Fall (VIP 3)

“You make it sound like a car.”

“This is more important than a car. It’s responsible for conveying my progeny.”

I snort but then assess the offerings. “In that case, at least start with the ones that seat them higher up.”

He studies the strollers. “Why?”

“The traditional models have the kid’s face at ass level. Would you want to constantly be looking at asses?”

“Only if it’s Sophie’s ass.”

“Well, of course. She’s got a great ass.”

He glares at me, and I hold up my hands in surrender. Scottie stands with a grunt and turns my way. “Why are you in over your head?”

Now that he’s distracted me, I’m sorry I said anything at all. But Scottie’s got his laser gaze on me and there is no way I’m getting out of this without him badgering me to death.

I run a hand over my face. “I can’t do this in front of prams.”

“You think they will leak to the press?” he asks, deadpan.

“Har. No, really, you’re hilarious. People don’t get that about you.”

He nods. “Sophie says much the same.”

“Fuck, I’m going to need an antacid after this.”

Without flinching, he reaches into his suit jacket pocket and pulls out a slim metal case. I gape as he hands me two antacids. “Now, talk.”

I chew before confessing. “Something happened.” I swallow hard. “With Stella. Again.”

Scottie holds up a hand, then takes two antacids for himself.

I roll my eyes while he chomps them down. “You finished?”

“Go on.”

Grumbling, I walk away from the strollers, and he follows.

“I apologized for being a shit.” I bypass the bath products aisle. Yellow duckies and green frogs grin down at me.

“Good.”

Cutting Scottie a glare, I look around for a way out. Breast pumps loom to the left, diapers to the right. A veritable maze of happy baby joy and family time all around me. I can’t get enough air in here. A bunch of kids are singing one of my songs over the loudspeaker, which is wrong on too many levels.

“Mmm … Scottie?”

“Yes?”

“When the hell did we give the okay for Tots That Rock to sing our songs?”

He winces. “I was a tad distracted when Sophie told me she was pregnant. Slight errors in judgment may have occurred.”

“Right.”

His eyes narrow on me. “You were at the meeting and signed the papers, Blackwood. You might try paying attention if you object to certain avenues of outreach marketing.”

“Uh-huh. Outreach marketing is an interesting term, by the way. Points for that.”

His eyes become slits. “Stop deflecting and tell me about your problem.”

“Stella told me about her job.”

I tug on the color of my T-shirt. I swear they’ve turned on the heat. Smiling, drooling baby pictures leer down at me. It’s like The Birds with diapers.

Scottie grabs hold of my elbow. “This way.”

I let him steer me out of baby hell and fill my lungs with gloriously polluted city air as soon we step outside. “Thanks.”

“Same thing happened the first five times Sophie dragged me into one of these stores,” he admits. “You have to work your way up to a full visit.”

We jog across the street and head toward Central Park.

Scottie resumes talking as soon as we’re in the relative privacy of the park. “You have a problem with her being a professional friend?”

“No.” If only. I’d prefer that right about now. “It’s not that …”

“Then what?”

I swear my throat is closing.

“Spit it out, John, or I’m returning to shop for strollers.”

“I found it adorable, all right?” I run a hand through my hair. “She’s utterly adorable. Something happened to me that I don’t …”

Scottie stops and stares at me. I can’t look him in the eye.

“I was standing there, looking at her, and she became … more. I couldn’t … I couldn’t think, man. Everything simply …” I wave a hand in annoyance at myself. “Tilted. The world titled, and there she was. You know?”

A slow, annoying smile spreads over his face. I want to kick him. But I don’t. I brought this on myself.

“Yes,” he says, “as a matter of fact, I do know.”

I was afraid of that. I remember how Scottie was when he fell for Sophie, his focus shifting from work to one chatty blond who appeared to drive him up a tree. It had been amusing as hell watching him fall. Not so much now. Not when I’m the one toppling.

The first instrument I played was a violin. I liked it fine and was very good at it. But the second I got a guitar in my hands, I knew it would change my life. Same with meeting Killian, Whip, Rye, Brenna, and Scottie. I knew they would play a part in my life, alter its direction and purpose.

I have the same knowing with Stella. She is fresh and new, comfortable and timeless, like one of my best songs, played an entirely different way. Only instead of jumping in with both feet, I want to back the fuck away. Unlike the others, Stella scares the hell out of me.