Page 80 of Dissonance

“He just thought—”

“Tyler,” I sigh, exasperated. Mae looks up from her tablet, a frown starting to form. I hold up a finger and turn toward the window, staring at the courtyard below. “Please tell me you didn’t agree to anything?”

That pain in my ass. I hadn’t heard his name in weeks and was foolish enough to think that when Tyler told him he couldn’t hang around him anymore when he was ZeroSaint, that meant Zane lost interest. Apparently not.

“No! No, I didn’t. That’s why I’m calling you.”

“Okay,” I say, pulling a slow breath through my nose. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to send me everything about this PR guy. I’m going to keep an eye out for this joint promo, and in the meantime, you’re not agreeing to a single thing. Not a coffee meeting, not a phone call. Nothing.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Mae’s already on her feet, holding my coat, tapping her watch. Ducking down, I grab my bag from under my desk.

“And Tyler, stop talking to Zane about your career.”

There’s a pause before, “But he’s family.”

“I know, and I’m sure he means well.” He absolutely does not mean well. “But the last time you took his advice, I spent three days on the phone with a tabloid’s legal team trying to reclaim the dignity of your genitals. So please, no more.”

He huffs a laugh. “Yeah, fair point.”

“Good. Send everything now, and I’ll look at it tonight.”

“Thanks, Thea. I mean it.”

“I know you do.” Heading toward the elevator, I stab my finger into the call button. “Stay out of trouble.”

“I resent that implication,” he teases, and I snort despite myself.

“Goodbye, Tyler.” I hang up as the doors open and step inside, turning back to hold them before they can close. “Mae, I’ve got three things flagged that I’ll deal with when I come back, and anything that comes from Ty—”

“I’ll handle it,” she says, giving me that look, the one that means I have this. Now, for the love of God, go.

I smile as the doors close, lean back against the cool metal and let out a breath that’s been sitting on my chest for what feels like forever. My headache has fully arrived now, the to-do list reshuffling itself behind my eyes, making it worse. If I push Tyler’s decision to tomorrow morning, I can get the Reign tour dates finalized tonight, and if I get that done before—

A pull moves across my back, making me straighten, and I press a hand to my stomach. The baby shifts, the smallest flutter, and for just a second, the noise in my head goes quiet.

The waiting room’s all pale walls and soft instrumental music, clearly designed to make people feel calm. It isn’t working. The fish tank by the far wall keeps catching my eye every time I try to focus on the email I should have sent yesterday.

Lockie drops into the seat beside me, slightly out of breath, one hand shoved through his hair.

“Sorry.” He leans across and presses a kiss to my temple, the scrape of his beard ridiculously comforting in a way I don’t want to think about too hard. “Cooper—”

“Is he okay?” I ask, eyes still on my phone, already back in the email. He says something about Ziggy teething, and I think I make the right noises, but my brain’s three tabs ahead, already drafting a response.

“Still working?”

“Just catching up.”

He exhales, leaning back, and from the corner of my eye, I see the set of his jaw, the slight tension of things he’s decided not to say.

“Miss Calloway?”

The nurse appears in the doorway, clipboard in hand, and I’m already sliding my phone into my bag, moving to get vitals done. Lockie’s right behind me, that steady presence I’m far too used to, as we head into the exam room.

By now, we have a routine: vitals, ultrasound, doctor. Me up on the table, him by the back wall, arms folded, watching without saying a word.

“Let’s take a look at this baby, huh?” the tech says, wheeling over her stool.