Chapter 10
Ari
With all of us working together, it only takes three hours to collect everything Erica owns and pack it into the three cars we brought between us.
Now isn’t the time to bring it up, but even though she swears he’s never hit her before, he was still clearly abusing her in other ways.
Multiple times, she offhandedly mentioned things she wasn’t allowed to have or do.
There weren’t any signs of Erica visible in the apartment until she’d open a cabinet or closet and began pulling out a few things within that were hers. You’d never have known she—or any other woman—lived here.
I didn’t want to upset her, so I shut up and let my anger boil in my veins, tucked deep beneath my skin, not letting my anger affect everything she’s already going through.
Max told her repeatedly not to even think about trying to pay for a storage unit. Erica just huffed at her best friend but didn’t push the issue further.
Now that we are all done, I hopefully suggest that we all head back to our suite at the hotel for dinner and to hang out. I want Erica to see if she’s comfortable around all of us, and I want Max present so she can give her honest opinion too.
Erica lets me drive us back to the hotel in her car, my mind running through all the possible scenarios, and truthfully, I’m a bit worried that if she says she doesn’t want to go on tour with us, I’d drop everything, cancel contracts, and do anything to stay wherever she is.
It’s not easy to try to have these kinds of clear and organized thoughts when I’m drowning in her coconut and lime scent.
I could roll the window down and feel like I’m getting some level of oxygen, but I much prefer to just breathe in the scent of my mate.
We talked and laughed as we ate all evening, as if Max and Erica had always been with us.
Nothing felt out of place or uncomfortable at all.
I watched her defenses crumble away as her body slowly slumped in what I hope was relief.
She verbally sparred with Fish and Scooter—even when Scooter started making up words, not making any sense.
She held her own with Bach’s stuffy presence.
But would she feel the same way with us traveling the rest of the country? Or without Max?
As the sun sets through the oversized windows overlooking the ocean, my worry rises, only amplified by Max and Erica rising together and announcing they better call it a night. The guys bid them good evening, and my offer to walk Erica to her car is accepted by both women.
I’ll admit I shuffle my feet a bit, hoping this isn’t the last time I see her. Hear her voice. Watch her face light up as she laughs.
“I hope—”
“I had—”
We both begin at the same time.
“Please.” I gesture to her to continue, desperate to hear what she’s thinking.
She looks toward where Max is climbing into her own car and smiles with a small nod before turning her attention back to me. Her sky-blue eyes are bright, and it makes me want to make every dream she’s ever had come true.
“If you truly meant it . . . I think I’d like to come on tour with you,” she says quietly, but just loud enough for me to hear, and I must look like a clown because the smile stretching across my face is bordering on painful.
I take her hand in mine, those mesmerizing ripples working through my skin, and when I press a light kiss to her knuckles, fireworks pass between where we meet.
The rest of my night is spent pissing off our manager and updating all of our plans to include Erica. Every flight. Every hotel. Every backstage pass. With each update being made, I feel lighter and lighter, no longer weighed down with the worry of never seeing my mate again.
I think my bandmates still thought this was some kind of joke -until I actually started making it happen.
An inky bit of guilt tries to worm its way into my system for finding my mate so quickly after the conversation with my bandmates, Fish looking the most forlorn.
I vow to them all that my finding Erica doesn’t change the fact that we’re still going to look for their mates.
I even go as far as to offer up ideas. Accepting larger VIP groups, events outside of shows, and even my outrageous idea to put everyone in a giant line and to move through them doing high fives so they could find their mate through touch, but that’s met with laughter and claims of insanity.
Nonetheless, this is really happening. My mate. She’s coming with me. With us. I get to show her the world . . . and if I’m lucky, our world.