Chapter 35
Sneak attack – works best if someone doesn’t have her phone
Aurora
I lay in the bed in the guest room at Indigo’s house and fantasize about staying here forever. Indigo may be the nosiest person I know and she thinks she’s a spy, but she won’t let Jett into the house without my permission.
I can hide away from him here until I can stop imagining the various ways to harm him. I’d start with breaking all of his drumsticks and go from there.
My stomach growls to remind me I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. I roll out of bed and creep downstairs toward the kitchen. I listen for voices, but I don’t hear anyone. Maybe I won’t have to talk to anyone this morning.
I enter the kitchen and Indigo smiles at me. “Good morning.”
So much for not having to talk to anyone today. “Good morning.”
“Someone’s grumpy in the morning.”
“I can’t drink coffee and I don’t know where my phone is.”
“I have decaf and your phone was dead. I plugged it in.”
I glance around the room. “Where is it?”
“Charging.”
I sigh. I know Indigo well enough by now to know the truth. “You’re not going to give it to me, are you?”
“Not yet.”
Fine. I don’t want to talk to anyone anyway. Mike can survive for a day without me. It is New Year’s Day and my day off. Not that a day off means anything to him.
“Where’s Cash?” I ask when Indigo sets a cup of coffee in front of me.
She glances away. “He didn’t come home last night.”
I groan. “Please tell me the guys didn’t get into any trouble. I have no interest in dealing with drama today.”
“No trouble,” she says but she won’t look me in the eyes.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Ha!” I point at her hands when she cracks her knuckles. “You’re totally lying.”
“I’m going to kill Virginia for snitching to everyone about my tell.”
I sip on my coffee as I contemplate whether to push her. The band is obviously up to something. The question is – are they up to no good? And, if so, how much work is it going to be for me?
Assuming Jett doesn’t try to get me fired again. Asshole. How dare he say I have to quit working? All he does is bang on the drums. I grant Cash & the Sinners all of their wishes. Concert? Got it. Press release? Got that, too. You name it. I got it.
The door bangs open and Virginia rushes inside. “They did it!”
“Who did what?” I ask.
Indigo pulls out a chair. “You better sit down before Dylan has a heart attack because you’ve been running.”
“Did you tell her yet?” Mercy asks as she runs into the kitchen.
Leia is hot on her heels. “How did you get here faster than me?”
Mercy winks. “I drove.”
“Everyone needs to calm down and tell me what’s going on,” I order.
Leia jumps up and down. “Can I tell her? Can I?”
Mercy shoves her. “I get to tell her. Gibson has priority over Fender.”
I slam my palm down on the table. “Will someone tell me already before my blood pressure shoots through the roof and Jett accuses me of trying to kill our baby again?”
Virginia frowns. “He didn’t accuse you of trying to kill the baby.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Were you there? Did you hear what he said?”
She glances away. “No.”
“Have all of you been awake all night conspiring against me? What’s going on? Don’t make me ask again. I can make your lives miserable. And I’ll enjoy it, too.”
“You don’t control us,” Indigo says.
Leia grins. “But she does control the band.”
Virginia nods. “Quite literally.”
I’m about done with their avoidance. I stand. “Fine. I’ll go ask Dylan. He can’t resist a pregnant woman.”
“He’s not home,” Virginia sings.
“Neither is Gibson before you ask.”
“Or Fender.”
I stare at the ceiling and pray for patience. “What is the band up to? I need to spin the story in the press before the band is cancelled.”
“The band isn’t cancelled.”
“If anything, they’re heroes.”
I swipe my coffee from the table. “I’m going back to bed. I’m obviously having a fever dream of some sort. Can lack of sleep cause fever dreams? Probably.”
“Here.” Leia shoves her phone into my hand.
I blow out a breath and set my coffee back on the table before reading the article she open on her phone.
Cash & the Sinners fire long-time manager.
My knees wobble and I grab a chair before I fall to the floor. Leia helps me to sit.
“It’s not bad. I promise.”
Not bad? She doesn’t understand. “They just committed career suicide.”
“They didn’t.” She shrugs. “But, even if they did, they don’t care.”
“It’s true.” Viginia nods in agreement. “The entire band agreed.”
“They don’t want to chase number one anymore,” Indigo adds.
“But they need a manager if they want to continue to make music. Unless they’re going indie. Are they going indie?”
“If our new manager suggests we go indie, then we’ll go indie,” Jett says as he comes to stand in front of me.
I glare at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Having a meeting with our new manager,” Cash answers as he stands next to Jett. Dylan, Fender, and Gibson join him.
I shake my head. “No. No. No. I told you firing Mike is career suicide. I can’t resurrect dead bands.”
Jett nods to the phone. “Finish reading the story.”
Gibson smirks. “Yeah, Mike isn’t feeling very powerful today.”
I quickly skim the article. Cash & the Sinners isn’t being cancelled, but Mike is. Turns out he’s been skimming cash from every band he manages except Cash & the Sinners. The bands are also accusing him of bullying and forcing them to sell rights to their music they didn’t want to.
“Holy crap,” I murmur when I finish. “I knew Mike was an asshole but this is a whole new level.”
“Total asshole,” Cash mutters.
“I promise he never stole any of your money. I keep a tight watch over the finances. I would never let anyone steal.”
“We know, baby,” Jett says.
As much as I want to deny it, my body warms and tingles at his use of the endearment. I’m a goner for this man. I place a hand over my stomach. But I have to say goodbye to him anyway.
“It’s why we’re hiring you to be our manager,” he continues.
“And I’m your new office manager/assistant/girl Friday.” Leia beams at me.
I groan. “I don’t want this.”
Jett kneels in front of me. “Think about it. You can control your own schedule. You don’t have to be at the beck and call of Mike anymore.”
“I thought you wanted me to quit working. My job isn’t important, remember?”
His cheeks darken. “I was wrong.” He grasps my hands. “Can you forgive me?”
I don’t know if I can forgive him. He said some awful things to me. But worse than those awful things was how he left me alone. Again.
“You ran away again.”
“I didn’t run away. You pushed me away.”
“Because you were being a complete and utter asshole.”
“He is an asshole,” Gibson mutters and Jett flips him off.
“I’m sorry,” Jett says. “The terror of possibly losing the woman I love and the baby I love was choking me.”
“But then you— The woman you love?”
“I love you, feisty girl. And I love Little Bean. I can’t live without the two of you.”
Warmth fills me up until I’m bursting with happiness. Jett loves me. The man I’ve been obsessed with for over a decade loves me. And we’re having a baby together. We’re building a family. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
A touch of fear worms its way through the happiness. What about the next time we disagree? Will he continue to run away from me? I need someone who can stand by me. Through all the bad shit. Through all the scary shit. Not someone who runs at the first sign of fear.
“How can I trust you to stay?”
He looks up at his friends. “Can you leave us alone?”
Gibson snorts. “No way. We’re the ones who are going to have to pick your ass up when she beats it bloody the next time you’re an idiot.”
Jett frowns. “I guess this is how you know you can trust me. These assholes won’t let me mess up.”
“We won’t,” Cash agrees. “It’s why we’ve been up all night.”
“Dealing with the fallout of firing Mike? I’m sorry. Someone.” I glare at Indigo. “Stole my phone.”
Indigo raises her palms. “I had my orders.”
“And we weren’t dealing with the fallout of firing Mike,” Jett adds.
Gibson sniggers. “Firing Mike took no time at all.”
“Then why have you been out all night and why did Indigo steal my phone?”
“I can’t tell you,” Jett says. “I have to show you.”
I frown at him.
“Trust me?”
I don’t move. I don’t know if I can trust him. Love him? Not a problem. Trust him? Hmm…
“I love you,” he says. “I’ve never told anyone I’ve loved them before. You’re it for me. I’m probably going to screw up a lot.”
“Probably?” Gibson snorts but Jett ignores him.
“I will screw up a lot. I don’t know how to be in a relationship. I’ve never been in one. I didn’t grow up with loving parents. I didn’t have a father. I don’t know how to be a father. I need you to show me how. And be patient with me.”
I practically melt into a puddle at his confession. I feel all warm and gooey inside. This is my man. I will never let him struggle alone. And, if I’m being honest with myself, I only hesitated on the trust part because I’m scared. Jett and I can be scared together.
“Okay. I trust you.”
The happiness in his blue eyes is proof I’m right to give him a chance.
“Thank you, baby.”
He stands and pulls me to my feet. “Now, let me show you what we spent all night doing.”
Jett throws a blanket over my shoulders before leading me outside and into Fender’s vehicle. We drive to the other side of town to Jett’s rental.
“Welcome home.”
I roll my eyes. “I was only gone one night.”
“Do you know how hard it is to buy a house on New Year’s Eve?”
I gasp. “What? Did you buy this house?”
“Do you love this house?”
I smile. “Yes.”
“Then, I bought this house.”
He rushes out the door to my side of the vehicle. “Come on.” He tugs on my hands.
“Wasn’t the house the surprise?”
“There’s more.” He leads me inside and up the stairs. “Now, be kind. We’re not finished yet, but you can get an idea.”
He opens the door to the bedroom next to ours. “Ta da!”
My jaw drops open as I glance around. “How did you do this in one night?”
The bedroom is no longer a bedroom. It’s a nursery with a crib, changing table, and rocking chair. The walls are freshly painted a bright yellow and there’s a cute rug with a sunflower on it on the floor.
“Most of the stuff is from Dylan but I already ordered replacements for their baby.”
“We can’t steal Virginia and Dylan’s stuff,” I insist.
“Yes, you can!” Virginia shouts from downstairs.
Jett pulls me into his arms. “You like it?”
I wrap my arms around him. “I love it.”
He kisses my nose. “And I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“No hanky panky!” Gibson shouts. “Unless you want us to delay our New Year’s Day celebration while you get naked and sweaty.”
I bury my face in Jett’s shoulder. “Are they going to follow us around everywhere?”
He shrugs. “They’re my family.”
I lift my face to meet his gaze. “You’re my family.”
He places a hand over where Little Bean is growing. “Both of you are mine.”