Page 133 of Rockstar Baby

I covered his hand on the side of my belly, squeezed lightly before slipping away from him. I crossed my arms and turned around. “You didn’t even ask.”

He looked down. “You’re right. I just got excited. You didn’t even look at them.”

I gave him a huge sigh and turned to look at them. “Where did you order them from?”

He moved next to me. “That’s the thing. They were just regular speakers. Nothing special. At least not until I talked to your brother. He helped make them match the look. He built little boxes around them so they looked like the same speakers in the diner.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We went and took pictures the other night.”

“August helped you?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

“I was pretty sure my brother was going to castrate you.”

“Oh, I’m not entirely sure he still won’t, but he wanted to do something for your truck as well. Especially with the juke theme going on. He got all into it.” He shrugged. “I’m the music man. I can wire anything into any board you give me. Even a taco truck from the nineties.”

I let out a laugh. “And you guys did this for me?” The tears were close again. I didn’t know what was up with these baby hormones, but I was not a fan of the plethora of tears that were always so close to the surface.

“We did, yeah.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.

I blew out a slow breath and hooked my fingers around his wrist. “I’m sorry. They’re really great. Amazing actually.” They were almost seamlessly integrated with the scrolling top of the truck with my company name. Peeking out at each end with the same curve of the Rolling Cones font.

The fact that he’d gone to my brother made me feel even worse.

He nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket and laced his fingers with mine. His blue eyes were earnest and clouded with doubt. “We’ve been texting about it all day. I didn’t think.”

“No, you didn’t.” My words were still harsh, but my voice was less certain. I didn’t know how to feel. I’d been doing everything alone and I was so afraid to count on him in any way.

So afraid to want—to need—him to stay.

He turned me to face him. “We weren’t trying to be high-handed. I honestly just thought you’d be happy. That’s all we want for you, Ivy. AllIwant.”

I nodded. “I love it. I do.”

“Good.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I bastardized an app a mate of mine created. It works with your truck’s stereo.”

“How? The radio is a tape deck.”

“Believe me, it took some working. I’ll rip out the—”

At my look, he cleared his throat. “If you’d like, I’ll replace the stereo in the future.”

If he was going to be around to do that was the better question, but I simply nodded. “Better.”

“Right. Well, I rigged the speakers to the truck and found a tape adapter that actually worked with Bluetooth.”

“Really?”

“It’s not perfect, but…” He pressed a few buttons, frowned, and fiddled with his phone. “Stupid piece of shite.”

I snorted.

“Just wait, fairy queen and you’ll see.”

I opened my mouth to correct him. To demand he call me Ivy. Even Ivy Rose, but I just couldn’t. Not when he was licking the corner of his mouth as he frowned over his phone.

Suddenly “Born to Be Wild” came blaring out of my speakers.

“Fuck, yeah. I knew it was going to work.” He grinned down at me then pointed to the sign. “Born to be Wildberry, yeah?”