Forever Rockers (32 page)

The grip she got on my fingers nearly crushed them. “What can I do?” I asked, feeling worthless just standing there.

“Distract me,” she begged. “Make me forget.”

My mind raced but I couldn’t for the life of me think of anything that would get her mind off the kind of pain she was in. There were a million things I could have told her to distract her, but not one came to mind so I blurted out the one thing I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. “I’m pregnant.”

Dallas’s head snapped up mid-contraction. “What?” she screamed, blue eyes wider than the moon. “Really?”

I bit my lip. It had just slipped out, but now that I’d told her, I actually felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. “I’m almost out of my first trimester.”

“Oh, my God.” Tears filled her eyes that had nothing to do with the pain she was in. “Oh, fuck. Harper,” she said, beginning to sob. “I’m so happy for you.”

The door started to open and I lowered my head. “Please don’t say anything to Axton. We’re keeping it a secret for as long as possible. With this stalker thing…”

She nodded her head quickly. “I won’t say a word.” Tears spilled free and even though I could see that she was having an intense contraction from the monitor hooked up to her belly, she was just staring up at me with wonder in her baby blues. “Harper…” Her voice quivered. “Oh, Harp.”

Tears filled my own eyes and I tried to blink them away as Axton and the doctor came into the room with two nurses. We were both smiling by the time they reached us.

Axton’s face went even more ashen at the evidence that we’d both been crying. “What happened?” he demanded.

Dallas shook her head. “Nothing. Not a damn thing. I’m just…so happy…to get this baby out of me.”

“Good,” the doctor said with a serious frown on his face as he gloved up and moved to the end of the bed. Dallas shifted and then muttered a harsh curse as the man did something I couldn’t see. “Looks like we’re ready to go. Nurse, let’s get everything ready.”

“Your lazy ass should’ve had it ready by now,” Dallas snapped as another contraction hit her hard. “Fuckin’ hell, people. Hurry the hell up.”

Axton took the other side of his wife and bent to kiss her cheek. “You okay?” His eyes were flowing over her and then turned to me, as if blaming me for whatever he saw in his wife’s face that he didn’t understand. “What were you two talking about?” he demanded in a hard voice.

“Leave her alone, Ax. She’s been keeping me distracted.” Dallas reached out and touched my cheek, wiping away the last of my tears. “You’d better return the favor, bitch.”

I let out a relieved laugh. “I promise.”

“Goooood.” The word was drawn out as yet another contraction hit her. “Holy shit, one of you losers do something,” she yelled at the nurses. “You keep up this slow-ass pace and I’ll deliver this kid myself.”

I was sure they thought she was full of hot air, but Dallas was a registered nurse. One of the best there was after graduating top of her class from one of New York’s top-ranked nursing schools. She could have delivered her own baby if she had to, and from the evil glare she was giving everyone right then, I knew she was only moments away from doing just that. Dallas didn’t make idle threats. Ever.

The next twenty minutes went by in a bizarre haze, as if everything was going at warped speed, yet was slowed down at the same time. Once the doctor told Dallas she could start pushing, it was only a few minutes before my new godchild was making her entrance into the world known.

Dallas was openly crying while Axton sobbed and kissed her over and over again. I looked down at the doctor cleaning the baby off through a mist of my own tears. She was screaming the place down, angry at the world for her having to leave the safe haven of her mother’s womb.

“Does Dad want to cut the cord?” one of the nurses asked.

With shaking hands Axton cut the cord and then Bradshaw Harper Cage was placed on her mother’s chest. Almost instantly, baby Shaw quieted, soothed by the comforting sound of the heartbeat that had been her personal music box for the last nine months.

“She’s so beautiful,” I breathed as I looked down at my goddaughter.

“She looks just like you, Dallas.” Axton wiped his tears away before brushing a kiss over the back of Shaw’s head.

“She already has my attitude,” Dallas said with a tearful laugh. “Hey there, precious girl. Tell these idiots to hurry up so Momma can sleep.”

While the doctor and his nurses finished up, I excused myself to give Dallas and Axton some alone time with their daughter and went out to tell everyone the good news. The waiting room had filled up since I’d gotten there. Lana was there, minus Drake and the girls, but she was seated between Nik and Shane. Liam and Gabriella had arrived as well as Zander and Annabelle who were freshly engaged as of the big Christmas party Emmie had thrown the week before.

As soon as I opened the door, all eyes turned to me. I looked at Austin. “Your granddaughter is beautiful. Momma and baby are doing just fine, despite having called every person in the room just now fucking idiots. Not sure I would have done that when the doctor still had to do a little more work to my…area.” Everyone in the room laughed at that, but then again, they all knew how Dallas was. “They haven’t weighed Shaw yet because Dallas won’t let her go long enough to do that, but she has a set of lungs that makes me think she’s going to be captain of the cheerleading squad when she gets older.”

Shane stood and came to me, wrapping me in his arms and kissing me. I lifted my eyes to his and quietly confessed what I’d done. “I…I kind of let it slip to Dallas…”

His eyes widened for a moment but then he shrugged. “I’m surprised you haven’t told her before now. Don’t worry, beautiful. I trust Dallas with your life.” He brushed a soft kiss over my lips. “Just Dallas though, right?”

I nodded. “Axton wasn’t in the room.”

“Maybe we can tell everyone else soon.” He gave me a grim little smile, but I could see a flash of excitement in his blue-gray depths. “I’m getting anxious to tell Em and Drake.”

“Let’s wait until I start showing, first,” I suggested. Things with the stalker had been weirdly quiet but I felt like it was just the calm before the storm. I didn’t like having it hanging over our heads like that, and wanted to keep our secret close for as long as possible. Once I started showing, however, we wouldn’t really have a choice.

For now, I’d gotten to tell the one person I’d been aching to share our news with and I was content to keep it to ourselves for the moment. I was happy.

We were happy.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
F
OUR

February

Shane

“Emmie!” I was in a rush and of course I felt like I was forgetting something. “Em!”

She walked into the living room where I was fumbling in my pockets to make sure I had my keys, phone, wallet… What the fuck was I missing? Big, green eyes were bright with amusement as she held out the wrapped present I’d had shipped here so that Harper wouldn’t mistakenly find it.

That some of the dark shadows had started to fade now that she was getting more sleep made some of my tension ease. Things had been quiet since that last stupid letter from the stalker and I was praying that it was all over. Harper wasn’t so sure and continued to look over her shoulder, as if waiting for something bad to happen to cancel out the excitement of our newfound joy.

Relief washed over me when I saw what Emmie was holding. That was what I’d been forgetting. I snatched the present from her hands and brushed a kiss over her cheek. “Did she get the flowers I ordered? Are the reservations set?”

“Of course she did, and yes they are.” She opened the door and pushed me through it. “Go or you’re going to be late.”

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to relax. Fuck, you would think this was my first Valentine’s Day with Harper. I was so damn nervous and didn’t even know why.

Shit, okay.

Get it together, Stevenson.

Muttering a curse, I jogged down Emmie’s driveway and hopped into the back of the waiting Town Car I’d hired for the night. Harper was meeting me after work for dinner and if I didn’t hurry she was going to get there before me.

Pulling out my phone, I sent her a quick text.
How is work going?

Less than a minute later my phone chimed with her reply.
Good.

I frowned down at the screen. Really? That was all I got? Good? Had she really gotten the flowers I’d sent or had Emmie just been trying to get me to relax and leave? Nah, she wouldn’t lie about something like that.

So what was up with my wife?

Are you okay?
I
texted.

She’d been working hard lately, but at least the tension between her and Rex was now gone. I’d been surprised when she told me she was going to give him that one extra percent of the magazine and make them both equal partners, but I trusted her to make the right decisions for herself. She knew what she wanted and she was working toward her own goals now, not just those of
Rock America
. With Rex guiding and tutoring her, she was learning what she needed so that she could branch the magazine out and do her own thing. Focus on things other than the rock world without turning into one of the trashy gossip magazines that were a dime a dozen.

Just busy, babe. Love you. See you soon.

I clenched my hands and tried to calm down. She said she was okay. Peterson and Theo were with her. They would protect her with their lives. I had to chill.
Love you too, beautiful.

The drive took over forty-five minutes and my leg was tapping by the time the driver stopped in front of the restaurant I’d asked Emmie to make reservations at. I didn’t wait for the man to open the door for me. Stepping onto the sidewalk, I heard several people calling my name as flashes of lights went off around me. I didn’t pay attention to the swarm of paparazzi. They weren’t worth my time or energy.

Inside I found the place crowded with couples ready to celebrate the most romantic day of the year. I pushed through them and stopped at the hostess’s desk. She was on the phone with someone but when her eyes landed on me she dropped the receiver in the cradle and her smile went from nonexistent to megawatt-bright within a millisecond.

“Mr. Stevenson! How lovely to have you joining us tonight.” She stepped around the large podium piled with table charts and a waiting list. “Right this way, sir.”

I heard several people groaning and muttering curses behind me as the hostess led me away and I couldn’t help but smirk. Thank gods for Emmie. She had made sure that I got top service and I would never be sorry about that.

The chick led me through the crowded dining room and then down a quiet hallway. Several doors were shut on either side, all private dining rooms that had to have been reserved months—if not a year—in advance.

At the end of the hall the hostess stopped and opened the last door for me before stepping back without looking inside. “Enjoy your evening, Mr. Stevenson.”

I gave her a single nod and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind me. The lights were dim and I turned to take it all in, hoping that it was exactly as I’d asked Emmie to arrange for me. Candles in the center of the table. The dinner I’d told Emmie to preorder was already set out under metal covers to keep them warm. A bottle of apple cider was in an ice bucket. Emmie had given me the weirdest look when I’d made that request but hadn’t questioned me.

My nearly naked wife lounged on the sofa…

My mouth fell open, going instantly dry at the exact same time my dick hardened to the point of pain confined in the dress pants of my suit.

Ah.

Fuck.

Harper was sitting with her back in the corner of the sofa, her long legs stretched out across the length of it. One arm was draped over the back of it while the other was holding a glass of cider in a champagne glass.

Did I mention she was nearly naked?

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

She was so fucking beautiful. Her long caramel hair was hanging around her shoulders, her skin glowing in the candlelight. She was wearing her glasses and they were perched halfway down her nose in that naughty teacher kind of way she knew drove me crazy. The black silk with red overlaying lace bra she was wearing pushed her ever-growing tits up and made me ache to bury my face between them. Her matching panties were connected to a garter belt that held up sheer black stockings and she wore five-inch, red heels.

But none of that beauty could compare to the sexy-ass grin she was giving me right then nor the sight of that slight little baby bump that just barely stuck out. My dick pulsed against the zipper of my pants, threatening to burst through the expensive material. I was about to release into my boxers just looking at her.

Ah, gods.

“You’re late,” she murmured with a sassy grin.

I quickly checked the screen on my phone. I was actually early, but I wasn’t about to argue with her. “I didn’t think you would be here yet.” I was able to find enough saliva to speak, but my voice was weak, shaking with a need that only this beautiful creature could produce in me.

“I’ve been here for nearly an hour.” The sassy grin turned naughty and I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped me at the sight. Thank gods this woman was mine, because I would have killed any other fucker that ever got to see this side of her. “It got boring and a little hot in here. You don’t care if I eat like this, do you, babe?”

“Fuck no.”

A soft giggle escaped those perfect bow-shaped lips and I couldn’t stand the distance that was between us a second longer. I crossed the room and dropped to my knees in front of her. My eyes ate up the sight of her, memorizing every inch of her before I lowered my head and kissed her stomach.