Chapter Twenty-Nine
Landry
I was on bed rest, but I didn’t have to be chained to it or anything. I was allowed to get up for meals and take small walks to the mailbox and back. When Dr. Woodsen had come in with my discharge instructions, he’d let me know that he thought passing out was most likely an isolated event due to stress and my long surgery-filled days. But he wasn’t going to take any chances with my life or the baby’s. Thus the bed rest.
Beau and Brody had joined forces in that hospital room and gotten me to agree to spend the next six months on the compound. When I got off the plane with my brother, my whole damn family had been waiting. My Aunt Dilly called and got all my OB records transferred to the practice in Austin that all my aunts had used when they were pregnant with us Spawn. My dad had turned the media room into my new bedroom. It was on the first floor and it had the biggest screen in the house. My uncles came over every morning, and we did gentle flow prenatal yoga, which I’d had to get okay’d in writing by Dr. Woodsen.
Beau and Halen came for lunch most days, showing me pictures of their house’s progress. My younger cousins all took turns coming by after school and practice, updating me on their lives. I was living vicariously through six teenagers. Our family dog, Crest, spent hours sleeping in my room. Even Evie pitched in, sending me care packages of trashy magazines and expensive facemasks. I was being pampered, all day every day. I hadn’t been alone in seven weeks.
And it was fucking driving me insane.
The only time I got a reprieve was when I was playing my drums. Uncle Luke had moved my old set from the studio into the media room. I hadn’t played since I’d left for college over a decade ago. But it was like riding a bike, and the loud sounds kept my family out of my new massive room.
“Knock, knock.”
Well, most of the time it kept them away. I reached out, silencing my cymbal. “What’s up?”
My mom was a floating head in my door, a smile on her face. “Dinner is ready.” She opened the door wider, waiting for me to step around the drum set and follow her out into the hallway.
It was Friday, so everyone was in my parents’ backyard. Usually, the families alternated hosting Friday family dinner, one family a week. But since I was on bed rest, every Friday family dinner was at my parents’ house. So I didn’t have to miss one.
Wasn’t that thoughtful?
I put a smile on my face as I walked out onto the back patio, taking my seat between Cash and Jett, across from Beau. My plate was already made—grilled chicken, black beans, and a salad. I glanced over at Cash’s plate, a confused frown on my face. He had fajitas with cheese and lots of peppers. I leaned forward, peering down the table, noticing that everyone else had fajitas too.
I sat back in my seat, raising my hand. “Why does everyone have yummy food but me?”
“I talked to Talon today and he wanted me to make sure you were eating enough vegetables.” Uncle Luke took a large bite of his taco, queso dripping out onto his plate.
“Are you kidding me?” I rested my chin in my hand, bewildered and still staring at my uncle. “This is a joke, right?”
“He’s worried about you, Buttercup. He’s used to being around to take care of you.”
My mom smiled at me. “I think it’s really very sweet.”
I think there was a sexy drummer boy that was about to feel my fucking wrath. If Talon told Uncle Luke that he was worried about my diet, that meant that Brody was worried about my diet. Just like “Talon” had been concerned that I wasn’t drinking enough water because I’d forgotten to pack the bottle that yells at me. So Uncle Luke ordered me a new one. Now the caveman was using my uncle’s obsession with all things Talon to his advantage.
I stood up. “Can I have everyone’s attention please?” I waited patiently until all eyes were on me. “I am twenty-eight years old. I am a surgeon. I can make my own plate. I can make my own choices about what I eat and when.” I picked up my healthy meal. “Now, who wants to trade dinners, because I’m sure as hell not eating this.”
***
“Hey you.” I turned on my side, smiling at my tablet screen. “You have enough service for FaceTime tonight.”
“I do. Finally.” Brody let out a contented sigh. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, baby cakes.”
“Two more weeks and you’ll be here.” I was five months and one week pregnant, which meant by the time Brody and the rest of Clashing Swell came to the compound, I’d be almost six months along.
“I have a countdown calendar.” Brody winked at me, alluding back to an old joke. “I can’t wait to see you.”
“And this belly.” I laughed. “It’s going to be even bigger by the time you get here.” I had officially started to show last week. And now, I swore le bump got larger every day.
“Let me see the tummy bug.”
I pulled my shirt up and angled the screen down. “There it is.” We’d agreed to wait on the envelope, but that also meant we were waiting to find out the sex. My doctor in Texas, the one that made house calls, had offered to tell me during my last sonogram. But Brody had been doing a radio interview, and for some reason learning if it was a boy or a girl without him seemed wrong.
“Kicking a lot today?”
I moved the screen back up, nodding. “Yeah, I can feel it, but no one else can yet.”
“Good.” He grinned. “I want to feel it first.”
I wanted that too. I wanted Brody to have all the baby’s firsts. I loved that he wanted them, that he was asking for them. We hadn’t really talked about what he’d do or how he’d feel if the baby wasn’t his. And I still hadn’t told him about my conversation with Travis the day I passed out. Everything had happened so fast, it was like I woke up in the hospital and then I was on a jet flying to Texas.
Minka had texted me a few days after I’d arrived home; she wanted my address so she could send the baby blanket. I guess I’d dropped it when I passed out. She let me know that Travis had been fired. Did it make me a bad person that I was glad?
“Hey. Did you tell Talon to tell Luke that I needed to eat healthier?” His eyebrows rose but his mouth stayed shut. “Are you kidding me, Frost? I walked outside to a dinner of grilled chicken and veggies when the rest of the family was eating queso-filled fajitas.”
He laughed quietly. “I’m sorry, baby cakes. I didn’t think he’d take it to that obvious of an extreme.”
“I got pissed and made him switch dinners with me.” Teach him to mess with a pregnant chick’s Mexican food.
“He’s still up Talon’s ass, checking in with him every day to make sure you’re happy at the compound and that you have everything you need.” Brody was lying in his bunk, one arm behind his head. “What’s going to happen when the band comes to Austin? Luke will notice if you and Talon aren’t acting like besties.”
I rolled on my side, taking the tablet with me. “Maybe I can tell him Talon and I had a falling out after the no-queso incident.” That got a smile out of Brody, but he still seemed kind of blue. “What’s going on with you tonight? Did something happen?”
He shook his head, and I swear it looked like his eyes were teary. “Seeing your face—it makes things better and worse at the same time.” He sniffed through his nose. “I miss you so damn much. I want to be lying next to you right now. I want to put my hands on your belly. I want to kiss you and hold and fuck you.”
“I know, it’s hard for me too. But you’ll be here soon.” We each had good days and bad days. Luckily, on the days I was missing him too much to function, he could make me laugh. And on the days he got down, I could always lift him back up. Lord help us if we ever had bad days at the same time.
“I’m not sharing you with Tal when I get there, baby cakes.” He shrugged. “I can’t. It’s been too long.”
“You won’t have to, I promise. We’ll figure something out.” I smirked. “Now, tell me what I can do to make you feel better.”
“Take your shirt off.” A real smile was starting to form on his gorgeous face.
“Of course that’s what would make you smile.” I sat up and removed my shirt, revealing the fact that my old bras could no longer hold in my rapidly growing breasts.
“Holy shit. Where the hell did those come from?”
I glanced down at my chest. “My belly grows, my chest grows. Neither shows any signs of stopping.”
“I cannot wait to fuck you. I mean see you.” He winked.
And just like that, my Brody was back.