Pregnant by Mr. Rockstar

Chapter 7: Keelan Pierce

I took a sip from my cup of coffee, sighing as the warmth awakened me. The concert last night was a huge success, and although the tickets for the succeeding events were all sold out, a lot of people were still asking for more spots. The management was already looking for ways to take full advantage of the hype.

Creed was sound asleep, and if this was any other time, I would still be as well. However, Stefanie's face had graced my dreams all night with Tiffa's laughter in the background. Somehow, I manifested the cheesy pick-up line I used on her when we first met.

If I wanted to push through with my plan, I needed to leave our bus right now. Creed would throw a fit once he woke up and found that I did what I was about to do. He meant well, but sometimes, he could be such a pessimist. He saw the worst in people first while I envisioned the best in them.

I downed my coffee and took a quick shower, opting for a toned-down look of faded jeans and a plain white tee. The forecast said that it would be snowing today, so I brought a jacket with me and wore thermal boots to keep myself warm. Picking up the teddy bear gifted to me last night, I left our bus.

Outside, several roadies were already up and working. We had the entire day to pack up, and then we would be leaving to head to the next venue. It would be a two-day trip, with several stop-overs for a quick meal and refueling.

I considered calling Miss Lydia to inquire about Stefanie and her daughter, but I didn't want any more attention turned in our way. It was a relief to know that Jacques was still in the dark about this whole fiasco, but it wouldn't be long before word reached her. I decided to simply wander around the group of busses and ask about their whereabouts.

That led me to a nondescript bus near the edge of the parking lot. The company's logo was plastered on its sides, but it seemed like there was no one inside at the moment.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I'm looking for Stefanie Meyer," I asked out loud while rapping my knuckles on the bus door.

When none answered, I tried pushing the door. It swung aside, revealing the cramped cooking space and a line of bunker beds.

It was left open. Huh, how odd.

I stepped inside and spoke again. "Hello? Miss Stefanie?"

A muffled sound came from the bunker beds, and then a tiny head peeked out from the one at the very end of the bus. I wouldn't mistake that mop of blonde hair and blue eyes for any other person.

"Teapot!"

Tiffa squealed in delight and hurried down from her perch. She ran towards me, and I opened my arms to lift her in a hug and spun her around the small space.

"How's my little teapot doing?" I asked Tiffa with a smile as I put her back down. However, her guilt-stricken face evaporated whatever jovial mood I had.

"Mommy said I shouldn't talk to you," Tiffa whispered. She was pouting, and her hands were clasped behind her back.

I crouched in front of her and tried to catch her gaze. "But why? Did I do something wrong? Let me talk to her."

Tiffa quickly shook her head and stepped away from me. I couldn't help but feel hurt. She wasn't doing this of her own accord, I tried to remind myself.

"She says you're a bad person."

Now, that's unexpected.

Ever since we crossed paths, I couldn't stop thinking about the reason why Stefanie could be mad at me. Creed had unhelpfully supplied me with a million possibilities. None of those had prepared me to hear the true reason why.

"A bad person?" My voice was shrill and close to hysterical. Countless drunken escapades, trouble and scandals in the musical industry, and yet no one had accused me of being bad.

First, she ignored me, now this? What in the ever-loving f**k?

"Tiffa," I said as I moved closer to her. She gave me a tight smile, and I took the liberty of interpreting that maybe she also thought her mother had gone mad. "I am not a bad person."

Tiffa raised her shoulders and looked at me sideways.

Yep, I think it's safe to say that we're both at a loss here.

"Forget about what your mother said. Look, I brought you something." I reached behind my back pocket and fished out the teddy bear. Tiffa screamed in joy when I handed it to her.

Tiffa told us that she lost hers yesterday, and that was why she ended up wandering in search of it. We never did find the toy, but I hope this one will suffice.

"Can I keep it? Can I name him? Can I play with it?" Tiffa asked in rapid fire, her excitement filling up the whole bus.

"Of course, Teapot. You can do whatever you like with it. It's now yours."

Tiffa giggled as she spun around with the teddy bear in her hands. "I'll name him Stout!" She exclaimed, then she looked back at me, her eyes suddenly round and pleading. "If Mommy asks where I get this, can I say you bullied me into accepting it?"

I gave her an incredulous look. "Wait, what?"

As if summoned, I heard Stefanie's voice from the bus door. She was wearing an apron and her golden locks were tied in a bun. Her face looked angelic... well, an avenging angel, that was.

"Move away from her!" She screamed as she charged towards us and pulled Tiffa behind her back, putting her body between us.

I raised my arms in surrender as I stood up. "I was just talking to her."

Stefanie peered down on her daughter and I saw her eyes zoomed in to the teddy bear clutched in Tiffa's hands. "What is this?" She seethed.

Tiffa stayed muted and instead looked over at me. I sighed and tried to calm down the raging mama bear. "She lost her toy. One of my fans gave that to me, and I thought it'd be better if Tiffa had it instead."

"She doesn't need a toy," Stefanie snapped, then to her daughter, she said, "Return that."

Tiffa's eyes were red, and I could see how much she was trying to stop herself from crying.

"You don't have to, Teapot. You can keep it," I repeated, then I fixed a glare at Stefanie. "Can you prioritize your daughter's need over whatever this may be? Why are you mad at me? I've done nothing wrong. I'm just trying to help."

"Help?" Stefanie asked, her tone turning deadly calm.

Stefanie jabbed her index finger on my chest, her voice gradually rising as the dam of her emotions collapsed. "We don't need your scraps, your money, your pathetic help, or anything at all. What we need is for you to leave us be!"

"Tell me one good reason why I need to leave you and-"

"GET LOST, KEELAN!"

I stood there, jaw agaped and eyes wide. Stefanie was breathing heavily, and Tiffa's sobs were like a broken record, splintering my already bruised heart.

"I said, get lost!"

When I still didn't move, Stefanie pushed me until I almost fell over the pavement outside the bus. My body wasn't cooperating, and I was still in shock to fight her. She closed the bus's door to my face and locked it up.

My shock soon turned to fury, and I almost tried breaking the glass door so I could get inside their bus again. However, Tiffa's cries stopped me from doing so. I didn't want to spook her even more. We've done enough damage.

Slowly walking back towards the venue's main building, I groaned and rubbed my knuckles over my tired eyes. Who the hell was that woman? Did I have an amnesia or something? Because although I'm certain that I've just met her, the way my name rolled from her lips screamed of familiarity. And this... hatred she bore, this wasn't some petty distate. It ran deeper, her contemptuous emotions reigning over rationality.

With a determined look, I marched back to our private quarters. Stefanie didn't want to give me any answers, but that's alright. I would unravel this mystery myself.

"You want to do this the hard way? Fine, let's do this the hard f*****g way."