Jack
BY THE TIME we reached the hotel in Boise, it was almost two o’clock in the morning. I’d driven straight through Wyoming and Idaho, with Hadley sleeping by my side, stopping only when absolutely necessary. She clearly needed the rest, and I had never been more at peace. The vastness of the Wyoming sky stretching endlessly over the plains was breathtaking. Its beauty was only rivaled by the woman sleeping in the seat next to me.
“Where are we?” Hadley asked, with a stretch and a yawn.
“We’re here.”
“Here where?” she asked. “The hotel?”
“Nope, Disneyland. I figure we have just enough time for a couple of spins on Space Mountain. Yeah, the hotel.”
She looked around, then back at me. “Wow, I can’t believe how much I slept. I usually can’t sleep at all in cars.”
“You’re getting used to road life,” I lifted her palm to my lips. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better. I’m actually surprised by what a difference the lower altitude makes.”
“Come on, Sleeping Beauty, I’ll help you out of the car.”
I walked Hadley to the lobby, sat her down and returned to the car to get our bags. When I returned, she was staring intensely at her phone.
“You’d better not be working,” I said as I rolled our bags through the lobby.
“My phone was off.”
“Yeah, it was buzzing every thirty seconds, and I didn’t want it to wake you, so I turned it off.”
“Apparently Buzzfeed and TMZ got wind of you being MIA for Cramfest and the promoter is freaking out.”
“Jimbo can freak out all he wants, I don’t give a shit,” I said.
“No, you don’t understand. He’s saying the package was sold as an ‘all original members’ reunion, and that by having Bam fill in, you’re failing to meet the contract’s obligations.”
“So, he’s threatening not to pay us for the Red Rocks show?” I set the bags next to Hadley.
She scanned her phone. “Not only that, but he’s threatening to cancel the remaining two shows of the tour if you don’t show up tonight.”
“He’s bluffing.”
“Maybe so” —she looked up at me with a sigh— “but Lucy’s having to deal with all this on her own, because Bam is off learning every one of your drum fills, note-for-note.”
I chuckled. “I don’t even know all my drum fills note-for-note. Maybe I’ll have him show me when we get back.”
“Would you please be serious?” Hadley smacked my arm.
“I am serious. Serious about you getting some serious rest. Seriously. Now give me your phone.”
“I don’t need rest. I just slept for a bajillion hours, and the tour is in trouble.” She met my eyes. “This is my job, Jack.”
“I understand, but you have another job right now that’s more important. Your job is to let me keep you and our baby safe and healthy, so how about we get checked in, go up to our room, and I’ll draw you a nice warm bath? We’ll figure out what to do about the tour after that.”
Hadley relented and we settled into our room. As promised, I drew her a bath, and flopped down on the bed while she soaked. I needed to rest my eyes for just a few minutes.
I awoke five hours later… alone.
* * *
Hadley
The minute I heard Jack snoring, I bolted out of the tub, got dressed, grabbed my phone and day planner, and headed for the lobby. There was no way I could sleep when I knew Lucy was awake and probably stressing. I wasn’t about to leave her, or the bands, high and dry. I called her right away and she answered on the first ring.
“Hi, Had,” she whispered. “Give me a sec.”
I heard a door close and then Lucy said, “Hey, I’m here.”
“How’s Bam?” I asked.
“Stressed.”
“What’s to be stressed about?” I retorted. “He’s only stepping into his hero’s shoes, at one of the biggest rock festivals of the year, on twenty-four hours’ notice.”
“Without his manager and best bud by his side,” Lucy added with a quiet giggle.
“He’s got you, I’m sure he’s fine.”
“He doesn’t want to let anybody down, least of all Jack.”
I sighed. “Jack wouldn’t have asked him if he didn’t have his full confidence.”
“I wish everyone else shared in his sentiment.”
I frowned. “What? Who doesn’t?”
“When the news that Jack wasn’t playing the show, and that Bam would be filling in, hit the internet, the usual war between the fans and the trolls started on all the message boards.”
“He can’t pay attention to that garbage.”
“That’s what I told him, but the naysayers had gotten under his skin already and now there’s the added stress of Jimbo’s tirade.”
“How’s that all going?” I asked.
“A little better. I was able to roll him back to DEFCON 4 with the help of a really nice bottle of scotch and a reminder of the money he’d lose by pulling the plug on the tour. It took a while, but by the time we were done, I had Uncle Jimbo right where I wanted him.”
“You are such a badass, Lucy.”
“Well, this badass has been up all night and has a big day ahead of her, so I’m gonna get a little rest. You should do the same.”
“I’m wired now,” I admitted. “So I think I’m going to find some breakfast. Call me later and let me know how everything’s going.”
“I will.”
I smiled. “Thanks for everything, honey. I really appreciate it.”
“You can owe me one,” Lucy said.
“Done.”
She hung up and I headed to the restaurant attached to the hotel. After being seated, I ordered coffee and breakfast and then set out to go through my notes and see if there was a way to support Lucy more than I was right now.
The minute my coffee arrived, a rough hand settled on the back of my neck and an angry voice whispered in my ear, “I really hope this image of my woman eating breakfast alone is a figment of my imagination. Because my woman, who is pregnant and sick, wouldn’t leave me in our bed and not tell me where she was going.”
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Hadley,” he growled.
“Look, baby, I’m eating,” I said, trying to distract his irritation.
He sat across from me. “I don’t see food, Had—”
Before he’d gotten my name past his lips, the server arrived and slid a plate stacked with eggs, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes in front of me.
I gave him a triumphant grin. “Want some?”
“Coffee,” he said to the waitress who nodded and walked away. He faced me and leaned forward. “Don’t do that again.”
I wrinkled my nose as I shoved a bit of pancakes in my mouth and chewed.
He sat there for a few seconds before he sighed and his expression of irritation was replaced with a smile. “Fuck me, you’re gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” I swallowed and gave him a cheeky grin. “Seriously, do you want some?”
“You can’t eat all of that?”
“I’m gonna give it the good ol’ college try.”
“I’ll order something else,” he said, and grabbed the menu.
I leaned over the table and grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry I worried you, honey.”
“Appreciate that, baby. Next time leave a note.”
I smiled. “I will.”
He slid out of his seat and sat beside me, pulling me close and kissing me. “Hey.”
I grinned. “Hi, honey.”
He licked his lips, he said, “Syrupy and sweet,” then kissed me again.
“We might need to borrow some of that… for later.”
He growled low, kissing me again. “If you didn’t need to eat, I’d take you back to the room and fuck you senseless.”
I slid one of my hands up his thigh and stopped close to his cock. “There’s no reason why we couldn’t eat, steal some syrup, then take it upstairs.” I smiled, sliding my hand a little higher. “But you have to promise to lick this off of me.”
He dropped his head back and groaned. “Fuck me, Hadley, you really doin’ this to me right now?”
“You were rude, so yes.”
“Hold up.” He met my eyes again. “You’re sayin’ because I came down pissed that you left me in bed and worried the hell out of me, you’re going to reciprocate with dirty sex and letting me lick syrup off your pussy?”
“I didn’t say pussy,” I whispered. “But that’s even better, so yes.”
He grunted out a laugh and cupped my cheek. “This is working for me.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
“We’ll eat quick.”
I nodded, sliding my finger through the syrup on my plate, then licking it.
“Baby, stop,” he demanded.
“Only if you promise I get to do that to your—”
“Hadley,” he snapped, and moved to the other seat again.
I giggled. “Killjoy.”
“I haven’t even seen the depths of your evilness, have I?”
“Not even close,” I retorted as I took another bite of pancakes.
He chuckled and his food arrived a few seconds later, so we ate as quickly as we could and then headed upstairs to use the sugary sweetness we’d pilfered from the restaurant.
Our plans were blown to hell, however, when morning sickness reared its ugly head and I couldn’t keep anything down. Jack grabbed a brush and pulled my hair back into a scrunchy, lovingly stroking my back as I lay in the fetal position in bed.
“I felt so good this morning,” I complained.
“I’m sorry, baby. As soon as you feel a little better, I’ll run to the store and grab you saltines and ginger ale.”
“Can you find a pharmacy and see what they suggest for morning sickness?”
“Of course.”
I sighed. “I love you.”
He shifted and stretched out behind me, kissing the nape of my neck. “I don’t like that you’re sick.”
I chuckled. “You’re gonna be hatin’ life for a while, then.”
“Yep.” He rubbed my back again. “I can’t believe we’re havin’ a baby.”
I rolled to face him. “Are you sure you’re okay with all of this?”
“I’m better than okay.”
“Really?”
“Why the worry?” he asked.
“I just figure, you’ve been with no one serious since Pam, and since I don’t know whether or not you chose not to have kids or it just happened that way… I don’t know, I’m a girl. We spiral.”
He stroked my cheek. “So, let’s get this out of the way, then, yeah?”
I nodded.
“Pam and I never had kids, mostly because we always thought there’d be time. Back then, our life was a constant party, and we didn’t want anything to fuck with it. But I also think there was a part of her that was concerned about me and my addictions. She didn’t say anything, because she could be a little passive at times, but when I reflect on that part of our relationship, it’s what I surmise. I loved her, Hadley, but don’t get me wrong, we had our issues.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“Sure. But we wouldn’t have survived rehab.”
“You don’t think so?”
He shook his head. “We masked our issues with drugs and alcohol, and then when she got sick, I sobered up for a little while… a very little while. I couldn’t deal. With anything, so I raged. It was easier than to face what was coming. I pushed everyone away, except her. But she knew. She tried to talk to me, but I was able to change the subject… or she let me… either way, we weren’t always on the same page. I’m surprise Rex and Roxie didn’t kick me to the curb… well, Roxie mostly because Rex and I both went into rehab right after Pam died.”
“Roxie seems like a saint.”
“Yeah… except the sailor’s mouth.”
I giggled. “That just makes her more interesting.”
“This is true.”
“Did Pam want kids?”
“Yeah, but not as much as I did.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Pam liked our life. I did, too, but I always wanted to add to it. She was hesitant.”
I ran my fingers down his beard. “I’m sorry, honey.”
He grinned, turning his head to kiss my palm. “Don’t be. You’re making a dream come true, Hadley. It wasn’t quite sure how I’d get this particular dream, but you know, I wouldn’t change it.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“Nope. Because it’s one I couldn’t have planned for, mostly because I’d thought it was dead. You’re the dream I thought was lost, Hadley.”
I sighed, leaning forward to kiss him gently. “I love you, Jack Henry Gornitzka.”
“Love you too, baby.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m gonna go get you some supplies, okay?”
“That would be amazing. I feel a lot better, but that probably won’t last.”
“Promise me you won’t move.”
I nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
“Do my best, baby… not yours.”
“Oh, you’re funny. You should add stand-up to your shows.”
He chuckled and kissed me again before leaving me in the bed.