Chapter 20
Skylines & Sanctuaries
? Nothing Compares to You - Mickey Guyton and Kane Brown
Ruby
We arrive in Nashville the day before my court hearing and head straight for my sprawling penthouse apartment. Liam carries our bags inside and drops them near the entry table, following me further into the open-plan living space.
Nothing has changed since I left it, and yet everything feels different. Maybe because I’m different—lighter and freer than ever.
For the better part of five years, I spent most of my time in the studio or on tour, so this place has never truly felt like home to me. At least, not in the way Liam’s house feels like home.
I stop near the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the Cumberland River. The skies are clear as far as the eye can see. It’s a different kind of beautiful, but it’ll never live up to the beauty of the familiar peaks and valleys of home.
“I forgot how stunning it is up here,” I murmur.
Liam steps up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. My heart squeezes, and for the first time, this apartment doesn’t feel so lonely.
I spin to face him and drape my arms around his neck. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“No place I’d rather be.” He kisses my forehead, his lips lingering on my skin.
If I close my eyes, I can still recall the sensation of his mouth on mine, still feel the way his hands moved expertly around my body, like he was memorizing every inch of me.
“I have a visit scheduled this afternoon at Vanderbilt, but we have some time to kill,” I say. “What should we do?”
“I have a few ideas,” he grumbles, trailing a line of kisses down my neck.
My stomach chooses that moment to growl.
Liam chuckles against my skin. “Food first, then,” he says. “We can order in. Should we ask Nico to join us?”
Nico is my personal bodyguard. I left him in the dust the moment I sped out of Nashville all those months ago.
Abby sent him over to my penthouse with strict orders to follow me everywhere while I’m in town.
All this extra fanfare probably isn’t necessary, but my team insisted on taking additional precautions with the heightened media attention surrounding the hearing.
“We could, but he’ll just refuse,” I say. “He takes his job very seriously.”
“I appreciate that about him. Someone has to keep my girl safe when I’m not around.”
“Your girl?”
“Yeah. You got a problem with that?”
“No. Not even a little. Say it again.”
He leans down so his lips are next to my ear. “Mine.”
My knees go weak at the raw possession in his voice mixed with an undercurrent of unmasked hunger. Unfortunately for me, my libido is working in direct opposition to my stomach.
“We should order food, or I’m gonna skip straight to dessert.”
“Mmmm. I like the sound of that,” I respond, my voice a little breathy. “Let’s do that instead.”
Liam tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Tempting, but you already skipped breakfast.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
He smiles down at me, sweeping a lock of hair away from my forehead. “When are you going to realize? When it comes to you, I notice everything.”
“Are you like… obsessed with me?”
“Yeah. It’s about time you caught up.”
I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out, and it takes me a minute to regain my composure. Even now, after all we’ve shared, he still has a way of leaving me speechless. “Let’s go out to eat. I know a great little taco place near the park.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s a great idea. Besides, we have Nico. Might as well give him something to do.” I snag my purse off the kitchen island and head toward the foyer, stopping briefly to throw on a hat and sunglasses, checking myself in the mirror hanging in my entryway.
Liam’s hand finds the small of my back, and I melt into his touch as he pulls open the door for me.
“Hey, Nico. We’re heading out for some tacos. Be back later,” I say with a hint of amusement in my voice. I know better than anyone that I won’t get away with shit like that, but I like to give him hell from time to time. Keeps him on his toes.
“Nice try,” he says dryly. “I’m on your six.”
“Shocker,” I deadpan, pressing the button for the elevator.
When we arrive at the parking level, a driver pulls up to the curb in a blacked-out SUV like I’m a lead actress in a mafia movie. I’m fairly certain it’s armored. I told Abby not to bother since we drove down in Liam’s truck, but it’s just like her to go against my wishes.
I glance back at Nico, perturbed. “Seriously?”
“Get in,” he says, holding open the passenger side door.
If I weren’t already wildly obsessed with Liam, I might’ve actually looked twice at Nico.
He’s a good-looking man—tall, dark, and handsome with a bit of a rough edge to him.
His arms are covered in tattoos, he has longish dark wavy hair that he keeps pulled back in a bun, and his well-kept dark beard accentuates a jawline that could cut glass.
He’s always impeccably dressed in black on black, with a gold chain around his neck and a chunky ring he sometimes wears on his pinky finger.
With a dramatic eye roll, I give in and slide inside the vehicle. Liam takes his place next to me, and Nico shuts the door.
I slump back against the seat with a groan.
Liam chuckles.
Rolling my head to the side, I ask, “You don’t think this is a bit much?”
He takes my hand and places it on his lap, threading his fingers through mine. “Nothing is too much when it comes to keeping you safe.”
“Damn, bro. That was a good line,” the driver says.
Nico smacks him on the back of the head. “Eyes on the road, Marco.”
Not for the first time, I wonder where Nico’s from. His accent is definitely Northern, but I can’t quite place it.
It’s a short drive to the taqueria near the park, and Liam never lets go of my hand. He helps me out of the SUV, holding the door open for me to walk into the counter-service restaurant. All of this chivalry makes it feel like a date.
I’ve been here many times over the years, but when I step up to the counter, I check out the menu anyway. “I can’t decide if I want carnitas or birria.”
“If you get carnitas, I’ll get birria and we can share.”
I smile up at Liam and nod.
The owner is finishing up with a customer when she spots me.
She’s a beautiful, older Mexican woman with a heavy accent and the most vibrant personality.
She lights up the entire dining room when she greets her customers.
She’s the real reason I fell in love with this place—the incredible food is just an added bonus.
There’s something to be said for finding somewhere you can feel at home in a big city like Nashville.
“Ruby! It’s good to see you again! Who is this handsome young man you brought with you?” she asks, eyeing Liam like he’s the best damn thing on the menu.
“Miss Gloria, this is my friend, Liam.”
Friend doesn’t feel like the correct term for what Liam is to me, but we haven’t really discussed labels.
“She’s a special one, my Ruby,” she says. “You treat her right, young man.”
Liam nods. “It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am.”
She clutches her chest. “Ma’am, he says. Do I look that old already?”
Liam looks horrified, but Gloria laughs. “I’m kidding. What can I get you?”
He orders for us, and Gloria sends it off to the kitchen. We make small talk while we wait for our takeout, and say a quick goodbye before heading back out onto the street.
The park is just a few blocks away, and I insist on walking there despite Nico’s protests. The ease of small-town life in Oak Ridge has spoiled me. The cavalry follows in the SUV while Liam and I walk hand in hand down the sidewalk, stopping when we reach the steps of The Allee.
“Here,” he says, placing one of the boxes on my lap. He opens his and swaps out two of his tacos for two of mine.
He groans around the first bite, and the sound brings me back to that night in the tent. The tacos are good, but they’ve got nothing on Liam.
“That good, huh?” I say.
“Incredible. Where has this been all my life?”
I giggle and dig into my own food, savoring each bite.
I can’t eat all of my food, so I give the leftovers to Liam, and he finishes them for me. When he’s done, he places the empty containers beside us on the steps and wraps an arm around my shoulder.
“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” he asks.
“Surprisingly ok. I just want to be done with it so we can go home.”
Home.
I’m not sure when I started thinking of Liam’s house as my home, but I think it has less to do with the place and everything to do with the man who owns it and the kid who stole my heart.
Sitting like this in the open air with Liam at my side, it’s almost possible to believe I live a normal life, but that feeling is fleeting as a group of bystanders approaches and our quiet afternoon alone turns into an impromptu meet and greet.
After lunch, I stopped by the children’s hospital.
I spent a couple of hours meeting patients in various stages of illness and their families.
Some of them may never make it out of the hospital—young children who’ve barely lived a life.
The feeling of helplessness their parents must experience is gut-wrenching, but they never give up.
It’s devastating and awe-inspiring all at once.
I sat with a little girl named Scarlet. She told me that our names are both shades of red, and her favorite song is “Kaleidoscope.” We sang and I signed a few things, then her parents told me about her diagnosis, and I had to blink back tears.
Her mom said she’s a fighter, but I couldn’t miss the hopelessness in her eyes.