“No, I don’t have to.I want to.I need the practice anyway, don’t I? No arguments. Go upstairs and sleep all day if you want. Aston and I are going to watch some TV and scope out wedding dresses online, right, little man?”
Anna laughs softly, her exhaustion clear. “Thanks, Dee. You’re a great friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Well, you’re not going to find out. Now go,” I say, pointing toward the stairs.
She kisses my cheek and finally disappears upstairs, leaving me alone with Aston.
I look down at him, smiling. “Well, buddy. You’re going to have to be a good boy because I have no idea what I’m doing,” I whisper.
He yawns, his tiny fingers wrapping around my pinky, and my heart melts. Cradling him carefully, I walk us into the living room and settle onto the couch. I switch on the television, turning the volume low so I can hear it without disturbing Aston or Anna upstairs.
This Morningis already running coverage outside the studio, with crowds gathered and buzzing with excitement. There areevil minionfans everywhere, desperate for a glimpse of the bad-boy rockers. I smile, watching the screen, glad I stayed behind, not ready to facethat chaosyet.
But it feels good knowing they haven’t given up on12GUAGE-Slayed.
Not even close.
The reporter announces that Colt and Johnny are on their way, and I can’t help but smile when they flash a photograph of Colt and me on the screen.
As the hosts start talking about the accident, tension creeps up my spine.
I hope that’s not all they plan to focus on.
The last thing we need is Colt getting pissed off live on air.
Thankfully, they move on to another segment while waiting for the guys to arrive, and I exhale in relief. Tuning out, I glance down at Aston, who’s half-asleep in my arms. I can’t help but smile as I trace my finger lightly along the soft, delicate skin of his cheek. He has that perfect new-baby smell, and everything in me wants to scoop him up tighter.
But I hold back, letting him rest peacefully where he is.
AsThis Morningcontinues in the background, I find myself ignoring the television, completely content to focus on the tiny, perfect life snoozing in my arms. Newborns don’t do much, butwhen Aston yawns again, making a little face that’s all Johnny, it’s honestly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Suddenly, the hosts announce the guys are in the studio, snapping me back to attention. I look up just in time to see Colt and Johnny taking their seats, and I can’t help but grin.
Colt really scrubs up well, and Johnny isn’t bad either.
No wonder the girls go crazy for them.
“Look, there’s Daddy,” I whisper to Aston, smiling down at him.
Johnny looks a little nervous, but Colt? He’s in his element like he was born for this.
For a second, I debate waking Anna up to see the interview, but I know she needs the sleep more, so I leave her be and quickly grab the remote, hitting record so that she can watch it later.
The interview is short, but Colt handles it perfectly, just like he promised. He avoids going into details about the accident, only giving a brief update that I’m doing better. Then the hosts bring up the Super Bowl proposal, and my stomach flips.
I didn’t even think they’d mention that.
“Yes, we’re still engaged,” Colt says, smiling into the camera. “And I couldn’t be happier. Dee really is the love of my life, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else by my side.”
My heart squeezes, fluttering wildly. Even though I know how much Colt loves me, hearing him say it publicly makes me ridiculously, stupidly happy.
He quickly steers the conversation back to music, mentioning a new single set to drop soon. The fans outside lose their minds, and I shake my head, chuckling.
You’d think I’d be used to the fandemonium by now.
But I guess it’s different when you know the man behind the rock star.
The man who drives me crazy, who makes me laugh, who sometimes makes me want to throw things at him…
