now.”
I set the pizza down again. “I told you—”
He held up a hand. “Finish eating, then we’ll talk.”
I narrowed my eyes for a moment, but I knew he was right. This was the first time I’d been able to get anything down without feeling sick. Even the last time I tried pizza, I got queasy. I brought the pizza back up to my lips and finished the slice without complaint. After two more slices, I reached for the bottle of water sitting on the table and I sat back against the couch.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much.”
“Good. Now we’re going to talk about our baby.”
It didn’t go unnoticed that he emphasized our.
CHAPTER 12
Jenna
“I told you, I can do this on my own. I’m not sure what there’s to talk about,” I said before he had the chance to continue.
Maybe a part of me feared what would happen if he were part of our child’s life, then up and decided it was too much and walked away. What would that do to them? What would it do to me?
His nostrils flared and his tone grew hard as he spoke. “I know what you said, but I didn’t fly thousands of miles to write you a check and walk away. I don’t know why you think I’d be okay with being nothing more than a bank, but I can tell you now, you’re very wrong.”
The tone of his voice brought my own temper to the surface. “You, the man who has groupies following him around after every show and probably fucks at least one a night, want to give that up along with the drinking and partying to raise a kid?”
“You’ve got it all fucking wrong,” he snapped. “I’m not that guy. I plan to be involved in my kid’s life.”
“And how the hell do you plan to do that when you’re on the road? I don’t even know where you call home.”
“We only have four months left on this tour. But you can bet your ass I plan on flying back and forth to do what I need to take care of you.”
“I don’t need someone to take care of me.”
“Bullshit. I saw the way you ran your ass off tonight. You’re gonna keep doing that for the next seven months?”
“I’m not—”
He cut me off. “Don’t start. I already know you don’t plan on quitting your job and I get it. But taking care of my child also means taking care of you while you’re carrying him or her. There’s no reason I can’t help ease the burden, even if it only means you can cut back your hours so you’re not running yourself ragged.”
I knew I should jump at the chance of being able to work fewer hours, but something about his words made my chest hurt. Did he only care about what happened to me while I carried the baby? A part of me wanted him to care about me because he wanted to. I pushed those thoughts to the side. There were bigger things to worry about than Heath wanting me. I’d been taking care of myself for years and I could keep doing it.
“That doesn’t answer my question. Fewer hours doesn’t require you being here, just financial support.”
He narrowed his eyes and dug his fingertips into his thighs. Didn’t stop me from continuing.
“I asked how you plan on being involved when you’re on the road with Jaded Ivory?”
“We won’t always be on the road. And when we’re not, my place is only an hour and a half from here. Plus, I looked at a few different apartment complexes today.”
That brought me up short. Not exactly what I expected. “You looked at apartments today?”
“Um…yeah. Unless I can convince you to come closer to me. Maybe even taking one of the bedrooms in my house, I’ll rent a place close to where my baby is going to be.”
“Wow. I can’t say I expected that.” It might have been unfair to judge Heath based on his music career, but I couldn’t stop myself from doing it. I had so many unanswered questions. Then another thought occurred. “How will this affect the band?”
“The band has nothing to do with this. Reagan and Sawyer know since I talked to them right before I left. I couldn’t leave without telling someone where I was going.”
I dropped my head into my hands. “Of course you told the lawyer first.”
I could only imagine how that conversation went. Most likely with him trying to convince Heath to pay me off to go away. The couch beside me dipped and I glanced up at him from behind my hands.
“I didn’t tell Reagan because he’s one of our lawyers. He was there when I told Sawyer, who happens to be one of my closest friends. And Reagan is his boyfriend. I doubt they hide anything from the other, so it made sense to tell the two of them together.”
I scoffed. “Let me guess, they think I am playing you for money.”
“No, they don’t think that. I won’t lie, they have my best interests at heart and if that means getting the court to grant me time with the baby
then I will, but I don’t think either of us wants that.”
“No,” I fired back.
He laid a hand on my knee. “I don’t want to do that, but I want to be very clear. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. I will offer any financial support you need, but I want to be fully involved in my baby’s life. That is not negotiable.”
“And you’re sure that’s going to work? That you’ll be able to be there?”
“You’re judging me based on some misguided stereotype. You haven’t given me a chance to prove I’ll be here. I did fly out here after all. That’s got to count for something.”
Oh, it counted for something all right. I just wasn’t ready to admit how much of a difference it made. Then again, it was still early. We hadn’t gotten to the hard parts of raising a baby. Right now, it was just him and me. Two adult talking about a shared future. Nowhere near as hard as the sleepless nights and fear of screwing up would be.
“You have a point. But what I don’t get is why you didn’t tell me that night who you were?”
“I didn’t hide anything from you that night. I told you my name. It wasn’t until later in the night that I realized you had no idea who I was. And honestly, I liked being seen as a person and not a celebrity for once.”
“But you are a celebrity.”
“I wasn’t always one. This whole lifestyle is new to me. Remember, I’m the poor kid whose dad left me with my grandmother so he could save enough money to send me to college.”
“I know, but look at it from my point of view. I woke up that morning thinking you reminded of the guy I’d seen on the Jaded Ivory poster. Not once did it cross my mind you actually were a member of the band until I looked it up.”
The sound of disbelief rang heavily through my voice. Anyone listening could have heard it.
“Why does it sound like that surprises you?”
My eyes moved down. “I wait on people like you for a living. They don’t normally give me a second glance.”
He placed his finger under my chin and lifted my gaze to his. “Trust me when I tell you, I did.”
Cover Me (Jaded Ivory Book 3) Page 9