“Fuck yeah!” Cooper exclaimed, pounding me on the back.
I grinned like a fool. Now I did have everything. I had my band, my girl, and my life back. While a small part of me was bothered that my mother was involved and would likely face jail time herself, it wasn’t enough to damper my feelings of excitement. Looking around, my breath caught. The guys were hugging each other and Maggie. Everyone was grinning and celebrating.
Coop approached me and grabbed me in a bear hug, slapping my back. Wrapping my arms around him, I returned it. It felt so good to reconnect with my bandmates. With everything going on, it had felt like we were all going our separate ways. Now, we were stronger than ever and ready to finish up this tour with a bang.
“Okay, guys,” Chris sounded above the noise. “Let’s finish eating and go listen to the opening bands.”
We all nodded in agreement and sat down to do as he suggested. That was something we had done up until this tour had started; we would always go out and listen to those priming the audience for us. It was a way not only to come together as a band, but to support those we traveled with. This time, it was a young married couple on their first tour, and a bright female bombshell that was as sassy as she was spunky.
Finishing up, we all checked our phones one last time before leaving them in the room. I saw Cooper’s face fall when he found that he didn’t have anything from Avery. Julie hadn’t sent anything either, but I chalked it up to them being elbows deep in paperwork. Sending her a quick, I love you <3 text, I slid my phone into my bag and followed the others from the room.
Maggie trailed behind us, answering her phone and waving us forward as she spoke with who sounded like her wife. Mikey and the other bodyguards surrounded us; there weren’t many people in the halls, other than those that worked the venue, but groupies popping out of nowhere wasn’t uncommon. I could feel goose bumps breaking out over my skin as we got closer and could hear the screaming of the crowd.
As much as I wanted to get back to Maine, this was what I loved to do. Performing was a drug like no other. It gave you a high that couldn’t be described. I bounced on my toes as we slid out a door and made our way to the side of the stage under the cloak of darkness. From there, we could watch without the crowd knowing. We didn’t want to take the attention away from those on stage.
Before we knew it, both acts were done and we were slipping back through the door. Behind the stage, we spent a couple minutes complimenting the acts on their performances before we moved to form a circle. We wrapped our arms around each other’s shoulders and were quiet as Chris recited a quiet passage. One we each knew by heart and that he said prior to every performance we had ever done. We had written it as a band and used it to gear ourselves up, reminding ourselves how grateful we needed to be for what we got to do every day.
When he finished, we all hollered “Dark Roads” and got into our zones. Cooper pulled the drumsticks from his pocket and moved them like he was playing a song in his head, Matt cracked his neck and his knuckles, Chris closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, while I bounced like a boxer and grinned like an idiot. Finally, after what felt like forever, the crowd grew quiet and the stage manager gave us the signal to head up. We each slapped Chris on the back on our way by—he would enter last, as he sang the opening verse for our new song, and found our ways to our instruments.
The beat from Cooper behind me had me tapping my foot and getting lost in the music. When the lights came fully on as Chris walked out, I let my fingers guide me through the song. My heart thumped along with the drums, and Matt and I grinned at each other over our lead singer’s head. I’m not sure I would ever get sick of this. The traveling, sure, but the playing in front of thousands of people while they sang along to your songs. Nope, it would never get old.
I think it was our best show of the tour. Maggie seemed to think so too, as I could see her dancing around beside the stage with a few others who had won backstage passes. It wasn’t until I caught her looking at her phone with a concerned look, all movement seizing, that I almost missed a note. She moved to make her way backstage, and I knew something was up, causing my stomach to drop.
We finished the last song and when the lights went out, we ran off the stage for a quick relief before the encore. Maggie was back there talking to Mikey, and both had looks I couldn’t read. Nodding to him, she made her way over to me. My heart ricocheted to my throat. Julie.
“So, we have a slight problem,” she said with a small smile.
“Oh?” I questioned, wiping at the sweat dripping down my face.
“Avery is in labor, and I’m not sure if I should tell Coop,” she murmured for my ears only.
My brain went into overdrive. We had two songs left. If we could at least get through this concert, we would only have to deal with bumping our last one. I also felt my heart calm a bit, knowing Julie was fine. A flight from here would take a few hours anyway.
“Don’t,” I said, causing her eyebrows to fly up. “Just get the bus and plane ready to get us out of here as soon as we get off the stage.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but knew that I wouldn’t have said something that wasn’t in Cooper’s or the band’s best interest. He could be pissed at me later. I didn’t care. I knew he would rather make up one concert than two. We needed to finish the show.
It had never felt like two songs could be so long before. I was again smiling so much that my cheeks hurt and had to struggle to keep my focus enough that I didn’t miss my cords. Excitement for Cooper and Avery coursed through me and the diamond on the ring would catch my leg every once in a while through my jeans, amping me up even more. All of our lives were about to change.
“Holy shit, was that awesome!” Matt hollered as we came off the stage.
“You’re not fucking wrong, brother,” Chris agreed, clapping him on the shoulder.
“It’s about to get better,” I told them, gesturing to where Maggie and Mikey stood with our bags.
“What’s going on?” Cooper asked when Mikey handed him his, a smile wider than I had ever seen on the other man’s face.
“We’re heading to Maine, brother,” his bodyguard informed him. “You’re having a baby.”
“Well, little lady,” I crooned, “you are going to keep your father on his toes.”
Rocking the bundle in my arms, I studied every little feature. Her blonde eyelashes resting on her smooth pink cheeks, her tiny fingers clenched in a fist, and her sweet lips curved into a pucker. She was perfect. I was already in love with her.
“You’re a natural,” Avery commented from behind me.
I turned and found my friend watching me with a tired smile. If I hadn’t thought she was a champ before, watching her go through labor would have done it. Due to our timing at getting to the hospital, she had been too late to get an epidural. The woman had done it all medication-free, and I bowed down to her. She was amazing. The emotions had run extremely high when the baby had showed slight signs of distress and we had found out that Cooper wouldn’t make it in time. However, she had grabbed on to my hand and we got through it.
Now, we were waiting for the band to get there. Avery had put her foot down about keeping all other members of the family out until Coop had the chance to see his daughter. Both sides of the family and her best friend were waiting impatiently in the waiting room to see them both. I was using the opportunity to snuggle and hold her.
“How did you not find out the gender?” I asked, mystified at the fact that until the doctor had pulled the baby out, Avery hadn’t known what she was having.
“Coop wanted to be surprised.” She giggled. “Well, he will be surprised all right. He was sure we were having a boy.”
I laughed at the thought. Suddenly, the door was flung open, and I jumped nearly ten feet when it slammed against the wall. All four members of Dark Roads entered the room with Cooper in the lead. His eyes went to his wife first and then to me when he realized that I was holding his child. He froze and
Evan collided with his back with an umph. His friend pushed him lightly, and he made the last few steps before stopping in front me.
“Here you go, Daddy,” I whispered, placing his daughter in his arms. “Meet Emalee Marcia Hall.”
His eyes immediately filled with tears as he looked down at her in his arms. Turning, he made his way to the hospital bed and sat beside his wife. I felt like we were interrupting a tender moment, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away from them. Cooper brought his hand up to cup his wife’s face and I saw him mouth thank you to her before he leaned down to brush a soft kiss across his newborn daughter’s forehead.
I couldn’t hold the tears back and felt them slide down my face. I almost came out of my skin when I felt arms slip around my waist and Evan’s lips on my temple. I leaned into him, taking in his warmth and letting out a sigh. We watched the new family for a few moments before Evan moved his lips to my ear.
“You look pretty good with a baby in your arms,” he whispered.
I smiled and moved our joined hands to my stomach. When I flattened them against it, he tensed behind me. For a fleeting second, I questioned his reaction, but it was gone as quickly as it had come when Avery’s eyes met mine and she nodded slightly.
“How would you feel if it was ours?”
I barely had the question out when I was spun around and Evan’s hands were cupping my face. Tilting my chin up, he looked into my eyes, searching. My lips curved slightly, my hands coming up to cover his.
“Are you? Are we?” he stammered.
“I’m pregnant,” I told him quietly. “Cooper isn’t going to be the only Dark Roads member with a crib on the tour bus.”
The change in Evan’s face was faster than any I had ever seen. His smile was the largest one yet, and his dimples were deep in his cheeks. Tears filled his eyes and quickly spilled over. I squeezed his hands and moved them to his waist to pull him to me. I’m not sure how long we held each other, both of us crying and smiling nonstop. When he pulled away, he put one hand under my chin and tipped it up for a kiss. One that took my breath away with the promises and love behind it.
Cheers erupted behind us when our lips parted. I couldn’t have been happier than I was at that moment. I looked over my shoulder at our friends, and each one of them was smiling. Avery had tears streaming down her face as well.
“Oh, don’t mind me, it’s just the hormones,” she said, and we all began to laugh.
When I turned back, my heart jumped into my throat as Evan was now down on one knee, a ring box in his hand.
“Julie Elizabeth Lane, you stole my heart from our first night together. You’ve shown me what it’s like to have someone love you unconditionally, and you’ve allowed me to return it. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me, creating a family, and making you wonder what the hell you were thinking,” he started, chuckles filling the room with that line. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you. I love you more than I can put into words. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
I watched more tears flow down Julie’s face, but her smile grew as she nodded slightly before she covered her mouth with one hand and held the other out to me. Sliding the ring on her finger, I stood and gathered her in my arms. It wasn’t long before Cooper ripped her from them and swung her around, a giggle escaping her as her eyes met mine over his shoulder. I shook my head as I was pulled into a bear hug by Matt. Just as he let me go, I saw Avery beckoning me so I made my way to her while Chris took my woman from Cooper.
“I’m so happy for you two,” she whispered in my ear as I leaned down to hug her. “You are exactly what she needs.”
The words had tears filling my eyes all over again. I was just about to get Julie back in my arms when the doors burst open and Avery and Cooper’s families filled the room, along with Maggie, Lexie, and Jen, Avery’s best friend. Baby Emalee was handed around and Julie’s ring was flashed. Congratulations, tears, and hugs continued.
After a while, I stepped back and just took it all in. Julie was currently being hugged and fussed over by Lexie while Maggie’s hand went to her stomach. My lady’s face was literally glowing. I had never seen her so relaxed and happy, and my heart was bursting with the knowledge that I had put it there. I was still trying to process the fact that I, too, was going to be a father.
“Let’s say hi to your Uncle Ev,” Cooper’s voice broke into my thoughts.
I barely had time to register that he was setting my niece in my arms. Immediately, my eyes were drawn to her tiny face. Her eyes were open, but she was quiet and seemed to be taking everything in as well. She really was perfect, a wonderful combination of Avery and Cooper. I ran my finger down her soft cheek and leaned down to press a kiss to her downy head.
“I’ll always be here for you, little one,” I told her, touching her tiny hand. “When you don’t dare call your father, you can call me.”
“It goes both ways, brother,” Cooper let me know, causing me to jump because I didn’t realized he hadn’t moved.
I looked up and nodded to him with a smile before turning my attention back to his daughter. She let out a large yawn and closed her eyes again as I started to rock her. It was hard to believe that soon I would be doing this with my own. Like Julie could sense I was thinking about her, I felt one of her small hands on my waist as the other came up to stroke Emalee’s cheek.
“You look pretty good with a baby in your arms,” she said, repeating my words back to me.
“Yeah?” I questioned, throwing her a smirk. “Sexy enough to take home and have your way with?”
“Maybe,” she teased with a laugh.
I nudged Cooper from the conversation he was having with Dale and handed his daughter back to him. Turning, I wrapped my arms around my fiancée, pulling her flush against the growing hardness in my jeans. I was more than ready to take her home and celebrate, just the two of us.
“No maybe about it, boss lady,” I growled with a chuckle. “You’ll take me home and have your way with me.”
“If you say so,” she sassed back with a giggle.
This was the Julie I loved, the one usually only I got to see. I kissed her, lightly this time because I could easily get lost in her and forget we had an audience. Her nails dug into my forearms and when I stepped back, her eyes were almost black with desire. I took her hand in mine and started to tug her toward the door.
“See you all later,” I threw over my shoulder as we went. “I’m taking my woman home to see if we can make twins!”
The holidays always had me thinking about my childhood and how much my life had changed. This year was no different. As I sat in the living room of my now completed home and watched the fire, I couldn’t contain the smile on my face.
Christmas the prior year had been a celebration. Cooper and Avery had welcomed their baby girl Emalee into the world, and Julie and I had found out we were going to be parents as well. I had also proposed, knowing I couldn’t live my life without her by my side. What we hadn’t known was that this year was going to truly test us.
Whispers from the monitor by the couch drew me from my musings. Julie was talking to our son, Caleb, and every time I heard it, my heart would warm and thud harder in my chest. I counted my lucky stars each and every day that I had the two of them. Her voice was soft and low as she talked to him, telling him he was a good boy and that he needed to go to sleep so Santa could come. He didn’t know what she was saying, but I could hear his coos in return. Tears pricked my eyes.
Fifteen minutes later, after listening to her sing and rock him to sleep, Julie made her way down the hallway toward the living room. She had slipped into a candy apple red sheer baby doll dress before she came out and I almost choked on the sip of beer I had taken. Her curves were even more generous now that she had carried our child and my cock instantly grew hard in my pajama pants.
“You’re going to give Santa a heart attack,” I murmured as she sauntered towards me like a feline after her prey.
“Hmmm, maybe he will leave me extra presents,” she whispered as she climbed up and straddled me on the couch.
“Fuck woman,” I moaned as her cotton covered heat came down on my raging hard-on. “You know how to tease a guy.”
“Who’s teasing?” She asked with a sly smile as she rocked her hips and leaned down to nip along my neck.
“Wait? Were you cleared?”
“Yep, she called me today,” Julie answered, reaching down to grab the hem of my tank top to pull it over my head.
While Julie had given birth back in July, things hadn’t exactly gone as planned and we had been restricted from sexual activity until her doctor had given her the okay. Even though I was itching to be inside her, I was also concerned. I didn’t want to hurt her.
“I’m fine,” she assured me without my even voicing my concerns outloud. “I need to feel you in me.”
I still had reservations, yet it was hard to argue when the woman was kissing and licking every inch of my neck and chest. I bucked my hips up when she bit gently on my nipple and clamped my hands down on hers to hold her against me. Julie purred in response and lifted her arms to pull her hair up on top of her head. I bounced slightly and was rewarded with her gorgeous full breasts jiggling.
My control was being held by a thin thread. Using one hand to hold her by the back, I used the other to grip the bottom of her dress and pull it up and over her head. The minute the fabric was out of my way I latched onto a breast and suckled. Her hands came up to wrap around my head and hold it to her chest as she tilted her head back to let out a quiet moan. I wanted to hear her yell my name, but I knew we needed to keep the noise down to keep the baby sleeping.
Unable to wait any longer, I turned my attention to her other nipple while I used my hand to pull myself from my pants. When Julie felt what I was doing, she brought one hand down to pull her thong to one side. It was all the invitation I needed. Slowly, letting her set the pace, I slid into her. Once I was sheathed to the hilt her inner muscles clamped around me. At the same time I felt her teeth bite onto my shoulder to stifle her moan.
The Unknown (The Comeback Series Bonus Book Book 2) Page 13