FanGirl Squeal (RockStars of Romance Book 1) (33 page)

“Yes,” he answered. “I promise.”

Victoria rested her head on Cash’s shoulder. As he looked at
her, he didn’t see a world famous actress. He saw a scared mother-to-be,
vulnerable and fragile. He saw what he saw every day for three years, the woman
without her mask. Cash brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead
as she wiped her eyes. Cash gently placed his hand on top of Victoria’s baby
bump. She rested her hands on top of his. When she looked into his eyes, all
Cash saw was her smile, bright enough to light up the room.

“We get to see our little girl today,” Victoria squealed
softly.

This was the first appointment she had in Los Angeles and
the first appointment that Cash was able to attend. He was extremely excited to
hear his daughter’s heartbeat for the first time and definitely satisfied with
Victoria’s choice of L.A. doctors.

Dr. Margolis was a skilled obstetrician who had delivered
quite a few celebrity babies. She came highly recommended due to her
discretion. When she entered the examination room, Cash slid back in his chair
and observed.

He wasn’t concerned about Victoria’s health. She always took
care of her body. She’d only been sick once in the three years they’d been
together. Now that she was carrying his child, he suspected that she was
probably the healthiest pregnant woman in the country.

“Dr. Flynn in New York sent over all your records,” Dr.
Margolis informed Victoria. “You’re in great health. I would like to do a
complete exam since you’re my new patient. Is that okay with you?”

Victoria nodded.

“And is it okay if Dad leaves the room for that part?”

Cash grinned at being referred to as Dad for the first time
as he stood up.

“That’s cool with me. I’m not really here for that part.”

Dr. Margolis smiled warmly. “Most fathers aren’t. There’s a
private waiting area down the hall for my patients. I’ll have a nurse come get
you when we’re ready.”

Cash left the room and found the private waiting room. It
was empty. He sat down on one of the plush chairs and called his mother.
Jennifer breathlessly answered after the third ring.

“What were you doing?” Cash asked.

“Watch your tone, boy. Who are you barking at?”

“Sorry, Ma. What’s up? What were you doing?”

“Packing. I found a house in Boston. I close on it next
week.”

“Yeah, ummm, I kinda need to talk to you about that,” Cash
said.

Jennifer sighed. Cash could hear her throwing something into
a box and the sound of packing tape ripping. “What now?”

“I’m firing Bryan and Olivia. I can’t take it, Ma. She’s-”

“You don’t have to tell me what she’s doing wrong,” Jennifer
broke in. “I read. Even if it wasn’t about Savannah, I was going to recommend
you fire them anyway. If Bryan can’t manage you alone, you have to move on. You
and Olivia don’t mesh.”

“Will you come back and be my manager again?”

“Absolutely not,” Jennifer laughed. “You’re a big boy, Cash.
You’re twenty-nine years old. Find your own manager or manage yourself. I think
you can do it. You know better than anyone what you want and where you want to
take your career. Hire a couple of assistants and call it a day. I’m retired.”

“Ma!” Cash whined. “You’re really not going to help?”

“No, I am not. I’m moving back home. I’m gonna have lunch
with my sisters. We’re gonna go on vacations and I’m going to love on my nieces
and nephews for a bit. Then when you have your baby, I’m going to love on her a
lot and just be grandma.”

“You act like you’re so old. You’re not even fifty!”

“And that’s fine. Cash,” Jennifer said softly. “I’m tired
and it’s time that I do for myself, ya know. I love you, baby, but I cannot
work for you again. Even without an official manager, you have a strong team
around you. You can do this. And I’ll be there to consult with, but I’m not on
your payroll anymore.”

Cash sighed into the phone, feeling completely defeated. He’d
hoped that his mother would come through for him but he respected her decision.
He’d monopolized her time for twenty-nine years.

The cheery receptionist poked her head into the waiting area
and told him that he could go back into Victoria’s exam room. Cash tucked his
phone in his pocket and took a deep breath. His palms were actually sweating.
When he entered the exam room, Victoria was lying back on the bed and her
stomach was uncovered. Dr. Margolis was spreading some type of clear gel on her
protruding belly.

“Are you ready?” Victoria asked with a huge grin on her
face.

Cash simply nodded and sat down next to her. The doctor
began to run a wand-looking object over Victoria’s belly then the sound of his
daughter’s rapid beating heart filled the room. Cash couldn’t prevent the tears
welling up in his eyes even if he wanted to. His daughter’s heartbeat,
Christina’s heartbeat, pounded in his ears and filled his heart with an amazing
and terrifying sensation.

“Jesus,” he breathed. “That’s her. That’s my baby?”

“That’s your daughter,” Dr. Margolis nodded. “She’s got a
nice strong heartbeat.”

Cash glanced at Victoria and smiled. This was it. This was
really real. In four months, he was going to be responsible for her and
Christina forever. In that moment, he felt the tides shift and his life had
officially changed.

The private dining room of
Carbon Beach Club at the Malibu Beach Inn was decorated
in pink and green balloons and tablecloths. A fountain in the corner poured out
pink champagne. Twin three tiered birthday cakes were decorated with birthday
messages to the twins sat on another table. A round table in the other corner
was covered in birthday gifts. The large room was filled with Savannah and
Ashley’s closest friends and family. Cash walked in with Brandon, who’d flown
in to celebrate with his childhood friends. Cash recognized Cassie and Joy from
the party in New York. He was happy to see that Amy and Jason had made it to
Malibu. The Ford clan, grandparents included, was shooting daggers at him.

“I don’t know what you did, but you’ve awakened the beast,”
Brandon whispered as Ashley Ford approached them. “I’m almost sure that it has
nothing to do with you being white,” he laughed.

With the exception of the two-second glance he gave her at
The Roosevelt, Cash had only seen pictures of Savannah’s twin sister. Ashley
was even more striking in person. Usually with identical twins, there were
subtle or sometimes obvious differences in appearance that aided in telling
them apart. As Cash’s took in Ashley’s appearance, he realized that Savannah
and Ashley were identical in every single way except for their hair. Cash was
positive that if Ashley took out her weave, he would not be able to tell, by
sight alone, which one was his girlfriend.

“Hey Counselor Ford! What’s been going on with you?” Brandon
greeted Ashley with a huge smile and hug that seemed to ease her sour
expression.

“I’m still waiting on you to design my dream house,” Ashley
teased.

“Girl, get in line.” Brandon turned to Cash. “Have you met
the newest addition to the Glitter Gang?”

Ashley burst out laughing. “Do you guys still call
yourselves that? I thought you stopped that in high school.”

“What? No, girl! We just got more fabulous, that’s all. We
don’t wear glitter; we wear diamonds now, honey. Anyway, Counselor, this is
Cash Myers. Cash, this is the best civil litigator on the east coast, Mrs.
Ashley Ford-Houston.”

Cash extended his hand but Ashley opted for grabbing his arm
and pulling him out of the dining room away from the party.

“Umm, hello?” Cash said uneasily as the door shit behind
them.

“Hello. May I ask what you’re doing here?”

The directness of Ashley’s question caught Cash off guard.
He wasn’t used to people he didn’t know being so blunt with him and he didn’t
like it.

“Whoa! What did I do to you? I’m here because it’s my
girlfriend’s birthday. I don’t need an invitation. Happy birthday to you too,
Ashley.”

Cash held up the four bright pink gift bags he was carrying.
“I brought gifts.”

“We all brought gifts,” Ashley replied. “Before I take you
back in there and introduce you to my grandparents, I need to know that you got
your people in check. We may be educated, but we are not above reading the
tabloids now that Savanna is dating you. And that manager of yours has quite
the mouth. You might want to inform her that your woman has a hell of a civil
litigator on retainer.”

Cash slowly nodded his head. He liked Ashley. He couldn’t
understand why she and Savannah didn’t get along. It appeared that Ashley had
Savannah’s back.

“I will do that.”

“Good.”

Ashley’s cold, professional demeanor began to dissipate and
she smiled a little.

“Just so you know, I’ve given this thing with you and my
sister a lot of thought. And, if she’s happy, I’m happy for her. That doesn’t
mean the rest of my family is though.”

Ashley and Cash re-entered the private dining room. This
time, he spotted his girlfriend talking to Brandon. Savannah looked very much
like the birthday girl. She wore a pink and green Birthday Girl sash over her
emerald green maxi dress and a tiara on her head. The tiara sparkled so brightly
that Cash couldn’t tell if he was looking at diamonds or Swarovski crystals.

“What’s with the pink and green?” Cash asked Ashley.

“Savannah didn’t tell you she’s an AKA? I don’t believe
that.”

“Oh,” Cash nodded. “These are her sorority colors.”

“Our sorority colors. There are three generations of AKAs in
this room.”

“I was wondering where you two went,” Savannah smiled as she
approached holding another sash and tiara in her hand.

“I told you that I’m not wearing that,” Ashley shook her
head.

“And I told you that you are.”

Savannah threw the sash over her sister’s shoulder and sat
the matching tiara on her head. “See. Twinsies!” she giggled before snapping a
selfie of the two of them.

Then she walked over to Cash and wrapped her arms around
him. “Hey, baby.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him firmly on his lips.
Smiling, she wiped her lipgloss off his lips.

“You look great,” Cash grinned. “Happy Birthday.”

“Ooh, what you get me?” Savannah giggled while taking the
bags out of his hands.

“Two of those are for your sister,” he told her. “Don’t hog
all the gifts.”

Although Cash had been around Brandon, Troy, Jason, and Amy,
he’d never been around so many of Savannah’s friends and family in the same
room. The situation was a little intimidating. He felt every set of eyes on him
when Savannah began to drag him across the room to meet her grandparents.

Timothy Ford Sr. was just as large and imposing as his son.
Not having a man in his life had taught Cash not to be intimidated by them.
However, the Ford men were a force to be reckoned with. Cash was sure that one
word from either man could shut his entire relationship down without a problem.

“Heard you call yourself a guitar man,” the senior Ford said
after Savannah had introduced them.

Cash tried to keep his surprise off his face when he heard
the deeply southern accent of Timothy Ford Sr. He sure wasn’t from New York.
Timothy’s accent was Deep South...deep, deep south, like backwoods Mississippi
south. Places where people still lived on farms with the Ghosts of Mississippi
past still hanging from the trees. Now that was intimidating.

“I play a little,” Cash answered. He certainly didn’t want
start bragging about his musical prowess. That wouldn’t look good at all.

“What kind of music you play?”

“I can play pretty much anything,” Cash answered, “but I
make my living playing pop and soul. I think the term they use is blue-eyed
soul.”

“What you know about soul music?” Mr. Ford chuckled. “You
don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no Sam Cooke, Donnie Hathaway, or that Otis Redding,
do you?”

“Granddad,” Savannah jumped in the conversation. “Don’t do
that. You know Cash is talented. I sent you some of his CDs.”

Mr. Ford patted Cash’s shoulder in a reassuring manner. “I’m
just foolin’ with you, boy. We’ll talk later. Let the girls enjoy their party.”

“Thank you, Granddad.” Savannah gave her grandfather a quick
peck on the cheek and led Cash away to the long table where Amy and Jason were
already seated.

Cash felt a little more relaxed once he started talking to
Jason and Amy. It wasn’t because they were white because he felt just as
comfortable talking to Brandon and Troy. He just knew they weren’t silently
critiquing him or judging his intentions with Savannah.

It seemed like dinner was going well. The chefs came out and
presented their signature dishes for Savannah and Ashley. The sisters were
getting along and enjoying their birthday. Before the second course, Savannah
excused herself for a second to answer a call. Cash didn’t think anything of
it. Savannah was like him. Nothing, not even her birthday, got in the way of
her money.

A few minutes later, Savannah came back into the room. Cash
looked away from the conversation he was having with Jason and caught her eye.
She motioned for him to step outside with her.

“Excuse me,” he said to Jason and followed Savannah down a
secluded hallway. When he reached for her, Savannah jerked away.

“Don’t,” she snapped.

Every antenna Cash had immediately went on high alert.
Something was wrong. Something had happened and he prayed that it wasn’t his
management’s mouth again.

“What’s wrong?”

Savannah held out her phone. At first Cash didn’t realize
that he was looking at until he read the headline on Melrose’s Place.com

REUNITED AND BABY
MAKES 3!

Savannah pulled the phone back to her and read,

“Our prayers have been answered! Cash Myers and Victoria
Williamson, Hollywood’s darling couple, is back together...and expecting. Our
sincerest best wishes and congrats go out to the happy couple! Don’t they look
adorbz having lunch together? No word from either camp if the wedding is back
on but the world will wait with bated breath. We ♥ Vic and Cash!