When I hear the words “You may kiss your bride,” I cup her face, then hesitate just for a second. I want to memorize every detail of this moment: the look in her eyes, the smile on her face. I never want to forget this.

  “I love you, Mrs. Lewis,” I say before pressing my lips to hers.

  Pulling away, I raise our joined hands in the air, and our guests cheer wildly. The same thing I did for Cole and Stacy just two days before.

  “We have the same room for the reception,” Stacy tells us, and hand in hand, we follow her there.

  We have dinner, we dance, we laugh, and although it was thrown together, we couldn’t have asked for a better day. Lauren hasn’t stopped smiling since I laid eyes on her walking toward me. That’s all I want, for her to be happy.

  “You doing okay, Mrs. Lewis?”

  “Yeah, just tired.” She lays her head on my chest. “Pregnancy is exhausting.” She chuckles.

  “Sprout’s growing.” I can’t help but place my hand on her small bump. “It’s been a long day, and our parents have already gone back to their rooms. You ready to get off your feet?”

  “Yes.”

  I grab her hand and we say our goodbyes. It’s time to spend these last few days relaxing.

  When we reach our bungalow, I scoop her into my arms and carry her inside.

  “You seem to like doing that,” she laughs when I toss her gently on the bed.

  “It’s my husbandly duty.” I wink at her, then take a seat next to her and slip off her shoes, tossing them across the room. Her feet have to be killing her from those heels, so I massage one foot and then the other.

  When I place them both on my lap, I look over at my wife to find her sound asleep in her white dress, her brown hair fanned out over the white pillow.

  “My angel,” I whisper.

  I don’t want to wake her, but she needs to change, get out of that bra at least.

  “Ren, baby, you need to get out of those clothes.” Her eyes flutter open and she tries to sit up. Once I get her up, she leans against me, and I make quick work of pulling her dress over her head, then the bra.

  I don’t bother dressing her, just help her lie back and pull the covers over her. I drop a kiss to her forehead and stand. Turning off the lights and locking the door, I strip down and am just about to slide in beside her, pulling her into my arms, when I remember I brought the machine that I now know is called a Doppler.

  Going back to my suitcase, I use the light of my cell phone to find it. Lauren doesn’t know I brought it. Making my way back to the bed, I climb in under the covers. Lauren is now facing me, curled up on her side. I hope this doesn’t wake her.

  I turn the volume down on the machine and place the wand on her belly. I leave it there, in that one spot, hoping I’ll hear something. Nothing. Lauren moves to her back, freeing up more baby-bump real estate, and I take full advantage. Moving the wand to the opposite side, I’m prepared to wait, but Sprout has other plans. I hear the heartbeat, a steady pounding coming from the speaker. That sound soothes me and scares me at the same time. In just a few months Sprout will be here and everything is going to change again. I’m ready for it, I want it, more than I ever thought possible.

  Closing my eyes, I let the sound of our baby’s heartbeat lull me to sleep. Not what most wedding nights are made of, but it’s ours and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  I’m not sure how we did it, but the entire time we were in Hawaii, the fans and paparazzi left us alone.

  That is until we arrived at the airport this morning to head back home.

  I’m not sure what I expected, but not this. Not swarms of people, with what feels like hundreds of cameras snapping pictures of us. We’re not even out of the car yet.

  “Lauren, I’m going to get out first. Slip your sunglasses on and keep your head buried in my chest. I’ll try to protect you from them as much as I can,” Tristan says with a hint of anger in his voice.

  “Hey.” I place my hand on his leg. “This is our life now, right? It was bound to happen.”

  “I hate this fucking part of it. They have no boundaries. They can get pushy, babe, so I need you to stay close. If one of those fuckers touches you, I can’t be sure that I won’t kill them,” he seethes.

  “I’ll be fine.” He gives me a look, one that says he’s serious. “I’ll stay close, got it.”

  Our parents all flew out yesterday, which is a good thing. At least it’s just the band and the wives who are left to deal with this shit. I watch as Kacen and Logan get out of the car in front of ours. Logan leans into Kacen and he holds her close to him. Exactly what Tristan just told me to do.

  “Here we go.” He opens the door and holds his hand out for me.

  “Tristan!”

  “Over here, Tristan!”

  “Is it true? Are you married?”

  “Did she force you to marry her because of the baby?”

  “Is she blackmailing you for money?”

  Tristan freezes. Both of his arms wrap around me and I can feel the rage rolling off him in waves.

  He kisses the top of my head, not breaking his hold on me, and then I hear him speak. “Listen and listen good. Yes, I’m married, and my wife and I are expecting our first child that was conceived out of love, nothing less. If you print anything other than that, I’ll see you in court.”

  With that, we resume walking. We don’t stop until we’re in a room and the noise of the crowd is muffled. Tristan releases his iron grip on me. “You okay, babe?”

  I take a minute to look around the room. Kacen and Logan are already here, sitting on a couch in the corner. It appears to be some kind of lounge. The door opens, letting the roar of the crowd in, as well as Stacy and Cole.

  “Lauren?”

  Looking up at my husband, I see the worry etched on his face. “I’m fine. That’s going to be hard to get used to,” I admit.

  “Motherfuckers need to leave us alone,” he grumbles.

  “Holy shit,” Gavin says, bounding into the room and quickly slamming the door. “Those vultures are out for blood. I can’t believe we pulled off being in Hawaii for a week and they just now found out.”

  “The resort guaranteed privacy. I don’t know how they did it, but I don’t care. It worked,” Stacy replies. “You’ll get used to it, Lauren. I remember my first time getting mobbed. I was ready to jump ship all together.”

  “Me too,” Logan chimes in. “At the time I was just the assistant, but I still thought about it.”

  “You were never just the assistant,” Kacen says emphatically.

  “Me too,” Stacy says. “I was like ‘what the hell did I agree to’?” She laughs. “I wasn’t sure being the assistant’s assistant was worth it.”

  “You were more than that and you know it,” Cole assures her.

  “Fifty bucks says there were guests who snapped some pictures and they’ll be in headlines tomorrow,” Gavin bets.

  “Really?” I ask.

  “Unfortunately,” Tristan says. “Those rags will buy any picture that makes it look like they got the scoop. The resorts try to keep it from happening, but there’s always that one jackass who’s looking to make a quick buck.”

  “Never believe what you read in those things,” Logan agrees. “They’ll fill your head with lies and doubt. Always, always talk to him first. No matter the situation. That’s the best advice I can give you.” She looks over at Stacy. “Both of you.”

  Tristan leads me to one of the couches and pulls me down onto his lap. One hand rests on my bump, the other around my waist. I can still feel the anger rolling off him.

  “Hey, I knew this was part of the deal. I’m not worried about being in the papers. I’m your wife, so we can’t prevent it.” I’m trying to soothe him, but I can’t tell if it’s working.

  “It’s not that. I’m fucking stoked to have you by my side. They can print us every damn day and I’m good with it. It’s the pushy, in-your-face shit that pisses me off. I’ve seen them get nasty, pushing and shoving. Fuck, Lauren, what if you would’ve tripped? The baby?”

  I can hear the anguish in his voice. “That’s not going to happen. Word’s out that I’m pregnant. They’re not that stupid.”

  “I would kill them. If they ever caused something to happen to either of you, I would kill them.”

  This is clearly a black-and-white situation for him. “Nothing is going to happen to me or the baby.”

  “Not on my watch, beautiful,” he says, kissing my shoulder.

  We spend the next hour lounging around in the room, just the seven of us. We have an attendant who stops in to see if we need food or drinks, which we all decline. It’s a lot to take in: the VIP treatment, the paparazzi wanting info about me, my life with Tristan. It’s definitely going to take some getting used to.

  When a knock sounds at the door, I’m prepared for the same madness, but instead we’re instructed to follow the security guard to a private security room, where we go through the ritual of taking off our shoes and scanning our bags. Once we’re cleared, we’re led straight to board the plane. Lucky for us, the paparazzi aren’t allowed in this part of the airport, so it’s just fans we have to worry about. I see a few pulling out their phones to take pictures. Some are blatant about it, others trying to be less obvious, but we know what they’re doing. It’s a shame that seeing us is the highlight in their life. I can understand being excited to see a celebrity, but we’re people too. Granted, I’m not celebrity status, but my husband is.

  My husband.

  I still can’t believe we did it. We took the oath for a lifetime of love. Less than a month ago, I thought my life was in shambles; today, I’m living my fairy tale.

  The flight home is uneventful, the paparazzi in Nashville are not as intense as those in Hawaii. They’re used to celebrities coming and going, especially musicians.

  “Why rock?” I ask Tristan once we’re in our SUV and headed home.

  “What?”

  “Rock music. You guys grew up in the heart of country music, yet you went rock. I know for fact that each of you enjoys country music, so why rock?”

  “Out of all the conversations we’ve had, I can’t believe you’re just now asking this question.”

  “I guess it never hit me before. We’ve spent the majority of our time hanging out in Ohio.”

  “I don’t really have a straight answer. Rock was more of our sound, I guess. Yeah, we can cover the country hits, and we have at a few of our shows, but the rock genre is where we seem to excel, from Kacen’s vocals, to the guitar riffs, and my beat on the drums. We were lucky to get picked up by Stone Records and never looked back.”

  “Until now. How’s the buyout going?”

  “All the paperwork has been signed. We’re in the process of changing the name to Soul Records, and then we’ll be ready to hit the ground running. Gav’s been learning a lot about the business. We’ve got a few local bands we’ve been following online, and as soon as all this legal shit is settled, we’re going to reach out to them, have them come in and demo for us.”

  “You’re good men. All four of you. You don’t fit the rocker stereotype.”

  He laughs. “We did. Trust me, we did. Minus the drugs, we all enjoyed the hell out of our lifestyle. That shit gets old fast, leaves you wanting.”

  “You should be proud of all that you’ve accomplished, and the label. That’s amazing.”

  “Yeah, we are. And we agreed when we started that if one of us wanted out, we would all get out, but you know that already.”

  “You’re all old married men now,” I tease him. “Gavin is the last holdout. You think he’ll ever fall?”

  “Definitely. He just has to get her on board.”

  “There’s a story there.”

  “Not mine to tell, beautiful.”

  Tristan pulls the SUV into the garage and parks. “Stay here,” he says before climbing out of the car and rushing to my side.

  “We’ve talked about this, I can open car doors.”

  “I know, but I have to carry you inside.”

  “We already did that,” I laugh at him.

  “But now we’re married and it’s happening, so hold on.” He bends and lifts me effortlessly.

  I reach out and open the door, trying to make things a little easier on him. We’re both laughing when he presses his lips to mine, until we hear “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Tristan pulls his mouth from mine and turns toward the voice. The very feminine voice.

  “Who the fuck are you?” he seethes. “And what the fuck are you doing in our house? How did you get in here?” He sets me on my feet and steps directly in front of me.

  “I’m your biggest fan, Tristan. Don’t you remember me? Look.” I have no idea what she’s showing him. “You signed right here and I had it inked.”

  Great, we have a crazy fan in our home.

  “How did you get in here?”

  “I heard you were moving and found out where. I slipped in just as the movers were leaving. I wanted to surprise you. I don’t care about her. She can stay if you want.”

  I’m assuming the ‘her’ is me. I try to step around Tristan, but he pushes me back behind him.

  “She’s my fucking wife. And you need to leave immediately.”

  “But Tristan,” she whines. “I love you. We’re meant to be together. I felt it that night you signed my chest. We’re meant for each other.”

  Tristan reaches around and pulls his phone out of his back pocket, holding it out as if he wants me to take it. I assume it’s to call the authorities on this crazy ass in our home. Taking the phone, I make sure it’s on vibrate, then call 911. I place my thumb over the speaker where their voices will come out, but leave the other open and hold it at an angle so hopefully they’ll be able to hear.

  I tap Tristan on the back, hoping he reads my hidden signal. I have no idea if this chick is armed, so my hope is that he can keep her calm and taking until the authorities get here.

  “Listen, I didn’t catch your name,” Tristan says calmly.

  “Tracy,” she supplies.

  “Tracy, I’m sorry if I led you on in any way. I love my wife very much. I would never cheat on her. You understand that, don’t you? You wouldn’t be happy if your husband cheated on you.”

  “But that’s what you do,” she says, her tone serious. “I’m prepared to not be the only woman in your life. You’re all the same, always have a side piece. That’s what he did, but then he kicked me to the curb. He kept the side piece.” Her voice cracks. “So that’s why we’re perfect for each other. I know going in this time what to expect. She can stay, I told you that.”

  “Who, Tracy?”

  “My husband. He had lots of side pieces and then tossed me aside. Apparently he felt I wasn’t worth it anymore. I can’t have babies, and he wanted an heir.”

  My hand that was gripping Tristan’s shirt goes to my bump. Immediately, his arm is around his back, reaching for me, his shoulders tense. I lace my fingers through his and can visibly see him relax.

  When the sirens blare outside, she panics. “What did you do? You called the cops?”

  “It’s the alarm system. It’s silent, but I never got to turn it off. It’s set up to send the authorities if I don’t disarm it within so many seconds,” Tristan explains calmly.

  I don’t know if that’s true, but I’ll feel safer here if it is. Especially after this.

  “But I love you,” she cries. “Just tell them it’s a misunderstanding. They’ll go away, and we can be together.”

  “Tracy, I love my wife,” Tristan says again.

  “Open up. Police,” an officer calls out.

  “In here,” Tristan’s voice booms through the house.

  The next thing I know, there’s a flurry of activity. Several uniformed officers come barging in, holding their guns on Tracy. “I don’t think she’s armed, but she broke in.”

  “Ma’am, are you armed?” an officer asks.

  “No. He loves me. We’re supposed to be together,” she says through sobbing tears.”

  “My wife and I just came back from our honeymoon to find her here in our home. We’d like to press charges,” Tristan wastes no time in telling them.

  Tracy is now sobbing, screaming over and over how much she loves Tristan and that she can’t believe he’s doing this to her. Oddly enough, she doesn’t put up much of a fight when the officers put her in handcuffs and escort her out of the house.

  “What the fuck is going on? That’s my family in there,” Kacen’s deep booming voice flows into the house.

  Tristan stands statue- still until she’s out the door. Then he turns and wraps me in his arms, so tight it’s difficult to pull in a full breath. “Fuck, Ren, I was scared to death that she was going to go after you.”

  An officer pokes his head in. “Mr. Lewis, we have a gentleman—”

  “Let them in.”

  Kacen, Gavin, and Cole come barging in, fists clenched, eyes wide, and looking for a fight.

  Cole’s the first to speak. “What the hell happened?”

  “Where are the girls?” Tristan asks.

  “Outside in a police cruiser. They insisted on coming, but we needed them safe until we knew what was going on,” Kacen explains.

  “Tristan,” I manage to squeak out, grabbing his full attention. “C-can’t breathe.”

  “I’m sorry,” he apologizes, loosening his hold and kissing my temple. He then proceeds to fill the guys in on what we walked into.

  “You need to call the moving company and give them a piece of your mind,” Gavin seethes.

  “Trust me, as soon as I know this place is secured, that’s the next step.”

  Just then, an officer walks up and Tristan instructs him to check the entire house, which he does without complaint.

  “Let’s take you out with the girls, just until we know it’s safe,” Tristan says.

  “I’m sure it’s fine,” I counter.

  “Lauren, I’m not risking it.” I can tell by his tone and the way his hand rests on the small of my back as he leads me toward the door that he’s not messing around.