“It would also give my voice a break.”

He wiggles his eyebrows, and I shove his arm. “Pace progression my ass. You’re just being lazy.”

Singing solo doesn’t bother me so much anymore; it’s the attention I might get from Caleb. I don’t want to give him any reason to talk to me, much less send flowers. Speaking of, I got rid of the roses by leaving them on an empty table in the hotel lobby. I didn’t want them, and I definitely didn’t want Roxanne to question me.

Stepping in front of the mirror, I pull out the bobby pins Mona buried in my hair. Instinct tells me to check my phone to see if Latson called, but I force myself to wait. I really don’t want another dose of disappointment. In fact, I’d rather check it when I’m alone so I can mope in private. I don’t know how long he plans to drag out the silent treatment, but I think it’s been long enough.

“Hey, guys. Do you have a minute?”

I turn around to see Mason enter our dressing room. He looks stressed. “Is Ariel okay?”

He nods. “Everything’s on schedule tonight.” He glances over his shoulder, then shuts the door behind him. “I need to talk to you all about the rest of the tour.”

His words grab Dean’s attention. “What about it?”

Mason turns toward the guys. “Ariel’s pregnant.”

Paul’s mouth drops open. “No shit.”

“Yes, shit.” Mason rubs his eyes. “I met her at the doctor this morning. She’s six weeks along.”

Drew blows out a heavy breath and Dean crosses his arms. “So, what does that mean?”

Mason’s phone rings, and he pulls it out of his pocket to silence it. “It means she’s made a few decisions. Number one, after seeing her ultrasound, she’s decided to have the baby.”

I smile. I had a feeling she would.

“The tour’s fucked.” Paul throws up his hands. “Unbelievable.”

“Not so fast.” Mason meets his eyes. “We’ll have to cut some dates, but we’ll finish the States. The international leg will have to be canceled.”

I can feel Dean relax from feet away. “Are you sure?” I ask. “Ariel’s felt awful.”

Mason nods. “Her doctor gave her the okay to perform as long as she’s feeling up to it. I’m going to look at the remaining cities tonight, get with the label, and decide what to cut. My guess is that we’ll avoid multiple stays in one city.”

Dean rubs his chin in thought. “How are you going to justify the cancellations?  Are you going to make something up?”

“No. Ariel is going to announce the baby. She’ll tweet the news tomorrow.” Mason steps toward the door and opens it with a sigh. “She doesn’t want to lie to her fans, or let them down. I’m headed to find Roxanne and break the news. I’ll send you the revised schedule as soon as I have it.”

When he’s gone, all four of us look at one another. “I wonder who the father is,” Paul muses, then winks. “I know it’s not me.”

I shake my head and start to pack my things. I won’t be sharing that information.

Dean plops down in a chair next to me, so I ask, “Do you feel better about the tour now?”

“I’m a little disappointed things will be cut short.” He gives me a small smile, and I give him one in return. “You should let Gunnar know,” he adds. “With this news, you might get a response.”

Since I’ll be coming back earlier than expected, maybe I will.

I pull out my phone and try to hide my frown when I see Latson hasn’t tried to contact me. I type out a message:  I know you’re not talking to me, but Ariel has decided to have the baby. Some tour dates will be canceled. I’ll be back before November.

I want to add “If you want me back”, but I’m too afraid of his answer.

~~~~

When I get to the hotel, I shower and put on Latson’s t-shirt. It still smells like him, but not nearly as strong. I silently hope it’s not a metaphor for our relationship; that it’s not slowly fading away, too.

As I curl up in bed, the thought of losing him starts to take root in my mind. It’s the last thing I want. I consider calling him again, since Roxanne is still with Mason going over the schedule, but I don’t want to come across as hyper or clingy. I just want him to talk to me.

A knock on the door stops my thoughts. Confused, I walk over to see if Roxanne forgot her key. When I look through the peephole, I blink a couple times to make sure what I’m seeing is real. My pulse starts to race, and I can’t get the door open fast enough.

“You’re here.” The words rush out of me.

In less than a second, I’m in Latson’s arms. He holds me against him and I melt into his chest, inhaling his scent and feeling his heartbeat. He walks forward, pressing me back, until he shuts the door behind us. Without words, his mouth finds mine; his kiss is soft, yet urgent and deep. I return it with everything I have and run my hands up to his shoulders, feeling him relax beneath my touch. We stand in the middle of the room, connected, for countless minutes until he finally pulls away. His eyes meet mine for the first time, and I notice red discolors the whites. He looks tired, like he hasn’t slept in days.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” he says.

I run my thumb over his cheek, across the purplish tint beneath his eye. “You were mad. I get it.”

“I was at first, but …”  He shakes his head. “Something else came up.”

His tone tells me something bad has happened. Immediately my thoughts jump to Oliver. “Is O all right?  Where is he?”

“He’s fine. Believe it or not, he’s with my dad.” Latson pulls me closer. “I’m a little freaked out about it.”

My expression falls. “What do you mean he’s with your dad?  Did something happen with custody?”

“No.” Latson pauses. “My mom passed away this morning.”

Oh no. My eyes search his face. “Was she ill?”

“She wandered away from her room,” he says. “She fell and hit her head.”

I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tight.

“I’ve been at the hospital the past few days. At first it seemed things would be okay, but she kept getting worse. The bleeding inside her head wouldn’t stop.”

My voice is muffled against his chest. “I’m so sorry. Does Dean know?”

“I just left his room. I feel like shit; I should have called him sooner. Everything happened so fast. One minute she was going to be fine, and the next she wasn’t. Before I knew it, I was taking Oliver to say goodbye.”

I look up at him. “How is he?”

“He cried, but not much. He held her hand and told her he loved her.”

My heart starts to ache at the image.

“Then my dad distracted him with swimming and he was a seven-year-old again.”

“Swimming?”

“My parents have a pool. My dad asked to spend some time with O.”

Leaning back, I study the man in front of me. This is a huge step for him. “I can’t believe you let him go.”

“It’s only until tomorrow night.” Latson rests his forehead against mine. “When my father asked to watch Oliver, my first reaction was to take him and run. But O begged, and I thought of you.”

“Me?”

“This is the first time my father has shown any interest in his grandson.” Latson meets my eyes. “If you had been there, I know you would have told me to let them spend time together. You would have said it’s the right thing to do.”

I give him a gentle kiss. “You know me so well.”

He almost smiles. “I also knew I needed to see you. I couldn’t stay at my place alone. Not tonight. Not with Oliver where he is and the way I left things with you. The silence would be deafening.”

“About that –” I start.

“Forget it,” he says.

“No. I want to explain.” I set my hands against his chest. “Caleb ambushed me. He said it was partly your fault Sacred Sin got dropped. I tried to leave and he stole my phone to make me stay. Dean and Drew came to my rescue, but by then you’d heard –”

“It doesn’t matter.” He puts two fingers beneath my chin and lifts my gaze. “Whose shirt are you wearing?”

“Yours.”