“And the bond she’ll have with the baby…” Anton’s voice trailed. “I mean, Sasha went right back to work after Jaxson was born, but she took him with her. Is that possible for you guys?”
“Possible? Yes. Likely? No. We both need time to bond with the baby and she can’t just take it on tour where I won’t see her for months at a time.”
“Her?” Anton asks.
“Oh.” I shrug. “I don’t know why—I think it’s a girl. I started saying her as soon as she told me.”
“Well, you need to talk to Lexi. Sooner rather than later.”
“I kind of want to wait until the playoffs are over.”
“You sure about that?” Tore asks. “If we go all the way, it could be mid-June before you have this conversation.”
“I know.” I close my locker and sink down on the bench to lace up my skates. “But I know my wife—pushing her before she’s had time to digest it all probably won’t go well.”
“Obviously, you know her better than we do, but I don’t recommend waiting too long,” Anton says.
“Ditto.” Tore nods solemnly.
Great.
My buddies both have kids—Anton has two and Tore has three—so they have insight I should probably listen to.
But I can’t.
Not yet.
I know my wife.
She needs time and space.
Just a little.
We’re in the semi-finals now.
I need to get through this series.
Then I’ll talk to her.
For sure.
Maybe?
Shit.
Chapter Five
Lexi
* * *
Crimson Edge is recording their first album since getting signed to Hart Records, which is also our record label. Sasha asked me if I would do a song with them, and I readily agreed, and it’s a lot of fun working with them. Their style of rock is a little harder than ours, a bit more metal than I’m used to, so it’s great to push myself vocally. They’re a little younger than us too, reminding me of how green I was once upon a time.
My career started singing pop songs with an all-girl singing group, but that turned into a disaster. Once I made the decision to leave, Nobody’s Fool basically fell into my lap, and I’ve never looked back. The guys are like family, and that’s partly what makes the touring situation and my pregnancy so difficult. It’s not that I’m worried that they’ll be upset so much as I’m worried about letting them down.
It took us three albums to get our footing, and now that we have it, I’m about to bow out for an indeterminate amount of time.
“Lex? Yoo-hoo.” Jonny Gold is Crimson Edge’s lead singer, and he’s watching me curiously.
