I twist, slumping my back down on the bed, bring the necklace up to my chest, and close my eyes.
I can smell her.
She’s all around me.
And just for a moment, I want to pretend she’s here.
I want to remember what it was like having her with me.
Because I know that soon, her smell will be gone.
And all I’ll have left is the memory ofher.
***
Danger’s driving us to the office, and to say I’m a little tense is an understatement. I don’t know how I’ll react to seeing Tillie, but I brought her necklace with me so I can give it to her. I know it’s her favorite, so she should have it.
We arrive and file into the building.
I need coffee to take the edge off, and it seems Danger and Lunar are with me on needing some caffeine, so we head straight for the kitchen. When we approach, my arms tingle, and the hairs on my body stand up. I furrow my brows, not really taking notice, but then we turn the corner, and as we walk into the kitchen, Tillie is there making coffee.
Everyone stops, and an awkward silence falls over the room as my heart leaps into my throat at seeing her.
She looks beautiful.
Her face is pale.
Her eyes are slightly puffy and redder than usual.
But even still, she’s breathtaking.
It makes my cock and chest ache equally hard.
Tillie clears her throat, grabs her mug, and turns to walk out.
“Tillie,” I call out, and she stops. Her eyes widen and brighten slightly as if she’s looking hopeful. It makes my chest hurt even more. But I know I am doing the right thing. I pull her necklace from my pocket and hand it back to her along with her cell. She swallows hard, not saying anything, but takes them from me with a short dip of her chin and steps out.
“That was brutal,” Lunar says, walking out after Tillie.
Danger rubs the back of his neck. “You’re really ending it? For good?”
“I have to.”
He exhales, slapping my shoulder and shaking his head. “Okay… club. You, me, boys’ night, tonight? You good with that?”
“Fuck yeah.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
RYAN
We decided to make it a guys’ night, so it’s the four of us heading out together like the old times. It should be a great time, something we’ve needed for a while. Not only are the boys back together for a fun night of drinking, but now we’re a hot commodity. We should be getting more attention and better service in the VIP area of the bar we’re headed to in downtown LA.
Just in case, we asked Declan to come with us, along with a couple of his security team, so we have a little entourage tonight. I feel important as we step out of the Hummer and onto the red carpet. There are no paps, which is good, but the people in the queue for the club instantly recognize us and cheer and scream as soon as they see us. I wave and smile as they pull out their cells and start snapping, and it’s nice to know that after all this time, after all the shit we’ve gone through as a band, we’re finally getting somewhere in our music careers.
“This is fucking epic,” Nate says as we’re ushered toward the VIP stairs.
“You’re not kidding,” Matt replies.
