Rockstar Baby (Crescent Cove 6)

“With Ian, you can never be too sure.”

“Ian…” Kinleigh’s gaze slammed into mine. “These are the girls you met at the orchard?”

“Kinleigh, meet Zoe Manning and Maggie McGuire. Rockstar wife—and girlfriend, though she and Ian act like they’re already married.”

“That’s the truth. He annoys me like a husband.” Zoe held out her hand to Kinleigh. “Pleased to meet you. This place is amazing, and I want this dress. I don’t care how much it is.”

I could see the dollar signs in Kin’s eyes. “She has fair prices,” I said.

“Within reason,” Kinleigh said quickly.

“This is an art form and I don’t mind paying for art. Considering that’s exactly what I expect when I sell a painting.”

“Oh, man.” Kinleigh rushed to Zoe and hugged her. “Girl, you get it. I can’t tell you how many people want me to sell them my stuff for less than twenty bucks. I revamp almost every piece I find.”

I left them to talk about the dress and alterations. Maggie was wandering around the store, touching jeans and tops, then finding something she fancied and draping it over her arm.

“Sorry, we lost them to shop talk.”

Maggie waved me off. “No worries. This place is ridiculous. I could wander in here for hours.” She pulled down a sheer blouse. “Kellan might like this one.”

“Pretty sure any man with a pulse would.”

Though Rory did seem to enjoy me in my skirts and punk shirts. And I really needed to put a stop to that way of thinking. My phone burned in my pocket with the need to share my news with him.

Maggie touched my arm. “Are you all right?”

The urge to hold all my shit in was ingrained. I wasn’t exactly the sharing type. More of a get it done and don’t complain sort. I had goals and chased them. I’d been pursuing my dream for so long, nothing else had fit in my life.

But I wanted him to fit. And that was foolish.

The quick wash of tears horrified me. I tried to blink them away, but they just kept coming faster.

“I miss Rory.” I tipped my head back to staunch the tears. “It’s so stupid. I promised myself I wouldn’t get attached to him. I don’t want to be attached to him.”

“Oh, honey.” Maggie gathered me in, the clothes crushed between us.

A tentative hand brushed my hair. “Are you crying?” Kinleigh’s voice was distressed. “You don’t cry.”

“I know. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Must be my period.” I let out a creaky laugh. “It has be.”

I didn’t ever really know when it was coming. Where Kin was as regular as the sunrise, I was a busted calendar.

She rubbed my shoulder. “Must be.” But she didn’t look convinced.

Ma

ggie steered me over to the wide velvet hassock that dominated the dressing room area. “Did he do something?”

“No.” I brushed away the tears with a frustrated sigh. “No, it’s me. I knew what I was doing when I got involved with him.”

Kinleigh’s features hardened. “Fuck him. He can’t get his head out of his ass to be a man about things.”

I gave her a broken laugh. “It’s not like I’m begging for him to be my guy. It was just nice, you know. More than nice. When we were at the orchard, everything was so good between us.” My stupid eyes wouldn’t stop leaking. “And I’ve got all this good news and I want to tell him. I want to share everything with him and it pisses me off.”

Zoe sat on the other side of me. “He’s an idiot. I don’t even know what his deal is, but he’s got this mile-high wall around him sometimes, then others…” She shrugged. “It’s like he’s two different people.”

“Exactly.” Our time at the grove, at the bed and breakfast, even at the diner, had proven how sweet he could be. When he wasn’t over-thinking, he was so present. So absolutely in the moment. Then he just wasn’t.