Full Circle (Rockin' Country #3) (14 page)

“Thank you,” a woman yelled in the back of the building. “Men like him are why I’m single. They need to make more like you, Reaper!”

By the time they left, they’d been given more food, taken pictures, and signed all kinds of things. As they opened the door to the parking lot, Hannah was tearing into her burger. “Oh my God, this is the best thing ever,” she groaned.

Garrett looked around, making sure no one could hear them. “You know, since you got pregnant, every time you eat it’s like an orgasmic experience for you, and it gets me hard.”

She laughed, the sound deep in her throat. “It’s almost an orgasmic experience. I can’t explain it, things just taste better, and I’m always excited when I can eat something and it doesn’t come right back up. My stomach gnaws at itself so often that it’s nice for it feel full. It reminds me of my eating disorder, and I hate that feeling, but I understand that these are two separate things.”

He took a bite of his own burger as they slowly walked back to the bus. “Did what that guy said in there bother you?”

“It did.” She took a drink of her Sprite and waited a minute so she could gather her thoughts. “I feel bad for his girlfriend; she’s never going to live up to what he wants her to be, and in turn, she’ll never be happy. A woman like that gets caught up in what the man in her life wants and isn’t happy unless she gives him what he wants. It’s going to be hard for her to come back from that and I truly hope that guy gets what’s coming to him.”

“I hope so too. I’ve never been so offended for someone I don’t know.”

They finished eating and then stopped at the bus, each leaning against it. “You know I’m gonna get fat, right? And I’m going to have issues with that.”

“Then I’m going to do my best to help you through those issues, Han.” He grasped her hand in his. “There’s no way for us to know how bad those issues are going to be, but I’m committed to letting you know you’re the most beautiful woman in the world to me.”

“That’s why I love you.” She smiled as she stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“C’mon, lovebirds,” Jared yelled out of the window of the bus. “It’s time to go, and Havock wants his treat.”

Garrett groaned. “Maybe when the baby comes we can get our own bus and leave his ass behind,” he joked.

“If the baby is one of those who doesn’t sleep through the night, I have a feeling they’re going to want us to have our own bus.”

He laughed as they got onto their home away from home. He watched as Hannah immediately walked to the lounge area, took off her shoes, and lay down on the couch, a blanket around her. Havock had been sitting patiently, waiting for her to get comfortable, before he hopped up there with her, resting his head on her stomach. It struck him then that most everything he cared about was on this bus and just how different his life was from one short year ago. There was no way he would give any of this up, no way he would change it, but he hoped like hell he didn’t fuck it up.

*  *  *

Late June 2015

“U
gh.” Hanna wrinkled her nose. Almost everything that required a button on her lower half no longer fit, and she wasn’t sure she liked it one bit.

“What’s wrong?” Garrett asked as he walked into their hotel room, closing the door behind him.

She shrugged, trying not to let it affect her. This was something she knew was coming. “Nothing fits my lower half. I haven’t gained much weight—only five pounds—after losing so much earlier, but it’s all gone to the same spot.”

He could tell she tried hard not to let it bother her. She tried hard to be strong. “Han, you’re gorgeous right now. You have this glow about you that anyone who looks at you can see from a mile away. So what if you’ve gained a few pounds. You’re growing a human.” He came over and stood in front of her, spreading his legs so he was more at her eye level.

“Every part of me knows that, and I mean, I know, I’m not sick all the time anymore, but there are other changes in my body. Like, ya know, not being able to button my pants and my bra is almost too small, but it’s so hard for me not to worry about it.”

Enveloping her in his arms, he did his best to tell her without words that he believed in her and thought she was gorgeous no matter what, but he had an idea that in this moment actions would speak much louder than words.

“I can’t worry about it right now though.” She threw up her hands as she pulled away from him. The strain of keeping their secret was beginning to weigh on her. She wanted to tell their parents, but they had both agreed it would be smart to wait until the first trimester was over—at least that’s what others kept telling them. The first trimester would be over around the first week of July, so they still had a few days to go.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Garrett had grown used to her quick temper. Before her pregnancy she was easy-going, but now she became frustrated easily.

She breathed deeply, feeling the hormones coursing through her body. “Yeah, I’m okay, sorry. I don’t know why I get so irritated.”

He clasped his hands at the base of her back and pushed slightly to make her look up at him. “You have a lot going on, babe. Your body isn’t your own anymore. We have a different set of responsibilities than we had before, already. It’s going to take some getting used to, and if you have to get a little pissed, I’m fine with that.”

She didn’t deserve him, not one bit, and she knew it, but she was thankful she had him. “I’m fine now, I promise.”

Garrett looked at her, really looked at her, and decided she was telling the truth, but he knew they were both wound pretty tightly. “If you say so, but what do you say you stay here in the hotel and relax tonight. We’re not heading out until early in the morning anyway.”

Tomorrow morning they would be heading to Nashville for a few days of relaxation with their families before heading overseas for a month tour of the summer festivals. She was tired thinking about it, but she couldn’t wait until they could get their families together and tell them their news. She was excited to get it out in the open. On more than one occasion she’d almost let it slip to her mom or her mother-in-law.

“You’re right. I need to stay here and take myself to bed. Maybe a night by myself will be just what I need.”

“C’mon, Havock.” He patted his thigh, motioning for the dog to follow him. He’d even keep him on the bus so that she could be truly and well alone. Grabbing his bag, he put it on his shoulder and he and their boy left.

*     *     *

“Where’s Hannah?” Shell asked as he met up with the rest of them in the hallway.

“She’s kind of having one of those days, so I suggested she stay behind. She agreed.”

Shell sighed. “I worried about that. Does she think she’s fat?”

“I don’t think it’s necessarily that. I think it’s the fact that she couldn’t button her shorts tonight. I’m trying to give her some space. Those types of things will be harder for her.”

She agreed, melting into Jared’s side as he slung an arm around her shoulders. “What are you going to do to help her?”

Garrett smiled slowly. “I have a couple of ideas, but that’s between me and her.”

The one thing Shell had tried to do since she’d joined the tour was leave the married couple alone when they needed to be left alone. She did her best to allow them the room to be their own little family, but she had to say something this time. “When she gets like this, she’s vulnerable, Garrett.”

“I know my wife,” he told her softly. “I know what she needs, and I know what she wants. She’ll be fine, I promise you that. I’m not going to let her do something stupid because she feels like she has to. I got her.”

“I’m trusting you with my best friend, with the woman I call my sister. Don’t let me down.”

He wouldn’t ever let any of them down, and he knew exactly what he had to do.

*     *     *

Sleep came easily for Hannah at this stage of her pregnancy. Lots of things made her tired, and if she were honest with herself, she was grateful that she hadn’t had to go to the concert tonight. Sometimes it was a struggle to stay awake until they were done. Then she had to wait for them to shower, sometimes they ate, and then there were always fans waiting outside the venues. On the really long nights, it was close to three hours after the concert was finished when they’d finally make their way back to the bus or the hotel. While that was fine when she wasn’t completely exhausted, it had been wearing on her the past few weeks. Hannah hadn’t wanted to say anything, though, because she loved being on stage with her husband, she loved watching as he whipped the crowd into a frenzy, it was one of her favorite things to do. The possibility she might have to give that up soon was very real. She wanted to continue to do it for as long as possible, but she knew above all she had to listen to her body. That stay in the hospital had scared them all, and lying to their parents hadn’t been fun. The last thing any of them wanted to do was to tell people and have something go horrifically wrong. The record company still didn’t know, and that was another point of contention.

The thinking was doing nothing but making her more tired, and Hannah knew it was time to give up and let sleep overtake her. With a sigh, she curled into the pillow on Garrett’s side, dropped her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.

*  *  *

G
arrett let himself into the hotel room and quietly shut the door behind him. There was enough light coming in from the curtains that he could see Hannah was not in bed. The covers were rumpled, and the bathroom door was shut. He hoped she wasn’t sick. He listened for a few moments; he was very familiar with the sounds of her being sick, and he did not hear those sounds this time. Quickly, an idea began to take shape. Grabbing his bag, he rifled through it, moving faster as he heard the toilet flushing and then the sink come on. When Hannah opened the door, he was in place.

Standing behind the bathroom door, he waited until she’d cleared the room and then came up behind her, placing his hand over her mouth. He felt her tense, but moved his mouth to her ear. “Shhhh….”

Hannah panicked for a moment but realized quickly that the person standing behind her was her husband. “Garrett?” She turned her head, taking notice that he wore the bandana over his face that he had worn the day they went walking in the snow.