Page 111 of Louder Than Words

There’s something in his body language. Something in his tone. A subtle tension under his smile that makes my anxiety slowly rise.

We watch Trevor slip out of the kitchen, and the moment he’s out of earshot, my eyes flick to Jax.

I turn around, sliding my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest. His hands circle me, wrapping me up and immediately warming every part of me that had felt cold.

“What’s wrong?” I whisper into his sweater. I look up, and he meets my eyes, but doesn’t smile.

“You’re due in July, aren’t you?” he asks.

The question catches me off guard. “Yeah… July 24th. Why?”

He exhales a long, slow sigh, and I can’t tell if it’s relief, worry, or something else entirely.

“Don called to let me know we’ve been chosen as a headlining band for Blackout Tour,” he says flatly, no trace of excitement for something so huge.

My eyes widen, my mouth falls open—all of it. “That’s amazing! That’s… that’s huge!” I gush, pride bubbling up from every corner of me. But for some reason,he’snot smiling.

Why isn’t he smiling?

I freeze, staring at him—and then it clicks.

“Wait… so you’re going on tour in February until April. Then Blackout?”

He nods, still quiet.

“Jax… how long is that tour?” I ask, my voice tight.

“Nearly three months,” he admits. “From the middle of June until the end of August.”

Three months.

The baby is due in July—

“We’ll be traveling all over the country for the whole summer,” he continues.

My chest tightens.

He could miss the birth entirely?

“A new city almost every day.”

I press my forehead harder into his chest, trying to calm my racing thoughts, but it’s useless.

“How will we…” I trail off, a lump forming in my throat.

“We’ll figure it out, Al,” he sighs, wrapping his arms around me. “It’s gonna be fine.”

Five months. Two tours. One due date.

And there’s nothing I can do to stop it.