“Oh, babe.” I tip my head up to look at him.
“I didn’t think I was ready for it now but like I said, fate seems to have other plans for me. For us. And I give you my word, I’ll be good to you. Faithful, engaged, and as involved as I can be when the baby comes. The trade-off, of course, is that I have to work. Yes, I love what I do, but I’m also making a good living at it right now. So you’re going to be alone a lot.”
“I’ve been alone for the last six years,” I whisper. “Without a safety net. At least this time, I’ll have one.”
“I’ll always be there for you and the baby,” he says solemnly. “I can promise you that.”
I smile for a moment and then close my eyes. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Chapter 23
Tate
The first order of business is an engagement ring.
Angus knows a jeweler in Minneapolis who’ll give me a good deal so I’m trying to find something that will make Summer happy. We talked about rings so I know she likes a princess cut and prefers gold to silver, so my plan is to surprise her when she flies out next week. We’re going to buy wedding rings too but I think it was a lot to throw at her, and I want there to be at least something about this that’s a surprise.
Things are moving fast—for both of us—but the band is supportive and Mick and Taryn even offered to do a dual wedding if we wanted to. Summer and I talked about it but ultimately decided it wasn’t fair to take away half of the attention on their big day so we’re just going to elope and then wait a few days to make an announcement.
The final date of the club tour is at Club Inferno in Las Vegas and then we’ll have about ten days before we leave for Europe. Mick is surprising Taryn with a quick honeymoon to Hawaii, and I’m working on a couple of surprises for Summer.
She mentioned wishing Dolly and some of her other friends could be there when we get married, but she needs Dolly to stay behind in case Tricia needs anything, so I called Dolly and we’re planning a reception back in New York. Not to mention taking her on a honeymoon.
I’m going to spend the days that Mick’s on his honeymoon in New York with Summer, and I’m also going to surprise her with a first-class ticket to meet me in London the second weekend in October. That’s going to be my wedding present to her. I know she’s worried about me being gone for nearly three months so if I can get her out there with me for a week, that will hopefully break it up a little. With Dolly helping out with Tricia, it shouldn’t be too bad.
We dove into the deep end without life jackets with this relationship so I’m basically flying by the seat of my pants, trying to put effort into finding our footing as a couple. She’s vulnerable right now, so it’s up to me to take on the bulk of the logistics. It’s all she can handle with continuing to work, trying to level up her pie business, taking care of her mother, and being pregnant. The least I can do is make sure she doesn’t have to worry about money—or whether or not her fiancé is cheating on her.
She’s careful not to say it but I know she’s uncertain about who I really am, afraid that this is all because of the baby. In a way, she’s right, because we wouldn’t be here if not for her unplanned pregnancy. But she’s also wrong because I was willing to give it a try long distance—she was the one who thought it was better not to start something that would probably end in heartbreak.
Now that I’m getting a shot, I’m trying to show her that we can make it work.
I’m not stupid. I know it’s going to be hard. In fact, being in Europe without her for two months is going to suck. And I’m going to miss all the pregnancy milestones—ultrasounds, hearing the heartbeat, finding out the sex, the first time he or she kicks. I won’t be around for any of it. I’m not the first guy to deal with this kind of thing, so I’m trying to stay positive.
Lots of men with pregnant wives travel for work.
Lots of rock stars get married and have kids.
It’s just that we’re starting out at such a disadvantage. We’re not in love. We haven’t been dating for long. We don’t even live in the same state. And this pregnancy came at the most inconvenient time possible. There’s so much working against us, I understand why she’s tentative. Overwhelmed. Unsure about her place in my life.
Hopefully, in addition to fixing the health insurance issue, getting married will help in other ways too.
Tonight we’re in Birmingham, and it’s another sold out show. We’ve had a lot of them lately, and it’s nice to feel the excitement on show nights. The club is packed, the backstage area is full of people, and the band that’s opening for us is running around making nuisances of themselves.
“Were we ever that young and obnoxious?” Mick whispers to me when the opening act’s drummer opens a bottle of champagne and sprays the whole thing over some groupies who are standing nearby.
“Maybe, but I’d never waste good champagne like that!” I say, laughing.
“Seriously.” Mick nods, narrowing his eyes at the drummer.
“There are some lovely ladies here tonight,” Jonny says, rubbing his hands together as he approaches us. “You two are missing out.”
“Not missing anything except my girl,” Mick says, shrugging. “You’ll see. When you find the right one, you stop caring about hooking up.”
Jonny rolls his eyes. “Whatever you say.”
