Chapter Twenty-Four #2
“Yeah,” she sighs tiredly. “Just drained. Tonight was exceptionally busy. My feet are killing me.” She pulls off her cardigan and looks around for somewhere to put it. Taking it gently from her hands, I toss it neatly onto the clothes basket before turning back to her.
She smiles softly and starts unbuttoning her blouse.
“Want a shower?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No, I just want to crawl into bed with you and sleep for about a year.” Her expression falters slightly. “A patient passed away tonight. It always rattles me.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” I step closer and wrap my arms around her carefully. “Anything I can do?”
She exhales shakily against my chest. “No. It was an overdose.” Her voice softens. “Those cases always bring everything back, you know?”
Immediately, my mind flashes to that night.
To her father lying dead on the living room floor.
To Indi, shattered beside him.
Pain twists violently inside me as I close my eyes and kiss the top of her head.
“You’re one of the strongest women I know,” I murmur. “I honestly don’t think you realize how extraordinary you are.”
She lets out a tired little laugh. “Well, I definitely don’t feel very extraordinary right now.”
“Then let me be strong for you tonight.” I slowly continue undoing the remaining buttons of her blouse while she watches me with heavy eyes. “You do whatever you need to stay afloat…” I tell her softly, sliding the fabric from her shoulders, “… and I’ll be whatever holds you up.”
Her expression instantly melts. “You’re such a poet.”
“Only when it comes to you.”
She smiles faintly before I slide her scrub pants down her legs. She steps out of them, and I place them beside the rest of her clothes before reaching around and unclasping her bra.
Her gaze slowly drifts down my naked body, and a sleepy giggle escapes her. “You sleep naked all the time, or just when you’re waiting for me?”
I grin lazily. “I guess I’ve been waiting my whole life for you, so technically… always naked.”
She laughs quietly and wraps her arms around my neck.
The second I lift her into my arms, she melts against me completely. Usually, she’d squeal or laugh or make some smartass comment about me carrying her around, but tonight she nuzzles into my chest, too exhausted to protest.
I’d had very different ideas about how tonight might go…
Bending her over the mattress.
Taking her slowly from behind.
Making her scream my name until sunrise.
But one look at her now tells me exactly what she needs instead—rest, warmth, and comfort.
Walking over to the bed, I lower her carefully onto the mattress.
She immediately curls onto her side in the fetal position, and my chest aches seeing how emotionally wrung out she is.
Climbing in behind her, I grab the remote and switch off the television before moving closer and pulling her naked body against mine.
Her skin feels cool against my warmth, so I tug the sheets up around us and wrap myself tightly around her, trying to warm her.
Slowly, her breathing deepens and then steadies. I nuzzle against the back of her neck, breathing in the soft floral scent of her hair while peace settles over me completely.
This…
This right here is what I’ve needed my entire life.
Not the music.
Not fame.
Not sex.
Just this girl in my arms.
“I love you,” I whisper against the skin behind her ear before pressing a kiss there.
“Mmm,” she murmurs sleepily before drifting off completely.
Contentment floods through me.
Sure, making love to her tonight would have been incredible, but holding her like this while she falls asleep in my arms somehow feels even more intimate. After the night she’s had, she needs comfort more than passion.
And tomorrow morning, if she needs to talk about work, or her dad, or her mother, or anything else haunting her mind, I’ll be there.
No matter what.
No matter how ugly the memories get.
No matter how painful it becomes for either of us.
I’m here.
I’ll be her safe place.
Her steady ground.
Her peace when everything inside her feels chaotic.
For Indi, I’ll be whatever she needs me to be, and right now, she needs somewhere warm and safe to sleep. So I hold her tighter, bury my face into her hair, and finally let my eyes close beside the woman I love.
***
Unfortunately, Indi has another shift tonight, so despite my very convincing arguments about why she should absolutely call in sick and come watch me perform instead, she refuses.
I gave her at least ten excellent excuses…
Food poisoning.
Migraine.
Explosive diarrhea.
She laughed at every single one of them and called me desperate.
Which, okay, fair. Maybe I am a little desperate when it comes to wanting her around me all the time.
I laughed with her anyway and drove her to the hospital before continuing toward Birmingham for tonight’s concert at Iron City. It’s a little over two hours from London, but honestly, I’d drive twice that distance if there’s music waiting for me at the other end.
By the time I arrive, the venue is already packed.
A huge crowd has gathered outside, the line wrapping around the building, while roadies and crew hurry everywhere backstage, preparing for the show. We’re the headline act tonight, though a couple of smaller bands are opening before us.
Rob seriously outdid himself in landing us this gig on such short notice.
Walking backstage, I spot Annie practically glued to Aston’s side while they laugh quietly together. Normally, that level of loved-up bullshit would make me want to gag, but now?
Now it actually makes me smile.
Because I finally understand it.
I understand what it feels like to find someone who settles the chaos in your head. Someone who feels safe and excited at the same time.
Watching Aston with Annie makes me genuinely happy for them. My cousin and one of my best mates found comfort in each other, and honestly, they deserve it. And somehow, Colt is managing not to murder Aston over it.
Well… mostly.
I can still tell he hates it deep down, but he’s trying, and that matters.
Besides, their chemistry bleeds straight into the music. The band sounds tighter now than ever.
Soon enough, we’re lined up at the side of the stage, preparing to go on.
The crowd noise thunders through the arena while adrenaline starts coursing through my veins.
I bounce lightly on the balls of my feet while warming up my vocals, rolling my shoulders loose as the others head out onto the stage, ready to kick off the set.
My cell suddenly vibrates in my pocket.
I check the screen quickly and grin.
Indi: Good luck, baby, smash it tonight. xoxo
Warmth spreads so hard it almost knocks the air from my lungs. Shoving the cell phone back into my pocket, I bounce once more before hearing my cue, and that’s when adrenaline detonates inside me.
My heart races violently while excitement surges through every inch of my body as I sprint onto the stage beneath blinding lights and deafening screams. And right before I grab the microphone, an image of Indi flashes through my mind.
Her smile.
Her laugh.
Her curled against me in bed this morning.
And the biggest grin spreads across my face.
Indi and music… my two greatest loves.
And somehow tonight they’re colliding together perfectly.
I grip the mic tightly and glance across the stage toward Annie and Aston standing back-to-back while grinning like they own the world.
And in this moment, standing beneath blaring lights with thousands of people screaming our names while the woman I love waits for me back home…
I know this is exactly where I’m meant to be.