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“Dharma Naomi.” I half-smiled at Dale’s eye-roll. “I know, my Tyler Vincent obsession is showing again.”
“Huh?” Matt looked at me, puzzled.
“Tyler Vincent’s oldest daughter’s name is Naomi,” I explained. “I was pretty far gone on him at the time.”
“How was dessert, ladies?” the waitress asked, picking up our tiramisu plate. We’d done everything but lick it clean.
“Great,” Aimee replied. “Can you bring separate checks?”
“Nope, just bring one,” Dale said, digging his wallet out. “I’m buying.”
“Big spender.” I made a face at him. “They paid him an advance but everything comes out of it. The recording sessions, the tour costs, everything.”
“We’ll make it back on the tour.” Dale handed the waitress his card. “Besides, we’re still number one, remember?”
“You’re Dale Diamond!” The waitress looked at the card and then back to him. “I’ll Always Come For You is my favorite song!”
“You can come here us live,” Dale said with a smile. “We’re going on tour at the end of August. We’re opening for Dark Wing.”
“Oh, I love them too!”
“Oh for pete’s sake.” I slid out of the booth, shaking my head at my rock star fiancé who was grinning from ear to ear. He still loved being stopped for autographs. “Go ahead and sign autographs. I’ll meet you in the car. Come on, Aimee, let’s hit the ladies room.”
“Are you okay?” Aimee asked when we were done using the facilities and standing at the mirror, fixing our make-up. “I was really scared about telling you. I didn’t want you to feel bad.”
“Bad?” I met her eyes in the mirror. “Are you kidding me? I’m over the moon for you!”
“And you’ll be there to hold my hand?” She reached out and squeezed mine.
“Every step of the way.”
Dale and Matt were waiting for us in the lobby, which had mostly cleared out. I made it all the way to the car, even waving as Aimee and Matt passed us, before I burst into tears. Dale wrapped his arms around me, stroking my hair, just letting me sob against his shirt.
“It’s so stupid,” I finally sniffed. “Crying over a baby that never should have been conceived.”
“Well that wasn’t her fault, or yours,” he reminded me softly, kissing my forehead.
o;Shh!” I put my fingers to my lips. “No one’s supposed to know that.”
“Okay, okay.” Aimee lowered her voice. “But you fall in love with Dale, and he wins that Battle of the Bands and gets all super-famous.”
“Not yet.” Dale smirked. “If I was super famous we wouldn’t be able to sit in an Olive Garden without interruption.”
Aimee ignored him. “Then that goddamned photographer—by the way, Dale, you should sue him. Take him to the cleaners. I won’t buy one wedding picture from him.”
“Aimee, don’t do that!” I exclaimed. “They’re your wedding photos!”
“My mom bought a bunch. I’ll get hers when she’s dead,” she replied. “Anyway, one picture in the paper and poof! Your real dad finds you!”
“I know.” Hadn’t I just been thinking the same thing earlier? “It is weird.”
“It’s fate.” Aimee insisted. “Like meeting Matt. If you hadn’t stayed after school that day—”
“Washing desks with Dale,” I reminded her.
“Then I wouldn’t have gone home with Carrie and Wendy. And I never would have met Carrie’s brother.”
“What about the bee?” Dale asked. “Was that fate too?”
