Battlescars: A Rock & Roll Romance Read online

  Jake

  I would never admit to Aubrey how disappointed I was when they said it was kidney stones. Don’t get me wrong, I was miserable when the doctor said that they would cause her pain, but I seriously wished that she were pregnant instead. Growing up like I did and coming from a fucked up broken home made me want to have kids. I wanted to give them everything I didn’t have. Aubrey would make a fantastic mom too. It was nice to see her coming out of her shell more lately. I liked to think that I had something to do with it. Every day I tried to do something to show her how much I loved and cherished her no matter how small or trivial. She looks at me like there’s nobody else in the world and that’s all I could ever hope for. I’m seriously the luckiest guy in the fucking world that she agreed to marry me. I never in a bazillion years thought this existed for someone like me.

  Our last few tour dates were coming to an end. We would just have the Radioactive show left, and then it was off to Arizona for the wedding. We decided to get married at Ron’s ranch since he was in a wheelchair now and wasn’t up for travelling. I felt like it was important to involve him especially because he was the closest thing I had to family. He was beyond thrilled about Aubrey. He couldn’t wait to finally meet her. We were flying everyone in to stay there a couple days before the ceremony to have a meet and greet. It was plenty big enough to house everyone. The ranch was a little extreme for what he needed but I wanted to make sure that he could get around in his old age. After what he did for me, the least I could do was buy him a crazy, big house and make sure that he was set for life.

  I’m sure a shrink would have a field day with me.

  Tomorrow was Aubrey’s twenty-fourth birthday, and I had grandiose plans in the works. I watched as she slept peacefully beside me. She always looks like an angel when she’s sleeping. I can’t believe I get to do this for the rest of my life. I felt bad because she had a bit of a rough day with the kidney stones passing. I was hoping she would be better tomorrow. I thought about rescheduling the first event, but I thought it was something she would really enjoy so as long as she was feeling up to it we’d still go.

  I woke her up at a little after ten. I wished her a happy birthday and gave her breakfast in bed. She seemed to be in a great mood and was feeling much better today. After breakfast, I told her to get ready and to dress comfortably. She came back in the room fifteen minutes later wearing jeans and a hoodie, with a grin on her face. To me she looked like the most beautiful girl in the world no matter what she was wearing. I led her down to the car with Brett following closely behind. He was on high alert with all the activities I had planned for today. She was shocked when we arrived at our first destination.

  “I know you’ve been up in one of these plenty of times, but I don’t think you’ve ever jumped out.”

  She clapped her hands and grinned excitedly. We watched a video, and they gave us a quick lesson before we were strapped in our harnesses. We ushered over to the plane. I was cracking up because Brett was jumping too, and he looked hilarious in his tight harness. Once we reached altitude they opened the hatch. I kissed Aubrey before our tandem jumpers grabbed us and jumped out the door. At first I was scared to death, but it was so freeing and the view was spectacular. Brett screamed like a girl the entire time. Once we were on the ground Aubrey ran over and tackled me to the ground.

  “That was so much fun!” She squealed.

  I smiled because her happiness was contagious. I told her there was more, and we left to go on our next adventure. We headed off to start the scavenger hunt that would lead us to her main present. I worked really hard all this week setting everything up. I had the guys out most of the night helping me finish setting it up so that she wouldn’t get suspicious. I handed her a basket that held a clue. It would help her find the first place on the list.

  “Let’s see, it’s got something to do with chocolate.” She beamed.

  I nodded. My little chocoholic.

  We pulled up to the main street in Polk, Oregon and climbed out of the SUV. Brett was following closely behind as Aubrey followed the trail of cupcakes drawn in chalk up the sidewalk to Cora’s Confections. I opened the door, and we walked in. In the front of the store was a table set up with an assortment of cupcakes. There was an edible note attached that said Eat Me. She sat and happily ate her cupcakes feeding me the occasional bite. Aubrey was a sucker for anything sweet, especially chocolate. Cora boxed up the rest of the cupcakes and wished Aubrey a happy birthday. She put them in a pink bag and handed her a brown lunch bag with a note attached. Aubrey opened the envelope and pulled out the note. It said Feed Me and there were directions attached. They led us to a little pond that was full of swans and ducks. The bag was filled with breadcrumbs. There was a purpose for this one other than her entertainment.

  “Did you know swans mate for life?” I told her.

  She nodded sheepishly making me laugh. It was funny how little things like that seemed to embarrass her. We fed them for a little while, and when she was out of breadcrumbs I told her to go check under the bench nearby. There was another note that read Mark Me! along with another set of directions. I didn’t want her to overdo it by walking, so I told her to hop on. I gave her a piggyback ride to our next stop. It led us to a tattoo shop. This was more for me than her. She eyed me skeptically and I shook my head not giving anything away. I walked inside and said hi to the owner, Paul. He was a friend of Blake’s from high school and already had the sketch ready to go.

  I sat in the tattoo chair and let him get to work. Aubrey watched as the needle bit into my neck. Forty-five minutes later he was done. I turned to let her get a good look. Aubrey was tattooed in elegant script across the left side directly below my ear. She looked shocked, but kissed me and told me that she loved it. She knew that I put everything I had into everything that I did. She called it ‘balls to the wall.’ It was one of the things I loved most about her. She accepted all of me. She surprised me by climbing into the chair after Paul wrapped my tattoo. She whispered something in his ear, and he nodded. He changed gloves and needles and took her left hand. She got a J tattooed on the inside of her ring finger. I shook my head and laughed. She never did what I expected her to.

  “Tit for tat baby. You got me, so I got you.” She grinned.

  I fucking loved this girl.

  Paul handed her the next clue. She opened the envelope and grinned like a lunatic. There was a shitload of twenties inside. Twenty-four hundred dollars worth to be exact, with a note saying Share Me! She loved helping people, and I figured this would make her happy. I was right. She practically bounced out the door. Brett was having a heart attack. His hand was on the gun the entire time. She was going from person to person and giving out money to those that looked like they could use it. She even got a couple hugs, which she accepted graciously. They were mostly from women, but my heart swelled that she was able to let them close to her.

  Her next clue was attached to a telephone pole. It said Pick Me! We walked down the street and around the corner to Doggy Delight where we met Maggie. We walked in and as soon as she got “the look” I knew I did well. Maggie had Bella all ready and waiting with two bright pink bows in her hair. Bella was a miniature Yorkshire terrier. She was black with some brown around her face. She had a bedazzled collar and pink nails. Who knew that they made nail polish specifically for dogs? I didn’t, but as soon as I found out I knew Aubrey would want it.

  “You bought me a baby!” She cooed.

  I nodded.

  Maggie handed over Bella. This was Kevin’s mission. I was the one that decided to get the dog, but he picked her out and helped me name her. We decided on Bella since Bellissimo was my nickname for Aubrey. He already had all of the supplies back at the hotel. All I did was get the proper clearance to keep her there. I could tell she was in love. Maggie rolled around Bella’s new pink pet stroller, and Aubrey squealed. She placed Bella inside and zipped it up. She hugged Maggie, and we left.

  “How did I do?” I asked.


  “Seriously? This is the best birthday ever! You put so much thought into everything. You picked all my favorite things too. Thank you Jake.” She beamed, and it was all the assurance I needed. Now, I needed to think of a way to top this next year.

  “I already told you baby, there’s nothing too good for you. I wanted to keep going, but the boys cut me off.” I put my arm around her as she pushed the damn dog in the stroller.

  Aubrey

  One week later…

  “Who’s the cutest baby in the whole, wide world?” I cooed.

  “I am.” Blake said.

  “Fuck you, I am.” Derek said pushing Blake.

  “I was talking to the dog you morons.” I teased.

  I absolutely adored Bella. Jake came back into the room after going to change his pants since Bella peed on him. I cuddled her closely as he came to kiss my head. I put her in a little baby sling that I wrapped around me. It was something you would put an actual baby in, but she loved it, so that’s how I carried her around. We were sitting backstage at the last show before we headed LA. We were in San Francisco. I was really not feeling good today. We were scheduled to see Jake’s doctor tomorrow to see if there was something I could do to get a little relief. I knew he was worried about me, but pain was something I was used to dealing with by now.

  “You’re lucky I love you so much, and I know how much you love that damn dog because otherwise she would be gone.” He smiled.

  I laughed. Bella slept next to me every night and constantly licked his face. It was adorable. He was such a good daddy to her. He took her out for walks and made sure she was taken care of, especially when I wasn’t feeling well. Which lately had been almost every day. I was feeling extremely run down and looking forward to getting some rest after this weekend. Since I wasn’t feeling well, I opted to stay in the dressing room during the show tonight. I kissed Jake and told him to have a good show. He told me earlier that I could stay at the hotel, but I didn’t want to stay there. I belonged here, with him. I hugged Bella tightly in her little cocoon and closed my eyes for a couple minutes. When I opened my eyes, I was being moved. I couldn’t believe that I slept through the entire set.

  “Jake, put me down.” I scolded playfully.

  “No can do.” Was the reply.

  “Come on, I’m gonna throw up!”

  He moved me so that he was carrying me bridal style. Brett was holding Bella like a baby and tickling her belly. I knew I slept like the dead, but I was surprised they were able to take her from me without me waking up. I started laughing because for being such a big, tough guy he was a real softy. Jake helped me into the limo, and Brett handed me Bella. We were heading straight to the airport tonight. I snuggled into Jake and closed my eyes again. He woke me up when we got to the airfield. I clambered sleepily onto the plane. Mark looked at me concerned. I brushed it off and ran to the bathroom to throw up. Jake came up behind me and held my hair.

  “You’re the best hair holder ever born.” I cooed.

  “Baby, are you sure you feel okay? You’re looking pretty pale.”

  “I’m fine, just sleepy. I’ll be fine once we get home.”

  “We’re still going to the doctor tomorrow.” He said sternly.

  I nodded and got settled in for the short flight. When we touched down, Brett did a quick security check of the surrounding area before letting us in the car. When we arrived at Jake’s, he demanded to go inside before we did and check the entire place. He said, “better to be too safe than sorry,” especially since he who shall not be named was in town. He checked everything and gave us the all clear. Jake carried in our luggage and helped me upstairs. I showered and climbed into bed. Jake was still out taking Bella for her walk. A couple minutes later Bella curled up in my side, and I felt Jake slid in next to me. I drifted off hoping to sleep off whatever was making me feel so sick.

  The next morning I woke up and got ready to go to the doctor. I felt even more miserable today. Jake helped me get dressed in a sweat suit and led me down to the kitchen. He tried to convince me to eat something, but I knew I couldn’t stomach anything without wanting to throw up. He relented and led me into the Range Rover helping me get inside. We drove down the street and pulled onto the 405 right into prime LA traffic. We arrived at a swanky office building an hour later. Jake filled out the paperwork, and we were immediately ushered back to an exam room. A few moments later a petite doctor came in.

  “Hi Jake. You must be Aubrey.” I nodded. “I’m Dr. Suzy Scott. My husband is Jake’s doctor, but they thought you might be more comfortable with a female.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I see here that you’ve been diagnosed with kidney stones. I’d like to run some fresh labs so I can get a better assessment. Has anything else been bothering you?”

  “No. I just feel nauseous all the time.”

  “Alright. Quick prick.” She stuck the needle into my arm and drew some blood.

  She handed me a cup for a urine sample. She left with both and told us to hang tight until the results came back. Jake was pacing a hole in the floor while we waited for her to come back. She came in a little while later with a paper in her hand.

  “We got your blood work back, and I want to confirm something. She had me lay back on the table. She rolled my shirt up and squirted some warm liquid around my belly button. She took the ultrasound wand and started running it across my abdomen.

  “First, it looks like the kidney stones have dissipated. I don’t think that’s where your symptoms are coming from.” She moved the wand again. “Your blood work came back showing elevated levels of HCG, the pregnancy hormone. Looks like you two are going to be parents. They didn’t check last time because the kidney stones showed up right away. It would have been too early to tell anyway.”

  I felt like I could faint. I was excited, but nervous at the same time. It was really happening. Jake was grinning from ear to ear. The doctor moved the machine closer so we could see better. She pushed my pants down lower and placed the probe over where the baby was. It looked like a little sack, but it was hard to make anything out. She took a couple screen shots and looked at me, then Jake.

  “Looks like it’s twins.” The doctor smiled.

  “Twins?” I squeaked.

  “Yes!” Jake jumped up from his chair knocking it over in the process. “When I do things I do it right the first time! Balls to the wall, baby. Balls to the motherfucking wall!”

  “Jake!” I scolded.

  “Sorry.” He apologized and picked his chair up so he could sit back down.

  “It’s really hard to get an exact due date yet, but I would say that you’re about five to six weeks along. You should start taking prenatal vitamins right away.” She hit print and handed us a couple ultrasound pictures.

  “She has been taking them for about that long.” Jake stated proudly.

  “Good. I’ll write you a prescription for them as well.”

  She pulled out her pad and wrote the prescription. She handed it to me, and I accepted it with a shaky hand.

  “Congratulations guys.”

  “Thank you.” I said finding my voice.

  She handed me a towel and walked out of the room.

  “We’re going to be parents!” Jake beamed leaning in to kiss me. “To twins.” He smirked.

  “Twins…” I smiled, but I was screaming on the inside.

  I was in complete shock.

  Jake helped me off the table and out to the car. He wanted to know if I needed anything on the way. He specifically asked if I wanted pickles or ice cream. I couldn’t help but laugh. He said even though you weren’t supposed to say anything until after the first trimester that we had to let my parents know. He also said we would need to take a weekend trip to Smithville to look at the property so we could break ground ASAP. I agreed. He picked up his phone and called them on the Bluetooth. My mom answered right away.

  “Hi mom.” Jake said proudly.

  He started calling her that about a month ag
o when we got engaged.

  “Hey sweetie. How are you guys doing? How’s LA?”

  “It’s great actually. Aubrey and I have some news. Is Tim there?”

  “Yeah. Let me get him.” She yelled at him to come over. “Okay, you’re on speaker.”

  “Are you sitting?”

  “What happened? Is Aubrey okay?” Tim yelled.

  “I’m fine!” I yelled.

  “Oh, okay. What’s this news?”

  “You’re going to be grandparents.”

  My mom shrieked, and I could only imagine her face. She was undoubtedly jumping up and down. My dad was probably imagining how the whole thing happened and probably wanted to choke Jake, even though he loved him.

  “That’s wonderful news!” She yelled excitedly.

  “That’s not the best part. It’s twins!”

  “Twins?” My dad choked.

  Exactly my feelings dad…

  “Two, dos, double.” Jake laughed.

  “Oh, we’re just thrilled for you guys.” My mom said.

  “Thanks. We’re going to be planning a trip out soon. I’d like to have a house ready by the time the babies arrive.”

  “Congratulations. We love you both very much.”

  “We love you too! It’s still early, so keep it low key for now.”

  “Of course. Take care of my baby, Jake.”

  “I fully intend to.” He vowed.

  We pulled back into the garage and Jake insisted on helping me to bed. I cuddled Bella while he rubbed my feet and did research some research on the computer. I was letting the news sink in. I knew that I was excited, but the thought of twins literally scared the shit out of me. What about when he was on tour? I would have two babies to take care of instead of one. Double everything. At least we wouldn’t have to worry about money. I already knew I wouldn’t want a nanny. Hopefully my mom would lend a hand when Jake couldn’t. I wanted to mentally slap myself because I was Aubrey Thompson, well almost Aubrey Parker, and I was strong dammit. I could do anything I put my mind to, especially with Jake’s help. He was glowing.