How to Fall For a Rockstar: a single mom, grumpy sunshine, small town, rockstar romantic comedy (Cas

Chapter 32

Dumbass – A person who hasn’t dealt with his past and therefore screws up his future

Fender

Ifrown when Dylan and Cash walk into the house I share with Gibson and Jett.

“What are you guys doing here?” Gibson asks.

Cash slaps his feet off the couch and sits. “We can’t visit our bandmates without an appointment?”

Jett rolls his eyes. “You don’t have time for us since you’re in love. Blech.”

Dylan points to me. “He’s in love, too, and you aren’t bothering him.”

Jett glares at me. “Because he hides his food when we do.”

“Not just the food,” Gibson mutters.

Dylan meets my gaze and I nod. Yes, I’m hiding Gibson’s beer. No, it’s not helping. He’s drinking entirely too much.

Drinking on tour every night I can understand. The excitement and adrenaline make it hard not to. But at home? When we’re on break? We need to confront Gibson soon. Before he’s completely out of control.

“Indy and Virginia went to White Bridge with Leia to treat themselves to manicures,” Cash says.

What? Leia didn’t tell me. She told me she needed to work this morning. I offered to look after Isla but she has some scout outing.

“When was this decided?” I ask.

Dylan shrugs. “This morning. It was a last minute thing.”

“They should be home soon,” Cash begins. “In the meantime, I thought we could discuss which song to release as our next single.”

Dylan scratches his chin. “Do we need to bring out a new single? Resurrect is still at the top of the charts.”

“We don’t have to release the new single right away. But we should figure out which song is next.”

“We should let the fans decide,” Gibson says.

“How?” Cash asks.

While the band discusses which song to release as our next single, I stare out the window at the house next door. How did Leia leave without me realizing it? Did she sneak out? Is she hiding something from me?

I shake those thoughts out of my mind. Leia isn’t Vicki. She’s the woman I love. Vicki was a bump in the road.

I spot a car traveling down the street. It stops in front of Leia’s house, and Leia jumps out while waving to the occupants.

“Going,” I grunt. I don’t wait for a reply before heading next door to Leia’s house.

“Did I forget something?” Leia asks when she opens the door to my knock. She smiles. “Oh, it’s you.”

She pushes up on her tiptoes to kiss me. I keep the kiss short. I have questions.

“Did you finish your work?”

She blows out a breath. “Not yet.”

I nod to the bag in her hand. “Did you go shopping?”

Panic lights her eyes. “N-n-no.”

“You didn’t go shopping? What’s in the bag?”

She rolls her eyes but the panic is still clear to see. “It’s a drugstore bag. Necessities.”

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at her. “If your bag is full of necessities, why are you panicking?”

“I’m not panicking,” she says as she retreats down the hallway.

I stalk after her. “Why are you lying to me?”

“I’m not lying.” She stuffs the bag in the kitchen garbage.

“I thought the bag was full of necessities. Why are you throwing it away?”

“Can you give me a moment?”

“A moment? A moment to what? Come up with a lie for what you were doing today?”

She rears back. “You make it sound as if I was cheating on you.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You weren’t?”

She scowls. “I was with Indigo and Virginia.”

“Nevertheless. You’re hiding something from me.” I nod toward the garbage can.

“I need a minute.” She stomps down the hallway and the bathroom door slams moments later.

I don’t hesitate. I open the garbage can and dig the bag out. I dump the contents on the kitchen counter. Hell. She’s pregnant? Wait a minute. No, she isn’t. These are all negative.

Is she trying to get pregnant? Is she trying to trap me? Fuck me.

“What are you doing?”

I whirl around at her question and point to the pregnancy tests on the kitchen counter. “What are you doing?”

She throws up her arms. “I was late, okay? I didn’t know what to do. I panicked and rang Indigo who hurried me off to White Bridge to take these tests. I should have thrown them away at the drugstore.”

I growl. “And then you would have never had to tell me.”

She shakes her finger at me. “Don’t you dare growl at me, Mr. Grumpy Pants.”

Usually, I find her little pet names for me adorable. I’m not finding anything adorable today.

“Were you going to tell me any of this?”

“Um, grumpy dude, I just did.”

“After I confronted you and forced it out of you.”

“I just got home.”

“And you didn’t tell me you were going to White Bridge either.”

“I told you. I panicked.”

“You’re just like Vicki.”

She gasps. “I am not Vicki. I’m not pregnant, asshole.”

I motion to the counter. “But you’re trying to get pregnant. You want to trap me. Are you even on the pill?”

Her jaw drops open as she stares at me in surprise. What? She thought I wouldn’t figure it out. I’m just a dumb bass player in a band. I’m too stupid to realize when a woman is using me.

“I don’t recognize you right now.”

“Didn’t stop you from trying to trap me, though, did it?”

“Trap you? Trap you?” she screeches.

“You get pregnant. I marry you. You don’t ever have to worry about money again. No more single mom. No more working. You’d have the easy life.”

“You really think those things of me?”

I motion to the counter again. “I have all the proof I need.”

Her bottom lip trembles and a lone tear travels down her cheek. I fist my hands before I reach for her. This is a show. She isn’t sad. She’s pretending.

She inhales a deep breath and her nostrils flare. “Get out.”

“Gladly.”

“And don’t you ever come near me or my kid again, you fucking asshole.”

“I’m the asshole? I’m not the one who’s trying to trap an innocent man.”

“I can’t believe I ever thought I loved you. All men are the same. You’re just like Charles. Saying pretty words until you get me in bed. And once you have your fill of me, your true self comes out.”

I grit my teeth. “Don’t blame this on me. I’m not the asshole here.”

“No, you’re not the asshole. You’re the biggest asshole in the entire world.”

I growl. “Not the asshole.”

“You discovered a bunch of negative pregnancy tests and decided I’m trying to trap you. Total asshole move.”

“You didn’t tell me about the pregnancy tests.”

She throws her arms in the air. “Because I didn’t have time! I asked you to give me a minute and instead of giving me time, you dug through my trash like a stalker.”

“You were being cagey.”

“I was being freaked out because I’m a single mom and I’m not ready to raise two children on my own, dumb ass.”

I snort. “You wouldn’t raise the children alone once you trapped me into marrying you.”

Her face turns red and she points to the door. “Get out!”

“Gladly,” I grumble as I march to the door.

The door flies open before I reach it.

“I’m home!” Isla shouts as she skips inside.

I try to soften my face. “Hey, cutie pie.”

“You’re here!” She throws herself at my legs and I pat her hair as she hugs them. “What are we doing today?”

“I’m sorry, Isla, but Fender’s busy today,” Leia says before I can figure out how to answer.

Isla juts out her bottom lip. “But I want to play with Fender.”

Leia wraps an arm around her daughter and hauls her to her side. “Fender’s a busy guy. He’s in a big rock band.”

She practically sneers the words. As if being in a rock band is bad. At least I’m not living paycheck to paycheck.

“How about the two of us do something fun? I bought some new nail polish today. We can give ourselves pedicures.”

“Can I use whatever color I want?” Isla asks.

“Yep. Go to my bedroom and pick out your color while I say goodbye to Fender.”

“Bye, Fender!” Isla waves before rushing down the hallway.

The second her daughter is out of view, the smile drops from Leia’s face.

“In case this isn’t clear, I don’t want you anywhere near my daughter.”

“Don’t be a bitch.”

A muscle ticks in her jaw as she reigns in her anger. “I will not allow my daughter to spend time with a man who thinks her mom is trying to use him.”

“Fine,” I grit out.

She herds me to the door.

“Good riddance, Fender Hays,” she mutters as she shuts the door behind me.