I’ll take it for now.
Heaven knows I can’t bear any more heartbreak today!
Chapter Eight
Hawk
There’s nothing that can bring a man to his knees more than seeing his woman suffer. Watching the tears on Amelia’s face as she packs away her broken violin stirs something in me.
I was perilously close to losing my mind when I walked into that waiting room to see Amelia suffering while everyone sat back and watched. Even now, I find the whole incident unforgivable, unsure of how I’ll react when I’m forced to interact with these people in the future.
I step in and wrap my arms around my wife’s shoulders, pulling her against me. “Don’t cry, angel,” I say, brushing my lips on her temples before pushing back to kiss her brows and her wet cheeks. “I made a call—someone will be here soon with another violin.”
She offers a teary smile. “Thank you.”
I tug her ear playfully, and something in me eases when she laughs.
It isn’t long before I spot Kyle running down the hallway toward us with a case in his hands. It seems the club wives watching Wren at my place decided to send the ever-dependableprospect to bring the instrument. He’s panting when he skids to a stop in front of us, face flushed and red hair mussed.
“I was told it was a matter of life or death,” he pants, wiping sweat from his brow. “Is this the right one?”
Amelia nods, taking the case from Kyle before kneeling to open it. Inside is the violin she plays for Wren every night to help her fall asleep. “It makes sense,” she chuckles, running her fingers lovingly over the gleaming wood. “This violin was my grandfather’s. Maybe I was meant to audition with this one, the violin he always played for me, the one I’ve played to help Wren sleep.”
She smiles as her name is called. “I’ll be right back,” she says, closing the case and getting to her feet. Before she can leave, I grab her waist and pull her to me, kissing her long and deep, unconcerned by the audience. She grabs my collar and pushes into the kiss and when we break apart, the sadness that was present in her eyes earlier has eased.
“You’re the best I’ve ever heard, baby. You’ve got this.”
I watch her leave and everything in me wants to follow her into the music room. Protect her from everything and everyone who’s ever made her doubt her skills. Fuckers.
“I once attended an orchestra concert when I was fifteen. I thought it was cool,” Kyle muses from beside me. I turn to look at the man in surprise. I’ve never heard him listen to anything but hard metal. You think you know someone.
“Thank you for what you did today. I owe you one,” I tell the prospect, clapping his shoulder.
“Maybe you can get me a ticket to their next concert.”
I laugh. “You got it.”
Long after Kyle has left, I start pacing, confused by how long this thing is supposed to take. The others were out in five, but Amelia has been in there for nearly fifteen minutes. I clench my hand at the thought of them bullying her again. Fuck, they better not be or I will tear this place apart.
Before I can take a step toward the music room, the door bursts open and Amelia steps out. Her head is lowered and when she looks up, I see the tears in her eyes. “Baby, what happened?”
“Not here,” she whispers, glancing at the people who chose to linger. It’s tempting to storm into the music room and make whoever made her cry pay, but she takes my hand and pulls me away. We walk down the corridor and when she opens a door, I see that it’s a changing room.
“Amelia—”
“I got it,” she says, choking on tears. “The first-chair spot, I got it. The judges said they hadn’t heard anything as satisfying all day and they just knew right away. It was a unanimous decision, and I got it.”
“Congratulations, baby.”
She turns away when I go to hug her, making me confused by her actions. The tears in her eyes…they’re not happy tears? What the hell is going on?
“I played that entire piece for them, and all the while, I wasn’t thinking about having a solo performance on stage. I wasn’t thinking about the lights, or the audience.” She runs the back of her hand over her wet cheeks but more fall. “I was thinking about Wren and you. Replaying all the nights I sat by her crib and played for her only to turn around to see you dozing off as well or just watching us from the doorway and…”
“Amelia.”
“Before the two of you, music was the most important thing in my life, but when the judges told me the spot was mine, I couldn’t even celebrate because the whole time I was worried about our future. Yours, mine and Wren’s.”
“Baby, you deserve this win. To celebrate without worrying about—”
