Heavy Metal (A Badboy Rockstar Romance) (31 page)

“I can’t wait until we say we’re going home and we actually go
home
instead of to a hotel.”

“You and me both,” I replied, eager for that wonderful day to come. 

“Can I kick Mittens out of the bedroom tonight?” Brandon asked hopefully.

I laughed at that, amused by the unexpected question.  “What, you don’t appreciate him lunging at your face in the middle of the night?  He’s only playing.  And he always looks
so
proud of himself when he wakes you up.”

“I think that cat gets a sick thrill out of terrorizing me,” Brandon grumbled. 

“I think you’re right,” I agreed.  “He’s kind of deranged...in a good way.”

“He’s deranged, all right.  I don’t know if it’s in a good way.  That’s debatable.  All cats are basically lunatics, aren’t they?  They only get away with it because they’re all furry and cute.  But underneath it all, they’re evil, conniving little bastards.”

“But I bet Mittens would save you from the chickens if you needed saving,” I pointed out.

Brandon chuckled.  “At least the little devil is good for something,” he said affectionately.  Then he raised his eyebrow.  “Should I be worried that an eight pound ball of fur is less of wimp about chickens than I am?”

“Yes, it’s pretty pathetic,” I replied without missing a beat.

“Humph,” he grumbled. 

“I know you’ll never admit it, but I’m onto you,” I told him matter-of-factly.  “I know you secretly love Mittens every bit as much as he loves you.  You both have a weird way of showing it – so maybe you’re
both
a bit deranged – but there’s no denying it.”

“You’re right about one thing,” Brandon conceded.  “I’ll never admit anything.  But actually, my love-hate thing with the cat wasn’t the reason I wanted to relocate him tonight.”

“Oh?  What did you have in mind?” I asked, even though I had an idea.

My theory was confirmed when Brandon wordlessly slid his hand down and grabbed my butt.

“So
that’s
what you had in mind, was it?” I giggled as he playfully groped me.

“I mean, only if you feel like it,” he replied, pulling his hand away.  “If you’re too tired we can just order room service and watch TV in bed.”

“I’d much rather go with the first option,” I told him with a twinkle in my eye.  “Now, will you do me a favor?”

“Anything,” he replied immediately.

Grinning deviously, I requested, “Put your hand back where it was.”

Brandon grinned broadly at that.  “With pleasure!” he replied as he happily obliged.

The old Hayley would have insisted on pushing the wedding date back.  She would have put it off until she could lose weight, horrified by the thought of walking down the aisle as a plus size woman.  But that was the old Hayley. 

The new Hayley saw no reason to wait.

Brandon and I were married exactly one month after he proposed.  The timing worked out perfectly, as construction on our quaint little cottage had
just
been completed. 

It worked out perfectly for other reasons, too.

We decided to marry in our backyard, which had been professionally landscaped with beautiful rose bushes and tasteful solar lights.  It was a simple ceremony held at sundown.  It wasn’t the lavish affair one would expect a rich celebrity to throw.  But to me, it was perfect. 

And I could see by the huge smile on his face that Brandon was happy as well.

Everybody close to us was there.  Brandon’s bandmates were in attendance, and Angie was my maid of honor.  Brandon’s parents were there too, of course, as well as a few members of his extended family.  I had been nervous about meeting them, illogically afraid they might not accept me.  But my fears had been unfounded.

In the days leading up to the wedding I had finally had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Brandon’s parents.  His mom was the sweetest, most nurturing woman ever.  And Brandon’s father was a lot like him, so of course I adored him. 

I had been touched by how welcoming and loving my future in-laws had been, accepting me into their family with open arms.

I finally felt like I belonged somewhere in the world.  I was loved and accepted and wanted.

The cat was supposed to be the ring bearer, but in true cat fashion, he decided he wanted to run his own agenda.  He nearly ran off with the rings when a bird flew past and caught his attention.  Everyone had laughed at his antics, which broke the tension and set the tone for the rest of the ceremony.

Thankfully crisis was averted by shaking a bag of treats loudly until the little brat came running.  He held still just long enough for Angie to retrieve the rings from the satin satchel tied loosely around his neck.  Then he decided he was more interested in bird watching than participating in the wedding and took off again.

Thankfully the cat fiasco was the only thing that didn’t go according to plan.  The weather was perfect and the reception was lovely.  The catering company we had hired did a great job and everyone raved about the lobster and steak...not that I ate any of it.

Noticing my empty plate, Brandon leaned over and whispered, “Nerves?”

I offered a half-smile and kissed him in response.

As much as I loved our wedding celebration, I was glad when our guests began to leave.  It had been a long day and all I truly wanted was to be alone with my husband. 

Brandon was my
husband
now.  Wow!  There was something so magical about that word and about the commitment we had made to each other.  I was on cloud nine.

But there was another reason I couldn’t wait to be alone with him.

As we waved goodbye to the last of the guests, I turned to Brandon and smiled.  “Should we head inside?” I asked, looking around at the yard.  “We can tackle the cleanup tomorrow in the daylight.”

“Heading inside sounds good to me,” he replied.  “And don’t worry about cleaning up the yard.  The guys told me they’re going to come back tomorrow to take care of everything for us once they recover from their hangovers.”

Hand-in-hand, we walked to the cottage.  It was small and quaint and absolutely perfect.  It was as though my childhood dream had come to life.  But when we got to the door, Brandon stopped me, blocking my way inside.

“Wait!” he exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?” I demanded, anxious to get inside.

“Nothing, but I want to carry you across the threshold,” he informed me.  “Is that silly?”

I smiled and put my arms around his neck.  “No, it’s sweet,” I told him as he scooped me up.

“I can’t wait to get out of this dress,” I grumbled as Brandon tried to figure out how to navigate the doorway without causing injury to either of us.  “I’ll need your help though.”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied dutifully, still trying to figure out the logistics of the doorway.  “Your dress has all those tie things at the back.  It looks...complicated,” he told me, sounding distracted.  “But don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.”

“Can you set me down for a second?” I asked.

“Uh, okay,” he replied, gently setting me on my feet. “Is everything alright?”

I took a deep breath and then informed him, “Actually, I almost couldn’t fit into my wedding dress at all.  Angie had to pull off several small miracles to squeeze me into it.”

“Well you look absolutely stunning in that dress...and out of it too,” he told me adoringly, completely oblivious to where our conversation was headed.  “So don’t feel bad if you’ve gained a little weight or whatever.  You’re gorgeous and I love your curves.”

I turned around to face him.  “Brandon, I’m pregnant,” I blurted out. 

“You’re...what?”

“I’ve been feeling sick lately.  I thought it was a stomach bug at first, but I couldn’t seem to shake it.  I went to the doctor last week and found out then.  Keeping quiet about it was torture, but I wanted to wait until tonight to tell you!”

Brandon’s eyes were as wide as saucers.  He reached out and touched my stomach tentatively, as though he couldn’t believe the news.  “You mean it?” he asked, sounding absolutely overjoyed.  “We’re having a baby?”

“I mean it,” I smiled, brimming with happiness at his positive reaction.  “We’re having a baby.  You’re going to be a dad!  You’re going to be
the best
dad.”  I couldn’t wait to embark on that new, crazy adventure with the man of my dreams at my side.

Brandon’s eyes welled up with tears of joy at my words.  I was so touched and surprised by his amazing reaction that I quickly followed suit.  He gathered me up into his arms and we cried together.  They were joyful, excited tears.  It was a moment I knew I would remember and look back on with fondness for the rest of my life.

After we had regained our composure, Brandon picked me up again.  Smiling happily, I kissed him.  Then my gorgeous, sweet, amazing husband carefully and lovingly carried me across the threshold into our perfect little cottage – and into our new, perfect life together.

___

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Octavia Wildwood is an English major with a naughty streak. She loves to read and write about feisty heroines, sexy leading men and passionate love affairs wrought with drama and a bit of kink. She’s thrilled that she’s able to get lost in her little fantasy world on a regular basis, and is eternally grateful to the readers who purchase her books! When she isn’t writing, Octavia likes to spend time with her loved ones, bake – and eat – delicious sweet treats and travel.