“Tired. Those meds the doctor gave me make me sleepy, but at least I don’t feel like throwing up.”

I rubbed a hand over her swollen stomach before dropping a kiss on it through her sleep shirt. “I’m taking Layla and Lucy out for some dinner. Want me to bring you guys back anything?”

Nik shook his head. “I’ll just grab a sandwich.”

“Layla already fed me.” Emmie yawned. “Go, have fun.”

I nodded, but didn’t turn for the door right away. I needed to talk to Emmie about my plans, but I wasn’t sure if now was the best time. If I was really honest with myself I was scared of what her reaction was going to be. I didn’t want to upset her. Not now, not ever. “Em…”

Her eyes were almost closed, but they snapped open. She must have heard something in my voice, and she reached for my hand. “It’s okay. I know…” Her chin trembled but she gave me a smile. “We can talk more tomorrow.”

“Love you, Em,” I whispered, dropping another kiss on her cheek.

“Love you, Jesse.”

Chapter 15

Layla

Two weeks passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. Each day was much like the same, and I always went to bed with a smile on my face.

Nik and the guys didn’t go into the studio the rest of the first week. He was glued to Emmie’s side, making sure that she didn’t get out of bed for long. By that weekend she was feeling much better without the aid of the anti-nausea medication and her feet weren’t as swollen as they had been.

I liked having all the guys around during the day. I made them breakfast and lunch, did their laundry, and they kept me smiling all day long. Shane with his wicked sense of humor, Drake with his quiet sincerity, and Nik with the way he was so tender with Emmie. Then there was Jesse, who seemed to be there every time I turned around. Not that I was complaining about that.

He would sneak up behind me while I was doing dishes, or cooking. Those sweet little kisses to my neck and shoulder never failed to make me wet. His whispers of “I love you” or “I need you” and even “I want you now” made me so happy I thought I was going to burst apart at the seams with it. More than once he had cornered me in the laundry room while I was working. Each time he left me spent yet still needing more.

In the evenings, he had dinner with me and Lucy. Lana sometimes joined us, and sometimes Drake joined us too. After dinner, if we were home, the three of us would walk on the beach. Lucy gathering shells and other little treasures, while Jesse and I walked hand in hand behind her. After Lucy was tucked into bed, we sat on the couch watching television together. It felt like we were teenagers because we always ended up making out. When he left me each night, it was reluctantly on both our parts. I wanted to sleep in his arms, and he wanted me to be sleeping there too.

At the end of that first week he took me out, just the two of us. We had dinner at some wildly expensive restaurant. The food was rich and delicious, the atmosphere sinfully romantic. After desert, he pulled me out onto a dance floor and held me close while we moved to the light tunes of a live jazz band.

“I love you, Layla,” he whispered against my ear.

Tears stung the backs of my eyes. “I love you, too.” I felt his smile as he kissed my temple. We continued dancing for several more songs, and then he pulled me out the door and into the Escalade that was already waiting for us outside.

What followed was more intense than our first night together. We didn’t go back to his friend Tom’s house but to an exclusive hotel just outside of LA. Our suit had candles lit all around the room when we walked inside. Soft music played in the background. Jesse closed the door behind him then lifted me into his arms.

I felt like I was floating as he carried me to the king sized bed. Scattered rose petals across the top, and their sweet scent invaded my nose as he lowered me to the mattress. My dress, or rather Lana’s dress, disappeared before I realized it, and Jesse was kissing every exposed inch of skin he could get to.

For hours he savored me. I was weeping by the time we fell into each other’s arms. Jesse kissed my hair. “Do you believe me now?” he murmured.

I raised my head, confused. “Believe you about what?”

He smiled. “That I love you.”

“Jesse, I believed you the first time you said it.” He raised a brow and I sighed. “Okay, my heart believed you. Now my head does too.”

“Good.” He yawned, pulled me closer, and we fell asleep locked in each other’s arms. Hours later, we made love again and then he told me about his childhood, growing up in a trailer park with his band brothers spread out around him, and his mother leaving when he was just a toddler. Jesse told me about his father and I held him close as he described the old man beating him until he was thirteen. By that time, he was bigger than his dad and able to hit back. After he busted the bastard’s nose, he never touched his son in violence again. After that Jesse’s childhood was pretty normal…

I still got weak kneed every time I thought about that beautiful night. He had made it truly special for us both. In a way it had made this week hard, because he wasn’t home like he had been the week before. The guys were back in the studio, and I was lonely for most of the day.

Emmie was busy with work, although she took care of most of it while sitting up in bed now. Nik had forbid her to get up unless she absolutely had to, and I was in charge of making sure she listened. I was glad that she was distracted by work though, because that gave me time to put together my surprise.

On Saturday, I rushed to get through the morning. Lana was helping me and we were both having a blast getting everything put together. I had told Jesse some of what we had planned, but only because I needed his help with who to call. He hadn’t understood a word of what I said, and I had had to explain it to him twice before he got it.

By midafternoon we had everything ready, and I was nervous as hell. Jesse had helped me by taking Emmie out for lunch, and they were still gone by the time everyone started arriving. At ten minutes to three, I got a text from him and put everyone in their places. I wasn’t sure if surprising a heavily pregnant woman was a good thing, but it couldn’t do too much damage.

My heart was racing and my palms were sweaty when I heard Jesse say something that made Emmie laugh. A few moments later, they came out of the house and onto the patio. I held my breath as Emmie took in the sign hanging from the long table loaded with food and presents. Her eyes went huge and she looked at me. “Layla?”