Page 32 of Rockstar Baby Daddy

She was gorgeous. Smooth, light brown skin with almond-shaped eyes, a mass of coppery curls, high cheekbones, and lusciously full lips. No, she wasn’t just gorgeous. She was stunning. Magnificently, so.

“Um, I was looking for Gavin, yes. But I’m not anymore.” I took a few steps back as the woman approached, looking down to earth in loose jeans and a tank top that showed off muscular arms.

“Sorry to say that Gavin isn’t here. I’m pretty sure Granddaddy said he left to go back to Hollywood sometime last week.”

She knew Aaron, which meant she was close to Gavin. Was she his girlfriend? That thought was hindered by understanding. “He left?” Last week?

She nodded, sympathy swimming in her honey-brown eyes. “Yep. His snake of an agent pushed and pushed, and eventually he gave in, the way he always does. Even sent a helicopter to make sure his cash cow traveled in style.” Her derisive tone was another clue she wasn’t just some girl he’d met and brought home. “Sorry. I shouldn’t say all that to a stranger. I’m Zola, Gavin’s stepsister.”

That name was familiar. It wasn’t a name you came across every day. “I’m sorry, are you in the entertainment industry?”

She let her head fall back and laughed for a full minute, shaking her head and swiping at amused tears. “Hell no. My mom is a model and Gavin’s dad has been my dad since I was a kid, so if you know Gavin, you might have heard my name in passing. I’m a doctor.” Her tone was proud and instantly I liked her.

“You came for a visit and he just left?” That didn’t sound like the Gavin I’d gotten to know, which made me wonder if I even knew the real Gavin Ross.

“Oh, no. Gavin wouldn’t do that. In fact, he offered up his guest house when I told him I got a job in town.”

That sounded like Gavin. “Oh well, it’s no big deal.” Since he was already gone back to greener pastures, there was no reason to worry about informing him about our baby. My baby. “Anyway, welcome to Jackson’s Ridge,” I told her and produced my business card, the way I always did when I met new people. “If you need anything… oh, crap.” My pregnant brain finally put it all together. Zola Ross. Doctor. “You’re the new cardio fellow.” It wasn’t a question.

“That’s right.” She flashed a pretty smile before her brows dipped in question. “How did you know?”

I held my hand out and tried for a smile. “Suzie Wright. Hospital administrator.”

Her brown shoulders sank and her head fell forward. “Does this mean that whatever Gavin’s done has canceled my fellowship?”

I frowned at her question, wondering if this happened to her often. “Hell, no. You were the best candidate for the job and I picked you myself. I look forward to seeing you in action.”

That much was true, but I did feel like crying as I thought of just how tangled this mess with Gavin could become. His sister would be working for me, at JRMC, which meant keeping the pregnancy a secret from him was now an impossibility.

“Seriously, Zola, don’t worry about your job. As long as you perform well, you have a job. Your boss, my brother, is skeptical, but that’s only because he wanted to make the choice himself. I happen to think you’re going to be great for JRMC.”

“You do?”

I nodded. “Absolutely. And I’m a firm believer in judging people on their merit, not their family.”

“You’d be the first, but thank you. Truly.” She flashed a wide, pretty smile that was filled with relief. “Do you want me to call Gavin?”

“No. His quick departure tells me everything I need to know. I’ll see you soon, Zola.” I moved as quickly as my heels and the stone pavers would allow, trying like hell to keep my head held high, to maintain some level of dignity since I’d caught that flash of pity in Zola’s eyes before I turned away.

Pity, because I was sure I wasn’t the first woman to show up after he’d fled town to get away from her. Tears formed in my eyes, blurring my vision just as I reached my car.

Gavin was gone. He’d left like a thief in the night. No, thieves scurried off in shame, while Gavin had departed in style. A helicopter. He had left without a goodbye, which just stung because I hadn’t asked anything of him. Not for his love or his fidelity, and he’d still left without a word. That made me less than a friend and less than a fling. I wasn’t even a happy distraction from the uncertainty of his future.

I was a glorified booty call, and you didn’t do a long goodbye with a booty call. You just stopped calling.

Oh well.That was it, the universe had decided that my initial decision not to tell Gavin that I was pregnant was the right one. He wasn’t interested in any kind of ties, and a baby was the ultimate tie. I drove back to JRMC with a renewed sense of who I was and what I could do when I set my mind to it.

I had a wonderful mother who managed a full-time job and a household with two rambunctious kids. I could do it that, be the best mother I could possibly be to my child.

I had six months to learn everything I could, to get used to the idea of doing it on my own. To plan exactly how I would make it all happen.

Gavin

“Call me.”

My stepsister Zola had sent a vague text message early this morning and I couldn’t stop staring at it. Zola and I weren’t close because she preferred to stay out of the spotlight, but our parents had been married a long time and she was the kid sibling I’d wanted badly when I was a boy. She rarely called and she never asked for favors, no matter how many times I told her she could call at any time for any reason.

Why would she want me to call her now?My curiosity burned, but there was no time to reply because I was headed into a meeting with the studio executives who had waited two months longer than my contract dictated for my new album.

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