treatment and at least seeming as though she was interested in who they were.
“Miss Lily,” the imposing bodyguard intoned before Jasmine got her turn, “Mr. Archer is asking for you.”
Lily shook her head with a small smile. “Of course he is.” Glancing at Ruby, who had just finished her introduction, she said, “Please excuse me. The further along this little girl gets, the more her dad worries.”
She patted her stomach and turned to go, then briefly turned back around. “Actually, if you all wouldn’t mind keeping the gender to yourselves, I’d appreciate it. The House of Archer producers would have a fit if that didn’t get revealed on the show.”
Everyone issued their assurances and waved their goodbyes. Before she could get all the way to the door, Jasmine hurried after her.
“Ms. Montgomery,” she said, stopping Lily again, “I know you’ve got to go, but I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for doing this for Katie. She’s such a huge fan of the band and, well, this really means so much.”
Lily smiled again. “It was a pleasure. Are you Katie’s mom?”
Jasmine was filled with an unexpected sense of pride and an equal sense of unease by Lily’s question. She couldn’t imagine overstepping herself by implying she was one of Katie’s parents. It felt like it would rob Will of his incredible accomplishments with his daughter.
“Oh, no,” she said. “I’m just a friend. My name’s Jasmine.”
“Jasmine?” Lily said the name consideringly as she ran her hand over her belly. “Jasmine Archer. That has a ring to it, doesn’t it, Trey? Then we’d both have floral names.”
“Sure, Miss Lily,” the man said in his deep, level voice.
Lily laughed and shoved at his arm. “Okay.” She looked back at Jasmine. “Sorry, but I’ve really got to go this time. Enjoy the concert and I’ll see you later.”
“Of course.”
When she turned back to the suite, nearly everyone was either at the bar getting drinks or filling their plates with food. Will stood nearby holding a beer and a glass of wine for her. His expression looked clouded for a moment, but then he smiled.
“Ready to celebrate?” he asked, handing her the glass of wine.
She lifted the glass. “Let’s party like rock stars.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Will couldn’t get the memory of Jasmine’s adamant denial about being Katie’s mother from his head. He wanted to enjoy every moment of this unforgettable birthday celebration with his little girl, but his stupid-ass brain kept bringing that moment back to the surface.
Why had she sounded like being a mother was the last thing she wanted? Was that how she felt in general? It wasn’t something they’d ever discussed.
And why would they? It wasn’t like they were in an actual relationship.
“Are you all right?” Jasmine asked as they waited for The Void to take the stage.
He supposed he hadn’t been hiding his discontent from his expression very well and made another effort to get into the celebratory spirit. “I’m great. Maybe a little nostalgic since Katie’s about to turn six.”
She smiled. “Before you know it, she’ll be driving.”
“Shut your mouth.”
That made her laugh, which eased the gloom from his mood. Then The Void took the stage at last and everyone’s attention turned fully to the concert.
Man, they killed it. Will had been to his share of concerts, some of which had been disappointing as soon as the singing started. It was sad how many artists relied on Auto-Tune to sound good on their albums.
That wasn’t the case with The Void. Archer was on point with the vocals and the dance moves, and he could absolutely shred on the guitar.
“I think I’ve got a serious man crush,” Will admitted to Cole and Evan as they stood at the bar getting refills between songs.
“Hard not to,” Cole said. “The guy’s been on just about every Sexiest Man Alive list out there. Not to mention all the Grammys and platinum records he and the band have earned.”
“Word is he’ll be on the list when the Emmy nominations are released next week too,” Evan added. “And did you see him in Downforce? No way he’s not getting an Oscar nod for that performance.”
Will had come to understand that Evan was chattier and friendlier when he actually liked the people he was around. It told Will that the Aussie didn’t particularly care for most of his teammates. It also told him that the two of them had somehow managed to become friends.
The movie he was referring to had released over Memorial Day weekend. Archer