Chapter 31

Xander

My phone buzzed right after I paid for breakfast, and I was surprised to see Austin calling so early. Harley was the only morning person in Reckless Release. It was annoying that she was so cheerful at an ungodly hour, but I loved her anyway.

“Hey! What are you doing up so early?” I asked by way of greeting.

“I’m at the hospital with Piper.” Austin sounded panicked.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Is it the baby?”

“She’s having some cramping, so they wanted us to come in right away. I just called to let you know I need to bail on practice today.”

If that was all he’d wanted to tell me, Austin would have just sent me a text. I put his call on speaker when I got in the car so I could talk to him while I drove back to Cami’s.

“It’s going to be okay,” I assured him. “They probably just want to check everything out.”

“I know.” He took a deep breath and released it before continuing. “It’s just freaking me out a little. Piper’s mom is in with her now, so I decided to step out for a minute. I’m trying to stay calm for Piper. She needs me calm, but this shit is scary.”

“I know, man.” Even I was freaking out a little. I was looking forward to being Uncle Xan to their little rock princess. “Do they have any idea what’s causing the cramping?”

“They’ve got Piper hooked up to a machine to monitor contractions,” he explained. “We’re waiting to hear back from her doctor. The nurse said it could be preterm labor. She’s only twenty-four weeks pregnant. That’s too soon for Riley to come.”

I wanted to tell him there was nothing to worry about, but I didn’t know too much. I wracked my brain for any assurances I could give him. “I’ve heard they can stop labor.” My sister had once mentioned a friend of hers being in preterm labor, and I still remembered some of what my sister had told me about her friend’s treatment. “There are also shots to help the baby’s lungs develop earlier.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I need to stop freaking out and go comfort my wife. Why are you up so early? It sounds like you’re in your car.”

“I am in my car, but I’ll fill you in on the details later.” He and Piper had enough to worry about.

“All right,” he replied. “Thanks for listening to me lose it a little.”

“No problem. I don’t blame you for worrying,” I replied. “You know you can call me any time. Keep me posted.”

“I will,” he promised before ending the call.

By the time I got back to Cami’s, I was starving and wondering what else could go wrong. First, there was Cami’s fall, and then Piper ended up in the hospital. I shook off my negative thoughts. It had to be the lack of sleep making me think that way. I was the king of positive thinking. I should be looking at this glass as half-full. Cami was going to be okay, and Piper was in good hands.

Since I didn’t have a key, I knocked and waited for Cami to let me in.

“What’s wrong?” she asked the moment she saw my face.

“They were out of bacon,” I replied with a straight face.

“Never joke about something like that,” she warned with a wave of her finger. “That’s not funny.”

I grinned at her ire. “On that, we agree.”

As I set out our food in the kitchen, I filled Cami in on my call with Austin. She asked questions I couldn’t answer. How was I supposed to know I should have asked if Piper’s contractions were regular or how far apart they were?

“I’m sure we’ll have more details soon,” she said mostly to herself. “Maybe I’ll call Harley to see if she asked.”

“Send her a text,” I advised. “Harley and Bentley are meeting with some new members of our security team today. We’re trying to get everything set up before our tour starts in August.”

“Are you excited about going on tour again?” she asked.

“Touring is amazing, but I always dread it as the date approaches.” Few people knew this about me. In interviews, I always said I couldn’t wait for the next tour to start, but a lot was going on right before we went on the road. The actual touring was better now that we had a bus. We even flew to some locations. That was much better than cramming the whole band into our gig rig and taking turns driving. In our early days as a band, we’d spent many nights sleeping in the gig rig because we didn’t have the money for a hotel room. In some areas, it was out of fear that our equipment would get stolen. It would be more accurate to say that most of us didn’t have the money for a hotel room. Austin was extremely wealthy, but we’d all been reluctant to let him support us on tour. In my opinion, it was one of the reasons we were all such good friends. Austin knew we weren’t using him for his money.

“Why do you dread it?” she asked.

“There’s a lot of planning involved,” I began. “I also hate leaving my comfort zone. It’s crazy because once I’m out on tour, everything is great. I don’t mind the long days or sleeping on the bus, but before we leave, all I can think about is how much I’m going to miss my bed. There’s also not much privacy on the road.”

“I guess things are cramped on the bus,” she mused.

“Not too cramped,” I replied. “I’m used to being able to walk around naked when I’m at home. On the bus, I have to wear boxers.”

“Harley should be grateful you at least put on your underwear,” she said with a giggle.

“I buy special underwear for the bus,” I explained. “I’m a boxer-brief man, but I figured Harley would be happier if my junk isn’t so obvious.”

“Does she know you buy special boxers for the trip?” Cami asked.

I shrugged. “She knows I go out of my way to buy super nerdy boxers that will make her laugh. I’ve been shopping for boxers for the next tour since we got back from the last one.”

Cami giggled again. Her laugh was weak, and I imagined she was trying to hold back so it wouldn’t hurt her head. “I want to go with you when you shop for boxers next time. That sounds like fun.”

“Sure,” I agreed with a grin. “While we’re out, we can get that waffle-making thong for you to wear.”

“Didn’t you tell me you’d already bought one for me?” She quirked an eyebrow.

“I lied,” I admitted. “The fantasy is real, but I never followed through with a shopping trip. How are you feeling? Any nausea?”

“I feel much better. I’m still tired, and my head hurts, but breakfast is helping.”

“Are you still rescheduling most of your appointments?” I asked.

“I’m planning to call all my patients except the one I need to see,” she replied.

I looked at the time, trying to work through my schedule in my head. “I need to go home to shower and change clothes. After that, I’ll head back here so we can figure out the rest of our schedule for the day. Do you want me to grab anything on the way back?”

“Nothing I can think of,” she replied. “I’m going to shower and take a nap while you’re gone. I’ll give you the spare key in case I’m still sleeping when you get back.”

I nodded, and we finished the last of our breakfast before I headed out. We each promised to notify the other if we got any news on Piper. The circumstances sucked, but I’d enjoyed the intimacy of having breakfast with Cami. She wasn’t my girl yet, but based on the way she kept looking at me, she would be.