5. Chapter 5
five
Fire Up The Night - New Medicine
Jackie felt light and excited for the first time in months. She’d done her makeup thick and dark for the first time in what felt like years. She’d curled her hair and pulled it up into a high half-ponytail. She felt fucking hot in her outfit. She looked and felt awesome.
Excited butterflies flitted around her stomach as she assessed herself in the mirror one last time.
She tried to think back to the last concert she’d been to, but it had been so long.
And she really had fallen in love with Em’s music.
It fueled almost every workout lately, and the fact that the lead singer was her brother-in-law made the music that much more fun to listen to.
She emerged from the bathroom to find Dimitri sitting in the corner armchair on his phone.
He looked up at her and groaned before standing and meeting her in front of the giant king-sized bed.
Her tie-dyed crop top barely covered her black lace bra.
Her black boyfriend jeans sat low on her hips, though the fishnets she wore under them sat on the narrowest part of her waist and were visible through the huge holes in the legs.
“We are not making it out of this hotel room,” he said, gripping her behind the head to pull her close for a kiss. Jackie snorted against his mouth, and his grin matched hers when he finally pulled away. “I’m looking forward to finally having hotel sex with you.”
“You’re never going to let me forget that, huh?
I'll remind you that you're the one who turned me down that weekend,” Jackie asked, pulling her phone from her back pocket. She set it on ‘Do Not Disturb,’ and replaced it before looking up at Dimitri again. “After this show, we’re going to get some noise complaints.” She smiled cheekily at Dimitri before taking his hand and dragging him out into the cold February night.
Jackie watched intently as Cami swayed on her obviously sore feet.
She took a deep inhale and blew it out of her mouth, trying to fill her lungs, though she couldn’t quite seem to get enough air in them.
Jackie smiled at her, not envying her in the slightest, but wondering where they could go so Cami could sit down.
Dimitri pulled her closer to him. His arm had stayed wrapped around her waist, holding her back to his chest most of the night.
He didn’t want to risk Jackie fighting anyone who might try to flirt with him.
After Jackie had nearly skinned a woman alive for hitting on him on Halloween, he wouldn’t risk ruining Em’s night by getting kicked out because Jackie found someone to fight for flirting with what belonged to her.
The song ended, and Emil addressed the crowd, sending a loud cheer through the room.
“He is so fucking hot,” a girl shouted at her friend. They stood directly in front of Jackie and Dimitri and had been thirsting for Emil all night. “Did you see all his tattoos when he lifted his shirt to wipe his face?”
“Ugh, yes,” the friend groaned. “God, I’d let him sweat all over me.” The young women snickered among themselves when the friend noticed Cami swaying.
The woman turned back to her friend, mouth hanging open in a disparaging look. “Who comes to a concert that pregnant?” she scoffed.
“She’s thirstier than we are,” the friend cackled.
“Thirsty enough to marry the man you’re lusting after and let him put three babies in her, you fuckin—”
A hand covered her mouth before Jackie could finish, pulling her head against Dimitri’s shoulder.
“I’m cutting you off,” he said definitively into her ear.
Jackie turned on her heel, ignoring the women’s stunned faces and lingering gazes on her boyfriend.
Before she could say a word, he added, “You get mouthy when you drink.”
Her hands went to her hips, a pout forming on her lips. “I’m always mouthy,” she countered.
“You’re cut off.” He couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t disagree, but chose to mind his words all the same. “I don’t feel like dealing with a repeat of your birthday.”
She clutched his sides and leaned in close, saying, “I did not hear a single complaint on my birthday.” He bent his head down to kiss her, nudging her nose with his.
“And there won’t be any complaining tonight, either, but you’re still cut off.”
Jackie huffed and turned to Cami to check in. “Do you want to find somewhere to sit?”
Cami nodded, a look of relief and appreciation on her face.
“Wanna check out how crowded the mezzanine is?” Dimitri suggested. Cami nodded again, and Jackie linked their arms to help her as they waded through the crowd to the back of the theatre.
They found the balcony mostly empty, with the majority of the crowd standing in the pit.
They easily found seats along the edge, offering a comfortable view of the stage.
Jackie claimed the seat between Cami and Dimitri, eager to keep chatting once the show was over while they waited for Em to call them backstage.
“Thank you for defending me,” Cami yelled over the music.
She held her belly as she did, a hand caressing it protectively.
“Em has nothing to do with social media, and I’m only on there to promote my studio, so most of his fans don’t realize he has a wife and kids.
I usually try to avoid it, especially now, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t bother me when I overhear people talk about him or me like that.
Especially when I’m this pregnant and hormonal. ”
Jackie gripped her hand, nodding her understanding.
“It’s just that intoxicating Fraser charm, the fans can’t help themselves.
” Dimitri leaned forward in his seat to joke.
Both Jackie and Cam turned, giving him identical incredulous looks.
He couldn’t help the deep belly laugh that erupted from him at the sight of them.
He was so grateful that he and Emil had found these two perfect women.
“Let the girls get to know him a bit. You have nothing to worry about. It takes a specific kind of stubborn woman to put up with a Fraser man,” Jackie scoffed, earning her hip a gentle squeeze.
When she looked back, she found Dimitri’s affectionate gaze on her.
“Do you want something to drink? I’m going to go grab another beer,” she asked Cami as she stood.
“I’m pretty sure I cut you off,” Dimitri countered.
“Last one,” Jackie said, leaning down to seal the promise with a kiss.
Jackie left, and Cami, with a grunt and heavy push, moved into her seat next to Dimitri. He stood to offer help, but Cami declined.
“You and Jackie have got to be the most stubborn women I’ve ever met,” he yelled over his brother’s screaming.
“Yeah, it’s why you and your brother fell in love with us,” she replied, panting from the exertion of moving seats. Dimitri didn’t disagree, but chuckled about it. “How are things?”
Dimitri met her gaze, assessing the question. He was pretty sure anything he’d ever said to Em had made its way to Cami, unless he’d explicitly told Em to keep it to himself. Even then, Dimitri wasn’t convinced Em didn’t immediately spill his guts the second Cami quirked a pierced eyebrow at him.
“How much has he told you?”
Cami shrugged. “He told me you and Jackie are seeing a third.” Dimitri chuckled, but nodded his confirmation. “How’s that going?”
“So far, so good,” he said. “We’ve had a few months to sort out the kinks and stuff. But I think we’ve finally figured it out, and settled into it.”
“Is it weird spending time with another woman?” Cami asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
“Yeah, at first,” he admitted. “Especially when it came to the sex. I felt a lot of guilt about it. But, uh…” He hesitated, glancing at Cami and finding her watching him curiously.
He recognized the same look Jackie’d had at the airport in Florida when they finally started getting to know each other.
Curiosity mixed with excitement at the gossip they were about to hear.
Something loosened in his chest, and he sighed.
“A few threesomes in and I realized, we’re a unit, you know?
It’s not just me with another woman, or Jackie with another woman.
We’re both dating that same woman, we’re both getting our needs met, and so is she. So it all balances out.”
“A few threesomes?” Cami asked. Dimitri laughed and nodded. “I almost had Em talked into one a few years ago, but then I got pregnant, and we never got back to the discussion.”
“I feel like they’re fun when you’re single, but you need to feel pretty secure in your relationship for them to work once you’re testing it out as a couple.
” Cami nodded her understanding. “Truthfully, Talia and I consider ourselves to be more friends with benefits than a real serious couple. We love each other for sure, but it’s not as romantic or as strong a feeling as with Jackie. ”
“Still going to marry her?”
He turned to her, a delirious grin on his face. “It’s all I’ve thought about since I saw that ring.”
She reached out and squeezed his hand. “How’s she doing?” she asked, developing a furrow in her brow. “She looks tired.”
His smile dropped. “She doesn’t sleep. She has nightmares almost every night.
She’s seeing someone now, but it really seems to be getting worse before it gets any better.
” Cami gave him a sad look, not having any advice to offer.
They both turned back to the stage, listening to Em’s singing and screaming.
The song came to an end, and Cami turned back to Dimitri as the crowd roared. “How are you handling all of it?”
He shrugged noncommittally. “Not my first brush with trauma. In our world, it likely won’t be my last. As long as I know Jackie is okay, I can cope.”
Cami gave him an incredulous look. “Maybe you should be seeing someone, too.”
“Jackie hired a psychologist for the agency,” he assured her. “If I need it, I have access. But really, I’m doing fine.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, clearly not believing him. “Because you look worn out, too.”
He stared at her a moment, knowing she saw right through him when he lied, “I’m fine.”
“You’re full of shit, is what you are,” she scoffed, then winced and stroked a hand down the side of her belly.
He smiled, ready to snark back when Jackie finally arrived with their fresh beers and Ginger Ale for Cami.
“Apparently, I was last in line for last call. Took forever.” Jackie huffed, though her eyes glinted happily. “You stole my seat,” she joked to Cami, handing her the can.
“You’ve got a seat right here,” he said, pulling her into his lap and nuzzling her neck.
The song ended with another roar from the crowd. Emil smiled out at the audience, catching his breath and taking in the scene. He slid the microphone back into the stand and stepped back, clasping his hands together before offering the crowd a brief bow of gratitude.
He returned to the mic and, after another deep breath, said, “I would like to dedicate our last song tonight to the most important person in this room. The person who was by my side when something like this still felt like nothing more than a pipe dream. Who has loved me and carried the burden when times were hardest. She’s here tonight, supporting me, even though she’s seven and a half months pregnant and should definitely have stayed home and gone to bed early.
Camille, Cami, baby—thank you for standing with me through it all and being here with me, on Hedon’s biggest night.
‘Thank you’ will never be enough for all you’ve done for us—for me.
” Jackie watched Cami’s face as Emil spoke to the crowd.
Jackie watched as tears welled up and spilled silently down Cam's face, and she leaned forward, wrapping an arm around Cami’s shoulder and rested her cheek on her head.
“I’m too pregnant for this shit,” Cami muttered in French.
Jackie laughed, wiping her own tears away.
Emil started singing, the final song of the night, much more mellow than the rest of the band’s music.
The rasp of his voice was filled with emotion as he sang directly to his wife in front of the entire theatre of fans.
“He wrote this one on our honeymoon,” Cami explained softly, trying to take another deep breath, though the baby in her belly prevented it from feeling like enough.
Dimitri glanced over at her, but didn’t move. He kept his head pressed to Jackie’s back, listening to the steady beat of her heart—his heart.