Christmas with a Rockstar (Rock Revenge Trilogy 3.50)

“The preggo book you stole from me. In the section about inducing labor, it says very clearly that orgasm can cause a woman to give birth. It’s, like, a known fact from the beginning of time.”

I didn’t know who gasped louder—me, Simon, or the two people behind the counter.

“You’re exaggerating. Besides, it’s not time yet. We’ve had lots of sex before now and she hasn’t given birth yet, has she? And she has tons of orgasms. Tons.”

“Sir, this really isn’t the place for—”

“Right, but she’s basically like a gremlin now.”

Simon’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you calling my wife a gremlin?”

“No, I said she’s like a gremlin. Don’t feed them after midnight, don’t get them wet, and so on. Same for a woman that close to giving birth. Getting them wet is a big no-no. You never know when they’ll blow.” Nick made an exploding noise that made Simon jerk back into me.

I truly didn’t know which of us was more horrified. Probably Simon since the information Nick had just shared was more imminently important to him. I still had seven months give or take to come to terms with the idea.

But one thing was for sure—I would not be having sex with Zoe after the seventh month or so. Unless she agreed to no orgasms, for her anyway. Though that seemed dubious.

“You just think you’re an expert.” Simon sounded traumatized. He even wavered on his feet when I gave him a nudge to stop leaning on me. Heavily. Like a redwood about to fall.

Nick crossed his arms. “Li had the twins perfectly on schedule. We followed doctor’s orders. Didn’t go off flying half-cocked to an isolated island during a tropical storm watch.”

“Hurricane,” the man and woman behind the counter said in unison.

“A C-section is not the same thing.”

“Really, guys, I don’t think this is where we should be discussing this,” I said weakly, trying to refocus on the tray of rings. My vision was hazy.

Dear God, Margo wouldn’t really give birth on this island, would she? If unexpected sex pushed her along, surely there was a way to nudge the baby back in.

“How do you reverse it?” I asked suddenly.

Both Nick and Simon stared at me.

“If you slip and…engage in sex, and she edges near labor—”

“Edges near? If she’s in labor, there’s no reversing it, spud. Welcome to fatherhood.” Nick walked around Simon to clap me on the back. “Next time, maybe you’ll consider taking your time before you get her knocked up.”

“Well, if we’re going to have six children, we have to—” I stopped at their twin looks of surprise. “Possibly.”

“Was he dropped on his head as a baby? Or last week?” Nick asked Simon, who just shrugged.

“I never had a regular family, so I want a big one.” My voice cracked a little. Great. Could I embarrass myself any more today? “Is that so wrong?”

“I think it’s sweet,” the woman behind the counter said with an encouraging smile.

“No, it’s not wrong.” Simon cleared his throat. “Just whoa, the idea of one is freaking me the hell out. I thought I was calm about it. I was sure I was. And now?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, I might need a paper bag.”

Nick gestured toward the ring tray. “Let’s move this along.”

I nodded and zeroed in on the selection. Still none of them were right. Maybe I needed to check out the scope of what was available rather focus solely on price. I stepped back, scanned the case, and caught my breath as I saw it.

The most perfect ring.

“That one.” I could barely get the words out as I pointed. I put my face near the glass, trying to see as much as possible. “On the red cushion. That’s the one.”

The man moved forward to remove the ring and set it down before me. A circlet of smaller diamonds surrounded a pear-shaped center stone. Around the first circle was another circle of diamond points. It reminded me of the solar system. A million stars and planets weren’t enough to encompass my love for her.

My fingers shook as I pried it out of the cushion. The ring had a vintage look, and I’d never seen anything like it before.