C HAPTER T WENTY F OUR

Zander

“I wanted to fly out to Cali and punch you in the face.”

I didn’t blink at the words that left Noah Cassidy’s mouth. Fuck, if I had been him, I would have done just that. “Why didn’t you?” I couldn’t help but ask, wondering why he hadn’t gone out there and beaten the hell out of me.

Noah shrugged before lifting a bottle of beer to his lips and taking a large swallow. “Annabelle asked me not to. She said she wanted to tell you. I guess she figured since it had been just the two of you to make those babies, it should be just between the two of you. Then she fell…” He shook his head and placed the half empty bottle of beer on the table between us before raking his hands through his pale-blond hair.

The look on my old friend’s face gutted me. “How did it happen?” I’d known that Annabelle had fallen, that it was why she’d had the twins so early, but she hadn’t gone into details. I hadn’t pushed her to talk about it, not wanting to hurt her more than I knew she already was.

The other man grimaced and glanced around the room we sat in. We were in what Chelsea had called Noah’s man cave. It was what I would have expected of my friend to have in his little hideaway from the outside world: classic car posters on the walls, huge flat-screen taking up one wall, and a mini fridge stocked with beer beside a card table that didn’t look like it had been used for much card playing. A Grammy sat on a shelf in a corner—I assumed it was the one he loved the most because the rest of his awards were in the family room, decorating the walls. Noah had done well for himself in the country music world, with platinum records and country music awards of every type. I was proud of him.

Blue eyes that were nearly identical to his little sister’s finally found mine again and the agony in their depths was like a punch to the stomach. All the air rushed out of my lungs as I waited for him to tell me.

“I was in Memphis that day. Chelsea and Annabelle were out doing some shopping and girly shit. They had just left the mall when some kid who was skipping school nearly ran them over in the parking lot as they were walking to my truck.” He shook his head. “Chelsea told me she didn’t see Annabelle fall, she was too busy cussing at the kid who didn’t even bother to stop to see if he’d hurt them. When she turned around, Annabelle was on the ground. She’d fallen on her ass, but that didn’t matter. She was already so big with the twins… Chels said that there was a puddle of blood just pouring out of Annabelle. A mall security guard called an ambulance, but by the time they got to the hospital they knew they would have to take the babies.”

Noah pressed his thumbs into his eyes, as if trying to block out the images that were ingrained there. “I got to the hospital as they were bringing her into her room, and the doctor tried to tell her about Michelle. She was in shock and still half under the anesthesia they’d given her for the emergency C-section. I had to sign the papers for the heart transplant since she wasn’t coherent enough and I was technically her legal guardian.”

I grabbed my beer off the table and downed the nearly full bottle in two swallows. Even after hearing most of the story from Annabelle, it was hard as fuck to hear it again from Noah’s point of view. I could have lost them all that day. Not just little Michelle, but Mieke and Annabelle, too. Just the thought left a gaping hole in my chest.

“Let’s not talk about the heavy shit, man.” Noah drained his bottle before tossing it in the trash and reached into the mini fridge for two more. Uncapping them both, he offered me one before once again leaning back in his chair. “How have you been? You fuckers have done well for yourselves. Even heard that y’all were gonna take a break from touring for a while. That true?”

After the disaster the summer tour had turned into, I doubted any of us wanted to tour again anytime soon. “Yeah. It’s true. We all need a break from everything, not just touring.”

Noah nodded. “Yeah, that shit gets old fast. Learned that quick enough once the kids were born. It’s hard to keep everyone happy when you’re touring, making new music, and have a family to take care of. After ten years, I was done. I’d made enough money to keep us happy for the rest of my kids’ lives, but I still work. Couldn’t completely give up the music. I help produce for my label and still write a song every now and then.”

I opened my mouth, ready to tell him that he was done considering Mieke as one of his own. Now that I was in her life, I would make sure she was taken care of. Before I could even get the first word out, one of the cellphones on the table buzzed and I grunted when I realized it was mine.

Grabbing it, I saw that it was Natalie and quickly answered, shooting Noah a quick look. “Hey.”

“Hi,” she greeted with a small laugh. “What’s going on?”

“You know what’s going on. I sent you an email.” I’d sent it hours ago, but knowing how crazy her schedule was at times, I figured she’d just gotten it if she was calling now. After what I’d told her in that email, I’d expected her to call as soon as she read it.

“Yeah, I got that. I’m looking at it right now, actually. I’m just not sure I believe my eyes. Maybe these damn headaches from my blood pressure are playing tricks on my eyes. No way you sent this. Not you.”

I took a long pull from my fresh beer and leaned back, frowning up at the ceiling. “Well, I did. Figured you should be the first to know. And be the one to tell Emmie.”

“What about the others?” she demanded, sounding exasperated and more than a little concerned. I knew the concern was for me and she was wondering what the fuck was going on, but I didn’t owe her an explanation. I didn’t owe anyone that except Annabelle and maybe Mieke.

“Fuck the others,” I growled, still pissed at the way they’d rushed to put the blame on Annabelle about Mieke. They had all tried to call and text me, but I wasn’t up for hearing their voices let alone a cheap-ass apology. Noah raised a brow at me but didn’t say anything as he silently continued to drink his beer.

“Is that why?” she murmured, as if trying not to be overheard. “Because of what happened the other night?”

“No, Nat. This has nothing to do with them.” And it didn’t. The decisions I’d made earlier that day had nothing to do with my bandmates. “This is just something I need to do. For myself and only myself. Fuck everything else.”

There was a long pause on Natalie’s end and I could almost see the wheels turning in her beautiful head. Blowing out a tired-sounding sigh, she started grumbling to herself. “Fine. I’ll take care of this. I don’t want to have to be the one to tell Em, though.”

“So don’t. I’ll tell her.” At this point I wasn’t scared of Emmie Armstrong… Okay, I wasn’t as scared of her. That fierce little redhead would always scare me a little. I’d rather face a raging Wroth than her stormy green eyes any day.

“Good luck with that,” Natalie muttered half under her breath before her voice rose up a little louder. “Did you hear? Of course you did. You’re out there with Annabelle…pregnancy brain… whatever.” I didn’t try to sort out what she was saying. In the last few weeks I’d realized that pregnant Natalie spoke to herself. A lot. It was better to just go with it. “Emmie and Annabelle are official partners as of an hour ago. Hopefully my life is about to get a whole hell of a lot easier.”

I blinked, thinking I couldn’t have just heard her right. I hadn’t slept in more than twenty-four hours, so my mind must have been playing tricks on me. “What did you say?”

Natalie repeated herself and I dropped my bottle of beer on the table, hard. Annabelle hadn’t breathed a word about going into business with Emmie. She hadn’t mentioned anything about any partnership. Fuck, I hadn’t even seen her since she’d made pancakes for Mieke and me that morning and then rushed out the door for a meeting she’d claimed was important.