Well, my husband ended up having to work late and that baby who was sleeping on my chest earlier, decided to sleep longer than I expected. So, enjoy another upload today!


Chapter 6

Leo gently repositioned Stephanie's head on his chest. Her soft snores let him know that she was still asleep. He had held her in his arms, rocking and soothing her as they both cried over the loss of their baby – over the loss of the possibility of a baby together.

Stephanie's words ricocheted around his head. He finally understood. Stephanie left to protect him. She didn't want to trap him into a life he didn't want – into a life she thought he didn't want.

He brushed her blonde curls off her forehead and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. Even now, after hours of crying, her eyes swollen, her hair tangled and her cheeks red, she was absolutely as gorgeous as the first time he saw her.

He had gone out with a group of friends to a local club. He had never really been one for the club scene and found himself mostly hanging around the bar, checking his phone and pretending to be engrossed in the statuses of his friends on Facebook.

"Not really your pace?" he heard a voice behind him ask.

"Not exactly," he replied politely. He smiled as the tall blonde took the seat next to him.

"The usual," she told the bartender.

"American?" he asked.

"Guilty," she smiled sheepishly. "What gave me away? I've really been working on my accent."

Leo was instantly captivated by her smile. "On holiday?" He asked.

"Work," she replied as the bartender came back with her shot.

"What do you do?" he asked.

A booming voice came over the speakers saying "Everyone, please welcome Deejay Tanner!"

"That's my cue," she smiled and gave him a wink as she threw back her shot and made her way toward the stage.

She had gone just as quickly as she came, and Leo couldn't help but wonder if the entire thing had been a dream.

Finally, he saw her reemerge behind a pile of sound equipment. "Are you guys ready to have a good time?" she called as she adjusted a headphone over one ear.

Leo was lost in the roar of the crowd. He lost track of time as he watched her. A touch of a button here, a click of her laptop there, a gentle touch of the record – the music seemed to flow from her. Leo sat transfixed as he listened to the way she seemed to put her heart into the pulse that was streaming through the speakers.

He remembered the days following that night. How he would smile for no reason other than remembering her. How he'd catch himself humming and tapping his foot. Before that night, his life had been quiet. In those few late night hours at the club, she had given his life a soundtrack.

He was hungry for more; she was a like a drug he needed to stay high. He searched for locations she might be playing, but he quickly learned deejays were hard to track. He caught word of a Stephanie Tanner playing at a local pub and decided it was at least worth investigating.

His eyes immediately found her sitting at a keyboard in the corner of the pub. He couldn't remember ordering a drink or finding a seat. He was too engrossed in her voice, too mesmerized by the way her fingers danced across the keys. He watched in awe as she emptied her soul for hours.

There was a large applause as she finished her set. He watched as she packed up her things and another band took her place.

"You're quite good," Leo said as he took the stool beside her at the bar.

Stephanie looked up, her blue eyes shining with adrenaline. "Hey, you were at Brixton last week," she said recognizing him at once as the guy who had called her bluff on her fake accent. "Are you stalking me? Cause I should warn you, I'm not quite high profile enough for that yet," she smiled teasingly.

Leo was quite certain his heart was going to leap out of his chest. "Not stalking – no," he laughed. "Although, I was hoping maybe you could use a roadie. Perhaps a tambourine player?"

Stephanie laughed with him.

"Leo Taylor," he said holding out his hand. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Stephanie Tanner," she replied taking his hand in hers. "And I'd like that."

Stephanie stirred bringing Leo back to reality. There were other ways to have kids – they could adopt, or foster, or find a surrogate, or not have kids at all – Leo wasn't sure. They could figure that out later. What he couldn't live without – what he realized that night nearly two years ago – was that he couldn't live another minute of his life without Stephanie Tanner in it.