“I can do that.” He holds out his arms, and I give him his daughter. Then I scoot over to my side of the bed, slide under the covers, and turn my back to him.
After Layla lets out a little burp, he starts singing to her, and I close my eyes, hating how much his voice affects me. I never should have come on this tour. I should be safely back in Wild Heart, cataloging books according to the Dewey Decimal System and spending my nights with my Pinterest crafts. That life made sense to me.
This one does not.
I’m tempted to turn around so I can watch Jace sing his daughter to sleep, but that will only make this worse.
I’m hoping I’m asleep before he goes to bed, but I’m still wide freaking awake when he joins me.
When he tries to pull me into his arms, I shake my head. “Not tonight.”
“Nothing happened out there with those girls,” he whispers against the shell of my ear. “I promise. The guys wanted to hang out with them, and I thought we should bring the party here in case we had any trouble with our stalker. I wanted to be close to you and Layla.”
Oh.
I blow out a shaky breath. “You don’t owe me any explanations.”
“Kinda think I do.” His arm wraps around my waist. This time when he tugs me to his chest, I let him because I’m weak.
Closing my eyes, I breathe him in, annoyed at how conflicted I feel.
Because I know a disaster when I see one.
The next morning, Jace is catatonic. He doesn’t budge when Layla wakes up. I’m sure he’s exhausted. I let myself watch him sleep for a full ten seconds before I force myself to turn away.
After I change Layla’s diaper, I toss on some jeans and a t-shirt and head to the kitchen. As I stand there, I survey the lounge with fresh eyes. Maybe someone should disinfect the seats? I get Layla situated in her high chair, which clamps to the table, before I start wiping down the furniture.
“Did someone get sick last night?” Frank asks from the front of the bus.
Gross. “Not that I know of. I’m worried naked asses have planted themselves on furniture Layla might touch.”Good save, Aurora.I mean, yes, it would be nasty for the baby to touch that, but I’m cleaning so I don’t gag.
He rubs his chin. “Things can get a little out of control on tours, but the guys have been on their best behavior. Having you and the kid around probably helps.”
That’s not reassuring. Is he trying to tell me they’re animals when left to their own devices?
I force my lips up into what I hope is a smile. “What time do we leave tomorrow?”
“Around noon.” He chuckles. “Wanna give the guys time to recuperate. Usually, the last night of a festival is the latest.”
Fun. “When can I do some laundry? I’m running out of clothes for Layla.”
“You should have some time tomorrow once we get to the new venue. I’ll find out where the closest laundromat is.”
“Thanks.” No one told me I’d miss my washer-dryer combo on this tour. I motion over my shoulder. “I’m going to finish feeding Layla, and then I’ll work on today’s posts.”
“Think you could get more behind-the-scenes shots? Moments with fans or just those intimate moments you see when Jace is writing? I think people would like to see that. Obviously, ask Jace first, but he’s usually pretty amenable to promotion.”
“Whatever you want.” Because I need more reasons to watch my husband on video. Then again, this is my job.
“You know, if you’d like to get into the other pavilions, I can get you an all-access pass to give you a chance to see the other bands. There’s no reason you can’t have some fun while we’re on the road.”
This time, my smile is genuine. “Thanks, Frank. I’d like that.” I have to admit there are some really talented musicians on this tour.
And I’ll never say this out loud, but I’m dying to see Marlowe perform live.
“One more thing. Jace mentioned you didn’t wanna come to the pre-show dinner, but I’d love for you to get some video of the bands schmoozing and some of that behind-the-scenes footage I just mentioned.” He folds his hands together. “Think you could make an exception for me? Maybe for that VIP pass?”
He asks so sweetly that I capitulate. “For you, sure.”
