I paid for us to have a round. The course looked just big enough that we could finish in time for lunch and then head back to the hotel to rest before dinner and the show. We took our putters and went up to the first course, which looked easy enough.
"You're going to have to be careful with those big Alpha muscles," said Kade sagely. "You might fling the ball into the next county."
I smiled at him, pleased with the compliment. "Is that so?"
"Those Alphas," he said, shaking his head. "They don't know what to do with their own strength."
I couldn't help but suddenly kiss him, overcome with a surge of passion. He was just so damn cute. My wolf roared at me, urging me to follow my lust, but of course, I couldn't do that now. I'd have to wait until we had another night together.
Kade tapped the ball right into the hole on the first try. "Sweet."
"Don't get too overconfident," I said. "The course gets even harder as you go."
"Don't worry about me," he said. "Let's see how you do."
I tapped the ball and it stopped right at the very edge of the hole, refusing to topple in.
"See?" said Kade.
"I was being conservative," I said. "I didn't want to use too much strength."
The banter and flirting continued through the course. It was pleasant to be having a perfectly normal, almost mundane, date with Kade. I supposed he didn't get much time to do these things, since he was on the road or in the studio so often.
"This is nice," he said. "I don't like to go out because I'll be recognized, especially in Lake City. People are usually polite, but I don't like being approached at all. Sometimes, I just want to eat my lunch, you know?"
"I thought you didn't go out because you didn't have time," I said.
"Nope. It's because people bother me. It's even worse when the other guys and I try to do something together. When people see us together, they recognize us as the band. It's a pain in the ass." He grimaced.
"That sucks," I said. When we got back to Lake City, I'd protect him, I thought. With a big, burly Alpha by his side, who scowled at anyone who looked like they wanted to approach, he'd be able to go around the city free of harassment.
We finally approached the last hole. We were almost tied. If I did well on this hole, I'd beat Kade. But I'd have to do better than him, and he was turning out to be surprisingly good at minigolf.
"It looks like I'm going to win our date," said Kade imperiously, holding his putter like it was a scepter.
"Don't count on it," I said. I took up my position and angled my putter carefully. It would be embarrassing if an Alpha lost to his Omega. I had to win this. The course wasn't the kind where I could get a hole in one; the best I could hope for was a hole in two. I tapped the ball, willing it to go up the slope and around the decoration in the middle.
It did. And it was now perfectly positioned to get to the hole. I just had to have the right angle, which was the tricky part. Completely immersed in the moment, I positioned my putter.
Right when I tapped the ball, I heard a shout from behind me, causing it to go awry. "Kade! Is that you?" called out a female voice, enthusiastic and loud.
I whipped my head around, the ball forgotten. A blonde woman was awkwardly making her way around the course, up the stairs to where we were, a sheepish-looking man in tow.
"Er," said Kade. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else."
"No way," said the woman. "You have a show tonight that I'm attending. It's gotta be you."
"Excuse me, ma'am," I said, stepping in and taking on an authoritative voice. "Please leave my partner alone."
"Oh my gosh, and you have a boyfriend, too?" she cried. "I can't believe it!"
"Please leave, ma'am," said Kade, his voice weary.
I stood right in front of Kade, blocking him from view. "Leave," I said, dispensing with the politeness.
"Come on, Tyra," said the woman's boyfriend, or whatever he was. He looked embarrassed and I didn't blame him.
"Seriously? You can't even sign something for me?" she said, getting irritated.
I looked around for an employee of the minigolf place, but there weren't any in sight. Instead, to my chagrin, we were attracting attention from the other golfers.
"Get out," I said, stepping forward.
"Jeez, okay," she said, rolling her eyes. But she turned around and left. Her boyfriend grabbed her wrist and pulled her away, and I could see him scolding her quietly as they walked off.
I turned to Kade, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I guess you get a redo for your ball."
We finished up the course-Kade won, despite having been rattled just now-but we were both feeling bummed. The date had been marred by a crazy fan. She hadn't been dangerous, just irritating, but I wondered whether this would be my life if I stayed with Kade. I would never stop guarding him.
Eventually, it would burn out, especially if he decided he wanted to move on to other projects. But since he only had two albums out, and room to grow, it would probably get worse before it got better.
I hailed another cab for us and we went back to the hotel to order in with the other band members. Neither of us was in the mood to hunt down a restaurant.
"I had fun," said Kade. "Thanks."
"Yeah? I'm glad," I said. "I felt bad, but I guess this is your life, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I'm used to it," said Kade softly. "It's just a fact of life."
I had a lot to think about while I sat in my room, listening to Kade practice vocal exercises in the next room. His voice was beautiful, almost angelic. While he sounded more like a rock star during performances, when he practiced, he sounded more like he was in a classical choir. I wondered what singing experience he had had before he started playing in bands.
I wondered whether I'd enjoy life with him. He was perfect, by himself. But it would be difficult to date a celebrity. I could come on tour with him, at least, which was a relief. It'd quell my anxiety about getting cheated on yet again. But we'd have to deal with this unwanted attention, and when we decided to start a family, it would be even worse.
The thought of having to fend off paparazzi and fans from my own kids was a little disgusting. I knew very well that people sometimes felt like celebrities were public property. They didn't know how to respect boundaries.
But on the other hand, while it was all extremely irritating, it satisfied my wolf. I didn't like that Kade had to deal with crazy people, but my wolf loved protecting him. And it would love protecting our future family even more.
Family. I hadn't thought much about that before I met Kade. If he was my fated mate, my Omega, then he'd be the father of my kids. I had never thought a rock star would make a good parent.
But now that I knew Kade, and how gentle and disciplined he was, I knew he'd do great.
5
Kade
I wasn't feeling well, which was always a bad sign on a tour. I had started to feel a little nauseous at random times, and the same foods that had appealed to me before now seemed disgusting. It was inexplicable.
I was hoping that it'd just go away, but of course, it didn't. It was looking more and more like I'd have to see a doctor. I didn't want to have to cancel any stops, though. We were on the cusp of our East Coast tour, where we'd be hitting a number of cities in quick succession. It wasn't a good time to get sick.
"I don't know, Kade," said Michael, frowning and peering at me, as if he could discern how healthy I was just by looking at me. "If it gets worse, that'd definitely kill this leg of the tour. You're going to have to go to the doctor."
I sighed. "Fine. I know you're right. I'm just scared they'll confirm that I really am sick, and they'll tell me I can't do the tour … "
"Do you want to find that out now, or while you're on stage in New York?" asked Michael sternly.
I grimaced. "Point taken. I'll find a clinic near here."
I took out my cell phone to search for doctors. I couldn't go to just any medical establishment. As a shifter, I had to go to one specifically for my kind. We had some features, like quicker healing and male pregnancy, that would not be easy to explain to human doctors.
Thankfully, I had a directory bookmarked just for emergencies like this. As I scrolled down to find one nearby, another wave of nausea passed through me. I had to clap my hand to my mouth to prevent myself from barfing, but it went by quickly. That was a close one.
"I've found one that looks good," I said. I was glad Michael had always given me autonomy in picking doctors. I explained it by telling him I had a weird and specific kind of insurance. That wasn't entirely untrue.
"Okay, the driver will take you," said Michael. "Should Xander come too, or should I tell him to wait with the others at the hotel?"