His Distraction (Assured Distraction Book 2) (28 page)

“Peri, I’m sorry, Babe. I’m such an irresponsible asshole. I should have thought about you and the baby first instead of letting my excitement about the tour and the music cause me to be distracted from what’s truly important. Please forgive me.”

“It’s fine, Ryan. I know the band is thrilled. All the news is fantastic, and you have every right to be excited about it. I think I have to tell Cash today. He may pull me from the job if I can’t fulfill the tour dates. I mean, I can do a lot of the scheduling from here, but you need a manager there with the band to see to any immediate needs.”

“I think we should have told them all when you found out, but I didn’t want to go against your wishes. I’m not worried about what those dickheads think about it, and you shouldn’t be either. It’s our baby, Peri. Be happy, please Sunshine, because I am.”

“I am happy, Ryan. I love our baby but I worked hard to get this job, and now I’ll have to give it up until the next tour if everything is the same.”

“What do you mean ‘…if everything is the same’?” Ryan didn’t like the sound of her statement.

“You’ll be gone a long time, Ryan. We’ll be here, moving on with day-to-day life. I know what life is like on the road. All the booze and girls and temptations.” Peri could only imagine what it would be like without her there to help keep the guys moving along to the next venue. Whoever took her place would not know how impulsive the guys could be.

“Damn it, Peri. Do you honestly think I could want another woman when I have you? That is never going to happen. I found you and I’m keeping you.” He kissed her bright red lips and pulled her into his embrace. “Please, believe me when I say you’re all I’ll ever want, Babe.”

Peri trusted Ryan; he’d been good to her, but she also knew groupies all too well. She’d seen enough of what went on behind the scenes to know that the fangirls were persistent in what they wanted, and if he drank, or did God knows what else, who knew what one of those girls might do. She knew his distractions on the road could cause problems, but right now she had to consider the baby and herself. She needed to save these thoughts for another time because right now she had to deal with Cash. She hugged Ryan back, and they sat to wait for Cash’s return.

“We need to get started,” Cash said as he walked through the doorway. Ryan sat in the chair next to Peri, holding her hand. “I don’t think she needs you to hold her hand for this, Ryan. It’s just a schedule.” He laughed to himself.

“No, she doesn’t, but I want to. We need to tell you something that
is
going to affect the tour. I guess we should have told you earlier.” Peri had not said a word and had yet to look at Cash.

“Great. Are you getting married before you leave or something?”

Ryan smiled and watched Peri. “We could, but that’s not what this is about.”

“I’m pregnant, Cash. I think my doctor is going to advise against my going on the tour. The hours are ridiculously long, and I’ll be exhausted all the time.” Peri blurted it all out at once while Ryan seemed to be skirting the issue.

“Well, that’s just fan-fucking-tastic, Peri. I finally get someone I can trust, get you trained the way we like to see things done, and this is the direction you take?” Cash’s words were harsh, and Peri was shocked at the way he delivered them.

Ryan jumped up, leaned over the desk and got in Cash’s face. “Hey! Stop right there. You will never address Peri that way again. She’s done a hell of a job for the band, and for you, and she deserves a hell of a lot more respect than that. And frankly, Cash, I’m fucking shocked to hear that shit out of your mouth. She’s pregnant with our child, Cash. It’s not like she embezzled money from the company. And she’s my girlfriend, and I won’t stand here and let her take that shit from anyone.”

“Yeah, well, what about the other mother of your child sitting outside this office? Can I talk to her any way I please? You are bringing a shitload of problems into this studio, Ryan, and fucking up business for the rest of us because you can’t keep it in your pants. I would have expected this sort of fuck up from Carter or Gunner, but you. Didn’t you learn from your situation with Krissy before you went and knocked up another one?” Cash stood to full height as he spoke, a play for power in the discussion, and both men were now leaning across the desk, nearly nose-to-nose.

Unable to stop himself, Ryan threw a right hook square into the smug set of Cash’s jaw. The punch sent Cash reeling backward, down into his chair. He bounded out of it and came across the desk at Ryan. While the two men went at it, Peri ran out the door, frantically in search of help, alarmed by the sudden turn the meeting took. Carter and Gunner were talking to Hayden in the hallway when the scuffle grew louder through the opened door and went running into Cash’s office. They pulled the two men apart before either could inflict more bodily damage. Cash may have been a little older than Ryan, but he was just as fit and gave as good as he got.

“What the fuck, Ryan?” Carter asked, holding him back against the wall.

“He said some shit about Peri that was uncalled for. He deserved everything he got, the fucker!” Ryan settled down after he realized Peri was gone. “Where is she?”

When he rounded the threshold of the door into the hall, she was nowhere to be seen. Krissy sat behind her desk watching and listening to all of the commotions. “What’s the matter, Ryan? She finally realized what an asshat you are and dump you on your ass?”

“Fuck off, Krissy. Where did she go?”

“She left in a run. You will probably never catch up to her now. It’s all good, though. She needs to see what you’re really made of.” Krissy smiled at him when she said it. “If she’s smart, she’ll keep running and never look back.”

“This is none of your damn business, Krissy!”

Ryan ran out the front door. Peri’s car was gone from the parking lot already, so he knew he would never find her now. “How could I be so stupid?” He stood, bent over, ass against the brick wall, one hand on his knee, staring at the blazing concrete. He shook his right hand up and down, knowing he would have bruised knuckles from the punch.
Fuck, it’s a good thing I don’t have to play for a couple more weeks.

Peri flew out of the parking lot as fast as she could without killing herself and her baby. The sting from Cash’s words hurt badly. She was just as shocked by his insensitive remarks as she was by the sense of betrayal she felt from someone she’d known and respected for so long. Why would he say those things to her? The conversation didn’t go the way she planned. She knew Cash would be unhappy about the interruption to the tour plans, but she never dreamed he could be completely cruel.

Peri drove to Zilker Park and stopped in the empty parking lot. She didn’t want to go home, knowing it was the first place Ryan would try, and she was not ready to talk to him. She needed time to think. She might lose her job altogether or maybe made an assistant again. After all her hard work to get the tour manager job, she didn’t want to go back to an entry level position. She would not go back to it; she would quit first before she let them demote her. She had experience now, and she could get another industry job. She still could move home to her parent’s house for a while, though she hated that idea the most. Even though they hadn’t said the words, she knew she loved Ryan and didn’t want to be across the country from him, but maybe they needed a break. And it’s not like he would be home for the next three months. Maybe she would go home while he was on tour.

She dialed her mom’s number after dodging Ryan’s calls and texts. She tried to keep her parents updated on the baby but hadn’t called in a few weeks now.

“Hi, mom.”

“Peri, honey! It’s great to hear from you. How are things going and how’s that new baby doing?”

“Oh, you know. We’ve been busy getting the release of AD’s album off the ground. We’re having the party tomorrow night and then they are leaving on tour in a few weeks.” Peri was avoiding why she called.

“That sounds so exciting, Peri. I know you are proud of that band. I hear them on the radio all of the time.”

“I won’t be going on tour with them when they leave this time, Mom. I’ll be too close to my due date before the tour is over and I know my doctor won’t want me traveling. Besides, the work is never-ending, and I don’t think I can keep up with the hours required.”

“Oh, honey. I know you’re disappointed, but you have to do what’s best for you and that sweet little one. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. You can rest and get ready for the baby while they’re gone.”

“I know you’re right, Mom, but I can’t help be disappointed. I worked so hard for the tour manager’s position.”

“Everything happens for a reason, honey. You stop worrying about the tour and that young man. I’m sure they will find someone qualified to fill-in for you, and Ryan can make it on his own.” Her mother tried hard to be reassuring, but it did little to appease Peri’s deepest worries.

“Now that I have four months left, we need to make plans for what happens when baby gets here, too. I’m excited about it, but I don’t want to get pushed back into an assistant position. I’ve worked too hard to get downgraded. I’ll quit before I have to go back to that job.”

“Oh, Peri, surely they wouldn’t do that to you. Can they even do that? Isn’t that illegal or something?”

“If I can’t do the job of a tour manager, then they will find something else, but I don’t want something else. Honestly, Mom, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve even thought about coming home and getting a job close to you and dad so maybe I can get help if I need it.”

“That would be fine, too, sweetie. We would be glad to have you close. You can even move back home to your old room. There’s plenty of room for a nursery, and you know you both are always welcome. But Peri, have you talked to Ryan about all this? He’s the father and might not like the idea of you moving across the country with his child.”

“No, we haven’t talked about it, but he’s leaving on tour about the beginning of my last trimester, and he’ll be on the road for three months. I’m not sure I want to be here alone in Austin with him and the rest of the band gone. Our lives are all meshed together like a family. I’ll be lost without them when they leave. I’m going to talk to Ryan tonight and make some decisions. I’ll try to call you back tomorrow and tell you what I’m going to do.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she tried to make herself sound normal on the phone.

“You do that, Peri. You know your dad and I support whatever you choose. We only want you and the baby to be safe and healthy.”

“I know, Mom. I’m trying.” Peri hung up after saying goodbye. She got out and walked down to the water. It was a beautiful day, hot as usual for the time of the year in Austin. But the spring waters were always a constant cold temperature. She removed off her shoes and put her feet in the icy water; the first touch almost took her breath away, but the gentle current of the water was peaceful and relaxing.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, but when a shadow fell over her from behind, it startled her. She turned quickly to see KeeMac and Chandler standing there and gave them a brief, small wave.

“Peri, you do know the band is tearing up Austin right now, trying to find you?” KeeMac spoke first.

“I figured. I’m sorry, guys. I should have checked-in after I left. I couldn’t make myself do it.” The tears came back, and she swiped them away and a sniffle. “Damn hormones!”

“Keeton, why don’t you have a seat over there and call off the dogs, and let them know she’s safe. Peri and I need a girl chat.” Keeton nodded and kissed Chandler on the temple before walking toward a bench in the shade of the Live oak trees, already on the phone before he sat down.

“Peri, I’m sorry how Cash handled the news. His comments were so wrong and out of line. You have to realize it’s not like him to do or say things like that.” She sat down next to Peri and put her feet in the cold water, too. “Whew, how can you stand that?”

“Actually, since my ankles have started swelling, it feels pretty good.” Peri gave her a small laugh and leaned her head on Chandler’s shoulder. “What am I going to do Chan? My parents said I could come home, and they would be happy to have the baby and me.”

“Is going to California what you want to do? I’m not sure Ryan will like the idea. He loves you and the baby, Peri. That’s what the entire fight was about, you know. He was defending your honor.”

“I know, but when Cash said those things to him, it hit me that he was right, crude as he was. Ryan should be caring for Krissy as the mother of his child. Why should I be treated any differently?”

“Peri! He loves you! Surely you know that.”

“I don’t know since he’s never said it. Then there’s the idea of him being on the road for the next twenty years of our child’s life. It will be difficult. I don’t know if I’m up for it.”

“Listen to me, Peri O’Connor. My dad was on the road all of my life, and never knew about me. You don’t know how many times he’s told me over the last months we’ve been together how much he regrets not having me with him.
Don’t do that
to your little one. Make it right. Ryan might not do everything perfectly, but honestly, even if you had the picket fence and the two-point-five children, he would make mistakes then, too. The main thing is you two love each other, you’ll both love your baby, and you’ll be a family together, where ever you are.”

KeeMac sat down on Peri’s other side and wrapped an arm around her, too. “She’s right, Peri. He loves that baby and if his actions today didn’t say how much he loves you, nothing he says ever will. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, so to speak, he can talk about it in public. And can I just say, the dude is fucking stoked.”

KeeMac’s comments warmed her inside, but then she cringed when she realized what the cat being out of the bag meant. “I guess Krissy and the rest of the guys know now, too?”

“Yeah, Cash wasn’t exactly cryptic when he was yelling at Ryan. She didn’t say anything at all, which was weird for Krissy.”

“Help this fat pregnant lady up and she’ll go home to the mad daddy.”

“Yeah, right. Exactly where are you hiding this fat because all I see is a sexy-as-hell, glowing new momma.” KeeMac kissed her cheek.

“Oh, Keeton, you are a smooth, you know that?” She grinned up at him, her red-rimmed eyes twinkling for his kind words she needed to hear at the moment. She gave her friends hugs and thanks for tracking her down and talking her off a proverbial ledge. Then she pulled her car door closed after promising to call them if she needed anything at all.

Driving home, she realized she couldn’t decide alone about her quitting her job. They had to make the decision together, like a lot of decisions in the future. Of course, it would depend on the whether or not Cash was a dickhead and took away her hard-won manager position. When the garage door was half-way up, Ryan came running out from under it.

“Peri! Oh, Sunshine, Thank God! I have been everywhere trying to you. The whole band was out looking. They decided I needed to come home and wait here in case you came home. Cash even called the police. He feels awful about the way he spoke to you. Are you alright?” He was running his hands over her head and shoulders and arms and scanning her body all over before his worried eyes settled back on her face as he pulled her close. “God, Babe, I was worried sick. I was afraid you were leaving me. Why did you take off like that? Where did you go?”

Peri basked in the feeling of being in his arms, feeling his tension fade away as he convinced himself she was okay, physically, at least. They went inside and headed straight for the couch. Ryan followed her in, sat down next to her and pulled her feet into his lap and immediately began rubbing her feet as he talked.

“I know I shouldn’t have run, but I was so upset with what Cash said. Did you get a chance to talk to him?”

“Yeah, after I almost killed him, and we had a few minutes to calm down. We sat down to see if you would come back, and I kept trying to call you. Cash approached me in the conference room when I was blowing up your phone, and he confessed something to me. I think it might help you understand why he blew up like he did. I know I probably wouldn’t have done much better, if I were in his position, to be honest. He explained that he was harboring feelings for you all this time. He never told anyone, obviously not even you, and no one else ever knew. He barely knew you split from Sawyer and then we left for Europe, so he never got the chance to ask you out. Then all of a sudden we’re all back and hit the ground running to finish up the album, and before he knew it, we’re walking into his office springing our news on him. I think we shocked him, and he lost it. Now he feels like a total prick for talking to you so harshly.”

He pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head. “Of course, I did set him straight. He knows you are mine, and there is no chance of the two of you ever happening.”

“You’re right. That would never happen, Ryan. I just, eww, no. He’s like a big brother or something.” Ryan laughed at her response.

“So, Sunshine, where’ve you been?”

“I had my feet in the Springs at Zilker Park until Chandler and KeeMac showed up and she let me have it.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him close.

“What do you mean, ‘let you have it’? Did you fight with her?” All he could do was grin. “You know, that might be pretty hot. Let me know when it’s going down again, please. After the baby’s born, of course.”

She hit his arm. “Yeah, right! Don’t be a douche. I would never fight with Chandler. She talked to me about spending time with Ryder and how he hates all of the time they didn’t have together. She said he was still angry about the years they lost and would do anything to make them up.”

“Why would she mention that?” He was confused.

“I talked to my parents, and they are good with me coming home to have the baby and live there with them so that I would have help with the baby and plenty of room.” She watched him as she said it to judge his reaction.

“Uh, that would be a big NO FUCKING THANK YOU - unless they have room for me, too. We are not living apart, Peri. I love you, and that’s
our
baby. I’m not sure your parents are ready to hear you when we’re in bed together.”

“Be serious, Ryan.” Peri wondered if he even realizes what he said about loving her. “Do you Ryan? Do you love me?”

“Peri, I know I haven’t told you because I wanted to pick the perfect moment so we would never forget it. Now might not be a perfect time but it’s the best I got.
I love you
, more than anything in this world. Next to our baby, that is. I think I’ve known it for a while now, but it never seemed like the right timing. Please believe me when I say it. I love you, Peri O’Connor. I have never been so sure about anything in my life.” He pulled her close and barely touched her lips, sliding his over the plump, red curve in a feather-light touch before lightly nibbling on her bottom lip. Knowing that would never be enough for either of them, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep, smoldering kiss.