“They’re a traditional blues band, but Mercedes says the crowd they draw will love us. It’s only one night, but it’s a start.”
“Mercedes?” Her inquiry comes with an adorably lifted eyebrow.
“Oh, do I hear a hint of jealousy, Sunshine?” I love teasing her. Though messing with a pregnant lady might not be advised.
“No!” she scoffs, turning her head.
“Good.” I lean over the tray and kiss her cheek. “Because I love you.”
“I know you do.” She smiles as she nibbles a piece of cheese. “So when’s the big day?”
“Friday.”
“As in, two days from now?”
I nod.
“Are you guys ready for that?”
“I think so,” I tell her, although I’m not thoroughly convinced. We’ve been at it every day, but Davey’s been late or left early for most of our practice sessions. “We’ll have to rehearse straight through, but we should be able to pull it off.”
She nods, understanding what I didn’t say. I won’t have a lot of time for her the next couple of days. I love that I don’t have to say it aloud.
“Are you nervous?”
I shrug, chomping another grape. “A little.”
Her bottom lip pulls between her teeth. “I know how I can fix that.”
My insatiable girl is persistent. I’ll give her that. I know, too, but she needs to eat. “Eat.”
She huffs, but picks up a few grapes and tosses them in her mouth. “Happy?”
I smile. I’m deliriously happy. I have everything I ever wanted in my life. My girl, a baby, and I’m finally doing something professionally that I truly enjoy. Music has always been inside me. My parents pushed the law profession on me, so I went for it. I was determined to make them happy, because I thought if I could be who they wanted me to be, they might accept me, when in truth it never mattered what I did. They were never going to accept me. I wasn’t their child. I was a business transaction.
Before I can dwell in my dismal thoughts very long, Tori straddles me. I notice the tray on the floor. I must have been deep in thought. I never saw her move it.
“You need a distraction,” she informs me, biting gently on my ear, her small hands massaging my neck.
She’s right. I do, and there is no better “distraction” than burying myself deep inside the woman I love.
Chapter 5
Tori
I sleep in later than usual. Brady kept me up late, distracting himself from his thoughts. I know what they were, and I hate that after all this time, they still consume him. No matter how much time passes, he’ll never truly understand why Sheila did it.
None of us will.
The door creaks before Liv strolls in and jumps on my bed. She’s always the essence of happiness in the morning, but this morning she’s frowning.
I mirror her frown. “What’s got you upset this morning?”
She smiles, not looking at me. “Technically, it’s afternoon.”
I sit up in bed, narrowing my eyes at her. She’s not avoiding this. “So what is it?
She folds her hands in her lap. With a sigh, she says, “Harrison’s parents invited us to Tahiti for a vacation.”