So I Married a Rockstar

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ch.22: Rock Star Teddy Bear

Word had spread that I worked at The Tipsy Swallow and the bar was busier than ever, but I was prepared for it this time, and though throngs of people still clamoured for my attention, and shouted questions about Jude were still intimidating, I knew what to expect now, and that made it easier to handle.

Still, I was glad when my shift ended.

Don was waiting outside, leaning against the Bentley, and he opened the car door for me, but I was looking past him to the shop across the street. I'd visited it a couple of times before, picking up vintage band tees, and poring over classic rock memorabilia that I couldn't afford and had nowhere to display.

But it wasn't the T-shirts hanging in the window, or the electric guitars propped on stands, or the stacks of vinyl records that caught my eye this time. It was the teddy bear sitting in the middle of it all, with bright glass eyes and a cheerful stitched smile, its tubby little body dressed in a tiny T-shirt that I recognised because I had the exact same one, only in human size.

The teddy was wearing an Angels & Demons shirt.

I'd seen collectible bears like these before, but not often, and I'd had no idea that there was an Angels & Demons one. It was probably some exclusive piece of merch that had only been available at one gig or another.

I had to buy it.

"Give me a minute," I said to Don, and hurried across the road.

Ironically, considering he worked in a shop that exclusively sold rock products, the guy behind the till had no idea who I was. I paid for the bear, tucked it into a paper bag, and crossed the road back to Don.

He gave me a quizzical look. "Did you get what you wanted?"

"Yeah." I didn't show him the bear, though. I hadn't bought it for me – it was a gift for Jude, and I wanted him to be the first one to see it.

A shiver of excitement ran through me as Don drove me home, and it wasn't just because I looked forward to giving Jude the bear. I was looking forward to just seeing him. It had only been a few hours since I'd left him, but it felt like longer.

It was odd in some ways. There was so much I still had to learn about him – I didn't even know if he'd like the teddy or if he'd think it was a stupid gimmick – but the sex was far and away the best I'd ever had, and more importantly, I felt comfortable and natural with him in a way that I hadn't expected, like we clicked on some fundamental level that I wasn't sure I fully understood yet.

My excitement dimmed when I reminded myself that Jude probably wouldn't be at the loft when I got back. He might not come back from the studio at all tonight.

But I'd have to get used to that. Music was in Jude's blood, and I would never expect him to jettison any part of that to make room for me. If I wanted to see him, I'd have to wait up.

Only, I didn't need to.

When I opened the front door, it was to the sound of soft music – an acoustic guitar version of an old Metallica song. I stopped in the doorway, hope flooding my chest.

"Jude?" I said.

If this turned out to be Annie, playing around with one of Jude's guitars –

"Yeah," Jude said, and my heart soared.

I found him in the living area, his bare feet tucked on the sofa, the red guitar from the wall cradled on his lap. He smiled at me, and all my tension and stress from the day melted away.

"Hey, beautiful," he said.

I hesitated, feeling suddenly awkward, my hand tightening on the handle of the paper bag. The bear had seemed so cute sitting in that shop window, but what if Jude didn't like it? Was it weird giving a grown man a teddy bear?