Rockstar Baby (Crescent Cove 6)

As Kellan got to the part about getting caught in the car, Rory pulled me up into a quick, hot kiss before letting me go as fast as he’d grabbed me. Then he threaded his way through the assembled crowd back to the stage.

“Whew.” Zoe fanned her face. “I didn’t know Rory had it in him. At least without a beer or seven first.”

My cheeks were flaming, but not because of the kiss. Somehow there was a lighthearted Rory hidden in there who felt the need to show me affection. Okay, so it was a very hot kind of affection, but still, so not him. I mean, when we were naked or alone, he was quite handsy, but in front of people? Yeah, no. He was almost reserved.

The three rockers were laughing like lunatics by the end of the song. Then they had their heads together, iPhones out.

“Oh, this will go on for awhile.” Zoe kicked out her feet.

Maggie nodded. “Someone got an idea.”

My gaze strayed to the stage. Ian was peering over Rory’s shoulder at his phone. He was bouncing lightly as they muttered and hummed, then stopped to tune their guitars.

“We’ve lost them.”

“What?” I turned to Zoe.

“That’s the oh-my-God-where’s-my-notes-app look.” She rubbed her belly absently.

“You okay?”

“Oh, sure. I just finally popped. Before it was more like, I don’t know, slightly inconvenient. You know, like when you indulged for Christmas way too much? Maybe ten pounds? That’s what it was like for the longest time. Now?” She patted her belly. “Now there’s this thing in the way all the time that everyone wants to keep touching.”

“Oh, it gets worse.” Maggie laughed. “Complete strangers will be coming at you with their hands out.”

“Someone’s going to get decked.”

Maggie laughed. “You get used to it. Around the eight and a half month mark you will probably need to stay out of public.”

“I could beat a murder rap. Probably.”

I grinned at that one. “Do you want to marry him?”

“Oh, I’ll be marrying him. I haven’t seen the ring yet, but I know he bought it with his brother while we were in St. John’s for the holidays.”

St. John’s. The Virgin Islands were a port in like half the cruises I’d looked at longingly on cold winter nights. Like traveling to a place like that was just a usual thing.

I tried to drag my chin off the floor, but the story Zoe was telling about Simon Kagan’s wife having a baby in the middle of a hurricane didn’t help my shock factor.

“I’m hoping to do things a little less dramatically.” Zoe stroked the side of her belly. “Then again, I’m having a Kagan. It’s probably out of the question. Not to mention my mother is on me to get married before the baby comes.”

“Do you want to?”

“I’d rather have a really cool ceremony after the baby is here so I can actually drink during my toast—hello, my family makes to die for moonshine—and I don’t know, maybe enjoy the party and not fall asleep in the corner. You know, little things like that.”

“Some cool venue in the city?”

Zoe laughed. “No, we’re doing it up here. The orchard is in my blood. My man may be from London and think he’s a rockstar, but some things you have to do at home.”

I glanced up at the stage at Ian’s effortless rocker vibe. “He is.”

“Yeah, he is, but he’s also the annoying love of my life.”

I had to smile. “I don’t think the saying goes like that.”

“Live with Ian for five minutes and it does.”

“Yeah, living with a rockstar is just like living with any other man who won’t put his freaking socks in the laundry.” Maggie lightly rocked the stroller with her foot. “I met Kel in the middle of a snowstorm.”