Page 89 of Puck Me, Baby

“I don’t want anyone else,” Trav said out of the blue. “I don’t want to be famous. I just want to come home to you.”

Linc pulled back and gazed at Trav, his brows furrowed and lips turned down in confusion. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

“I don’t want to be a famous drummer,” Trav explained.

“Oh. Okay,” Jacques said at the same time as Linc responded, “I got that. What about not wanting anyone else?”

“Well, yeah,” Trav said. He shrugged, but before he could say anything further, we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Linc shifted so he could climb off the bed. But Trav held him tight, pulling him back down.

“We can come back later if you’d like,” the chief said, the woman he’d been waiting with still by his side.

“Hey, Chief, Lopez. I’m gonna be a drummer.”

“Are you now, Travis?” the chief asked with a smile. Turning to us, he asked, “Anesthesia?”

Jacques nodded and shot him a small smile.

“We’ll come back tomorrow, Travis. Good to see you in one piece, son.”

Trav gave a half salute/half wave, and the chief and Lopez walked out.

I wiped my hands down my cotton shorts and slipped off the bed. “I should go too.” I gestured to the exit with a tilt of my head.

“No,” Trav responded bluntly. “No. I’m stuck here and y’all’s gonna listen. I don’t want to be with other girls. I want the four of us. I want everything. Even when I’m not famous, I still want y’all.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. I’d dreamed of hearing those words, but everything had changed. I couldn’t stay. “I can’t,” I responded, my voice barely a whisper.

“Even if I can’t have y’all forever, I want y’all now.”

“That’s the problem, Trav. I can’t give you any more now. I can’t do six or nine more months, then leave. Not anymore.”

“Fine,” he huffed and tried to cross his arms. He was pouting, and it was adorable, but I could see the hurt in his eyes.

Jacques asked quietly, “Why not?”

This. This right here was why I couldn’t talk to them. I was going to need every ounce of strength I possessed to walk out of the door after this conversation. Hot tears scalded my cheeks as they fell. I wrapped my arms around my waist, protecting my baby, and needing to shield myself from the agony.

“I won’t be a burden on you. I’m already too attached. It’s going to kill me, but I can’t stay. I need to do the right thing.”

I didn’t know what my future held. I was about to start fresh. I’d lost my best friend, my parents barely spoke to me, and my daughter was going to be living halfway across the world. I didn’t even know where I would move to. I probably couldn’t afford to stay on the Gold Coast, not without working myself to the bone to pay rent. So where would I go? The uncertainty and pressure were weights that settled heavily on my shoulders.

Linc sat up, and with a finger under my chin, turned me to face him. “It’s okay. It can seem overwhelming sometimes, but we can get through this.”

I shook my head, and he rubbed my arms before continuing, “Do you remember my promise to you? I told you that I’d support you no matter what. I told you I’d be there for you.”

“Things have changed,” I protested.

“But my promise to you hasn’t.”

“It’s not just me, though.”

He froze, not even blinking for the longest moment.

“Carina, I need you to spell this out for us in words that all of us will understand, even Trav when he’s—” Jacques waved his hand and tried to stifle his fond grin. “—Goofy the drummer boy.”

“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out. Elation warred with heartbreak, and my tears started again. I was so freaking emotional. I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t even think straight. But I knew what needed to be done.