He laughed and climbed onto the bed. That deserved a kiss, but no sooner was his mouth on hers that his phone started vibrating and this time, it didn’t stop.
So Sean would have told everyone else now. “I’m sorry,” he groaned, pulling it out.
Six messages.
He thumbed into the screen with one hand, tucking Liana into his side with the other. “It’s family stuff.”
She read the messages along with him, her body tensing up and he swore under his breath. “Dean? Is your brother going overseas like…now?”
“Not now,” he muttered. “In a few days.”
“That’s earlier than expected.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you need to go home?”
“I need to be right here with you.”
“It’s okay if you do.”
“And it’s okay if I don’t, too.” It would be, anyway. He sent out a group message to all of his brothers and the Minelli clan, too, that he was getting on an airplane and would reply once he got to Denver.
Then he turned off his phone and pulled Liana tight into his chest.
Chapter Twenty-Four
THE flight wasshort and uneventful.
Dinner was room service in the Four Seasons, with a view of mountains in the distance.
The entire rest of the day was quiet, too quiet, and calm. By the time it was dark, Liana felt so edgy and restless she wanted to snap at Dean and she had no idea why.
She knew he didn’t deserve it. And in the back of her mind, she hated herself for keeping him next to her when his brother was about to head to a war zone and the rest of his family was blowing up his phone about that.
He’d turned the ringer all the way to silent, not even letting it vibrate, but she knew he was still getting messages.
“I’m going to go to the gym,” she announced.
He stood, too.
She tried to wave him down, but gave up when she got as far as her suitcase and realized she’d left her running shoes on the tour bus.
Fuck.
She dropped to her knees and hung her head.
“Hey,” he said quietly, crouching behind her. “It’s fine.”
“I don’t have my shoes.”
“Can you do yoga or something?”
She nodded. It wasn’t what she wanted, though. She wanted to run, hard and fast.
“Come here.” He pulled her into his arms, rocking her almost, and it was awkward and sweet at the same time.
“I hate being weak,” she mumbled into his chest.
