Page 84 of Love is a Drum Beat
“Drew?”
“Sorry, Joey. I’m on the road trying to get back before Piper kills me.”
Jo closed her eyes and sighed. “Why does the world think I have a harem?”
Drew choked on a laugh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay, sure. Let’s pretend I believe that. I’ll put out a statement saying you were mis-quoted. Right? There probably won’t be any people who overheard you coming out to call us liars.”
“It wasn’t just me!” he burst out.
She already figured that. There was one person who was just as ridiculous as him. “You idiots are not my harem. Don’t you think I’d pick guys who weren’t in love with other people? Or at least guys who brought me chocolatey snacks when I’m in the hospital?”
“What is that? Static. Jo, I think I’m losing you.”
“Drew,” she groaned.
“I can’t hear you anymore, Jo. But read the articles more closely. The harem isn’t the biggest piece of news. Oh no, I’m going through a tunnel. I’m—” Click.
Jo rolled her eyes, wishing Drew could see what a weirdo she thought he was. She’d have bet anything there was no tunnel.
Read the articles more closely.
Jo had only read the headline. She skimmed the words, looking for anything of interest before freezing as she reached the list of the supposed members of said harem.
Drew Stone.
Ben Evans.
Noah Clarke.
Dax Nelson.
She stared at the last name on the list until her vision went blurry.
Dax Nelson. A memory from before giving birth came back to her. Dax showed her a video of him arriving at the hospital. With all the excitement, and everything that had happened since, she’d completely forgotten her world wasn’t the only one completely blown wide open.
The world knew.
She typed Dax’s name into Google as her heart beat faster and faster. She tapped the first link she saw. It was a blog post. The headline read “The real Dax Nelson.”
Jo could hardly breathe as she read the article and stared at the pictures they’d taken outside the hospital. The world now knew his face. The video he’d shown her before wasn’t the only one. They’d dug up old pictures of him, interviewed people who said they knew him. Probably liars. It was a circus.
The Dax with the big life but small world let few people in, and now the world would be banging on his front door. Figuratively of course.
She tapped a picture of Dax and Drew leaving the hospital. It enlarged, and she zoomed in to take in his wide eyes, the hands that had held hers stuffed deep in his pockets.
She didn’t want to believe it had only been for her, but she pictured him showing up in the hospital room, his eyes wild.
Footsteps sounded outside her door, and she held her breath, hoping it was Dax. When they faded away, she released the breath and pulled her blanket up to her chin. Dax wasn’t coming back. Now that she had the baby, did he want her to move on with her life?
Her eyes fell on Ali. “It’s just you and me, little alien.” Because whatever her rock star friends said, they had their own lives to live, careers that kept them apart. But that was okay. Jo Jackson was used to taking care of herself. And she could do this. She could take care of her daughter, be a mom.
26
Dax
“I should be back over there.” Dax paced the length of his living room. He’d tried going back, but the minute he’d seen how many cameras had arrived outside the hospital, he’d frozen. Ben didn’t give him a chance to decide what to do next. He drove him home.
