My phone rang, but it was dark in my room. I hit the bedside table, knocking the lamp before I finally found it.

“Hello?” I croaked.

Luke snored next to me.

“Babe! It’s out.”

“What’s out?” It finally registered I was talking to Jake. I looked at my clock. It was only six.

“The CYA list. You’re up for female performer of the year, song of the year, video of the year, single of the year, and entertainer of the year. Babe, this is it. You are Nashville’s favorite girl.”

I rubbed my eyes and my feet touched the warm rug next to my sleigh bed. I pulled the silk kimono robe from the chair and threaded my arms through it. I padded into the bathroom, closing the door behind me so I didn’t wake Luke.

“Wow.”

“Wow? I’m coming over. We need to celebrate.”

“What? Now? No.” I panicked.

“Of course now. This is everything we’ve worked for. You couldn’t ask for better recognition than this, babe. You could completely sweep the entire awards show. I think we could have Helena meet us too. I’ll order breakfast catered and we’ll start on your wardrobe along with booking all the radio interviews. We need votes. Every vote. I want a full sweep. Your wardrobe has to be impeccable for every appearance.”

My head spun. I hadn’t slept. Luke was in my bed. And Jake would kill me if he found out.

I coughed into the phone. My voice already had an edge of early-morning raspiness. I could play this off.

“Jake, I feel terrible. My throat is scratchy and I was up most of the night with a fever.” It was a fever, just not the kind that was a result of germs.

“Today? Right now? You’re sick?”

“Jake!” I faked a coughing fit.”

“Sorry. Sorry. Do you have a doctor’s appointment? I’ll get someone to take you.”

I looked at my reflection, letting the robe fall to the side. My nipples were swollen. My neck was red and there were definite thumbprints between my thighs. It all felt divine. The imprint of the man who had changed my life was all over my body.

“No. No.” I hacked again. “I’ve got hot tea and some lozenges. I just need rest. I think a day in bed and I’ll be back to normal tomorrow. And then we can celebrate.”

“What a day to have this happen.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Lex. If you need something text me and I’ll have it delivered. Anything you need at all. Anything.”

“I will. Thanks.”

Jake was a complete germophobe. He wouldn’t come anywhere near my house until he knew it had been disinfected by a professional team.

“And congrats, babe. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you.” It was one of those moments when I caught a glimpse of what we used to be. The days when Jake and I worked together for the same goal. When all we dreamed about was making it to the CYAs together. That seemed like another life. I didn’t recognize who we were anymore. All we did was fight and threaten each other. Our friendship was toxic.

“Talk to you later.”

“I’ll check on you in a few hours. Get some sleep. I can’t wait to call everyone else.”

I hung up and crept back to bed. Luke hadn’t moved. I placed my phone on silent mode. Jake would be the first call. Once the media had a chance to release the list and the rest of the world woke up to the news my phone would ring constantly. Friends would want to talk to me. Helena would have dress ideas. My old music teacher would try to call.

It was going to be an insane day.

The robe fell from my shoulders and landed on the floor.

Luke’s eyes opened. “Everything ok?” he asked.

My heart fluttered wildly. And my core pulsed.

I nodded. “Everything is fine. Just some news. You can go back to sleep,” I spoke quietly.

He was rugged and tough. He was cocky. He was sexy beyond definition. And his sculpted arms were stretched open for me.

I slid in next to him. He kissed my neck, rolling on top of me. His scruffy cheek was rough against my bare skin. I liked it when he didn’t shave.

I gasped when I felt his shaft pressed along my thigh. My legs fell to the side and with one thrust his was inside me. I sighed, feeling the wholeness of Luke fill me. His hands threaded through mine.

“Like last night, ok?” he whispered.

I nodded. And we spent the morning in bed, loving the hell out of each other.

* * *

Luke sat in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. After we showered and dressed I had spent most of the time on the phone. I had to continue to fake my illness, coughing and sputtering through my calls. So far I had offers for homemade soup, a basket of oranges, and some kind of vaporizing machine that was guaranteed to clear up my sinuses. I had turned all of them down as politely as I could.

“Thank you, thank you.” I was on the phone with the head of my label. He wanted to personally call and congratulate me on receiving the highest number of nominations any of his artists had this year.

“We’re so proud, Lexi. So proud.”

“I hope I can bring some home to the label.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he argued. “The nominations are their own reward.” I knew he was lying. Of course he wanted me to win. He wanted every one of those awards in his trophy room.

“Thanks again.”

“Sure thing. Now rest that voice of yours.”

“I will.”

I hung up and walked to the kitchen. My phone buzzed again. I looked at it regretfully.

“Get it. I understand.” Luke rose from the table to refill his mug.

“It will be quick. I promise.” I held up a finger. I’d much rather be spending my morning with him than dealing with all of these bullshit calls.

“Don’t worry about me. I have plays to study. I’ll head to that game room if I can find it again.” He winked and leaned over to kiss my cheek before walking out.

“Hey, Helena,” I answered.

“Girl, I heard you were sick. What am I going to catch? I do not want a cold. Or a sore throat. I spent the entire day with you yesterday and you seemed fine.”

I giggled. “Do you think you could catch Luke Canton?”

“I knew it!”

“No you didn’t. No one knows he’s here.”

“Ok, I didn’t, but I like it. Congrats on the nominations by the way.”

I filled my cup with coffee. “Thanks. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. I’m kind of distracted.”

“Yeah, I can see how that would happen with Mr. Sex Machine in the house.”

I almost spit out my first sip. “Helena!”

“Sexy Pants? Sex Master? I don’t know what pet name you gave him.”

“None of those.”

I sat at the table and looked out at the pool. The water was still and blue. I had thought about adding a fountain at one end, but I hadn’t started the planning yet.

“Well, I’m supposed to call you and start talking about the red carpet, and of course what you’re going to wear to perform, but we can do that when you’re alone.”

“Thanks. Couture isn’t on today’s agenda. But I am excited to talk about it.”

“Are you going to take him with you?”

“What?” I had lost focus on the pool.

“Luke? Is he going to be your plus one?”

I hadn’t thought about a date. “I-I can’t do that.”

“Don’t let Jake ruin this. It’s the biggest night of your career. You should take who you want. Take him. But please let me dress him to match you.”

I was living in bliss. I woke up in the middle of a dream. And now reality was smacking me back in place.

“It’s too much trouble. The fall out isn’t worth it.”

“Ugh. You should take him. He would be an amazing accessory. At least listen to that from your stylist. But I’ll let you go so you two can hang out. I’m excited for you, Lex. On everything. You deserve this. And you deserve him too if he’s what you want.”

“Thank you.” I smiled, ending the call. I decided I needed to unplug for a while. I turned the phone off.

I heard Luke’s footsteps behind me.

“I need your Wi-Fi password.”

“Oh. Yeah. Could we talk for just a second before you go back there?”

“What’s up?”

I was just going to do it. I was going to make all these dreams come true. I’d take Helena’s advice. She was right. I deserved it. I deserved Luke.

“Would you be my date for the CYAs?” I blurted it out before I could talk myself out of it.

Luke stared at me. “Are you fucking with me?”

“No.” I walked toward him. “I want you to be there with me. If you want to.” I looked into his dark eyes.

“Do I have to wear a tux?” He cracked a smile.

I twisted my lips. “Helena could probably find a tux that’s more your style. Does that mean you’ll go? Would you want to?”

His palm landed on my bottom. “See my girl kick everyone’s ass? Hell yeah I’ll go.”

I grinned so hard it hurt. “Oh my God. This is happening.”

He tipped my chin up. “I’ll be there.”

“It’s six weeks away, so I just need this time to convince Jake. Ok?”

I saw his playful look turn to a scowl. He hated Jake’s name. “You realize a lot can change in that amount of time?”

“W-what?” My eyes darted frantically.

Did he not think we could survive the weeks? Because what I felt was the kind of emotion that moved mountains. It was what songs were written from. It inspired epic movies. What connected Luke and me was crushing and suffocating and everything I’d always wanted.

His fingers tickled my belly. “This is what I’m talking about. You could be pregnant.”

“Oh,” I whispered. The relief was replaced with new alarm. Holy shit. I couldn’t go to the CYAs knocked up.

“Do you think you are?” There was something hopeful and sweet in his eyes. Jake had pegged him all wrong.

“I don’t know. It’s too soon to take a test or anything like that.”

“When can you?”

I swallowed. We were talking about this. Actually talking about taking a pregnancy test while we were standing in my kitchen on the day the CYA list came out.

“I-I haven’t really looked into it.”

“And is it ok for you to drink coffee?”

I looked at the full mug. “Coffee?”

“Yeah, I thought pregnant women had to stay away from that shit.”

“Luke, we don’t know that I’m pregnant and we’ve been careful every other time.”

“Have we?” He eyed me. “Last night? This morning? Pulling out isn’t birth control, baby.”

He had me there. It wasn’t. But when we were naked and I felt his body under mine all I could think about was having everything that was his. I wanted him in every way. He wanted it too. We were being careless and reckless. We were in no positon to have a baby. But every time I thought about it, the idea was less and less scary.

“I’m on the pill. I’ve taken it every day this week. Every day.”

He nodded. “Ok.”

But my fingers threaded through his and rested over my stomach. He kissed me, sucking on my lips.

“Can I get the password?”

“Oh yeah. It’s lovesong.”

He grinned. “Thanks.”

I watched him walk out of the kitchen. I had six weeks to break the news to Jake—he didn’t own me anymore. I belonged to someone else. Heart and soul.