“I can’t wait. I love you, Violin Girl. And my lemon drop.”
“Our lemon drop,” she reminded him, though that possessive note in his voice made her happier than she’d ever been.
She’d been so worried how he would react at her unexpected pregnancy, yet from the moment he’d known, he’d been nothing but supportive and excited. She’d married a good guy.
The very best guy.
“Ours,” he agreed. “Later.”
She ended the call with a smile and immediately answered another call from their realtor. The house was waiting for her. Her realtor had an appointment that was running over, but she’d get there as soon as she could.
Margo assured her this was just a scoping-out visit and if she had any questions, she’d wait to ask them when Simon accompanied her. He’d have fifty of his own, she was sure. Usually, things like if that tree was really sturdy enough to hold that swing or if the neighbors were assholes. Not exactly the usual prospective homeowner’s concerns, but Simon was Simon.
And they were going to buy a house.
Them.
Yep, the anticipatory butterflies were back, with no accompanying baby punches. If that was what they’d been. It was Simon’s kid though, so anything was possible.
She grabbed her bag, made sure she had her phone for pictures, and headed out to the parking garage. Felt like a good day to take Simon’s Audi. He had a sunroof, and it was absolutely beautiful out. Sunny, warm, not a cloud in the sky. Soon enough, the dog days of summer would be upon them and she’d be as big as a house.
She kinda couldn’t wait.
Inside the car, she plugged the address of the house in Santa Monica into her GPS. It shouldn’t take her too long to get there. Middle of the morning traffic was a lot better than rush hour. Still, she wanted to be back before Simon was done in the studio. Maybe she’d get dressed up and they could go out to dinner. Do something fun like a date night since they’d become sparser as time went on. Once their baby arrived, there wouldn’t be as many opportunities to sneak away for a night on the town.
For now, she wanted to enjoy their time together as a couple. Maybe they should do one of those babymoon things she’d heard about. Go away somewhere exotic while she could still semi rock a bikini.
She drove out of the garage and in no time, she was on the freeway. She hummed along with the satellite radio, the wind blowing in her hair from the cracked sunroof, and couldn’t help grinning when an Oblivion song soared out of the speakers. It still blew her mind to hear herself—to hear them—on the airwaves. By now it should be old hat, but it so wasn’t. She hoped the magic never faded.
And she definitely hoped she never lost that little shiver that came from hearing Simon’s deliciously husky voice.
A husky voice that was yet again about to be on her phone, because the music stopped in favor of a beep and an alert on the car screen—your honeybunch is calling.
She laughed aloud and hit the touch screen to answer the call. “How the hell did you rig it to say that? This isn’t even my car.”
“I knew you’d drive it. You like the power. The control. The sunroof.”
“Option number three. Why are you back again? What happened to work? I thought you had to sing. You know, your job.”
“Ian’s still gone. Oddest fucking thing. He booked out of here, and then Li came in for a second and wanted to know if I’d talked to you. She’s acting weird. I said yes, and then she was gone again before I could ask her what the hell was going on.”
Margo frowned and signaled for the exit. She coasted off the ramp and took a turn, then another, and another after that. The house was conveniently located near the freeway, but not too close, which was another selling point. But right here, the area was nearly deserted.
“That’s strange. Maybe I should call her. I know she’s freaked about Ian dating her cousin, but why would she run in to ask about me? She hasn’t tried to call, unless she texted and for some reason it didn’t show on your fancy in-car system. Oh. Look at that. Good timing.”
She blinked as a call from Lila flashed across the screen.
“I suppose I should take it. I’ll talk to you—”
The car jerked forward, and the shriek of metal on metal screamed through her head.
Her body jostled hard against the steering wheel, her seat belt snapping tight to anchor her in place. She didn’t even scream. Had no breath for it. Shock dulled her senses as the car ricocheted back and forth, aiming for the trees that lined the road. Woods.
She tried to steer. Couldn’t gain control. But even as the car rocked, she somehow managed to glimpse at the rearview, and the boxy black truck behind her.
Still coming. Too close. Far too close.
Sunny day. Didn’t they see her?