Zane scoffed at the thought. “And maybe I’ll be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.”
“You’re not giving Mike much credit.”
“Sienna, Mike has never had a relationship that lasted longer than three months. It’s safe to assume this whole thing is gonna go sour.”
Walking over to the wall oven, Sienna turned it on. “So, you’ll hire some new back-up singer. You said you had lots of great possibilities at the auditions.”
“I don’t want to hire some new back-up singer.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Why not?”
What he couldn’t say was that he needed Claudia because he’d flipped through her notebook and it turned out he had been right about her—she was a hell of a songwriter. After years without a song in the top ten, the band’s future (and Zane’s reputation) were on the line. But Claudia could save them. And best of all, she would keep her mouth shut about it. He knew it the moment he met her. Starstruck and insecure, she’d happily let him lift her work without needing the credit. “Her interpretation of our stuff is totally unique. She brings something fresh and exciting to the table—something that’s been missing for a long time.”
He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. When they first met, Zane said that exact same thing about her.Sweetheart, I can’t imagine a future without you. You’re what’s been missing in my life for a long time.
Sienna blinked hard a few times. “Oh. I didn’t realize she was soveryspecial.”
“Come on, it’s not like that, babe.”
“It’s not?”
“Of course not. I’m not attracted to her or something. It’s purely a creative thing.” This was mostly true, but there were moments when a flash of her naked would cross through his mind. It wasn’t a big deal though. He did that with nearly every woman to whom he wasn’t related.
“Right,” she answered, sounding sarcastic. “Purely creative.”
“Yes … you wouldn’t understand.” Nope, that was the wrong thing to say. Her mouth dropped open and that fight he knew she didn’t want to have was about to happen. He held his hands up in surrender. “That’s not what I meant. Shit, I’m super hungover. Let me start again. You know your friend, Paul?”
Paul was an interior designer who had the same taste in men that she did. Sienna nodded.
“You two can talk for hours about fabrics and colors and textures and styles, and none of it makes any sense to me, but you’re all lit up when you’re talking with him.”
“But Claudia’s not a lesbian, so it’s not the same thing at all, is it?”
“Oh, God, babe, Claudia is not my type,” he said, standing up and walking over to her. “Look at her, then look at you. You’re every man’s dream, including mine, even after all these years. And she’s … a normal-looking person. I really do think of her as a sister. She’s the little sister I never had, but that I share an interest in making music with.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in, feeling how stiff she was. “You’re my girl. And you’ve got nothing to worry about because she doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
She gave her husband a skeptical look. “I don’t think you’ll ever fully appreciate what it’s like to be married to someone like you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sienna groaned, then waved her hand dismissively. “Forget it. I promised myself I wasn’t going to do this.”
“Do what?”
“The jealous wife thing. It’s pathetic.”
“The last thing you are is pathetic, babe, and if you’re worried about something, I need to know. Honesty is the cornerstone of a good marriage. Lay it on me. What’s so hard about being married to someone like me?”
“Come on, you know what I meant.”
“No, I don’t.” He did. He was being purposely obtuse, buying time to think up the perfect way to reassure her. “Someone who loves you more than life itself? Someone who would do anything for you? Someone who thinks about you non-stop, no matter where he is in the world?”
“Someone who millions of women lust over. Someone who people don’t say no to. Someone with the kind of clout you have.”
“It’s shocking that you’re insecure after all these years together.” Lifting his hands, he carefully cupped her cheeks. “None of that other stuff matters, Sienna. I don’t care about any of it. At the end of the day, it’s just me and you. You’re my wife, my best friend, and the only woman I want to be with.” He gave her a slow kiss on the lips, feeling her relax ever so slightly. “I know it’s got to be hard as hell being pregnant. You’ve got all sorts of hormones flowing through your veins, and you’re tired and uncomfortable and you don’t feel like yourself. It’s natural that you’d be feeling a little insecure. But honestly, babe, on our kids’ lives, I have no desire to sleep with Claudia. None whatsoever. She doesn’t do it for me. No one else does.”
“I hope not.”
“I promise. You’re the only one for me. Now and forever.”
