“This is more important.”
Brian climbed to his feet. Standing in the aisle, he dialed his wife and fidgeted with a chain hanging from his belt loop as he waited for her to answer. His features softened the second he heard her voice.
“Does this mean…” he said. His bright smile could only mean she’d affirmed their suspicions. “When?” He bit his lip. “July? I can’t wait that long.” He shook his head and chuckled. “God, I want to hold you right now.” He swallowed hard and noticed that the entire band and Rebekah were staring. He pressed on one eyelid with his fingertips, turned on his heel, and disappeared into the back bedroom. As soon as the door closed, Rebekah turned to look at Eric.
He smiled slightly and mouthed, “Are you okay?”
She nodded. Sure, she’d never know the joy of telling the man she loved that he was going to be a father, but she was happy for Brian. She knew how much he wanted a baby.
“This sucks balls,” Trey grumbled. He slid off the table and shut himself in the bathroom.
Rebekah figured Trey would be happier for Brian than anyone. He was his best friend.
Sed shook his head. “Spoiled brat.”
Rebekah stared at the floor, wondering how this new development was going to affect the band. They wouldn’t break up over something like this, would they? Or tour less? She loved this job.
Without warning, Eric reached out, grabbed Rebekah around the waist, and dragged her across the table. He growled and gobbled against her neck until she was laughing and squealing at the top of her lungs. She kicked her feet, trying to escape his assault, but Eric held tight. On the opposite side of the table, Jace grabbed her ankle to avoid getting kicked in the face. When Eric decided she’d laughed enough, he tucked her head under his chin and held her gently. She wasn’t in the most comfortable position, stretched across the dining table on her side, wedged against Eric’s shoulder as he sat in the booth, but she let him hold her. She knew he needed to provide comfort as much as she needed to receive it. He couldn’t stand it when she was melancholy.
A moment later, the bedroom door opened, and Brian wandered out.
“How’s she doing?” Sed asked.
“She’s fine. Cussed me out when I told her I wanted to cancel tomorrow night’s show to see her.”
“That sounds like her,” Sed said and chuckled. “Is she going to fly in to see you then?”
Brian shook his head. “She said we’ll see each other at Thanksgiving.”
“That’s only two weeks,” Rebekah said, hoping he’d stop looking so f**king miserable. The man was intense in every imaginable way. He played his guitar intensely. Loved his wife intensely. Experienced emotions intensely. Rebekah bet he was one hell of an intense lover. She flushed at her thoughts and cuddled closer to Eric, who wasn’t exactly intense, but definitely enthusiastic.
“It’s sure to be the longest two weeks of my life,” Brian murmured. He glanced around. “Where’s Trey?”
“Sulking in the bathroom,” Sed told him. “We have got to find that guy someone to love.”
“He has a different someone to love every night,” Eric said with a chuckle.
“And that’s his problem.”
No, his problem was that he already had someone to love, and that someone didn’t return the sentiment. Rebekah didn’t say it, but she was pretty sure everyone except Brian was thinking it.
Brian sighed. “I’ll go talk to him.”
“Hey, Brian,” Rebekah said and eased out of Eric’s embrace to sit up on the table again.
Brian turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised in question.
She smiled brightly and met his intense gaze. “You’re going to be a daddy.”
He beamed, all his troubles flowing away in an instant. “I’m going to be a daddy!” He tossed the bathroom door open. “Hey, Trey! I’m going to be a daddy!”
“Fuck off.”
“That is not the appropriate response.”
Brian yanked Trey into the corridor by one arm and forced him into a headlock. Trey poked Brian in the ribs, hooked his leg around Brian’s ankle, and took him to the floor. Rebekah giggled as they wrestled, not sure why watching them go at it made her hungry for sex. Eventually, they stopped wrestling and lay in a tangled heap on the floor laughing.
“What’s the appropriate response, Trey?” Brain asked.
His head pinned to Brian’s chest, Trey wrapped an arm around Brian’s abdomen and gave him a squeeze. “Congratulations,” Trey said breathlessly. “Daddy.”
Brian placed a hand on Trey’s head and pressed him closer to his chest. “I hope my son’s smart like his mother and not a knucklehead like the two of us.”
Trey squeezed his eyes shut and clung to Brian as if he planned to never let him go.
Chapter 20
Rebekah had never been more exhausted in her life. Tonight was their last show before a six-week break centered around Thanksgiving and Christmas. She was pretty sure she would need every day of those six weeks just to recover from their grueling tour schedule. Carefully winding a power cord so the soundboard could be put on the truck, she paused when she felt someone’s presence behind her.
“Uh, Rebekah?”
Rebekah spun around to look at Marcus, her eyes wide in question.
“I sort of owe you an apology,” he murmured, his eyes downcast. “I found this a few weeks ago and forgot to return it.”
He pulled a spiral-bound notebook from under his sweatshirt and held it out to her. It was Dave’s collection of notes that she’d misplaced her first night on the job.
“That would have come in handy when I had no idea what I was doing,” she said, “but I don’t need it now.”
“Dave’s a genius,” Marcus said, still not meeting her eyes. “I thought I would be the best choice to take his place, but…”
She waited for him to continue. He looked up, and his pug-like eyes met hers steadily. “But…” he said, “you’re good at what you do. The band sounds awesome. I’m not sure if Dave could have done any better.”
Rebekah couldn’t hide her smile. “You really think so?” she said eagerly.
Marcus chuckled and got a sappy look on his face. “Yeah. You’ve proven yourself over and over. I’m sorry I misjudged you. It’s just really hard to take someone as f**king adorable as you are seriously.”