The Rockers' Babies (The Rocker... Series) (32 page)

cellphone so that I could start timing the contractions.

With the stopwatch app going, I pushed through the crowd toward the back stage. A few of the crew

greeted me with a smile or a nod but were so busy they didn’t stop to speak to me. By the time I got to the dressing rooms I found Cole and Axton sitting with a group of women, laughing and flirting and who knew

what else as they sat there. One was sitting on Cole’s lap—definitely not Hilary, but the chick was dressed much the same way as the other woman. Axton had one sitting on each arm of the chair he was sitting in,

but his eyes weren’t as focused on them as Cole’s were on his little groupie.

“Hey darlin’,” Cole greeted when he saw me. “Drake wasn’t looking so good a few minutes ago. Might

want to check up on the poor fucker.”

Concerned, I just kept on walking. Drake’s dressing room was at the end of the hall and I rushed in

without bothering to knock…

The smell hit me first—that all-too-familiar scent of whisky that was like a terrifying ghost from the

past. I paused with my hand on the light switch. What the fuck were the lights doing off? Then I heard it, a feminine moan and I turned the lights on before turning around.

I felt the blood drain from my face only to start to boil in my veins. The room filled with a high scream

that took me a moment to realize had come from my own mouth. Oh, I was going to kill that fucking bitch.

Drake was lain out on the little sofa, his eyes closed, his breathing slow and even. He was passed out.

From drinking? It was the first thought that crossed my mind but I was quick to push it away, ashamed of

myself for even letting that possibility enter my head. His shirt was off, and a very naked Bethany was lying on top of him…

She was practically raping my husband who was off in another world, unable to so much as protest—or

even participate should he have been of the mind to cheat on me.

For weeks—no, months!—I had known that this bitch was after my husband and had even entertained

the idea of what I would do if he did lose his sanity and cheated on me with her. I’d imagined how I would

tear him apart, starting with his balls to make sure he remembered me every time he so much as thought of

letting his dick get hard. I’d thought maybe I would cry or scream or just turn around and leave—much like

I had when I had found him in bed with Gabriella Moreitti.

Now, faced with the picture in front of me, I knew that I had been incredibly stupid. Drake would never

cheat on me. Maybe I was conceited and spoiled, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he loved me

and would probably kill himself before hurting me like that. So I just stood there, seething as Bethany

turned her head. An evil smile teased at her lips as she widened her eyes in mock surprise.

“Oh… Oh, no.” She bit her lip, the look of innocence in her eyes if not for the sickness also evident

there. Pure hate shined back at me from her soulless eyes. “Lana, I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean for you to

find out like this.”

I ignored her and glanced around the dressing room, looking for the source of the whisky smell. If

Drake actually had slipped I knew he would have gone straight for only one thing. Jack Daniels. Instead, I

saw a bottle of Jameson spilled across the coffee table in front of the couch. Wow, she had really thought

of everything. Trying to make me think the worst of my man.

Sure, with the way my emotions had been all over the place lately it was very likely that I could have

responded to this scene differently. I could have been too pissed and disappointed by finding him with

another woman lying across his bare chest and the smell of alcohol filling the air to even consider that Drake was innocent in all of this. It looked bad. Really, really bad.

I guess it was just too bad for this crazy-ass bitch that I loved my husband as much as he loved me. So

even though another strong, gut-twisting contraction had me pausing for a moment to catch my breath, the

next minute found me across the room in three steps and pulling that skank off my man.

Her shriek as I grabbed handfuls of her hair and dragged her toward the door echoed through the room,

making Drake stir. “Angel?” His voice was rough from his cold and sleep. “Fuck!” he roared when he

spotted me struggling to open the door while I held on to my prisoner.

“I’m going to kill her,” I screamed. “She was…” I couldn’t say the words. He had been violated enough

and I didn’t want him to ever think of that again. And this bitch had been about to do the same thing to

him! Yeah, I was going to kill her.

The door opened without warning, slamming against my shoulder. Cole and Axton stood in the

doorway, concern wrinkling their brows but their mouths were wide open as they took in the sight of a

pregnant woman ripping another woman’s hair out by the handful.

“What the fucking hell is going on?” Cole burst out, finally finding his voice. “Jesus, Lana!”

I still had hold of Bethany’s hair, tugging back and forth until I ripped handfuls free. She screamed

again and if my belly wasn’t in the way I would have punched the psycho in the vagina. I tossed her head

aside, feeling a satisfied thrill when her head made a loud thump as it bounced off the floor. I straightened and kicked what I wanted to punch, getting a high-pitched wail from her.

“How dare you touch my husband?” I screamed as I kicked her again. “Taking advantage of him while

he’s sick. Trying to hurt him by setting him up to lose me. Messing with his head by making it look like he had been drinking.” Another kick, this one to her ribs as she huddled into the fetal position to try and

protect herself as much as possible. Damn, I wished I’d worn my boots. I’d have stomped this bitch into

dust.

“You’re sick!” It came out a shrill shriek that hurt my throat I screamed so loud, and more people filled

the open doorway. “And if you thought I would let you get away with it you thought wrong, bitch. I protect

what is mine. I…” I nearly stumbled as another contraction made me double over in pain.

No one had tried to stop me as I had kicked Bethany into a bleeding, pitiful mess on the floor. Not one

person had stepped forward to intervene. Either they were too stunned or they just didn’t care. Now, as I

whimpered in pain, Drake’s arms caught hold of my waist to steady me. Axton stepped forward at the same

time Cole did, ready to help me at the first sign.

“Angel?” Drake’s voice soothed me as I tried to breathe through the pain. “What’s wrong? Are you in

labor?”

“Looks like it.” I leaned into him, welcoming his warmth and strength.

Things moved fast after that. Drake lifted me into his arms, barking orders for Axton to get the car. Cole

pushed through the crowd at the door that went all the way down the hall, making a path so that Drake

could carry me out. People were whispering all around me, making assumptions—some of them true,

others huge whoppers, like Drake and I had been having a threesome with the executive producer’s

assistant when I had gone into labor. Wow, really?

A limo was waiting outside with Axton holding the door open for Drake. As soon as Drake was inside

with me on his lap, Axton and Cole climbed in behind him. They moved to the other bench seat and Axton

yelled for the driver to go. Drake pulled his cellphone from his pocket and tossed it to Cole. “Call her

doctor,” he ordered. “Ax, Emmie.”

Both men nodded as the limo sped through the busy New York streets. I had two more contractions in

the ten minutes that it took us to get to the hospital. Both had me in tears as I clung to Drake’s neck and buried my face in his chest. Oh shit, this hurts!

The limo pulled to a brake-screaming stop in the ER entrance to the hospital and the door opened with a

nurse who had a wheelchair beside her. I blinked. “Dallas?”

She grinned and helped Drake place me in the chair. “You didn’t think I was going to miss my niece’s big appearance into the world, did you?”

Tears clogged my throat and I shook my head. “I’m so glad to see you.”

She ignored everyone but me as she pushed me inside and into a waiting elevator. Drake, Cole, and

Axton stepped on behind her and we rode up to the maternity floor. I wasn’t sure if it was because Dallas

worked there or if maybe Emmie had called and started handing out orders but I was put in a private room

without the fuss of paperwork. Ten minutes later I was in a gown, hooked up to several monitors and had

an IV in my wrist. By the time the doctor arrived, declaring me only dilated to a six, I was feeling a little more relaxed between contractions.

Doctor Conrad stood at the end of my bed, looking serious. “You’ve dilated pretty quickly, Lana. And

your contractions are coming faster and faster. I need you to decide right now if you want an epidural or if you are going to stick with the birth plan we talked about.”

Here was my chance to ask for the drugs. To get rid of this pain that felt like it was going to rip me

apart. But when I opened my mouth I told him no. “I’ll stick to the plan,” I told him and felt relieved with my decision. I could do this. I could do it.

He grinned and patted my leg. “That’s my girl.” Winking at me he turned to Dallas. “You work in the

emergency room, right?”

Dallas shrugged. “I’d just finished my shift when I got the call. I’d like to stay if you don’t mind.”

“Works for me. They are short -staffed up here tonight anyway.” The doctor left with the promise of

returning in an hour to check me again.

I glanced over at Drake who had been noticeably quiet. He was sweating pretty badly and I wasn’t sure

if it was completely from how sick he’d been lately. I caught his hand, offering him a reassuring smile that he didn’t return. “What?” I whispered. “What’s wrong?”

“You don’t think that I…” he broke off, a mixture of emotions crossing his face. Disgust, anger, fear…

Shame.

I glanced over at Axton and Cole who were standing by the window. I was okay with them both being

here for the moment, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted either in the room when it came time to push. “Can you

give us a few minutes?”

Dallas didn’t give them time to decide and started pushing them toward the door. “We will just be down

the hall.”

As soon as the door was closed behind them I grabbed Drake’s shirt—when had he pulled one on? I

had been so distracted kicking the shit out of Bethany I hadn’t even noticed. Giving it a few tugs he finally sat down on the edge of my hospital bed. I cupped his face, making him meet my eyes. “As soon as I

walked in I smelled the whisky. And the first thing that crossed my mind was the obvious. But just as

quickly, I called myself an idiot. Drake Stevenson is too strong to let himself slip up.”

“I’ve been having cravings lately…” He closed his eyes. “For months I’ve been fighting them.”

“Look at me,” I commanded and after a small hesitation he assaulted me with those blue-gray eyes I

hoped our daughter would inherit. “You’re probably always going to have those cravings, babe. It’s part of

being in recovery. We’ve talked about it and even your sponsor says they never go away. The real problem

comes when you give in, let the cravings become more. And you haven’t done that. You’re so strong,

Drake.”

“Only because of you.” His hands covered mine and pulled my palm to his lips. “You keep me strong,

Angel.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Yeah, I know.” He laughed at how conceited it sounded, making me grin. “I love

my Demon, and my Demon is never going to do something like that to hurt his Angel.”

His eyes darkened. “Truer words have never been spoken, Angel.”

Chapter 29

Drake

Six hours.

From the moment we arrived at the hospital to the moment I heard my daughter’s first cry it took six

hours and twelve minutes.

The hours of worry, of torture watching Angel cry in pain... All of that flew right out of my head the

moment I set eyes on that perfect little creature. A full head of thick black hair, chubby, red cheeks. Twenty inches long and eight pounds, nine ounces of beauty personified. I was going to remember this moment for

the rest of my life.

With a shaking hand I cut the umbilical cord as the doctor instructed and then Dallas was taking her

across the room to clean her up and check her over while the pediatrician stood beside her. Angel was

sobbing, happy tears instead of pain-filled ones now. Tears were flowing unashamedly down my own face

and I dropped a kiss on top her sweat dampened head.

Doctor Conrad was doing something to her and told her to push one more time. I was freaked out,

thinking that it was another baby but instead she delivered the afterbirth and then laid back, completely

exhausted. Across the room, where she had commanded Axton and Cole to stand if they wanted to stay for

the delivery, I heard Ax congratulating Cole on being a grandfather.

Finally Dallas appeared with a pink bundle. She was wiping her own tears and smiling as she handed

the baby over to Angel. “She’s perfect, Lana.”

Hands shaking with a mixture of exhaustion and pure joy, Angel held the baby against her chest. “Hey

there, princess.” Her voice was rough with tears. “I’m so glad I finally get to hold you.”

“So what am I calling my grandbaby?” Cole asked from his spot by the window. “Or don’t you know

yet?”

Angel’s eyes widened and she looked up at me. “Yeah, Daddy. What are we going to call her? Have you

decided yet?”

I looked down at my world, my heaven on earth. In that moment I knew I had found paradise. Bending