Page 56 of Please Save Me

“Yes–But I also have a doctor’s appointment to go to withyourbiggest money maker–No, I’m not carrying the baby. I don’t have a uterus. Are you fucking stupid?”

And that was my sign to intervene before Lucian’s mouth cost him his dreams.

I snuck up on him, and he jumped when I put a hand on his shoulder. “You aren’t famous enough to be a diva.”

His brows knit together as he glared at me before placing a hand over the bottom of the phone. The black polish on his nails was chipped to hell. Normally, he painted them once a week when he did Juniper’s nails. It was like a daddy-daughter bonding activity, except Jasper sometimes wanted his nails done, too. Lucian just didn’t have time to paint them recently, even though he made time for the kids.

“Shut. Up. Cameron,” he growled.

“Don’t come crying to me when they realize you’re too big of a pain in the ass to work with.”

Lucian rolled his eyes and looked away. That’s when I realized I’d have to hit a little harder if I actually wanted him to listen.

So I pressed my lips directly to his ear before whispering, “It’ll probably make Mason sad if you get let go after she pulled so many strings to get you here.”

The glance Lucian shot me was still mean enough to let me know he was pissed off, but the softness in his eyes hinted at the fact he knew I was right.

His shoulders fell as he closed his eyes and exhaled.

“I can send you a few rough demos by the end of the day, but they won’t be studio quality,” he relented.

Apparently, that’s all whoever he was talking to wanted because the second he finished speaking, he hung up before hurling his phone at the wall.

“Fuck!” he shouted.

I placed another hand on his shoulder before wrapping my arms around his chest. Lucian was always warm, which made up for the fact he wasn’t necessarily the softest person to cuddle.

“Are you really pitchin’ a fit because you have to do some work?” I teased.

“Um, excuse you?” He snorted, turning just enough to make eye contact. “Because Mason’s record label doesn’t keep their word, I have to tell Sera she needs to put off tattooing on human skin today. It was supposed to be her first time, and now I look like an asshole!”

To be fair… Lucian was an asshole. But that wouldn’t help the situation. Also, I had a feeling Lucian just didn’t read the contract.

“Let’s think about it. Your shop doesn’t open until noon,” I said, lifting Lucian’s arm to look at his watch. “So, you have almost four hours to work on your music.”

“Uh, wrong. I need to go to the OB with Mason, and it takes half an hour to get there. Then her doctor is always an hour late, but God forbid if we’re fucking late. Then, Mason and I also go to a nearby coffee shop to get her a little treat because she’s growing a baby and deserves it. Also, by the way, her growth scan last week told us that Rosie is going to be fucking huge, so thanks for that.”

I added that to the list of things in Mason’s pregnancy that I’d need to apologize for. Hopefully, size was all Rosie would get from me.

“And if all that wasn’t enough, I’m planning on proposing today after the appointment!” Lucian continued.

I could tell by how much angrier he sounded that his proposal was the major issue. And… the selfish part of me wasn’t ready for him to have a more formal bond with Mason than I did. Being the father of her child was one thing, but it’dnevercompare to the title of husband. So, despite the fact I didn’t want to marry Mason, nor did I want to see Lucian NOT marry Mason, I decided to dissuade him.

“It seems like she always has a doctor’s appointment nowadays. Just do it after the next one.”

“Why are you talking like I’m not going?” A dry, humorless laugh punctuated Lucian’s question.

I held my palms up to let him know I meant no harm. “All I’m saying is Mason has other partners. Plus, she did the first twenty-something weeks of this pregnancy without you.”

And that seemed only to anger him more. “Okay, but she was in France and had a car. Mason has yet to get her own vehicle, still gets lost in the grocery store here, and deserves support. So if I don’t go, who will?You?”

I looked away from him.

“No, of course not. Because you couldn’t even take her to the fucking hospital when you thought she was in labor.” He jabbed a finger to my chest.

My lips rolled in, and I shook my head. “What about Sophia? If she goes, Mason still has support, Seb ain’t near her, and you get your time to work. Everyone wins.”

Lucian’s annoyed stare told me he knew I was right.

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