Hard Rock Unrehearsed (24 page)

Jade gasped in embarrassment.

“Shit, you told her?  Dad we’re not even sure if we’re pregnant or not.”  Diego rasped in a rough voice.

“She’s your mother Diego and she wants to be a mother to Jade, so let it be.  I have waited so many years for this day, to be together as a family again.  Can you give that to me?”

His woman didn’t let him answer, she answered for both of them.  “Okay Papa Luis, we can try this family thing but if you turn out to be as controlling as my Dad I’m going to be seriously pissed off.”  With a gasp she twisted in his lap to look at him with wide eyes.  “We’re going to have to tell him we might be pregnant!  He’s going to hit the roof!”

Diego stroked his hand over her hair and kissed her softly.  “Baby you don’t have to worry about that, he loves you and he will be happy for us whether we are or not.”

And his baby gave it to him, gave him her trust.

“Okay babe.”

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

If they had thought that San Francisco had been a zoo then what was happening in LA was just unbelievable.  Fans and the media jostled trying to get through the barriers erected around the Galloway building in which they were staying.  Steele’s men guarded all the entrances and exits to the building 24/7 to keep everyone out.  Using the Hummer to get around LA was totally out of the question and Adam was again at the helm of the helicopter, flying them where they needed to be.

Jade had calls from Max of ‘Killing Fields’ and Cat from ‘Sweet Sacrifice’ to thank her for the VIP tickets to the show and to confirm that they would be attending.  The members of both bands were on Jade’s list of guests attending the show and the after party, which was turning into a huge celebrity filled bash.  Because of the huge splash the whole drug cartel thing had made in the media everyone who was anyone wanted to be seen hanging out with the band.  Astrid had had to pull two of her assistants in from New York to help.  They were constantly fielding calls from agents trying to get their clients onto the guest list and from strangers professing to be friends of the band.  Trace had been adamant about who he didn’t want at the after party and publicity seeking celebrities were high on that list.  He had clashed with Renata, the bands’ new publicist, about it.  She had valid points though and on some the guys had given in, letting her invite a few of the A list actors, but not many.  The people on the bands’ list were those who had supported them on their long climb up the ladder to success.  They had a vast fan base in LA and some of them had been with them from the beginning.  Quite a few of them made it onto the list.

Nathan had informed Jade and Diego that he would be addressing a media conference the following morning as spokesperson for the Galloway and Delgado families.  He had firm directions from law enforcement about what he could and could not tell the media.  Staying within those parameters he would give the media enough to clear both Luis and Diego and to let it be known that they, and the Galloway family, had been assisting law enforcement in taking down the Ortega-Delgado drug cartel.  He was sure it would take the heat off Diego because the hate mail on the band’s media pages had become more and more virulent as no explanations were put forward as to his behaviour towards Jade and his involvement with the drug cartel.

Jade had never met Carina Delgado face to face.  They had had phone conversations after Val had told his mother that he was serious about the girl he was dating and those calls had gone really well.  Carina had been supportive right throughout their relationship as well as after Val had died.  As Jade had not attended the funeral she had not met Carina, at the time she had already been in the private clinic in Switzerland being treated for depression and suicidal tendencies.  Now she was yet again dating one of Carina Delgado’s sons and was maybe pregnant with his child.  It was like damned déjà vu!  Even though Luis and Diego had assured her that Carina was over the moon about their relationship she was nervous.  What made her even more nervous was that her father had arranged a private dinner for the five of them in the small dining room at the penthouse that evening.

Letting a groan escape through her tight lips as she lay on the weight bench lifting under Tag’s watchful eyes she knew she had broken his one cardinal rule.  You do not lift weights if your mind wasn’t on what you were doing, accidents happened when you weren’t paying attention.  She wasn’t surprised when he lifted the weights away from her and set them on the stand.

“You’re too distracted today Jay-Jay and if you continue you’ll hurt yourself.  Get on the treadmill and run it out of your system.  I don’t want you working on the equipment today.”  He frowned as he threw her towel at her.

“Sorry Tag, I’m just nervous about this evening.  Having dinner with the parents is not something I’m looking forward to.”  Jade sat up and covered her sweaty face with the towel.  “I suck at social gatherings.”  She muttered in the concealing folds.

Tag laughed.  He laughed!  Jade snapped up and scowled up at him.  “I’m not joking!  I’m not the ‘take home to the parents’ type of girl.  I play drums in a rock band, have crazy hair and tats!  Diego’s mother’s like this big society lady!”

“Jay-Jay you’re working yourself up over nothing.”  Tag rumbled in his deep voice.  “I’ve known Carina for years and you couldn’t wish for a nicer lady.  You have nothing to worry about as far as she’s concerned.  And you know Luis loves you, so no problem.  Your Dad and Diego have sorted their shit between them.  I suggest you get your head out of your ass and get back into your routine.  You’ve missed too many training sessions and that could impact on your stamina and strength.”

Putting her tongue out at him Jade moved over to the treadmill.  “Missing one or two training sessions will not make me weak.”  She snipped at him.

“If you’re pregnant we’re going to have to scale down your workouts as it is.”  Jade felt her eyes widen.  “We should know one way or another on Tuesday anyway as that’s when your period is due.”

“You know way too much about me.”  She gave Tag the evil eye as she started the treadmill and set it to an easy jog to warm up.

“I’ve been around you for close to nine years Jay-Jay.  Sometimes I think we know more about each other than some married couples who’ve been married for the same length of time do.”  He leant against the wall next to the treadmill.  “We’ve been through some pretty awful times together but I think I can safely say that we’re moving into the good part of life from here on out.”

“From your lips to God’s ears Tag.”  She said softly as she turned the speed up on the treadmill while Tag smiled.  Her friend was gorgeous when he smiled and she sent up a small prayer that he would meet the woman who was made just for him very soon.  He was lonely even if he never let on that he was.

With her heart in her throat and holding on to Diego’s hand as if it was her lifeline in rough seas Jade walked towards the small dining room.  She just knew her dad was going to be pissed off, he had warned all of them since they were teenagers that he expected them to be responsible if they were going to have sex.  Her brothers and Rick were given condoms when they started to date but Jade got the ‘wait until you’re married’ speech.  When she started dating Val Delgado at nineteen her father had been icy in his anger.  Val had told her about the visit her dad had paid him and her father hadn’t gone easy on him.  Val had been pissed that Michael Galloway had considered him not good enough for his little princess and it had led to their first fight.  After which Val had stormed off and had only come back three days later having worked out his anger in the studio.

She had loved Val but that had been the one thing she had hated, he had always walked away when they had an argument, it was never settled.

With Diego it was so very different, he faced everything head on and worked it out immediately, he let nothing simmer until it turned into a bigger deal than what it was.  She was the one who had run away and as soon as she reappeared Diego had made it his mission to fix their problems.  It set twinges off in her heart to think it but Diego Delgado was a better man than his brother could ever have hoped to be.  Jade knew she had been a young girl with stars in her eyes with Val and that he had liked it that way, had they had the time to grow older together she now knew they would have had problems, maybe insurmountable problems.  Giving herself a mental shake she focused on the present and moved closer to Diego as they walked into the dining room.

Carina Delgado was an elegantly beautiful woman.  She stood across the room and smiled at them as they entered the room.  She was dressed in a pair of cream tailored pants with a slim tan belt and tan high heel pumps.  With it she wore a white obviously silk blouse with a boat neck, cap sleeves and tiny pearl buttons running down the front.  Her dark hair was brushed back into a chignon low in her neck and she had pearl and diamond earrings in her ears, a diamond and pearl bracelet on her right wrist and a thin gold watch on her left wrist.  Luis was a dark elegant presence next to her in his dark suit.

Just looking at her elegance made Jade feel uncomfortable.  She had dressed in black jeans, a white Storm Front tee, black boots and the leather cuff Diego had given her around her right wrist.  Totally under dressed!  Where the hell was Mel when she needed her?  She was surprised but relieved when she saw that Astrid was there with her Dad.  Jade’s eyes widened as she took in Astrid’s clothes.  A pair of tight blue jeans paired with a bronze silk shirt and dark brown cowboy boots!  The only jewellery she wore were large golden hoops in her ears which looked great with her hair loose around her shoulders.  She looked stunning and was totally relaxed if her smile was anything to go by.  Her dad stood close to Astrid dressed in dark pants and a dark navy blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and he had one hand low on Astrid’s back!  Holy hell what was going on here?

Diego let go of her hand to curve his arm around her shoulders as he led her towards his parents and Jade’s heart went into heaven knows how many beats per minute.  She smiled nervously as she was introduced to Carina Delgado and got the surprise of her life when the woman pulled her into her arms for a hug instead of shaking her hand.

“I am so happy you are with my son
cara
.  He has waited a long time for you.”  Her whispered words streaked through Jade and settled in her heart as she smiled at Diego’s mother.

Jade shook her head with a laugh.  “It took me a while to understand that I needed him in my life and then I was the one who had to wait for him.  He’s remarkably stubborn when he thinks he’s doing what’s best for those he cares for.”

Carina laughed as she nodded in agreement.  “All the male Delgado’s are like that my dear, they always think they know best.  We allow them to think that and then just go ahead and do as we had planned to do from the start.  If you keep on that path your life should be lived with very few bumps in the road.”

Jade grinned and threw a quick look up at a frowning Diego.

The dinner got underway and tension ratcheted up in Jade again.  She was terrified that Carina would mention the baby thing before she’d had a chance to speak to her Dad.  It was when her Dad was pouring the champagne to toast the families coming together and gave her a glass of sparkling apple juice instead that she realised that he knew and had said nothing.  Jade looked up into his soft clear blue eyes and gasped.

“Dad?”

Leaning down her dad kissed her on her forehead.  “A child is never a burden princess and your child would be the biggest gift you could ever give me.  Along with Carina and Luis I am hoping that you and Diego are going to give us that gift.”  He gave her a grin as he straightened.  “Heaven knows I’m going to have to wait until the cows come home for your brothers and Rick to bring some babies into this family!”

Jade surged up out of her chair and flung her arms around her dad’s neck and blinked back tears as he hugged her so terribly close, his head bent to lean against hers.

“I love you Daddy.”  She whispered against his shoulder.

“I love you too princess.  Your Mama would have been so happy and so proud of you.”  He whispered with a catch in his voice.

As his arms loosened Jade looked up and blinked back the tears.  “Thank you Dad, thank you for taking such care with us and letting us be who we need to be and supporting us in following our dreams.  You’re the best Dad a girl could ever wish for.”

She got another hug before he put her back in her chair and sat back down next to Astrid.  Her sharp eyes caught Astrid’s hand sneaking beneath the table and clasping his thigh in support.  She hoped her dad realised that this woman was the real deal and that she was what he needed in his life, not all those flighty girls he usually screwed around with.

At fuckin’ last his woman was relaxing!  She had been strung as tight as a guitar string all damn night.  He had been second guessing the agreement he had made with Michael not to tell her that they had spoken.  It seemed he had made the right decision because the way Michael had handled revealing that he knew and approved was what his woman had needed.  And he would bend over fuckin’ backwards to give her what she needed.

Dinner ended and they all withdrew to the lounge for coffee.  Diego had to grin when Michael handed Jade a cup of herbal tea instead of the coffee he knew she craved.  Man the face she pulled was funny!

“No more caffeine, alcohol or heavy lifting.  I’ve spoken to Tag and he has adjusted your routine accordingly.”  Michael declared and ignored his daughter’s disgusted expression.

“We don’t even know if we’re pregnant yet!”  His woman snapped at her father who ignored her temper.

“We’re not taking any chances with your health or that of the baby.”

Diego knew he had to step in or his woman was going to get more pissed than she was already.

“We’ve got this Michael.”  Diego said softly.

Michael gave him a strange little smile as his phone rang and he excused himself to answer.  Diego watched him with narrowed eyes because the man was up to something.  He wouldn’t put it past the man to somehow finagle a blood test, he was just that sneaky.  The thought of a blood test had him going solid in his chair.  They could have a blood test done!  They would know almost immediately if they were having a baby.  The problem would be keeping the doctor and his staff from blabbing the news to all and sundry.  These days he didn’t trust anyone with their business so he wouldn’t even mention it to his woman.  They would wait for nature to take its course.