“You think?”
“Invite her to the wedding,” Mick suggests. “Then you’ll be in Vegas and you’ll be in and out in ten minutes.” He and Taryn are getting married in Las Vegas since that’s where Sasha lives and she’s offered to let them do it at her place to save money.
“I would,” Sam says, nodding. “Like Angus said, as long as you get a prenup, what do you have to lose?”
“His sanity?” Jonny counters. “His freedom? I mean, are you in love with her?”
“We’ve spent a total of like, five days together,” I respond dryly. “I don’t know if I’m in love yet, but I’m crazy about her.”
“So crazy that when she told you she was pregnant you all but hung up on her.” Jonny points out the obvious, and though I know he’s just playing devil’s advocate, it annoys me anyway.
“I freaked out a little,” I say quietly. “But I always wanted to see her again.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because it’s complicated. She has to be near her mom. I have to be on tour. Hell, I’m going to be across the ocean in another month.”
“Exactly. Are you sure you want to be tied down to a woman you’ve only spent five days with?”
No one says anything, the four of them watching me. Waiting. Letting me work through it.
Because it’s a lot.
Marriage.
I wasn’t ready for a kid and marriage was nowhere on my radar. And yet, I’m having a kid and…marriage would solve a lot of problems for us. Health insurance, for one. And deep down I know it would give her a feeling of security. It’s not about money for Summer, but about the confidence that I’m not going to abandon her. We’ve never discussed it in so many words, but I know she thinks about the way her father left and I don’t want to be that man.
It’s hard to know what to do but now that the idea has taken root, I’m leaning toward presenting it to her.
“Yo, Tate, you want to check these new strings?” Our guitar tech, Graham, calls to me and I have to push everything else out of my mind.
But tonight?
I’m going to ask Summer to marry me.
Chapter 22
Summer
When Crimson Edge takes the stage, I can’t explain it, but I’m nervous for Tate. Like he doesn’t do this almost every night. The crowd is loud, excited, and there are tons of people in the audience with signs:
Take me home, Jonny!
I’d live on the edge with you, Mick!
Let’s get rough around the edges, Tate!
How about a birthday kiss, Angus? I’m 18!
Yikes.
The other girls don’t even seem to notice, dancing and singing along with the music. I’ve been listening to their album non-stop, because even though it’s not my usual thing, it’s Tate. And the music is good. Melodic. Catchy. It’s not like I only listen to country.
And watching them live is intoxicating.
They’re energetic, sexy, and so, so talented. Watching them do what they do is as fascinating as it is enjoyable. I’ve been to tons of concerts in my life, but it’s never been personal like this. Like I’m somehow part of it.
For ninety minutes I forget about all the stress in my life and just…live in the moment. My mom, the baby, money issues—everything falls away as I lose myself in Crimson Edge. And Tate Jeffries.
