Page 35 of Quadruplets for the Vipers

“Alright then, I’ll go up if Rider comes with me,” Leah steels herself determinedly.

Seeming not to trust himself to speak, or perhaps wondering what possessed him to offer in the first place, Rider nods.

“Come on, we can sign you two up now and then find a spot at the front of the stage, Mateo is about to start!” Valentina squeals excitedly, grabbing Leah’s hand and leading the way.

Mateo gets the crowd riled up, and Valentina dances provocatively with Diego and Rafael, not caring who is watching. Any hope I had of a similarly raunchy dance with Leah is dashed as she and Rider lose themselves in a deep discussion about music. I can’t be too gutted that I don’t get a chance to show off my dirty dancing moves, though, since this is the most animated I’ve seen Rider in a long time.

When they finally take the stage, it’s clear they’re both nervous as hell, but as soon as Rider starts to play guitar, Leah picks up the melody and begins to sing. A hush descends over the room as people stop to take notice. They’re good. Really good. Leah has a sultry voice with a natural cadence. She might not hit crazy high notes or sound ultra polished like most artists in LA, but her voice has soul. A raw talent that works perfectly with Rider accompanying.

My eyes are glued to her and I couldn’t look away, even if I wanted to. She’s incredible. I finally look at my best friend, and if I hadn’t fallen in love with Leah already, looking at him now decides it for me. For a brief moment, Rider is the man I thought we’d lost. He’s not the tortured, scarred shell, the ghost that returned from the war, but the enigmatic leader who once lit up any room.

The pair lose themselves in the music, performing several songs to the delighted audience before finally finishing to rapt applause. Leah jumps into Rider’s arms, hugging him and planting a kiss on his scarred cheek. He’s so happy he doesn’t even flinch. As he places Leah back down, she beams at us before finally taking in the audience. Only then does her stage fright kick in. Her eyes widen in horror, and she looks as if she’s seen a ghost. Before we can react, she flees off stage and rushes to the ladies’ room.

I’ve no idea how she can be afraid. She’s incredible. For a moment, she conjured true magic on that stage.

At that moment, I knew I was lost. Like a groupie and their favorite band, I know I’ll follow her anywhere.

Chapter 17

Leah

My heart is hammering in my chest, and bile fills my throat as I race to the restroom, barely making it into the cubicle before puking, the vomit splashing against the porcelain as I retch. Being sick from stage fright isn’t uncommon for me, coupled with being in the first trimester of pregnancy, I’d almost say that this was an expected outcome.

I wish that were the case.

But the real reason I’m sick to my stomach is because I saw him.

My ex.

I don’t know how or why he was there, but one minute I was on cloud nine having just performed the best I possibly ever have, and the next he was there, staring at me from the back of the room.

How did he find me?

Was it just a coincidence?

Perhaps he’s here for some unrelated reason. But this isn’t the sort of place he normally ever comes to. He hated live music venues like this. He called them dive bars. He only wanted to frequent the high-end establishments. It’s one of the reasons he hated me getting gigs and performing in bars like this.

As my panic fades, I start to wonder if the whole thing was in my imagination. With the adrenaline and residual stage fright, is it possible I imagined seeing him, the one person Iwas most afraid to see? The person who has held me back from performing. Could the man I saw have simply looked similar? It’s a dark club, and he was all the way across the room, perhaps my imagination is getting the better of me.

“Hey, chica, it’s Valentina, you doing alright in there?”

With the nausea gone, I clean myself up and emerge from the stall. “Yeah, I’m okay, thanks.” I offer my new friend a weak smile.

“How many weeks?” she asks, nodding at my stomach and giving me a sympathetic grimace. “I was sick as a dog for the first three months with both of mine.”

I contemplate denying it before realizing it’s pointless lying. “It’s early days, only a few weeks or so.”

“Do you know which of your four is the father?”

“Oh, we’re not… I mean… I’ve only slept with Axel and Knox,” I offer. I stop myself from revealing the baby’s true parents.

Valentina studies me curiously. “Something tells me that Jace and Rider would be interested in joining the relationship too. Are you not interested? Or are you still figuring out what you want?”

“Something like that,” I admit, struggling to find the words. “I guess it never occurred to me that I could date more than one guy at a time without anyone getting hurt.”

Valentina nods understandingly. “I get it, it’s not easy, and as women we’re often told not to want too much or that having feelings for more than one person is shameful or makes us a whore, but at the end of the day, the heart wants what theheart wants. The way I see it is, if me and my guys love each other and we’re happy with our relationship, who gives a fuck what anyone else thinks.”

“I admire your attitude, but it’s not hard to see why your men would be happy to share you. You’re gorgeous, vibrant, funny, kind, and smart. But what on earth do the guys see in me? Sure, they might want a bit of fun, but I can’t believe that all four of them would want anything long-term or serious like what you have. I’ve seen the sort of women who hang around the club, I’m nothing compared to them.”

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