Chapter 17
I push open the back door into the sunlit kitchen. Mom is standing by the counter, humming while sorting through mail. She looks up as I step inside.
“Hi, honey,” she smiles, turning and hugging me.
I take a deep breath and say, “Mom, I need to tell you something.”
“Oh gosh, this sounds bad.”
“It isn’t,” I laugh. “I just... well, here goes. I’m pregnant.”
“What?” she cries out, eyes wide, voice pitching high.
I take a deep breath. “I found out the other day,” I tell her, my voice trembling with excitement, “but I didn’t tell you because I knew you were already worried about Dad.”
“A baby?” Mom’s hand flies to her mouth. “My baby is going to have a baby?”
“Yep.” I grin, nodding.
She grabs my arms and starts spinning me around. She’s laughing and crying all at once.
“What’s going on down there?” Chief calls from the bedroom.
Mom half collapses into me, tears of joy slipping down her cheeks before she bellows loudly, “Our baby... Caden, our baby is pregnant!”
Silence falls.
I meet Mom’s gaze. She gives me an “uh-oh” look. Together, we sneak up the stairs and peer around the doorway. Chief is out of bed, holding onto a cane for balance, his face a mix of shock and confusion.
“Dad?” I say, not sure how he’s going to react.
His face shifts, confusion melting into pure joy. A huge grin spreads across his face. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he rumbles. “A baby?”
I can’t contain it; I let out a little whoop.
“Get over here!” he booms, and I rush over. He sweeps me into a bear hug. “I’m too young to be an old grandpa.” He ruffles my hair. “But hell, I’m the happiest old man around.”
Mom claps her hands together. “We need a crib, a bassinet, bedding, clothes... oh, and a changing table! And a highchair!” She begins pacing the room, rattling off her mental inventory.
Chief and I exchange amused glances and roll our eyes, but we let her go. She’s never been more radiant.
I finally manage to slip away, heart still racing, and head to work.
At the office, Travis is stuck in a meeting, so I make my way to my own office and settle into my chair, booting up my computer.
About twenty minutes later, an email notification pops up from an address I don’t recognize. The subject line is simple: Back off!
Confused, I open it.
Violet,
If you don’t back off, I’ll make you regret it.
I warned you already—and now you’re pregnant.
Wouldn’t it be a shame if something happened to you and your baby?
Walk away. If you value your life, and your child’s life, leave him now.
This isn’t a request. If you don’t, you will pay. That’s a promise.
–TravsAngel
I stare at the screen, heart pounding. How the hell does whoever this is know I am pregnant?
How is that even possible? My fingers hover over the mouse before I stand and walk out of my office.
I head to reception. Janice is on the phone, her lips split and her cheek bruised.
She motions for me to wait, finishes her call, then forces a polite smile.
“How can I help you, Violet?” she says.
“Do you know where Travis is?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
She tilts her head. “He’s in a meeting.”
“Right. How’s your boyfriend?” I ask bluntly.
She stiffens. “The police are handling that. Thanks to Travis, he’s too frightened to show his face around here.”
“Glad to hear it,” I say, offering the fakest smile I have ever given.
“Is something wrong?” she goes on.
“No. I just need to speak with Travis. It’s important.”
She crosses her arms. “Well, he will be in a meeting for a while, sorry.”
I nod and return to my office. I sit and wait, drumming my fingers on the desk until finally the door opens and Travis steps in, eyes bright when he sees me.
He bends down and kisses me long and soft, before running a hand over my belly.
When he pulls back, his eyes narrow. “You look worried, what’s going on? ”
I show him the email and his smile vanishes, replaced by a hard edge I’ve only seen when he’s furious.
“This is fucked,” he mutters. He taps “forward” and says, “I’m calling the cops.”
I swallow. “Do you think I’m in danger? She knew about the baby. How the hell would anyone know about the baby?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but until I do, we’ll get you rides to and from work. I want someone with you whenever I can’t be there. This just got real.”
I nod, but my stomach twists. “What about tracking the email?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
My chest tightens. “Do you have any idea who might be doing this?”
Travis runs a hand through his hair. “I wish I did. But no.”
I glance at the screen, heart sinking. I have an idea, but I don’t know how he’ll take my theory.
“Do you think it could be Janice?” I ask quietly.
His expression changes, but not in a mean way. “Janice? She’s been tough on you, but I don’t think she’d threaten you like this. She isn’t a bad person. A little obsessive, maybe, but this... I doubt it.”
“It is pretty clear she hates me, Travis, and when I came back, she really wasn’t happy.”
He sighs, but he’s gentle. “I know. But I don’t want to suspect her without proof.”
I let it go for now. “Alright.”
He softens, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Are you coming to my show tonight?”
I manage a smile. “I’ll be there.”
He grins and kisses my forehead. “How are you feeling today?”
“Terrible,” I admit. “Mornings are rough.”
“Our little bean’s making you work overtime,” he teases.
I laugh despite myself. “Must be a girl then.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “A girl? You want a little rockstar princess causing mayhem?”
I fake groan. “God help me.”
He chuckles. “God help both of us.”
I lean into him, trying to enjoy the moment.
Just a moment.
Because it feels like it’s all going to explode.
When we slip through the side door into the sweltering back hallway of the arena Travis is playing in, the scent of sweat and leather hits me like a wave.
I pause outside the open dressing-room door, heart hammering.
Stepping inside, I see him standing in front of the mirror in black leather pants so tight they’re almost painted on, yet only he could pull them off.
Every contour of his thighs and ass is on display, a sculpted masterpiece of muscle.
He’s stripped to the waist, chest bronzed and gleaming under the fluorescent lights.
Thick gold chains loop around his neck and wrists, catching the light as they sway with his slight movements.
His dark hair spikes in every direction, each lock defying gravity, and I’m certain his fake nipple rings flash silver against his skin.
He turns at the scrape of my heels on the linoleum, and I have to swallow to keep from moaning. He’s perfect.
He steps toward me, and the air between us crackles. I spread my hands over his chest, fingertips brushing the warm planes of his pecs. “You look so fucking hot,” I breathe.
He tilts his head. “You like?”
I lean closer, my pulse thrumming in my ears. “Oh... I like.” I trail my tongue over one nipple, feeling the tiny hard metal bead beneath my tongue. He hisses and leans back against the bench behind him, legs sliding apart, cock somehow hardening in those pants.
“Mischief... stage in five,” he murmurs.
“I only need two,” I say with a wicked grin.
I reach for the button of those leather pants, my fingers trembling as I slip the zipper down.
The moment his cock springs free—long, thickly veined, unbelievable—I catch my breath.
His scent, a heady mix of cologne and something unique to him, swirls around me.
I wrap a hand around his dick, heat pulsing against my palm, and lean forward.
My tongue finds the rim of his crown, flicking in slow, deliberate circles.
He groans, hips pushing forward as his fingers tangle in my hair, guiding me deeper.
The taste of him is warm, clean, and delicious.
I swirl my tongue around the tip, then suck gently, coaxing another groan from him.
With my free hand, I stroke the base, keeping pace with my mouth as his breathing quickens.
“Gonna—fuck!” he starts, soft and ragged.
I feel the tremors before I taste his release—a sudden, hot wave flooding my tongue. He lets out a low growl, gripping my hair as he shudders. Carefully, I pull back as he slowly softens, a slow smile forming on his lips.
“You’re a bad, bad girl,” he rasps, eyes hooded with pleasure.
I stand, tug his pants back up, and zip him in. He laughs, reaches out to cup my face. “You’re fucking hot too, you know that.”
His words send a thrill through me. But before I can reply, his phone buzzes. Then, just like that, he’s kissing me quickly and darting toward the stage. I follow, finding my VIP chair with Reagan and Jasmine, and taking a seat.
“What did you two talk about in there?” Reagan says grinning.
“Oh, you know, just how tight those pants are.”
She laughs and Jasmine rolls her eyes.
On stage, Travis slides out on his knees beneath a single spotlight. The women in the front row scream his name, faces flushed with adoration. Pride swells in my chest and I can’t help swaying to the pounding beat.
Reagan fans herself dramatically. “I get it now. Your man’s a fucking vision tonight.”
“I know,” I wink, turning back to the stage. Then Harley skids out and gives Reagan a wicked grin.
I am mesmerized by Travis’s voice, my eyes fixed on the stage as he starts singing.
He always starts with a cover, and tonight it is “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran.
Our eyes lock across the darkened room. He stops mid-verse, then beckons me with a crooked finger.
The audience falls silent. I look around, as if there might actually be someone behind me that he is calling.
“Girl, he is calling you, go!”
“I...”
A security guard appears at the door and nods to me.
I push to my feet, pulse pounding in my ears, as I walk onto the stage where Travis is waiting, a grin on his face so big I forget about the crowd. I can only see him. “Everyone, you remember my girl, Mischief,” he announces, voice booming. “She’s pregnant with my baby. Best news ever, right?”
A tsunami of cheers washes over us.
He grins down at me. “We’ve had our share of chaos, people pushing us apart. But she fought her way back. She’s my rock, my light.”
My cheeks burn. “Travis...” I start, but he’s already dropping to one knee.
The room goes eerily quiet.
“Mischief,” he begins, voice thick, “there was never a before you or after you—only you. You made me a better man. Will you marry me? Be my light forever? God knows I fucking need you.”
Tears blur my vision. I kneel beside him, taking his face in my hands, voice shaking, “Yes—oh God, yes!”
The crowd erupts into screams that feel as though I might just lose an eardrum.
Travis sweeps me up, twirls me until the world spins, then presses his lips to mine in a kiss that sets my heart on fire.
When we break apart, Harley hands him a velvet box.
He opens it to reveal a diamond white-gold ring.
I gasp. It’s so goddamned beautiful. He holds my hand in the air as the audience roars.
Against my ear he whispers, “You’ve made me the happiest man alive. ”
And I know, without a doubt, he’s made me the happiest woman.