Chapter 16

16

A fter sneaking back into her own room with no one but the security team noticing, Claire immediately unlocked the adjoining door. They both propped their doors open and smiled at each other over the threshold.

"I'm going to get the best sleep tonight," she said.

He stepped closer to her and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Me too."

Once Jake left for his interviews with the rest of the guys, Claire leaned back on her bed and clicked on the television, scrolling through the channels until she landed on a romantic comedy.

A knock on her door had her head swinging that way. She hadn't been expecting anyone, and without the guys on the floor, there wouldn't be as much security. She moved toward the door slowly, her heart thundering in her chest.

"Claire, it's just us," Celine's voice called through the door.

Claire looked through the peephole to see Celine and Miranda on the other side. She let out a sigh of relief as she swung the door open.

"Hey!"

Miranda and Celine held up snacks and drinks.

"Girls' day while the guys are gone?" Miranda asked.

Claire pulled the door open wider. "Yes, please."

The girls walked in and Miranda turned raised eyebrows to Claire when she saw the adjoining doors open.

"Now, who is staying in this room? Please tell me it's not Ben."

Claire giggled. "Jake."

"Does Ben know?"

"Not that I know of. And I'd like to keep it that way." Claire turned to Celine. "I believe I have you to thank for this arrangement?"

Celine smiled and crawled onto the bed. "You're welcome."

The three women leaned against the headboard, opening bags of chips and candy, while the movie played at low volume. Miranda sat in the middle.

"So based on the door being open and the rumpled state of Jake's bed, I'm guessing you didn't just nap," Miranda said.

Claire's face flamed. "I don't kiss and tell."

Miranda's eyes widened. "Yes, you do! You better!"

Celine leaned forward and looked at Claire as well. "Come on, Claire. Don't hold out on us now."

Claire laughed. "We slept together."

"We gathered that much. Was it good?" Miranda asked.

Claire sighed. "So good."

"So why the sigh?" asked Celine.

Claire twisted the licorice in her hand. "I'm pregnant."

The women stared at her in silence. Celine had known since Claire joined the tour, and Claire told Miranda shortly after the guys found out, so this wasn't news to them.

"So?"

"But the baby isn't his."

"I'm still failing to see a problem here," Miranda said.

Claire scooted away from the headboard and turned toward the other two women. "What if he decides he doesn't want to be tied down to someone with a child?"

Miranda and Celine exchanged looks before Celine set the bag of chips she was holding aside and took Claire's hand.

"Honey, the way Jake looks at you… Trust us. He's in it for the long haul."

"But you don't know that."

Celine shrugged. "So ask him."

Claire took a bite out of her licorice. "What if asking makes all this come to an end?"

"First, it won't. Second, if it does, wouldn't that be for the best since that would mean he isn't interested? It would be better for it to end before it really has a chance to start than for it to drag out for several months and end bitterly."

Miranda nodded. "Celine is right. Claire, you need to talk to him if you have any doubts. It's the only way you'll rest easy."

"Ugh. Why do I always need to have these deep discussions with him? Why can't we just boink like rabbits and have fun?"

Miranda and Celine burst out laughing.

"Well, you can boink like rabbits once you get the hard part out of the way," Miranda said. "And where can I find me one of these guys who's okay with me touring and trusts me not to hook up with someone else?"

Miranda grabbed a piece of licorice and took a bite out of it.

Claire and Celine exchanged a look. Apparently, Celine had been filled in on Miranda's break-up.

"Well, I mean, there is one," Celine said.

Claire and Miranda looked at Celine.

"Who?" Miranda asked.

Was she talking about Ben? He had been asking a lot of questions about Miranda and avoided her when she questioned it.

"Are you talking about who I think you're talking about?"

Celine smiled and gave a small nod.

Miranda looked between them. "Who?"

"Ben," they said together.

Miranda's eyes widened. "Ben?"

Claire and Celine watched Miranda as she processed the information. Miranda stared down at her hands as she thought and then leaned back against the headboard again, taking another bite out of the licorice.

"You doing okay, Miranda?" Claire asked.

Miranda nodded. "Yep. Just processing."

Claire scooted back to the headboard and leaned against it. She knew she needed to have a conversation with Jake. Deep down, she knew he was okay with it and wouldn't lead her on, but then she thought about their past. Despite him saying it just had to do with them getting busy, she couldn't help but wonder if subconsciously he had pulled away. And if he had been, would it happen again?

The girls left a few hours later, just before the guys got back. They all went down to a catered dinner in the hotel ballroom. All the crew was invited, and it was a relief to see everyone getting a much-needed break.

When they went back to their rooms, Claire was thankful Ben didn't insist on coming into her room. She and Jake had closed their adjoining doors just in case Ben came in. She knew he would still notice the door and likely question why Jake had that room and not him, but it would be much worse if the doors had been opened and Ben knew she and Jake were basically sharing one large hotel room.

Claire and Jake entered their own rooms and immediately opened the adjoining doors. They both got ready for bed and then crawled into Claire's bed together to sleep. Her conversation with the girls weighed heavily on her mind, but she couldn't talk herself into bringing it up. Not now. Not when things were going well.

Instead, she buried her face in Jake's chest and let him wrap her in his warm embrace. The two of them fell into a deep sleep, getting the best sleep they had gotten in a while.