“Maybe you should pick up where you left off?” Knox suggested, leaning in like he was ready to give advice. “Right before Real Bax met T-Rex Bax.”
“That would be when Bax mentioned he didn’t feel like I was hearing him out.” Courtney tried to make his name sound like she was strangling it. But it didn’t work. “Of note, I was actively listening to him when he said I wasn’t hearing him out.”
She’d listened the entire time he told her that he wanted to hire a medical provider to come along on the tour. A medical provider who would be there specifically tobabysither and ensure she drank enough water. Courtney did not need someone to take her blood pressure or remind her to do anything. She was a grown-ass adult who could take care of herself.
Bax wasn’t keen on just any medical provider—he wanted to spend an obscene amount of cash on a traveling obstetrician.
A doctor who would be incredibly bored the entire time because Courtney was absolutely fine. The doctor had cleared her and then cleared her again—just to appease the label.
“I appreciate Bax’s concern, but an obstetrician does not need to come along on this tour.” Also, Courtney was more than a little annoyed that Bax had waited until days before they left to have an anxiety storm about this. They weren’t in the pirate ship, and she was tired, so she hadn’t gone there with him.
It didn’t matter, though, because his plan wouldn’t work for oh so many reasons.
The first? There was no more room on the crew bus.
The second? The cost would eat up funds that didn’t need to be spent.
And the third? She did not freaking want it.
Bax’s hands went to his hips, and he was breathing a little heavy. Like he wanted to get angry, but also didn’t want to get angry.
“I’m medically cleared.” Calm understanding. That was what Courtney channeled. “It would be wonderful if we didn’t change the plans right before we leave. Trust me to drink enough water.”
The blood vessel at Bax’s temple throbbed. “I would very much like to go hit the argument deck.”
Fine. If they were really going to argue about this, they couldn’t do it in the kitchen. Well, they could. But it was technically against the one rule they’d put in place.
“That works.” Courtney pushed out of the kitchen, heading for the ship.
“I appreciate your understanding that I want to be sure you and Tiny Badass are safe,” he said, walking alongside her.
“And I appreciate your wanting to take care of me.” She did her best to keep her tone level. Reasonable. Even.
“And I appreciate your willingness to allow me to care for you,” Bax agreed.
Now for the nitty-gritty. “That said, I also appreciate that we are traveling through large cities with hospitals and medical providers, and we don’t need to spend the money on a traveling doctor.”
“That said, I have the money, and that’s not an issue. I also appreciate that when I’m onstage, I’d feel more comfortable knowing you have help if you need it.”
Crawling through the miniature door was getting harder each day because her stomach was not getting smaller—that was for sure—but she managed it.
Bax followed her in. They both stood, but Bax had to hunch over, given that he was about two inches taller than the roof.
“Becca will be there.” Courtney pursed her lips. Realized she was doing it and tried to stop. “She can get help if I need it. This is ridiculous.”
He took some deep breaths in through his nose. “I need to know that I can do my job and everything else is taken care of.”
Dammit. She needed his focus to be on the tour and not on her. He needed to do the things he did when he toured—except the groupies.
There had to be a middle ground here, but looking at Bax, he wasn’t in the headspace to let this one go.
Fine.
“I get to pick the provider,” she said.
Bax blinked hard.
“It’s ridiculous. But whatever. This is important to you, so I get to pick the provider. Fair enough?”
