She laughed. “I’m sure she’d like that.”
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
I walked out of the bedroom, unable to stop the whistle from leaving my lips. At least until I noticed the two cars following me to the truck rental place. I rolled my eyes, knowing that even more paparazzi would be on Jenna’s lawn soon. It wouldn’t take them long to figure out why I was renting a box truck. Couldn’t they find something better to do with their time? At least before long, Jenna would be protected from the bullshit by the metal gate around our place.
Anything to protect my family.
CHAPTER 35
Jenna
“Are you sure Rachel wants to go out for dinner? She does realize the shitstorm we create every time we go somewhere together, right?”
I smirked. “I warned her. She says it’s not a big deal.”
Heath poked his head out of the bathroom. “Seriously? I don’t think she truly knows what she’s walking into tonight.”
I giggled. “Probably not, but I warned her and she made the choice. She’ll just have to see it for herself tonight.”
Heath had been dealing with the paparazzi for a while, but nothing like since they found out about me. Since then we couldn’t go anywhere, even if he pulled his hair into a baseball cap. The minute they saw me, they knew it was Heath with me hiding beneath his hat. Everyone seemed to be fascinated with him becoming a dad. Even Mari and Sawyer noticed that we got followed as much as they did now. Hopefully, if and when Jackson and Monty met someone, it didn’t cause an uproar. I firmly believed if I wasn’t pregnant, things would have been much calmer. Or, I’d liked to hope that would have been the case.
I picked up another photograph from the table and placed it into a box. We’d spent the day packing my things from the house. The realtor I spoke with suggested leaving the furniture but taking down any personal touches. It gave people the chance to imagine their stuff on the walls.
It hurt my heart a little to watch the pictures I’d grown up seeing all over the house being placed into the boxes. The emptiness it created settled inside my chest. Moving to Heath’s house had been my choice and deep down I knew it was the right move, but at the moment focusing on Rachel dealing with the photographers tonight helped me to not think about what we were doing.
Strong hands rested on my shoulders, rubbing out the tension I could feel building all day. “You’re quiet out here.”
I looked down at the picture in my hands. It was one from my high school graduation. Me in my cap and gown with Nana standing next to me. Heath peeked over my shoulder.
“She looks really proud of you there.”
I smiled, but still sensed the twinge in my chest. “She was. She thought I’d go to college and change the world or at least the restaurant industry. Neither of us thought about her getting diagnosed two months later.”
Heath pulled me against his warm, hard chest, surrounding me with strong arms.
“You know you can still change your mind. I’d be okay living here.”
I spun around in his arms to face him. “I know and I love you for it. But even as hard as it is, this is something I need to do. I don’t want to live in the past with you. I want to build a future together. Something with memories of our own.”
He studied my face, then leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. “Okay. I’ll do whatever makes you happy.”
I patted him on the chest. “I know.”
His touch calmed me, centered me as I sat there in the circle of his arms. When I felt more at ease, I lifted my gaze to his.
“All right, now go and finish packing the baby’s stuff since you won’t let me help with the heavy things.”
He pressed a kiss to my nose, winked, and walked back down the hall. I took the photo in my hand, wrapped it in newspaper, and set it in the box at my feet.
I’d finished packing the photos on the table when my front door flew open. I whirled around, my hand on my chest. Rachel stood in the doorway, eyes wide, phone in her hand.
“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding.”
“Jesus, Rachel, you scared the shit out of me.”
She had the grace to look a little sheepish as she shut the door behind her. “Sorry, but I’m in shock.”
I pushed down the flaps of the boxes to close it. “What are you in shock about?”
“The crazy people that follow you everywhere.”
I moved around the table to take a seat on the couch. She followed not far behind and dropped onto the sofa facing me. “Did you think I was making that shit up?”
“Well, no, but I figured you thought it was worse than it really was. You were never one for a lot of people paying attention to you.”
“Yeah, but even I know the difference between that and this. Wanna tell me what happened?”
She leaned over, stretching her phone out to me. I took it from her grip and looked at the picture on the screen. It was one of Heath as he carried a box out to the truck he’d rented to move my stuff, with the caption ‘Jaded Ivory keyboard player and girlfriend moving.’
“You told me Heath was picking up the truck this morning.”
I sighed. “Yep, they probably followed him when he went to get it.”
Her eyes were wide. “That’s insane.”
“It is. Sure you still want to go to dinner?” Heath’s voice caught my attention. I glanced up to see him leaning in the doorway of the hall. He smiled at me.
I looked over at Rachel, who sat completely frozen in front of me.
“He’s behind me,” she mouthed.
I nodded, unable to stop the smirk from forming on my lips. “He is.”
She flopped against the back of the couch, eyes closed and her hand on her chest. “Oh my God.”
Heath sauntered over and sat down next to me, taking my free hand in his and entwining our fingers.
“Is she okay?” He gestured toward Rachel.
“I think so.” I looked at Rachel and started giggling. “You okay over there?”
Her eyes flew open and her face turned three different shades of red in a matter of seconds. “I’m fine. I just never imagined…never thought…”
“Never thought you’d meet him?” I supplied.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Shut up. You’ve gotten used to being around him. You’re screwing him, for crying out loud. Me, I need a moment to freak out.”
Heath barked out a laugh. “She’s blunt.”
“You have no idea.”
“I’m sitting right here,” Rachel protested.
“I can see that. I’m just giving you a chance for your moment to be over so I can introduce you to Heath.”
I glanced up at him and once again got caught in the depths of charcoal gray eyes. There were some days I couldn’t believe this man was mine. Today wasn’t going to be that day.
Heath stood and walked over to where Rachel sat and held a hand out to her. “You must be Rachel.”
She glanced at me and pretended to fan herself before looking back at Heath and placing her hand in his. “That’s me.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m—”
She waved her hand in the air. “Oh, you don’t need an introduction. Holy hell, you’re hotter than I imagined you would be.”
Heath lifted a brow. “I guess I should take that as a compliment.”
“Definitely a compliment.”
I dropped my head into my hand. “Shit, you’re out of control today.”
Heath was shaking his head and chuckling when he came back to sit down next to me. I turned Rachel’s phone to face Heath. He took it from my grip and looked at the picture before handing it back to me.
“God, they really have nothing better to do.” He leaned back into the couch, resting his arms over the top, and placed his ankle on his knee. He lifted a brow at Rachel. “So I take it you’ve changed your mind about dinner?”
That seemed to sober her up. “Is that what it’s like every time you go out?”
I shrugged. “Pretty much.”
Heath’s fingers played with the ends of my hair. “It’s gotten worse the closer we get to the baby’s due date. Hopefully, it dies down after that.”
“Not likely,” Rachel said. “From everything I read earlier, they see this”—she moved her finger between the two of us—“as a real-life Cinderella story and they’re absolutely fascinated by it all.”
“Great.” I closed my eyes and dropped my head back on Heath’s arm.
He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. “I’m sorry about all of this. I wish I knew how to protect you from it.”
I opened my eyes. “Don’t you dare blame yourself. I knew what I was getting into the night we left the restaurant. I chose you and all of this comes with you. I’ll get used to it.”
He ran his fingers over my lips and down my jaw. “I’m not sure you ever get used to this, but I love that you’re willing to deal with it for me.”
I got caught in his stare and the rest of the room seemed to fade away. At least until a throat cleared, reminding me that Rachel was in the room with us. I moved my head to look at her.
“You are two fucking adorable for me. And to answer your question, I’m good with pizza. I just want the chance to get know the man who has obviously swept Jenna off her feet.”
“Pizza I can do.” I laughed. “But it also means you get to help us pack.”
“Hey, that’s what I came over for. You didn’t tell me Heath would be here. I thought he was in the studio today.”
“We were supposed to be but turns out they were happy with the way we recorded the song and want to release it next week.”
I sat up. “Wait, I thought you said last time you released the first single off the album, they hyped it, made you guys visit a bunch of radio stations after its release.”
My heart sped up in my chest. I’d just gotten Heath back from tour and I wasn’t ready to give him up again. He moved his arm from the back of the couch and scooped my hand up in his and pressed it to his lips
“Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere anytime soon. They want it to be a surprise release. The guys at LiteStar think with the success of our tour it will shoot up the charts without the big to do beforehand.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding and relaxed again.
“A new single?” The excitement in Rachel’s voice was palpable in the room.
“Yep.” Heath stared down at me. “One I wrote just for Jenna.”
“Holy shit,” she screeched. “He wrote a fucking song for you? God, I think I might be a little jealous.”
I laughed and moved to get up off the couch. Heath stood and held a hand out to me. I slipped my fingers in his.
“Thank you,” I said when he pulled me to standing. I placed my hands over my belly. “I can’t wait until I get up from the couch on my own again.”
“I’ll be in the spare room if you need any help in here.” He pressed a kiss to my lips and disappeared down the hall again.
I glanced down to see Rachel watching me with wide eyes. “What?”
“I never thought I’d see the day a man had completely and totally broken every wall you erected around yourself.”
“Heath’s not like any man I’ve ever met.”
“You’ve told me that. I guess I had to see it with my own eyes.” She stood and wrapped her arms around me. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Well, I have you to thank too.”
She stepped back. “Me? What did I do?”
“You kept telling me that good things were bound to happen and they finally have.”
Rachel rested her hand over my abdomen. “I still can’t believe you’re going to be a mom.”
“You and me both.”
A softness filled her eyes. “You’re going to be a great mom.”
The back of my throat started to burn. “I hope so.”
She patted me on the cheek. “Nana taught you everything you need to know and you’ll never be alone.”
A lone tear slipped free and not for the first time I wondered what my parents and Nana would think of Heath and the baby. Almost as if Rachel could read my mind, she leaned down and whispered in my ear, “They would have loved him.”
We stood there staring at each other for a moment, eyes shimmering as the weight of the emotions swirling in the room settled over us. Eventually, Rachel brushed away the tear that escaped her own eye and she moved over to one of the abandoned boxes on the floor.
“Let’s get you packed so you can spend every night in that sexy fucker’s bed.”
I laughed. I knew she was trying to break the tension in the room and I grabbed the rope she’d thrown me and held on.
“Then I guess you better start putting shit in boxes.”
We broke into laughter and worked in amiable silence as we packed up the living room. Heath’s presence was always a comfort, but there was something to be said about having someone to help pack who’d been around when many of those memoires had been made.
A few hours later when we were all starving and I’d ordered a pizza, we sat in the living room, giving Rachel and Heath the chance to get to know one another. When she’d finally moved past the fan girl phase and stopped stumbling over her words, they’d gotten along better than I could have ever hoped for. They understood each other’s humor and had no problem putting me in my place when I tried to defend some of my crazier notions from when we first met. Particularly the part where I didn’t think Heath would want to be bothered with me. Some mornings I woke up shocked that this was my life.
I dropped the plate onto the coffee table, unable to stop the yawn as it left my lips.
“You pushed too hard today,” Rachel said, picking my plate up.
“I’m fine. There are still a few more things in here that need to be packed.”
Heath shook his head. “I don’t think so. No more packing for you tonight.”
“Heath’s right. I’m here for almost a week and a half. I’ll come back tomorrow to help you keep packing.”
He looked over at Rachel and nodded. “That would be great. Since we got today off, we do have to head into the studio tomorrow to set up the rest of the tracks on the album and they wants to take promotional photos, but I’ll come by after we’re done for the night.”
“I can—”
“No arguing,” Rachel ordered. “You need to get your sleep now, ’cause soon enough you’re not going to get any sleep.”
I covered my mouth as another yawn slipped free. “So everyone keeps telling me.”
Rachel bent down and kissed my cheek. “Let Heath help you to bed. I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Fine. Thanks for helping today.”
“Anything for you.”
Rachel waved as she walked out the front door and Heath led me down the hall. After getting changed into my pajamas, I curled up on my side and Heath climbed onto the bed facing me.
He brushed a piece of hair from my forehead. “Promise me you won’t overdo it tomorrow when I’m not here.”
“I didn’t overdo—”
“Love, it’s a little after nine and you’re completely exhausted. I’d definitely say you overdid it.”
I sighed. “Fine, I promise. But there’s still so much to pack.”
“I know. I’m going to lie with you until you fall asleep and then I’ll go see what else I can get done before bed.”
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” I couldn’t help but wonder when I’d ended up with a man who loved me so fiercely.
“You were you. That’s enough for me. Now get some rest.”
I closed my eyes and let the soft caress of his fingers up and down my arm lull me into sleep.
CHAPTER 36
Jenna
It was amazing what a good night sleep could do to a person’s psyche. I’d felt more refreshed when I’d gotten up this morning than I had in weeks. Even though I would never admit it to him, Heath had been right about taking it easy. Not
working such long hours and actually sleeping for a solid eight had made a huge difference.
Even though I promised Heath to take it easy, I couldn’t ignore the energy I had and managed to finish packing the living room before Rachel arrived. He’d gotten through my old room and a good part of the kitchen before he’d come to bed. I had woken and had no idea what time that had been, but he’d kissed me before he left, not long after the sun had risen.
Another reason to get the packing done sooner rather than later, I didn’t want him to have to deal with the super early mornings anymore.
“Hey,” Rachel said, coming to a stop in the doorway of the kitchen. Her eyes moved around the room and they were narrowed by the time they came back to me. “I thought you were supposed to be taking it easy.”
I pointed to the boxes by the wall. “Heath finished those last night before he went to bed.”
“Okay, but what about the ones in the living room and at your feet?”
I shrugged. “What can I say, I have a lot of energy this morning.”
She set down the cup of coffee in her hand. “That’s because you actually got a decent night’s sleep for once in your adult life. But push too hard and you’re going to end up wiped out before you know it.”
“Well, now you’re here to help, so I won’t work too hard.”
She arched a brow. “That’s ’cause I won’t let you.”
“You two are way overprotective.”
“No, you are over eight months pregnant. Trust me, if that wasn’t the case I’d tell you to pack your own shit.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for her to lose it, knowing she was absolutely full of it. Didn’t take long for her to crack and burst out laughing. I laughed along with her. “That’s what I thought.”
I grabbed an empty box and handed it to her. “Nothing in my room has been packed up yet.”
“Fine with me. Better to deal with clothes than wrapping dishes.”
She took the box and disappeared down the hall. I turned back to the cabinet I’d just opened. Glasses, great. One by one, I pulled them from the cabinet and wrapped them tightly in paper. I’d finished the first shelf and leaned up to grab one from the second shelf when a tightness filled my abdomen.
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