“What about Shade? Adam? Tex? Gabe? Ringing any bells? I wasn’t the only one who had sex with you that night.”
The security guard no longer looked concerned. He looked slightly scandalized and very intrigued.
Tears flooded her eyes. “But I want it to be yours.”
“Shit, that doesn’t make it so. Are you here by yourself? You’re a long way from Idaho.”
“I lost my job and my parents disowned me. The entire town turned its back on me. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“What about your friend, the one who was with you on the tour bus? What was her name?”
“Vanessa?”
“Yeah. I’m sure she’d help you out.”
Lindsey shook her head. “She joined the army to get away from that place. She’s in boot camp in South Carolina right now. Don’t you think it was hard for me to come here? I wasn’t even going to tell you. I was going to raise him on my own, but I don’t have any money so I… I… I can’t.”
She burst into tears again.
Owen wrapped his arms around her and drew her into a comforting embrace. He stroked her hair and murmured, “Don’t cry. We’ll get this sorted out. Don’t worry.”
So he held the woman who might or might not be pregnant with his child, a woman he had no interest in on an emotional level, while the woman he really wanted had left, perhaps forever. Why did he have to be so f**king weak to a woman’s tears?
“I know it’s your baby, Owen. When I feel him move inside me, I know he’s your son.” Lindsey’s sobs increased without provocation. “Oh God, I love our baby so much.”
Every hair on Owen’s body stood on end. No. Just no. He was in no way ready to be a father and certainly didn’t want to have a baby with a woman he didn’t love. “You can’t know that it’s mine,” he said. “You slept with every guy in the band that night. What makes you so sure I’m the father?”
Her sob fest made him wish he hadn’t said anything.
“You hate me, don’t you? I should just kill—”
He took her by both arms and shook her. “Don’t finish that sentence. Even if it isn’t my baby, I’m not going to toss you out in the street. Come inside while I figure out what to do with you.” He really wished Kelly’s calming presence was here. Kelly would help Owen figure out what to do. As it was, Owen couldn’t think. What he really wanted was to push Lindsey aside and go after Caitlyn. Not that he expected Caitlyn to ever speak to him again after what she’d just witnessed. He rubbed the center of his chest, took Lindsey by the elbow, and helped her ascend the steep steps of the tour bus. Adam, Shade, and Gabe’s round of laughter died as their eyes settled on Owen with Lindsey in tow.
“What happened to your other chick?” Shade asked.
“She, uh, had to go. We have a little situation here,” Owen said.
“I remember you,” Gabe said to Lindsey, a smile of recognition on his lean face. “Christmas Eve. We all…” His eyes widened as they settled on her distended abdomen.
“Is she…?” Adam’s dark eyebrows rose to comical peaks.
Lindsey avoided their eyes but straightened her shoulders. “I’m having Owen’s baby.”
“You can’t be sure that it’s mine,” Owen insisted. “Is there anyone on this bus you didn’t f**k that night?”
Her big blue eyes flooded with tears. “I know it’s yours, Owen. I just know.”
“Did you do her without protection?” Shade asked.
“No, I wore a condom. Did you forget?” Owen asked Shade.
“Of course I didn’t forget. I might be dumb, but I’m not stupid.”
“I wore a condom and I’m getting a vasectomy, so it’s definitely not my kid,” Adam said.
“You have to actually have the procedure done before you have unprotected sex,” Shade reminded him.
Adam turned green. “Shit! That’s right. But still, it’s not mine.”
“Well, it sure as hell isn’t mine,” Shade said. “I already have one!”
“That doesn’t matter. Having one does not decrease your odds of having another,” Gabe said.
Owen looked at Gabe. His last hope.
“I only came in her mouth,” Gabe said. “Adam and Tex were taking turns and she was sucking me and… Wait… I was drunk. Don’t remember everything I did. But I always wear protection. Always.” Gabe blinked hard and turned his green-eyed gaze to the floor. “It’s not mine.”
“Was Tex wearing a condom?”
“Yes, we all used protection, Owen,” Shade said, “so it must be yours. Or Kellen’s.”
“Kellen didn’t even penetrate her. And I know I was protected. I didn’t even drink that night, so I clearly remember everything I did.”
“This is the worst episode of Jerry Springer ever,” Adam said.
Owen laughed so he wouldn’t start crying.
“You were all careful,” Lindsey said. “Condoms are not one hundred percent fail proof, you know.”
“Seriously?” Owen asked. She must have poked holes in their condoms hoping to get pregnant and make herself some bank off a group of idiotic rock stars just having a good time one Christmas Eve. They’d joked about it how many times? And now it had come to fruition.
“You don’t think I wanted to get pregnant, do you?” Lindsey said, emotions going from distress to anger like a switch had been flipped. “I had plans for my life! Now I’m knocked up, homeless, and considered a whore by my entire family. I wouldn’t have even come to ask for help if I had a choice.”
Owen looked imploringly at each member of the band and realized that even if the baby wasn’t his, he was going to be the one who took care of this. Why? Because he was a sucker. Or nice. Or something.
“She’s not coming on tour with us,” Shade said. “Put her in a hotel until after our show tomorrow night and then we’ll figure out something more permanent.”
Their driver, Tex, announced his arrival on the bus with a loud belch. “Y’all ready to hit the road? Where’s Kellen?”
“Kellen will meet us in Beaumont tomorrow night,” Owen said. “And no, we’re not quite ready to go. We have a bit of a problem.”
Owen shifted his position so he wasn’t blocking Lindsey from Tex’s view. Tex smiled when he recognized her. “Oh hey, honey, back for some more Texas-sized lovin’?” He wriggled his eyebrows and adjusted himself in the crotch of his pants.
The security guard no longer looked concerned. He looked slightly scandalized and very intrigued.
Tears flooded her eyes. “But I want it to be yours.”
“Shit, that doesn’t make it so. Are you here by yourself? You’re a long way from Idaho.”
“I lost my job and my parents disowned me. The entire town turned its back on me. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“What about your friend, the one who was with you on the tour bus? What was her name?”
“Vanessa?”
“Yeah. I’m sure she’d help you out.”
Lindsey shook her head. “She joined the army to get away from that place. She’s in boot camp in South Carolina right now. Don’t you think it was hard for me to come here? I wasn’t even going to tell you. I was going to raise him on my own, but I don’t have any money so I… I… I can’t.”
She burst into tears again.
Owen wrapped his arms around her and drew her into a comforting embrace. He stroked her hair and murmured, “Don’t cry. We’ll get this sorted out. Don’t worry.”
So he held the woman who might or might not be pregnant with his child, a woman he had no interest in on an emotional level, while the woman he really wanted had left, perhaps forever. Why did he have to be so f**king weak to a woman’s tears?
“I know it’s your baby, Owen. When I feel him move inside me, I know he’s your son.” Lindsey’s sobs increased without provocation. “Oh God, I love our baby so much.”
Every hair on Owen’s body stood on end. No. Just no. He was in no way ready to be a father and certainly didn’t want to have a baby with a woman he didn’t love. “You can’t know that it’s mine,” he said. “You slept with every guy in the band that night. What makes you so sure I’m the father?”
Her sob fest made him wish he hadn’t said anything.
“You hate me, don’t you? I should just kill—”
He took her by both arms and shook her. “Don’t finish that sentence. Even if it isn’t my baby, I’m not going to toss you out in the street. Come inside while I figure out what to do with you.” He really wished Kelly’s calming presence was here. Kelly would help Owen figure out what to do. As it was, Owen couldn’t think. What he really wanted was to push Lindsey aside and go after Caitlyn. Not that he expected Caitlyn to ever speak to him again after what she’d just witnessed. He rubbed the center of his chest, took Lindsey by the elbow, and helped her ascend the steep steps of the tour bus. Adam, Shade, and Gabe’s round of laughter died as their eyes settled on Owen with Lindsey in tow.
“What happened to your other chick?” Shade asked.
“She, uh, had to go. We have a little situation here,” Owen said.
“I remember you,” Gabe said to Lindsey, a smile of recognition on his lean face. “Christmas Eve. We all…” His eyes widened as they settled on her distended abdomen.
“Is she…?” Adam’s dark eyebrows rose to comical peaks.
Lindsey avoided their eyes but straightened her shoulders. “I’m having Owen’s baby.”
“You can’t be sure that it’s mine,” Owen insisted. “Is there anyone on this bus you didn’t f**k that night?”
Her big blue eyes flooded with tears. “I know it’s yours, Owen. I just know.”
“Did you do her without protection?” Shade asked.
“No, I wore a condom. Did you forget?” Owen asked Shade.
“Of course I didn’t forget. I might be dumb, but I’m not stupid.”
“I wore a condom and I’m getting a vasectomy, so it’s definitely not my kid,” Adam said.
“You have to actually have the procedure done before you have unprotected sex,” Shade reminded him.
Adam turned green. “Shit! That’s right. But still, it’s not mine.”
“Well, it sure as hell isn’t mine,” Shade said. “I already have one!”
“That doesn’t matter. Having one does not decrease your odds of having another,” Gabe said.
Owen looked at Gabe. His last hope.
“I only came in her mouth,” Gabe said. “Adam and Tex were taking turns and she was sucking me and… Wait… I was drunk. Don’t remember everything I did. But I always wear protection. Always.” Gabe blinked hard and turned his green-eyed gaze to the floor. “It’s not mine.”
“Was Tex wearing a condom?”
“Yes, we all used protection, Owen,” Shade said, “so it must be yours. Or Kellen’s.”
“Kellen didn’t even penetrate her. And I know I was protected. I didn’t even drink that night, so I clearly remember everything I did.”
“This is the worst episode of Jerry Springer ever,” Adam said.
Owen laughed so he wouldn’t start crying.
“You were all careful,” Lindsey said. “Condoms are not one hundred percent fail proof, you know.”
“Seriously?” Owen asked. She must have poked holes in their condoms hoping to get pregnant and make herself some bank off a group of idiotic rock stars just having a good time one Christmas Eve. They’d joked about it how many times? And now it had come to fruition.
“You don’t think I wanted to get pregnant, do you?” Lindsey said, emotions going from distress to anger like a switch had been flipped. “I had plans for my life! Now I’m knocked up, homeless, and considered a whore by my entire family. I wouldn’t have even come to ask for help if I had a choice.”
Owen looked imploringly at each member of the band and realized that even if the baby wasn’t his, he was going to be the one who took care of this. Why? Because he was a sucker. Or nice. Or something.
“She’s not coming on tour with us,” Shade said. “Put her in a hotel until after our show tomorrow night and then we’ll figure out something more permanent.”
Their driver, Tex, announced his arrival on the bus with a loud belch. “Y’all ready to hit the road? Where’s Kellen?”
“Kellen will meet us in Beaumont tomorrow night,” Owen said. “And no, we’re not quite ready to go. We have a bit of a problem.”
Owen shifted his position so he wasn’t blocking Lindsey from Tex’s view. Tex smiled when he recognized her. “Oh hey, honey, back for some more Texas-sized lovin’?” He wriggled his eyebrows and adjusted himself in the crotch of his pants.
