Chapter 27
Since joining the Wild tour, Erin had never felt as exhausted as she did today, dragging the weight of yesterday's marathon and this morning's into everything she did.
During the bus ride to Washington, D.C., they'd stayed in the private room on the upper deck, talking.
Erin had gone in to check the singer's vitals and hadn't come back out until the vehicle stopped in front of the hotel.
Mia was sitting on the bed, her back against the wall, legs stretched out, wearing a smile she couldn't seem to wipe off her face.
Erin had settled into the armchair and felt it swallow her whole; she was so relaxed she could've slept through the entire ride.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, biting her lip.
Mia laughed and wanted to get up, jump off the bed, and go sit on top of her, but the sight of Erin in that armchair—with that easy, slightly cocky posture of hers and the way she looked at her so intently—was something she didn't want to stop watching.
"Perfect. You?"
Erin's smile spread all the way across her face and she crossed one foot over her knee.
"Wonderful."
Mia couldn't stop staring at her, her mind drifting back to what had happened barely an hour ago. She could still feel the emptiness Erin's fingers had left inside her, and her lips were still swollen.
"Don't you want to come sit here with me?" she asked, patting the bed.
"No way. I can't give Jude a hard time for not letting you rest enough and then turn around and be the one who wears you out."
The singer made an exaggerated face of protest, but she understood Erin's position—and honestly, she could feel her own tiredness after spending all morning walking around the city with Noah, so she held back and didn't push, even though she wanted nothing more than to have the doctor naked beside her and keep exploring every inch of that lean body.
"How did the call with your sister go?"
Erin's expression shifted, and her eyes dimmed a little.
"I don't know. I said what I needed to say, and I have no idea what she'll do from here."
"And how do you feel about that?" Mia's question made Erin's stomach tighten.
"I'm still not sure. I'm relieved that I finally did what I've been too scared to do for years, but at the same time I'm worried about not hearing from her. Even if Brooke only called when she needed something, at least it let me know she was okay."
"I felt that way too, at first—guilty for having walked away from my mom when really she was the one who'd been walking away from me my whole life.
I know it's not the same, you two have a different kind of relationship, but in my case that guilt went away when she didn't try to fix anything, didn't bother to call even once. I think I did her a favor when I left."
"Some parents don't deserve to have kids, and others who do can't have them.
The world deals things out badly a lot of the time," Erin murmured—she'd seen every version of it at the hospital.
"I don't think Brooke will call me. She'll throw herself a little tantrum and sulk for weeks.
I'll be the one who reaches out every now and then to check that she's okay, and I'll keep living my life knowing the relationship is broken. "
"I hope it gets better, Erin, I really do. At some point she'll realize she was being a brat and come around, but in the meantime, I'm here for whatever you need."
Erin winked at her, and Mia felt it flutter through her chest like butterflies.
Now they were sitting on the bed in the doctor's room, where they'd spent the night because Mia preferred hers—smaller, nothing like the palace Noah always booked for her on Jude's orders.
They were having breakfast with the trays between them after an intense night that Erin hadn't known how to slow down, and that had left them both drowsy.
"Drink all your water and finish breakfast, please," Erin said, glancing over at Mia.
"I'm not that hungry."
She checked the time and nodded.
"Okay, at least eat the yogurt, please. After the interview I'll have them bring you something more, and when you're done you rest until rehearsal time. Not negotiable, Mia."
The singer smiled, opened the yogurt, and dipped in the spoon, bringing it to her mouth slowly and deliberately in a way that made Erin's throat feel like she'd been chewing cardboard.
"Don't do that," she whispered, leaning in to cup Mia's face below her ear and pull her toward her mouth.
"Do what?" Mia murmured against her lips.
"You know exactly what." Erin ran her thumb along the corner of Mia's mouth and kissed the tip of her nose before pulling back.
"I'm going to shower," Mia said when they finished, climbing off the bed on her side, walking around it, and planting herself in front of Erin. "What are you going to do?"
She leaned in, took Erin's chin in her hand, and kissed her on the lips.
"I have plans with Noah to sort out the day, and then I'll go down to the gym for a bit. Text me when the interview's over."
"So you can make sure I eat a little more, or because you'll want to see me?"
Erin took a long sip of her strawberry smoothie, finishing it off, then got up off the bed and rested her arms on Mia's shoulders.
"Because I want you to eat and rest…"
"And?" Mia smiled when Erin trailed off.
"And because I'll want to hear how the interview went and lie down with you while you sleep." Erin kissed her on the lips and stepped back. "Go shower. You're going to be late."