Chapter 2
Joseline
Niki looks tired as hell with dark circles under her eyes, like she hasn’t slept in a week, but I guess that’s to be expected. After all, she’s seven months pregnant. I’d be fucking tired too. She’s in pajamas and makeupless, her faded blue and purple hair pulled into a bun on top of her head.
“Jos!” she exclaims, hurrying off the bus to hug me.
With a squeal, I pull her in, and my chest warms. “I missed you so much, Nik! You’re never allowed to stay gone that long again, understand?”
“Deal. Never again.” She giggles in my ear before pulling away. “How was your trip? It wasn’t too bad, was it?”
It wasn’t… until I got here, and Tobias was such an ass. I can’t believe I’m still thinking about it either. He got under my skin more than he should have.
“The flight was fine. Even took a nap.” I grin. “How are you feeling? You look so cute!”
I stare at her round belly that’s stretching her T-shirt to its max. With a lopsided grin, she rubs a hand over it.
“Tired.” She laughs. “I feel like a whale.”
“Oh shut up.” I roll my eyes. “You’re the cutest pregnant person ever.”
A smile curls her lips, and she jerks her head toward the bus. “Come on and I’ll give you the grand tour. Sebastian isn’t here, but he’ll be back soon. Is that a gift for me?”
“It is!” I beam and reject her offer to carry it. Truthfully, I’m already worried about her footing as she waddles back up the stairs. No reason to make her even more unbalanced by making her carry something.
Without a word, I follow along, closing the door behind us. The tour bus isn’t the grandest thing I’ve ever seen, but it’s nice. Updated with all the newest fixtures and appliances. Sleek, elegant. Not quite Niki’s style, but I imagine it’s Sebastian’s.
There’s enough room for the two of them to live comfortably, I guess. It definitely looks bigger from the inside. The bed is huge; I don’t know how they managed to squeeze it through the door.
We end up in the kitchen area, and Niki wobbles a little, grabbing for the counter to catch herself. My heart drops into my stomach.
“Careful!” I squeak, reaching for her. “Are you feeling okay?” My eyes track to the sitting area a few feet away. “Maybe you should sit down.”
“You’re probably right.” She sounds a little winded. “I’ve just been so exhausted recently… Sebastian went to get me some vitamins that are supposed to help.”
She heads for the faux-leather recliner, and I watch nervously, waiting for her to stumble again. When she’s seated and safe, I crash onto the couch across from her.
“This is the most comfortable place for me at the moment.” She pats the arm of the chair. “I spend most of my time here.”
“It looks comfy,” I say, trying to sound supportive.
Despite looking super freaking tired, she does seem to be in good spirits, and that’s really my main prerogative. I was worried in the beginning when she said she was going to tour with a rock band, especially because she and Sebastian hadn’t been together long, but she seems happy.
I swing my head around, taking in the tour bus. I can’t fathom where they’re going to put a baby once it’s born, but I’m sure they’ll figure that out. Maybe Niki will stop touring once the baby gets here, and then…
And then, I have no idea, but I’ll go wherever she needs me.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” I say. “I could go by JoJo. Or maybe TiTi. Tía makes me feel so old.”
She laughs, and the tension in my chest relaxes a little. “TiTi is super cute. But wouldn’t you be madrina? That’s godmother, isn’t it?”
I wave a hand dismissively. “Yeah, but I don’t think it’s as cute. Don’t tell my mother.”
“Okay, fine. TiTi it is.” She giggles softly. “Are you going to let me open my gift? Or should I wait until Sebastian gets here?”
“If you’re feeling up to it, you can.” I smile and stand to hand her the gift bag. It looks enormous in her lap, but I really didn’t think it was that big. “I know we don’t know the sex yet, so I stuck with neutrals. I’ve just been picking up things here and there when I’m out.”
“You didn’t have to do this.” She offers an appreciative smile. “But this is the first gift I’ve gotten. Thank you so much.”
Her words tug at my heartstrings, but I force myself to keep smiling.
I can’t imagine how difficult it is for her to be away from her entire family, going through this pregnancy alone.
Sure, she has her man, but I’m sure he’s busy a lot with band things.
He’s a celebrity; that has to come with strings attached.
She rips out the white tissue paper and tosses it aside before slowly pulling out the items one by one. There are onesies, sleepers, socks, mittens, burp cloths, blankets, and tiny hairbows.
“Just in case.” I grin when she holds up the bows. “And if it’s a boy, we can donate them, it’s fine.”
“This is… this is amazing, Jos.” Her bottom lip wobbles as she starts tucking all the gifts back into the bag. “Seriously, thank you.”
“Of course. TiTi is going to take care of her baby,” I assure her. “I didn’t see any baby furniture anywhere. Are you going to start shopping soon?”
“Yeah, I am.” She sighs and wiggles in the chair to get more comfortable.
“Sebastian keeps trying to show me bassinets and things, but I’m not ready to buy anything yet.
I just…” An expression I can’t read flashes over her features, and my stomach sinks further. “There are too many options, ya know?”
There’s something she’s not telling me.
The thought rings through my head, even though I’m not sure where it comes from. My intuition, however, is rarely wrong. Whatever it is, it’s probably more serious than the gender of the baby.
Is she high-risk? Is she having twins?
“Well, I can’t wait.” I clear my throat. “I haven’t gotten to squeeze a newborn since Carmen, my littlest niece, was born.”
A beat of silence passes, and Niki absentmindedly rubs her hand in a circle over her stomach. When her eyes focus on me again, she attempts to smile, and her bottom lip wobbles again.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” she says, and I can almost swear her eyes are misty.
Something is definitely wrong.
Niki never cries.
I swallow down the urge to pry, knowing she’ll tell me whatever she’s worried about when she’s ready. Especially now that I’ll basically be on tour with the band; we’ll be spending loads of time together.
“Me too. I’m so glad I was able to start this freelance work so I could come,” I say, hoping changing the subject will keep her from crying.
I never imagined myself doing freelance marketing work, but after a few posts of mine went mega viral on social media, I started getting inquiries.
Artists, influencers, companies wanting me to run their socials for them.
Not only was I able to quit my boring office job, but it’s given me the flexibility to travel.
Like now.
Niki said she wished I could be here since she only has Sebastian while they’re on tour, and I made it happen. Sure, it’ll be a lot of hotel stays and living out of suitcases, but I’ll do it for her. If the shoe was on the other foot, I know she’d do the same.
Besides, Sebastian is paying for my travel expenses. As long as he doesn’t put me up in some bum-ass roach motel, everything will be fine.
“I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone,” she says, her face lighting up again. “Emrys is so sweet, and the twins are hilarious—”
“Well, the drummer is an asshole,” I grumble, thinking back to Tobias. The fact that his image immediately comes to mind irritates me just as much as he does. How dare he still be bothering me nearly an hour later?
Niki chuckles once. “Tobias is definitely… prickly.”
More like a prick.
“You can say that again.”
“He’s not so bad once you get to know him.” Niki offers a sympathetic grin.
Yeah right. There’s no way I’m doing that. I’ll happily meet the keyboardist and the devious guitar players she’s told me so much about, but Tobias can get bent.
“I’m sure he’s a peach.” I make a face, and she bursts into a fit of laughter. “Let’s talk about something that doesn’t make me want to vomit. Oh, I know! What about baby names? Do you have any ideas?”
A little color returns to her cheeks and she nods. “I have a whole list. Maybe you can help me narrow them down…”