“I have no idea,” she says, laughing. “Rosie’s been fighting a cold, so I offered to not go into town this afternoon to let her get some sleep but someone named Edita came and stole Zane, said they were taking care of him for me and that’s the last I saw of him.”
I blink. “You’re not…worried?”
“Here?” She laughs. “Not even a little. Tyler is like family, and Casey is family now by extension because of him. We always get treated like royalty when we’re here. In fact, Rosie texted a couple of hours ago to tell me someone called a doctor for her and they got her some antibiotics because it turns out she has a sinus infection. So no, I’m sure my baby boy is being spoiled to death by whomever he’s with.”
“I guess I don’t know everyone the way you do,” I say apologetically.
“Oh, believe me, if we were anywhere else, other than my dad’s house or with Zaan’s parents, I wouldn’t feel this way. But this is like home. Casey is truly one of the best people I know.”
I look around the room and realize that everyone here is pretty wonderful and I’ve taken that for granted.
“I’m still trying to figure out how I fit in,” I admit, “but every time I come hang out I feel like I fit in a little more.”
“You’re one of us,” Ryleigh says, sinking down across from us.
For some reason, that makes me well up with tears.
“Thanks,” I sniffle. “Don’t mind me—everything makes me cry these days.”
“I remember,” Lexi says. “But it will all be worth it when you meet your little guy or girl.”
“You don’t know what it is yet, right?” Ryleigh asks.
I shake my head. “Not yet. My twenty-week appointment is coming up right after I get back, and that’s when we should find out.”
“It’s so exciting,” Lexi says, grinning. “I didn’t love being pregnant, but being a mom has been great.”
“Has it been hard being on tour with him?” I ask. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Not at all. And the answer is complicated. Yes, it’s been hard but not harder than being at home wishing I was on tour. The first two months was pretty magical. The three of us bonding—although my husband plays pro hockey so he was only home a week before he had to go back. Our families hovering, everyone so excited to meet him. But then reality sets in.
“And there’s nothing bad. He started sleeping from about eight-thirty to six-thirty by the time he was three months old, and I had both an overnight nanny as well as a regular nanny to help out. But after a while, I started itching to get back to work. To sing and play music and do what I do. I love my son more than almost anything, but I couldn’t give up who I am and what I do to just be a mom. Some people can. I am apparently not one of them.”
“I don’t know what kind of mom I’m going to be yet,” I say. “But I don’t think I could just stay home and do nothing else.”
“I hear you bake the most unbelievable pies ever,” Lexi says. “And I’d like to know why I haven’t tasted one yet.”
“Well, it’s kind of hard to bake on tour,” I say pointedly.
“They’re amazing,” Ryleigh stage whispers.
“What’s amazing?” Tate asks as he sits down on my other side.
“My pies,” I answer, just as my phone pings with a text from Dolly.
DOLLY: Call me, please. There’s a situation with your mom.
Chapter 35
Tate
I can’t see what it says on Summer’s phone but she jumps up, immediately making a call.
“Babe?” I run after her as she starts walking away.
“Hello? Dolly? What’s going on? Can you hear me?” I move with her, straining to hear what Dolly’s saying.
I can only make out some of it.
