Page 104 of The Drummer's Heart

“What are you doing here?” I opened my arms and ran to Emily.

She reached out to hug me. “I came to surprise Tristan.” She stepped back to look at me. “Oh my gosh, you’re showing already.”

“I am…just a little.” I rubbed my belly. “It’s good to see you. I’ve been feeling out of place being the only wife here.”

Seems I was now following Atticus’s lead and referring to myself as his wife again.

She spoke low. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course.”

“Tristan and I haven’t told anyone yet, but we’re gonna be joining you guys soon.”

My eyes went wide. “You’re pregnant, too?”

“I am.”

“I’m so thrilled for you!” I reached out to hug her again.

She spoke into my hair. “I’m happy to have someone to talk to about baby stuff.”

“How far along?”

“Two months. We’re not gonna tell anyone until I hit the three-month mark. No one else knows. He hasn’t told the guys. But I had to tell you.”

I squeezed her hand, and we sank into a couple of seats. “I’m only a couple of months ahead of you. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’ll pass down everything I learn as I go along.”

“Believe me, I appreciate that.”

“Are you staying for the whole tour?”

“I wish. I took a week off from work, but then I have to go back. What about you? How long are you here?”

“I took a leave of absence. So, for now, indefinitely.”

“That’s huge!”

“I’ve always put my career first. But Atticus dropped everything when he came to help me with Mimi. I owe him this experience. I knew he didn’t want to be apart from me right now, and I don’t want to be apart from him, either.” I shrugged. “I followed my heart for once.”

She nodded. “That’s amazing. But how are you handling it? I know from experience that it’s not easy being in this environment. It’s hard to see women throw themselves at the guys constantly during the shows and then stalk them after.”

I lay back in the seat and kicked my feet up. “It’s not fun, but strangely? It’s easier than I thought—nothing I didn’t anticipate or anything. I think I’d blown it so far out of proportion in my mind that the reality isn’t as bad. I let fear ruin the best thing I ever had, Emily. I can’t do that again. At some point, I have to trust what I know and stop letting fear dictate my life.”

“Well, I’m proud of you. You’re being very mature.” She chuckled. “I still want to scratch a bitch’s eyes out most days.”

I laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’tlovethat part of being here. But I can’t allow it to get inside my head, you know? It’s ruined too much of my life already.”

The bus door opened, and Kenzie popped in.

Back so soon?

When she saw us, she put her camera down and came over. “Emily! I didn’t know you were coming.”

They hugged as I fidgeted awkwardly, trying to seem like I didn’t know a huge secret.

“No one else knows I’m here yet,” Emily told her. “I came to surprise my husband, but he’s apparently still at the sound check. How’s the tour photography going?”

Kenzie sat. “I absolutely love it. The tour has barely started, and it’s already the best experience of my life.”

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