Wicked Reunion (Wicked White Series Book 2) (20 page)

TWO YEARS LATER

LONDON

S
tanding side stage watching one of the hottest rock bands perform is truly an amazing experience, and I never grow tired of it. I watch in awe as my man is in his element, entertaining thousands of people with his phenomenal skill. Jared Kraft was made to be center stage.

Ace, the lead singer of the band, steps up to the microphone and thanks the crowd for coming out to see them. It’s been amazing to see the transformation of this band. They’ve really become a cohesive unit. They are nothing like the band I first met a couple years ago. Ace and Jared hated one another back then. According to Jared, they both went through a bit of a transformation during the break Ace took from being a rock star, both of them finding love and being humbled.

“Hey, London,” Tyler says as he passes me with Luke by his side, who gives me a simple wave.

Finally Jared makes his way off stage and then carefully wraps his arms around me. “What are you doing up here? The doctor said no strenuous activity. It’s not good for the baby.” He reaches down and rubs my round belly, which is holding his daughter, and smiles when she kicks. “She’s active today.”

I place my hand on my stomach. “I think she likes the music.”

His eyes widen and he bends down at the waist to talk to my belly. “You’re far too young to be a rocker chick, young lady.”

I laugh and roll my eyes as he hooks my arm with his. When we make it to the tour bus, I spot Iris, Ace’s brown-haired girlfriend, sitting on the steps of the bus while she watches her two-and-a-half-year-old toss rocks in the parking lot.

It’s funny how becoming a father and a soon-to-be-father has chilled both Ace and Jared out. It’s done wonders for the band since these two have learned to coexist and not fly off the handle at one another every chance they get. Jared no longer seems obsessed with taking over as front man anymore either. He told me since I’ve come back into his life, he’s been too preoccupied with me to worry about the dynamics of the band as much.

Ace’s son, AJ, looks up and notices Jared and me coming in his direction and runs to us with his arms spread wide. “Wondon!”

I bend down to pick him up, but Jared beats me to it and scoops him up. Jared looks at me and shakes his finger side to side. “No heavy lifting either, remember?”

“AJ weighs all of twenty pounds. I think I would’ve been fine,” I scold him, but secretly it makes me so happy that he’s such a protective father. He’s already so amazing with AJ, so he’s getting his practice in for when our baby comes.

“Dadda?” AJ asks Jared.

“In two minutes, buddy. He’s busy talking to reporter people.” Jared holds up two fingers. “Can you say two?”

“Doooo,” AJ repeats, and we all clap like it’s the greatest thing ever.

I watch Jared with AJ, and I swear if I weren’t already pregnant, I would be from just watching him with Iris and Ace’s son.

“He’s so adorable,” I tell Iris.

Iris smiles, causing her teeth to sparkle. No wonder the girl is a famous Broadway star. I bet people pay money to just stare at her. And to top it all off, she’s supersweet. I can see why Ace is so gaga over her.

“Tired, Momee,” AJ says to Iris, monopolizing all of her attention.

Iris stretches her arms out to AJ, and Jared hands him over to her.

Jared smiles as AJ yawns and stretches his chubby little arms. “Looks like this one is all partied out.”

“Make that two—I’m beat myself,” Iris says. “I think I’ll go inside and put us both to bed.”

“See you later,” I say before she waves and heads inside the bus.

When we’re alone, Jared wraps me in his arms and places a sweet little peck on my lips. “I can’t wait until our kid gets here. You’ll be such an awesome mom.”

I smile at him. “And you’ll be a great father.”

I’m still grinning like an idiot as he holds me in his arms. Suddenly I realize that this moment in my life is perfect. I’ve gotten everything that I’ve ever wanted: I’ve married the man who I’ve loved since middle school. Wes has moved on and is now dating a rambunctious bartender named Rhonda, and from what I hear is getting pretty serious with her. Julie and my dad are both over-the-moon excited to meet their soon-to-be-born grandchild, and it’s funny to watch them argue over what we should name our kid when we get together once a month for a family dinner.

It was a long road to get to this point, but I’m glad we finally made it here, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with Jared.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First off, I want to thank you, my dear readers, for giving this book a shot!

Emily Snow, thank you for being there for me over the years. Your input on my books has been a lifesaver.

Jennifer Wolfel, I can never thank you enough for reading a million versions of this story and hashing out the bugs with me and not allowing me to give up on Jared and London.

Toski Covey, thank you for being my first test subject on this story idea. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate our little chats about this story line.

Jennifer Foor, thank you for being amazing and sharing your killer writing methods with me!

Holly Malgieri, thank you for reading the very first draft of this book and giving me feedback!

Jill Marsal, thank you for being an amazing agent!

Charlotte Herscher, thank you for working so hard on this book! Your input made it so much better!

To my amazing team at Montlake, you guys are wicked awesome!

My beautiful ladies in Valentine’s Vixens Group, you all are the best. You guys always brighten my day and push me to be a better writer. Thank you!

To the romance blogging community, thank you for always supporting me and my books. I can’t tell you how much every share, tweet, post, and comment means to me. I read them all, and every time I feel giddy. Thank you for everything you do. Blogging is not an easy job, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you do for indie authors like me. You totally make our world go round.

Last, but always first in my life, my husband and son: thank you for putting up with me. I love you both more than words can express.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2014 Kent Smith

Michelle A. Valentine is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of
Rock the Heart
.
Wicked Reunion
is the second novel in her Wicked White romance series. She attended college as a drafting and design major, but her love of people soon persuaded her to join the nursing field. It wasn’t until after the birth of her son that she began her love affair with romance novels, and she hasn’t looked back since. When she’s not writing, she feeds her music addiction, dabbles in party planning, and expresses herself by working with arts and crafts. She currently lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, son, and two beloved dogs.