Page 57 of Rockstar Baby Daddy

I shook my head. “I don’t need fancy gifts, Gavin. All I need is you, as much of you as I can get.”

Gavin chuckled and tapped the tip of my nose. “That’s another thing I love about you, Suzie Q, you make me work hard as hell to impress you and I’m better for it.” He leaned back and dug into the duffel bag and produced a medium-sized box. “But it took me some time to track this down and I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.”

“That confident in how well you know me, rock star?” I removed the lid and groaned. “I hope this isn’t a little black dress that I’m at least a year away from being able to fit into.”

Gavin snorted. “Give me a little credit.”

I pushed away the tissue paper to find an envelope. I didn’t know what to expect, but the look on Gavin’s face forced me to slow my movements. I flipped open the tab and frowned. It was a photo or a document. I smiled up at him. “An autographed photo of my favorite musician?”

His lips pulled into a smile even as he rolled his eyes at me. “Guess again. Or, better yet, pull it out.”

I didn’t pull it out, I turned the envelope upside down and let the heavy paper slide out. “Gavin,” I gasped and put my hand to my mouth as the photo fell on top of the tissue paper. It was two faces I barely remembered. A wedding photo of a young couple, their features played along the outskirts of my memory. “Gavin, this is…” I had no words to describe what I was feeling.

“Your mother and father on their wedding day. The photographer, thank goodness, was a bit of a hoarder and when I told him what I was looking for and why, he dug into his collection and found it. Eventually.” His sheepish smile was adorable. It was absolutely heart-melting.

My eyes landed on the photo once again, my heart so full I could barely breathe. “They look so young. So happy and in love.” I could barely remember them, but this photo brought back the little bit I could. “I can’t believe you did this, Gavin. This is special and amazing, and it tells me you are exactly the man I think you are.”

“Aww, shucks.”

He was so silly and sweet and charming. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed tight because I never wanted him to think he wasn’t worthy of my heart, my love. “I mean it. This is the most thoughtful gift I could have ever imagined. And the fact that you listened, well… I love you and I’m never letting you go.”

He flashed a satisfied smile and pushed his chest against mine. “I’m gonna hold you to that, Suzie Q.”

“Hold me however you want, Gavin.”

He smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek, keeping one arm around me as he nodded for the box. “It’s not empty yet, is it?”

“You tell me.” My heart raced as my mind took off, thinking of all the possibilities of what was underneath the tissue paper. It was too soon, I knew, to expect anything as extravagant as a ring, but my heart was ever hopeful.

He smiled and whispered in my ear. “The box isnotempty.”

Buried underneath a pile of even more tissue paper was a lone box, and this time, there was no doubt about what was inside. The small baby-blue box with a big white bow sat at the bottom, staring back at me.

“Open it up.”

My hands shook as I reached inside and plucked the box from the tissue paper. It was heavier than it should have been in my hand, and I took my time, pulling off the bow-capped lid with a loud gasp that cut through the silence. A gorgeous oval-shaped diamond sat there, looking beautiful and shiny and tempting.

“Gavin?”

He smiled. “Surprised?”

“Hell yeah, I am.”

His laughter broke the tension in the room. “Good. I have to keep you on your toes.” Where I thought he might release me and run a hand through his thick blond hair, Gavin tugged me closer and pressed his lips to my forehead. “It’s not an engagement ring,” he sighed. “Not yet, anyway. It’s a promise ring, Suzie. As soon as this tour is over, I’m coming home to you. To you and our baby girls. For good.”

“Gavin.” I wanted to stop the rush of promises that he couldn’t possibly keep.

“I’m going to write and record as much as I can from here in Jackson’s Ridge. I’ll still have to travel for interviews and performances, but I hope it won’t always be alone. Sometimes, we can load up the jet with car seats and bassinets and baby bags, and bring the whole family.”

His joy, his excitement was contagious, and I couldn’t help but smile right along with him as he laid out his plans for our life together.

Our life. Together.It had a wonderful ring to it.

He gathered my hands in his and kissed each knuckle. “You have to say something, Suzie Q. Don’t leave me hanging. If that sounds too much for you, I’ll hang up the mic.”

“No,” I practically growled at him. “You won’t. I love you for offering, but that is not on the table. Got it?”

He nodded slowly. “Is it wrong that bossy Suzie is kind of turning me on?”

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