“I’m as serious as that heart attack you had two years ago. It’s me, my kid, and my nanny, or I can’t go.”
His face turns red. “You’ve been singularly focused on your band for ten years, Jace. This baby has been in your life for, what, a week? Please tell me you’re not gonna throw away an opportunity of a lifetime because you probably won’t get another chance. This is it. I didn’t bust my ass all this time to have you waver at the finish line.”
Guilt swells in my gut. Frank’s been one of my biggest supporters. “I’m sorry I’m letting you down. I just can’t leave mydaughter for months while I go on tour. It kills something in my soul to even consider it.”
“Think of all the things you’ll be able to buy her if this tour goes well. Think of the future you’ll be able to provide her.”
“I can’t think of a damn thing that will excuse abandoning her.” Like her mother. Likemymother.
Rory and Paige start whispering back and forth on the couch. I feel bad dragging this girl into my bullshit. Might as well cut my losses here. “Rory, thanks for coming today. I really appreciate you trying, and I’m sorry this isn’t gonna work out. If I’m not going on tour, I’m happy to help you find a new apartment. I’ll make some calls. See if anyone?—”
“Can I talk to you?” She points behind her. “In private?”
Um. “Sure. Yeah. Come on.”
She follows me to my bedroom. Why’d I bring her here? It’s full of baby crap and gear. I close the door behind us. “Please ignore the mess. I swear I’m not always a slob.”
“Just when your world feels like it’s ending?” she asks softly.
“Something like that.” Because my world genuinely seems fucked right now. I shove shit off my small desk and offer her the chair. Since Layla is knocked out, I unwrap her from the carrier on my chest and place her in the crib, which used to be another twin bed that Mav slept on before he got hitched.
Rory studies my stuff while she fidgets. Her eyes drift to the crib where Layla’s sleeping. “What’s her schedule like? Does she go down easily at night or is it a battle?”
I blink. Of all the things I expected her to ask me right now, that wasn’t one of them. “She’s had a tough time at night. It takes a while for her to settle. But once she’s out, she’s usually good for a few hours.” I pause. “Why?”
“Because if I’m going to do this, I want to do it right. For her.”
Something about those words loosens a knot I didn’t know I was carrying. “That makes sense.” Wait. Is she considering this?
Rory presses her hands down her dress. “I can’t do anything about how I look, but?—”
“What does that mean?” I frown and sit on my twin bed.
She shrugs. “I can’t change my librarian vibe. Your manager said no one would believe that we were together, and I agree.”
“That’s bullshit. He’s talking out his ass. I don’t have a type.”
She gives me a look like I’m full of crap. “If I marry you, I need you to promise me two things. You know, assuming you want to marry me so I can be your nanny.”
Holy fuck. She’s actually open to getting hitched. I press the palms of my hands into my eyes. Did I have an aneurysm in the living room? “If you marry me, I will fall on my knees and kiss your feet. So yes, I will promise you whatever you want.”
Rory looks like someone is forcing her to walk the plank at gunpoint. Not to be vain, but most women I know would be happy as hell to lock me down.
Not that I’m husband material. Or even boyfriend material. I’m a good time. Someone to throw back a few beers and work out some sexual tension with.
Rory’s a smart woman. She obviously knows I’m not worth the effort.
She nods slowly. “I need you to swear you’ll never do anything to embarrass me. If we get married, you can’t screw groupies every night while pretending to be married to me. I’m just afraid that will get around, and I can’t han?—”
“Done.” That’s not even a big promise. “What else?”
She chews the inside of her cheek. “Paige mentioned the tour goes through Dallas, and I think it’s the same weekend my stepsister’s getting married. She and I… we don’t speak, but my family is pressuring me to go.”
“And you want me to go and be a great husband? So we can steal her thunder and make her look like the asshole sheis?” I make a few assumptions there, but they’re the right ones because Rory cracks a smile.
“Maybe.”
“Done.” Jesus, I owe this woman. I hold out my hand, and she hesitantly places her small one in my palm. “You’re saving my ass right now. I don’t know how I’ll ever make this up to you.”
