“I hope you’re right.”
In the wee small hours, Jake lay wide awake staring up at the canopied awning of the four-poster bed. There had only been one previous occasion when he’d slept in a four-poster bed and, on that occasion, the drapes had been fine and gauzy, creating an ethereal effect. The dark mahogany carved four-poster in Garrett’s guest suite boasted heavy forest green and gold brocade drapes that left him feeling claustrophobic. There were twelve pillows on the king-size bed too, adding to the suffocating effect. Recognising that he was never going to get any sleep in the bed, Jake pulled the pillows and the comforter off the bed and built a nest for himself on the rug. Feeling like a little kid, who was rebelling by sleeping on the floor, he lay on his back, staring up at the panelled ceiling. The painted panels were the matching shade of green for the bed’s drapes.
Visualising being surrounded by trees, Jake settled down to sleep, wishing he was home at the beach house cuddled round Lori with the soothing sounds of the ocean in the background. Four weeks away from the ocean was going to be tough. With a pang of homesickness, Jake felt as though he’d been forced into exile. As sleep wrapped itself around him, he prayed his exile would end on November 7th.
“Can we call Daddy tonight?” asked Melody as Lori helped to zip up her rain jacket. “I want to tell him about the song I learned. He’ll be real impressed.”
“Your daddy is always impressed,” replied Lori, avoiding answering her daughter.
“But can I call him tonight?”
“We’ll see, Miss M,” said Lori calmly. “No promises.”
As they headed out to the car, Melody said, “I miss my Daddy.”
Silently, Lori thought, “So do I.”
When she returned to the house after dropping the kids off, Lori followed her usual routine. She loaded the dishwasher, poured a coffee then headed to her workspace. Just as she sat down to log into her laptop, her phone rang.
“Good morning, Maddison.”
“Good morning. You checked your mail yet?”
“Give me time!” laughed Lori. “I’ve just sat down at my desk. Laptop’s logging on.”
“Great. Dr Marrs has sent you some samples. There’s a meeting at JJL this afternoon to talk about the artwork ideas,” gushed Maddy enthusiastically.
“I can’t do this afternoon,” replied Lori, checking her calendar. “I can do tomorrow though.”
“Why can’t you do today?” quizzed the band’s manager sharply.
“I’ve an antenatal appointment.”
Realising what she had let slip, Lori gasped.
“Antenatal?” echoed Maddy, sounding stunned.
“Not a word, Maddison,” cautioned Lori bluntly. “No one knows. Not even Jake. Especially not Jake!”
“You’re pregnant!”
“Yes,” sighed Lori, almost relieved to have her secret out in the open. “I’m about sixteen weeks.”
“Sixteen weeks and I’m only finding out now!” shrieked Maddy. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know. There’s been so much going on. It wasn’t planned. I only found out myself a couple of weeks ago.”
“A couple of weeks ago,” echoed Maddy. “You’ve had two kids. How did you not know?”
“I don’t know. There were no symptoms. No morning sickness. Then one day I was sick….”
“Oh, Lori,” sighed Maddy, her tone softening. “You should have said.”
“Well, you were busy having a hissy fit about what happened out at JJL.”
“I was, wasn’t I?”
There was silence for a few moments then Maddy said, “If I push the meeting back, can you make it?”
“If I can get Annie to pick up the kids for me, I can be there for four,” compromised Lori.
“Annie’s picking up the meatballs,” began Maddy. “So, I’m sure she’ll take your two along for the ride.”
“I’ll call her,” said Lori. “But not a word to a soul about this baby.”
“Not a word,” promised Maddy.
“Promise?”
“I promise,” reassured her friend. “But if you’re sixteen weeks, surely you’ve got a bump?”
Rubbing her rounded belly, Lori giggled, “And I’ve plenty of loose sweaters.”
“Lori!”
“I’ll see you at four, Maddy.”
“I’ll see both of you at four.”
When she logged into her emails, Lori opened the mail from Dr Marrs first. He’d attached four full songs for her to listen to. Hearing the freshly mixed Silver Lake music and listening to both Jake’s vocals and Rich’s guitar tore at her heart. By the time she played the final music file, Shattered Hearts, tears were pouring down her cheeks. She ached to pick up her phone and call Jake. As she wiped away her tears, Lori felt the baby kicking furiously. Fresh tears fell as she realised that she couldn’t hide her pregnancy much longer; fresh tears fell as she realised that she had to make a decision about her future, about her family’s future.
“Must be a Power family trait,” observed Grey with a wink as Lori arrived twenty minutes late for the meeting at JJL.
“I came prepared,” she laughed as she waved a twenty-dollar bill in the air. “Sorry. I got held up.”
“You’re here now that’s what counts,” said Maddison warmly. “Did you listen to the samples?”
“Several times,” replied Lori, passing the twenty-dollar bill to Grey. “Loved them. Intense. So much emotion.”
“Too much emotion?” asked Grey, looking concerned.
“No,” said Lori, taking a seat beside him on the leather couch. “The diehard fans will get more, I suspect than any newer or more casual fans. Songs I heard are awesome. Loved Sting In The Tail and Shattered Hearts sounds incredible. So raw.”
“You’ve done a great job with those, Jim,” complimented Jethro from his seat beside Maddy. “Are you guys agreed on a title for this one?”
“We are,” replied Paul.
“And it is?” enquired Lori, glancing over at the band’s drummer expectantly.
