Wicked Flower (35 page)

Epilogue

Six months later, Pittsburgh, PA…

Dani’s due date had long since
come and gone. “Ugh, I don’t feel sexy right now. How in the world can you
stand to be around me? I feel like a gigantic baked potato with arms and legs.
And the gas!”

“Hey, no fair complaining now. I
told you there would be tons of sexual harassment involved when I re-hired you,
Nurse Dani. And Benny passed this article he found online to me that my jizz
has stuff in it that will help you start labor. My prostaglandins can help
stimulate contractions,” he said properly and rehearsed. “So come here. Now.”

Ever telling her what to do. She
smiled. “Those are some big words, Mr. Calderon. Big, intelligent words. You’re
so hot. What are you waiting for? Get over here and help a girl out.”

“I thought you just said you
didn’t feel sexy.”

“I don’t. That’s what’s so
unfair. I’m bloated but hornier than you, even.”

“If I give you the best sex of
your life right now, and it doesn’t send you into labor, will you sit on the
side of the stage while I play?”

How could she say no to that? Why
mess with perfection? Gina was well enough that she and Dani had been able to
travel to this week’s Sin Pointe show in the big city. Pittsburgh was only
twenty miles from Moonlight. Little Cord Calderon might just be born right here
at the show which was fine with her. She just wanted the munchkin out of her
belly. He had to be a giant by now.

Stefan killed her with a wicked
grin.

Jaxon walked by just then. She
should say strutted, in his black pants held together it seemed by zippers. He
ran a hand through his dark blonde pompadour. He was one of Dani’s favorites
because every night when she and Stefan talked on the phone, Stefan would tell
her the daddy trick Jaxon had taught him that day. “Hey sexy, you’re needed for
sound checky in ten minnies. If you see Will, tell him to get his ass on stage
too. Oh fuck, hey, doll,” he said to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t
make my boy too late. And my Lily sends her love. Says she can’t wait ‘til you
get to Bugscuffle.”

Bugscuffle, Tennessee. The tiny
town outside of Nashville where the bad boys of Sin Pointe and their former
assistant now called home. And where soon, she would call home too.

“Aww, tell her thank you and that
I can’t wait to meet her. And your daughter. Maryella?”

“Yep, my Maryellie. Lily tells me
she’s been making little Cordy lots of baby clothes.”

“Oh my goodness. That’s so
sweet.”

“Yeah, she’s a goody. Fuck, I
almost forgot. Lily, Trissy, Hazel, they’re throwing you a baby shower when you
get moved in. You can’t say no so don’t even try. Right, mate?” He lifted his
chin at Stefan who just smiled back.

Dani could listen to Jaxon speak
in that rhymy Aussie voice of his for hours on end but the only man she ever
wanted to hear sing was her Stefan. Just the thought of being here live at his
show gave her a hot case of fan girl crush.

“I guess our prosta, what did you
call it, Hon?”

“Prostaglandin.”

“Right. Our prostaglandin semen
exchange session is going to have to wait. Your boys need you. Go ahead and go.
I’ll go sit with Mom backstage and if I run into Will, I’ll tell him he’s been
summoned.”

Stefan looked mischievous. “I
think I know where Will is. And if you’d have bet me money all those months ago
when you said he was into your sister, you’d be a little richer right now.”

“Really?” She didn’t mean to
squeal but next to her getting the boy, she would be over the moon if Will got
the girl. Especially if it was her sister. “Hurry, tell me more. Then you have
to go.”

Stefan zipped his fingers across
his lips.

“Don’t even pull that bro-code
crap on me. You’re not supposed to be mean to your fiancée.”

“All I’ll say is that I may have
seen his phone in the dressing room bathroom and it may have flashed an
incoming call with your sister’s name.”

“Which means he would have
manually had to enter it in!”

“Or your crazy sister could have
snatched his phone from him and manually entered it herself. But yes, both
ways, it’s in there and calls have been made.” He zipped a finger over his lips
again. “That’s all you’re getting. Now I’ll go snatch his ass out of the toilet
and I’ll see you soon.”

His hand was still tentative
whenever he rubbed her belly but he was getting better at allowing himself to
accept that any day now, he’d be Cord’s step-daddy. She felt his grin widen as
he kissed her long and hard. “Okay, I’ve gotta go make some noise.”

“Go get ‘em, baby. I’ll be right
here waiting.”

He saluted her from his heart and
ran down the hall to the dressing room. All in tight white, he streaked away
like only her Superman could. Her hero. Her good, her bad. Her everything.

Cord had run out of room to kick
her much at this point so he butted up against her ribs and she found that
stubborn little foot of his and gently pushed it back in under her rib. She
took a super deep breath, held it and let it whistle out.

He was one lucky little man.

His father loved him enough to
let the man who loved her raise him as his son. Thom was good, as she’d always
known, and proved it during the short visit they’d had during his mid-tour
leave. The best man though? Her Stefan. She’d shared Thom’s acceptance of the
situation over the phone that night and Stefan surprised her saying he’d like
to meet Cord’s father one day. To thank him.

Cord had so many loving homes
just waiting to welcome him into the world, it nearly made Dani cry. Grandma
Gina would be making their big move to Bugscuffle. Their new place wasn’t too
far from Auntie Trista and Uncle Lucky’s house.

She clicked open her phone’s
photo album and scrolled through the pics Stefan had sent her of the nursery in
their new house, just waiting for the little guy to be born so they could
finally make the big move and be together. Stefan hadn’t wanted her to risk any
stress with a move during her pregnancy with him on the road and unable to be
with her.

Whether they were here in
Pittsburgh in the fancy hotel just minutes away from the hospital with Mommy
and Daddy … and Uncle Will … and possibly Aunty Daisy—who knew?—Will could be
hiding her baby sister in his dressing room as they spoke—no matter where they
were, this little guy was being born into one amazing family. Dani couldn’t
wait to meet the entire gang in person.

Drums started up.

The bass joined in.

Keys, electric guitar and her
man’s deep honey voice brought the jam to life.

Her head started bobbing the
second Stefan’s bass fell into that perfect groove with Will’s drums. He’d
taught her that.

All she could think as she closed
her eyes and felt the music crawl up from the floor into her toes and up her
legs, was…

Mine.

Dani smiled. And yeah, she cried.
Because she was nine months pregnant, her hormones were a real you know what,
and whether she was a toad, a princess or a pumpkin, she was living her fairy
tale life. Stefan Calderon was her wickedly cool happy ending.

****

Stefan stood there on stage,
taking it all in. He was one lucky bastard. As he geared up to belt out
“Touch”, the thought that he kept locked in his brain every second of every day
he had with Dani made his heart pound with fierce, wicked love…

If you cannot be
good for yourself, be good for her. Always be good for her.

—Stefan Calderon

The End

www.carlenelove.com

Other
Books by Carlene Love Flores:

www.evernightpublishing.com/carlene-love-flores

If
you enjoyed this book, you may also like:

Coming Home by April
Zyon

Shattered Hearts by Erika Reed

Colors of Us by Sandra
Bunino

Evernight
Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com