Chapter Fourteen #2
Exhaling, I grip the edge of the kitchen counter and breathe. I hate that I’ve disappointed Hux so severely that he doesn’t trust me anymore. But honestly? I can’t blame him. He wants what’s best for Colt, and hurting him was the last thing I ever wanted to do.
Anna walks in and spots me standing here, looking aimlessly into the room.
“You okay?” she asks gently.
“Yeah. Just the usual Hux-doesn’t-like-me drama,” I say with a shrug.
She shakes her head, frowning. “He’s still giving you grief?
” she asks, pulling me into a hug when I nod.
“Try not to let it get to you, Dee. He’s overprotective of his brother.
He’s been there for Colt through every hard moment.
He doesn’t see what we all see…” She smiles.
“How happy you and Colt are together. Trust me, you’re perfect for each other. So don’t go doubting your love.”
I know she’s right.
And honestly, if the roles were reversed, I’d be just as protective.
I exhale again, pushing the guilt aside, and let Anna lead me back to the table. Sliding into the seat next to Colt, I instantly feel lighter. He’s laughing, talking animatedly. It’s the happiest I’ve seen him in weeks.
His two great loves—his music and me.
And tonight, he has both.
The pure, radiant joy on his face makes my chest ache in the best way.
Under the table, he slides his hand onto my knee.
I place mine over his and give it a gentle squeeze.
He turns, catches my eye, and flashes a smile that melts every lingering doubt inside me before diving right back into a conversation with Hux about a new riff they’re working on.
I glance over at Anna, catching her smile.
Sia’s smiling too.
It feels… right.
Like everything is finally falling back into place.
Maybe I should have brought everyone together sooner. I shove that thought aside.
Because right now, surrounded by my friends, my family, I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
***
They all left in the early morning.
Johnny and Anna stayed the night since Aston had already gone to sleep, and they didn’t want to wake him to take him home.
I heard Aston stir a couple of times during the night, but it didn’t bother me. If anything, it filled me with hope. Hope that in a year or two, we might be having sleepless nights with a baby of our own.
Colt stirs beside me as the alarm blares, pulling me fully awake. He groans, rolls over, and presses a soft, sleepy kiss to my lips before reaching out to silence it. “Morning, baby,” he murmurs, rubbing his eyes.
“Morning. Are you and Johnny heading to the interview together?” I ask.
He nods, yawning. “Yeah. I forgot how much it sucks waking up to an alarm,” he grumbles, flashing me a crooked smile. “Guess I’d better get used to it again.” He leans over, gives me another quick kiss, then swings his legs out of bed and stands, running a hand through his messy hair.
“Babe, I know I don’t have to tell you, but please don’t mention anything about my hysterectomy. I don’t need nor want the world to know about it.”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that to you.
It’s completely our business. The world can think you broke your leg and had surgery on your stomach.
They don’t need to know anything else. Plus, I’m going to try to swing it, so we talk mainly about our music anyway.
After all, isn’t that what people want to know about? ”
“Are you going to tell them we set a wedding date?”
“I’ll tell them we set one, but I won’t tell them when. We don’t need our day invaded by paps,” he replies, and I nod in agreement, feeling somewhat relieved.
“Absolutely. We should give exclusive rights to one magazine. Fans will want to see you in your suit,” I tease.
“You mean jeans and a leather jacket, right?” he corrects, pulling a tank top over his head.
I grab a pillow and throw it at him.
He deflects it easily, laughing as it bounces off his arm. “Baby, I’ll even wear pink if you want me to,” he says, walking back over and sitting on the edge of the bed. “But only on the tie. No pink shirt. No pink suit. I have to draw the line somewhere.”
I laugh. “I won’t make you wear pink, don’t worry. But I kinda like the leather-jacket idea. You always look ridiculously hot in one.”
He smirks and leans in, kissing me. My hand slides to the back of his head, holding him there as I deepen the kiss. A small moan escapes me as his tongue finds mine, but too soon, he pulls away, resting his forehead against mine.
“You know it’s been months since the accident,” I murmur, my voice low. “And weeks since we even tried anything. Maybe tonight… we could finally be together again? The doctor said it was fine. We’re good to go.” I try to sound sexy and confident, but there’s a crack of longing underneath the words.
“You know I want to, baby. So bad,” he murmurs. “But maybe we should give it a couple more weeks. Just to be sure.”
I shake my head, biting my bottom lip suggestively. “Colt, I’m fine. And if something’s wrong, I promise, we’ll stop. But can’t we at least try?”
He exhales heavily. “We’ll see,” he says after a moment. “Let me think about it today, and I’ll get back to you tonight.”
Which basically means no.
I sigh, dipping my chin in defeat.
“You’d better get ready. Wouldn’t want you being late for your first interview.”
“Wish me luck,” he says, standing and stretching before grabbing his jacket.
“Good luck. Knock ’em dead, my rock god.”
He flashes me a grin before heading out the door.
I flop back onto the pillow, huffing, as Princess hops up and starts licking my face. “At least you show me some love, hey, girl?”
Eventually, I drag myself out of bed and make my way downstairs, moving slowly on my still-healing leg. When I reach the kitchen, Anna is there, rocking a fussy Aston in her arms.
She looks exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, and tears threatening to spill.
I step closer. “You okay, Mumma?” I ask gently.
She wipes a stray tear from her cheek but manages a tired smile. “I’m okay. Just a long night,” she says, wiping at another tear.
“Right. Off to bed with you,” I say firmly. “I’ll take him for a while. You need some real sleep.”
She shakes her head weakly. “No, Dee, you don’t have to—”
“No, I don’t have to. I want to. I need the practice anyway, don’t I? No arguments. Go upstairs and sleep all day if you want. Aston and I are going to watch some TV and scope out wedding dresses online, right, little man?”
Anna laughs softly, her exhaustion clear. “Thanks, Dee. You’re a great friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Well, you’re not going to find out. Now go,” I say, pointing toward the stairs.
She kisses my cheek and finally disappears upstairs, leaving me alone with Aston.
I look down at him, smiling. “Well, buddy. You’re going to have to be a good boy because I have no idea what I’m doing,” I whisper.
He yawns, his tiny fingers wrapping around my pinky, and my heart melts. Cradling him carefully, I walk us into the living room and settle onto the couch. I switch on the television, turning the volume low so I can hear it without disturbing Aston or Anna upstairs.
This Morning is already running coverage outside the studio, with crowds gathered and buzzing with excitement. There are evil minion fans everywhere, desperate for a glimpse of the bad-boy rockers. I smile, watching the screen, glad I stayed behind, not ready to face that chaos yet.
But it feels good knowing they haven’t given up on 12GUAGE-Slayed.
Not even close.
The reporter announces that Colt and Johnny are on their way, and I can’t help but smile when they flash a photograph of Colt and me on the screen.
As the hosts start talking about the accident, tension creeps up my spine.
I hope that’s not all they plan to focus on.
The last thing we need is Colt getting pissed off live on air.
Thankfully, they move on to another segment while waiting for the guys to arrive, and I exhale in relief.
Tuning out, I glance down at Aston, who’s half-asleep in my arms. I can’t help but smile as I trace my finger lightly along the soft, delicate skin of his cheek.
He has that perfect new-baby smell, and everything in me wants to scoop him up tighter.
But I hold back, letting him rest peacefully where he is.
As This Morning continues in the background, I find myself ignoring the television, completely content to focus on the tiny, perfect life snoozing in my arms. Newborns don’t do much, but when Aston yawns again, making a little face that’s all Johnny, it’s honestly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Suddenly, the hosts announce the guys are in the studio, snapping me back to attention. I look up just in time to see Colt and Johnny taking their seats, and I can’t help but grin.
Colt really scrubs up well, and Johnny isn’t bad either.
No wonder the girls go crazy for them.
“Look, there’s Daddy,” I whisper to Aston, smiling down at him.
Johnny looks a little nervous, but Colt? He’s in his element like he was born for this.
For a second, I debate waking Anna up to see the interview, but I know she needs the sleep more, so I leave her be and quickly grab the remote, hitting record so that she can watch it later.
The interview is short, but Colt handles it perfectly, just like he promised. He avoids going into details about the accident, only giving a brief update that I’m doing better. Then the hosts bring up the Super Bowl proposal, and my stomach flips.
I didn’t even think they’d mention that.
“Yes, we’re still engaged,” Colt says, smiling into the camera. “And I couldn’t be happier. Dee really is the love of my life, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else by my side.”
My heart squeezes, fluttering wildly. Even though I know how much Colt loves me, hearing him say it publicly makes me ridiculously, stupidly happy.
He quickly steers the conversation back to music, mentioning a new single set to drop soon. The fans outside lose their minds, and I shake my head, chuckling.
You’d think I’d be used to the fandemonium by now.
But I guess it’s different when you know the man behind the rock star.
The man who drives me crazy, who makes me laugh, who sometimes makes me want to throw things at him…
And who owns my whole damn heart.
The hosts then shift to Johnny, asking about baby Aston. They flash a picture of him on the screen, and I can’t help but smile down at the real thing, nestled in my arms.
He really is the cutest little boy.
The interview wraps up with a few funny moments that have me chuckling to myself, trying not to wake Anna.
As the guys leave the studio, the broadcast cuts to footage of the crowds swarming the Hummer.
I shudder.
So glad I stayed home.
My phone beeps in my lap and I glance down.
Colt: On our way home. I forgot just how much I missed doing this stuff. And I have you to thank for getting me back into it. I love you. ;) xo
I smile so hard it hurts, and quickly type a reply.
Me: Any time, rock god. You know I will always support you. You guys rocked the interview. See you when you get home. Be quiet. Anna’s asleep. Love you too. xoxo
I hit send, my heart racing a little faster.
Aston stirs softly against my chest but settles again, and I gently stroke his tiny hand. Leaning back on the couch, I smile to myself, my thoughts wandering to Colt, to the way he commanded the stage and the light in his eyes when he spoke about our future.
The world may still see him as the rock god.
But tonight?
He’s mine.
And if I am fortunate…
He will show me just how much he really wants me.