wide-eyed excitement.
“Chris Knight?”
“That would be me.”
“Oh, my God! Can we get a picture with you? Please?!”
After a brief photo shoot with Nova and Mandy, Claire and I make it up to the suite. Claire immediately goes to the window to gaze out onto the dazzling lights of the Las Vegas Strip. When I come up behind her, she turns around so our noses are touching.
“Let’s get married in Vegas?” she says with a gleam in her eyes.
“Don’t you want to have a wedding at home where you can invite all your friends and pick out your dress and all that stuff?”
I’m so going to hell for this.
“We have all our friends here. All we have to do is call them and tell them to meet us at the drive-in chapel and—boom!—we’re married.”
“You want to get married with a boom? How about Rachel? Don’t you think she’ll be a little pissed if you steal her thunder?”
She pouts as she realizes I’m right. “Fine. We’ll wait. I just really wanted to wake up tomorrow as Claire Knight.”
“Claire Knight. Like a clear night sky,” I whisper then plant a soft kiss on her lips. “The stars will wait for us.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Claire
Chris wakes me up early to get showered and downstairs for breakfast with Tristan and Senia. As usual, Tristan and Senia are forty fashionable minutes late. Senia looks a little pale as they approach our table in the café.
I stand up to give her a hug and she gives me a weak hug. “Worst flight ever,” she complains as she sits down in the chair next to me. “We flew through a snow storm over Oklahoma. I haven’t been knocked around like that since my dad found out I’m pregnant.”
“Your dad knows!” I cry. “How? Oh, my God, what happened?”
“He happened,” she says, pointing her thumb at Tristan. “I threw up a couple of times yesterday and he goes out to get me crackers. He gets back from the store a few minutes after Claudia gets there and blurts out, ‘I’ve got your crackers. How’s my incubator?’”
“Incubator?” I reply incredulously.
“Yeah, can he be any more of an asshole?”
“Hey, save the name-calling for the later,” Tristan says with a wink. “And your family was going to find out anyway. Your mom gave me the stinkeye on Saturday when I suggested you should cut back on your workout routine.”
“She gave you the stinkeye because you poured ketchup on your fish.”
“Ketchup is delicious with fried fish. And I ate every last morsel. She should take that as a compliment.”
She shakes her head in disgust. “Claudia told my mom and she told my dad and I thought he was literally going to have a heart attack. My mom had to give him a muscle relaxer to calm him down.” Senia’s face perks up a bit and a smile forms on her full lips. “But that was last night. He called me this morning when we got off the plane to tell me he’s proud of me for not quitting school.”
I want to blurt out, “I’m pregnant, too!” But I promised Chris we would wait until we get home. There will be no thunder stealing on this trip.
After breakfast, Chris and Tristan leave to pick up Jake so they can all get their tattoos. Tristan leaves Senia at the elevator with a kiss on her temple. The bashful smile on her face tells me there is more going on with them than she is letting on. As soon as the elevator door closes and I punch the number for the thirty-second floor, I round on Senia.
“So are you and Tristan finally…?”
She shrugs as she stares at the numbers flashing on the LED screen above the elevator doors. “I may have let him give me multiple orgasms last night.”
“I knew it.”
She turns to me with a quiet desperation in her eyes. “He’s so sweet when we’re alone, but he was a total douche with my cousins yesterday while they were watching football. I asked him if he could get my sweater out of the car and he reached into his pocket and handed me the keys. And it was snowing!”
I don’t know what to tell her. Chris would never do something like that to me, but Chris has known me for years so he knows better.
“You have to cut the guy a little slack. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a relationship since Ashley dumped him when we were seventeen. And I know this sounds like a total cliché, but I think you’ve changed him. He’s not the same brooding asshole he was a few months ago. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen him brood once since you all had your little tryst last month. I think you make him feel like he’s conquered something.”
“Conquered something? Conquered what? My womb?”
“Maybe. Who knows and who cares. The point is that you or this baby may have cracked the unbreakable code that is Tristan Pollock.”
“Oh, please. Any guy will crack if you apply the right amount of pressure. It’s all in the grip.”
I have to tell her I’m pregnant. If I don’t tell her, I’m never going to get rid of this bubbly feeling inside of me and I may throw up during the ceremony. As soon as we get to the suite, I wait for her to set out her makeup and plug in her curlers as she prepares to get us both ready for the wedding.
“I’m going to get you ready first, then I’ll do myself and Jackie. Where is she?”
“I think she said she was going to pick up some name cards for the reception. I don’t know why Rachel asked her to do it. I’m her maid of honor. She should be asking me to do this stuff instead of making Jackie run all over town. Jackie should be enjoying her trip with Joel.”
Senia’s eyebrows shoot up as she begins applying primer to my face. “She probably figured you have too much going on with saying goodbye to Cora and Adam and meeting your dad.”
Just the mention of Cora and Adam makes my throat thicken. “I feel like everyone is babying me. I’m not as fragile as you all believe I am.”
“I know you’re not fragile. You’re one of the baddest bitches I know. I’d be in a mental institution if I were you.”
She picks up my makeup bag and digs around until she finds my foundation. Then she grabs her foundation brush and proceeds with erasing all my imperfections. Life would be so much easier if we could just paint broad strokes of color over the ugly parts to make them beautiful.
“Then again, you do have Chris’s healing love to get you through. Did he heal you last night?”
I grab her hand to pull it away from my face, then I look her in the eye. “I have something to tell you but you have to promise not to tell anyone until we get back home.”
“You know I won’t say a word. What is it?”
“You can’t even tell Tristan. I know he’ll just blab about it to Jake and then Jake will tell Rachel and then I’m going to be accused of ruining her big day.”
“Okay, that is definitely not going to happen, but I’ll play along. I promise not to tell Tristan. Now spill.”
“I’m pregnant.”
She screams so loud, my ears tingle. “I’m sorry, but—” She screams again and this time I cover my ears. She jumps up and down as she throws her arms around me. “I knew it! I knew it!”
“You did not.”
She lets go of me and looks me in the eye with a serious expression. “Yes, I did. I had a dream that we were both pregnant, but I didn’t want to tell you about it because I didn’t want to upset you. But I knew it! I knew you wouldn’t leave me hanging.”
“Leave you hanging?” I reply with a laugh.
“I can’t do this alone. If you didn’t get pregnant, I was about to get one of those lactation consultants just so I could bitch about all the stuff I’ve been dealing with.”
“You can always bitch to me.”
“Now I can. Gah! I’m so happy for you!”
She hugs me again and when she finally lets go there are fat tears rolling down her cheeks. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m just so happy for you. I was just telling Tristan the other night how you and Chris deserve to have a baby more than we do.”
>
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true. I’ve never known anyone who would do the kind of thing you did for Chris. That’s the kind of love we all wish for.”
“Stop crying or we’re both going to look like shit for this wedding,” I say as I wipe the tears, and the makeup, from my cheeks.
She fans her face and sniffs loudly as she picks up her makeup tools again. She begins reapplying the makeup in the spots where I wiped it off. Then she stops and looks at me.
“Our kids are going to grow up together.”
I grin stupidly at the thought of this. “After the tour.”
“What tour?”
“I’m going on tour with Chris. I changed my schedule. I’m taking all online classes next semester.”
“You’re leaving me.”
“Not for long; just a few months. I don’t even know what’s going to happen. It’s probably too late to change the tour dates now and I can’t go on tour in the summer when I’m seven or eight months pregnant.”
“Chris will not go on tour if you can’t go with him.”
“I know.”
She shrugs. “You two will work it out.”
“What about Tristan? He’ll be going on tour with Chris.”
“He said he’s not going.” She grabs some concealer out of my makeup bag and begins dotting it under my eyes. “He said anyone can play bass for Chris. He can skip this tour.”
I can’t help but pout as I think of how this will make Chris feel and how complicated this has suddenly become.
“Don’t be sad. I’m sure Chris will figure it all out. Worst case scenario, they cancel the tour and he loses millions of dollars.”
“Then he’ll resent me.”
“He will not resent you. Trust me, you two are going to live happily ever after with a brood of mini rock stars running around your house.”
I sigh as I close my eyes so she can dab more concealer on my eyelids. “You don’t know that.”
“I do know that because I know something you don’t.”
“What is that?”
“I can’t tell you, but you’ll find out very soon.”
“You’re such a bitch. First Chris tells me he’s getting a secret tattoo and now you have a secret. I swear to God, you think we’d all learn the destructive nature of secrets by now.”
“It’s not a secret. It’s a surprise. And you’re going to love it.”
A knock comes at the door and Senia runs to answer it. Jackie walks in with Joel trailing close behind her. Joel is carrying a long, black nylon bag that looks like it could be for golf clubs. Senia and Jackie hug and Senia fills Jackie in on everything that is going on with her and Tristan and the pregnancy. Jackie casts me a few sideways glances as she listens to Senia.
“What’s that?” I ask Joel as he sets the black bag on the bed.
“Chris asked me to bring it for you.”
“What is it?”
“He asked me not to let you open it until he gets here. He said he should be here in less than an hour.”
I stand up from the chair and walk toward the bed. “What happens if I open it?”
“If you get any closer, I’ll tackle you,” Jackie says. Senia and I laugh, but Jackie looks dead serious. “I am not kidding. You are not allowed to open that bag, young lady. Now step away.” I smile as I step back and take my seat in the chair. “Good girl. Chris will be here soon and he’ll explain everything. Right now, let’s get your hair and makeup done so Senia can come up to my room and make me pretty.”
“You’re not going to get ready in here?” I ask as Senia picks up her tools to continue applying my makeup.
“I have all my stuff in my room. I don’t want to haul it all down here then haul it back,” Jackie replies. “I’ll see you later, honey.”
She kisses the top of my head then she and Joel leave the suite. My knee starts bouncing with anxiety as I wonder what the hell is inside that bag.
Senia smiles as she hands me the eyelash curler. “Happily ever after. Just you wait and see.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chris
When I walk into the hotel suite, Claire is sitting on the edge of the bed next to the black bag I asked Joel to bring up here. Senia is busy packing away her makeup in a large purple makeup case.
Claire narrows her eyes at me. “Can I open it?”
I smile as I lean down to kiss the tip of her nose. “Not yet.”
“We’re leaving,” Senia proclaims as she and Tristan head for the door. “I’ll see you later, my love.”
She blows a kiss to Claire and I wait until the door closes behind them to peel off my shirt. The tattoo is covered with gauze right now, so she can’t see it, but that doesn’t stop her from staring at the gauze taped over the inside of my left wrist.
“When do I get to see that?”
“Very soon.” I pull on a clean T-shirt and a hoodie and Claire watches me with a slightly amused expression.
“You’re the best man. Aren’t you supposed to wear a tux?”
“I’m wearing a suit, but not until later. It’s five o’clock. We don’t have to be there until eleven. Right now we’re going somewhere else, so get your coat on.”
“We can’t show up there at eleven. She has my dress there I have to get there early enough to get dressed and freshen up.”
“You’ll get there on time.” She grabs her coat out of the closet and puts it on over her jeans and T-shirt. “On second thought, put a sweater on underneath your coat. It’s really cold out there tonight.”
“We’re going outside?”
She pulls off her coat and searches through the drawers for the white cardigan I told her to bring.
I turn the black nylon bag over until I find the zipper. I unzip the bag and lift the flap so Claire can see what’s inside. She looks confused at first, then she sees the long optical tube of the telescope and her mouth drops.
“Are we going stargazing?”
I nod as I zip up the case. “Ever since you told me that you didn’t get to go stargazing last June, I’ve been planning this in my mind. The wedding just presented the perfect location. It’s perfect conditions; the desert on a clear night.”
Clear night.
I’ll never think of that phrase the same way again.
She presses her lips together and fans her face, probably trying not to cry so she doesn’t mess up the makeup Senia just applied.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this tonight. If we’re late, Rachel and Jake will never let us live it down.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’re not going to be late.”
She shakes her head as she grabs her purse in one hand and her heels in the other hand.
“You can leave the heels. We’ll be back in time for you to get your shoes later.”
I can’t tell her that these shoes were meant to match the dress we supposedly had made for her to walk down the aisle as Rachel’s maid of honor. These heels don’t match her wedding dress.
She looks at me skeptically, but she sets down the heels on the bed before we leave the suite. “You’re making me nervous.”
We make it down to the front of the hotel and the black SUV pulls up in front of us. “I don’t feel like driving today,” I say as I pull open the back door for her to get in.
I throw the telescope into the trunk then climb into the backseat. Her knee is bouncing as the driver takes us onto the 15 freeway. I grab her knee and she turns to me.
My nerves are buzzing. I’m so afraid that she’s not going to be happy with what we planned for tonight. Seeing her so nervous is only making it worse.
“Why are you so nervous?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I just have this weird feeling, like something is about to happen. Why are you nervous?”
I can’t hide anything from her—well, except for a wedding.
“I’m just excited about tonight.”
“Excited for Jake?” she asks as she hugs my arm and
lays her head on my shoulder.
“Aren’t you excited for them? They’ve been together since they were fifteen.”
She lets out a deep sigh. “Don’t say stuff like that or you’re going to make me cry. God, I can’t wait to hear their vows.”
I smile as I kiss the top of her head. Though Senia gave her a natural-looking wavy hairstyle for the wedding, I can still feel and smell a lot of hair products were used to achieve it. I would have married Claire in her pajamas at a drive-in chapel, but I want her to look back on the pictures from today’s wedding and feel proud of herself, and me.
After twenty-five minutes, Claire sits up and looks around at the desert on each side of the highway. “Where are we going? This is too far. We’re not going to make it back in time for the wedding.”
“Yes, we will. Trust me.”
The driver exits near Sloan and the SUV slows as we go off-road, over the rough desert terrain. It’s almost six o’clock in the middle of winter, so the sun set almost an hour ago over the horizon of mountains in the west. Claire clutches my hand tightly as the SUV bounces over the rocky soil. The tires spit up sand and dirt, which surrounds the back half of the vehicle in a cloud of dust.
Claire shakes her head as she leans her head back and closes her eyes. “I’m going to be sick.”
“Stop the car,” I tell the driver and he eases to a stop. “This is fine.”
I kiss her cheek and she opens her eyes. “That was awful.”
“Sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Is it safe to get out over here?”
I nod as I throw the door open. “Come with me.”
She takes my hand so I can help her down from the car, then she follows me to the back. I sling the strap of the telescope case over my shoulder and grab her hand. It’s colder than Raleigh out here, but at least there’s no snow. She laughs as I yank her hand and pull her toward the open desert.
“You’re laughing now, but we’ve got a long ways to go, little lady. This is your cardio for the day.”
“I was hoping to get my cardio after the wedding, not before.”
“You’d better stop talking like that or I’m going to bend you over one of these tumbleweeds and give you a workout you’ll never forget.”
Twenty minutes later, we finally find the spot where Irlina set up the blanket and guitar. Claire shakes her head in disbelief, unable to speak, as she sits on the blanket and watches me while I set up the telescope. I pull a piece