Fuck me.
My hands are actually sweating.
“I thought the three of you would be holed up in the bus.” Creed comes to a stop at my side. “Maybe the four of you, depending on if Declan had cracked yet.”
“I thought they’d sayfuck you guysand rent a fancy hotel with a nest,” Riot says, laughing.
I snort.
Declan glares daggers from his spot a few feet away. It’s not like Creed was trying to be quiet about it.
“Come on, we’re dying over here…” Creed rubs his hands together. “Did you finally get it in? Tell me you did.”
“We were hardcore rooting for you,” Riot chimes in. “I don’t pray, and I said a prayer last night that the two of you would just fuck already.”
The look on his face makes me chuckle, and I shake my head. My relationship with the twins is complicated. They’re two of my best friends, and I consider them to be family. I still resented them for a while for participating in Cove’s first heat, even if I was the one who put that in motion.
I’ve mostly moved past that irrational anger, but it was messy for a long time.
That’s life, though.
The older I get, the more I realize nothing is perfect. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches rather than whine over the idealized version of things you had in your head.
Last night and this morning were perfect. Better than any fantasy I could have conjured. I smile like a fool as a sexy little replay of Cove riding me flits through my mind.
“Oh, thank fuck,” Creed says, booming a laugh as he smacks me on the back. “Now, don’t screw it up by asking her to marry you or some dumb shit. My dad had to slowly lock my mom down over four years.”
I’m aware of that, but Jesus. I’m not interested in taking quite that long to get a ring on Cove’s finger.
If she lets me bond her, that’s a different story.
I could be patient about the legal stuff.
A bond is the ultimate level of connection, and there’s no escaping it. Bonds are for life, so it feels way more significant than a piece of paper tying our finances.
“Yeah, I got it,” I say, shoving my hair away from my forehead. It immediately falls back into place, and I frown.
“So, what’s the deal?” Riot asks. “Should we be planning for an early end to this tour?”
“I have no fucking idea.” I shake my head, shrugging. “She took her suppressants this morning.”
“Could she even stop in the middle of a pack?” Creed asks. “She needs to see McMillan.”
“I’m not bringing it up again,” I say, my jaw clenching. I agree that she should see the tour doctor, but things are still too fragile between us. “We’re finally in a good place. I can’t risk it.”
“That makes sense.” Riot nods, patting my shoulder. “Keep the peace for right now. That’s your ultimate goal.”
I would roll my eyes, but I truly believe he thinks he’s imparting some great wisdom that I haven’t thought of yet. Like I didn’t lie awake for hours watching Cove sleep against my chest while stressing about every possible thing that might come up and brainstorming outcomes.
“She can’t be pissed at you if one of us asks.” Creed smirks. “Let me or Riot take the fall if it needs to be done. I’m fine with taking one for the team.”
I don’t love the idea of being sneaky, but I’m also worried about Cove’s well-being. “Let’s see how things go, and I’ll let you know. But either way, I appreciate it.”
“You know we’ve got you,” Riot says, holding out his hand. “Now let’s get in the zone. I want to rock the house down.”
The show goes off without a hitch.
The next several follow a similar pattern. We’ve finally hit our stride, and it’s showing in our music and our performances.
