“I’m Riley.” My boy offers Wilder a small smile and takes his hand. The shake is weak at best, but I can see the gears turning in Wilder’s brain, already calculating how to help him.
“Nice to meet you, Riley.” He smiles back and drops his hand. “I look forward to working with you and getting you back behind that drum set.”
“Me, too,” Riley chokes, but his deep mocha eyes are practically alight with hope.
Wilder claps his hands together, genuine excitement on his face as his smile widens, “I’ll help get your bags inside while you say your ‘see you soons’. We’ll get you well and back home with your people before you know it, man.”
Okay, I like this guy. We all wave him off as he and Dad carry Riley’s bags inside. When they disappear through the sliding doors, Riley turns to us, his throat bobbing as he swallows nervously.
Collins’ eyes swell with tears, but before Riley sees them, I pull the three of us back into a hug and cup the backs of their heads so that they’re both tucked into me. I’m on the verge of losing my composure, too, but I swallow it down and tell myself that he needs this. He chose this, and I will honor it and make sure he knows that I will support him and his decisions.
I pull back and tenderly stroke the shorter hairs I had shaved at the base of Riley’s neck. He let me finish the makeshift haircutI started, and now his hair is faded shorter on the sides and a bit shorter on top, too. Luckily, we kept enough length to see his auburn curls on top, so I can’t complain.
“You’re gonna go in there and kick ass at therapy, baby.” I can’t help but smirk when his cheeks burn a bright pink, the flushed color enhancing every adorable freckle that adorns his face. “Then you’re going to come home to us. You’ll get back in the studio, and you’ll complete our album.”
He shifts in my arms. “You know you can use?—“
“Only you, Ri. No way in fuck will I put some artificial drum beat in our songs when we have you.”
“But what if I can’t?” He releases a frustrated breath and repeats on a whisper, “What if I can’t?”
“You will, Riley Benjamin,” Collins says, her lilting voice soft and sweet. “We know you can do this.” Her eyes search his when he turns his attention to her. “Let’s make a promise.”
She holds up her pinky between us. “Promise me we’ll write as often as we can. Promise to stay optimistic, even when it’s hard. And promise me you’ll come home to us.”
“That’s technically three promises, Stardust.”
She keeps her eyes on Riley but bites back a smile as she checks me with her shoulder. He loops his pinky through hers and squeezes, his hand shaking from the effort. “I promise. But I want you to promise that you’ll speak out if you feel the darkness creeping in. Don’t try to fight alone.”
“I promise,” she chokes out.
“And I promise to keep my shit in check until you’re safe and sound at home.” I add in, tangling my pinkie with theirs.
“Uh huh.”
“Sure you will,” they both quip at the same time before we all burst into laughter.
RILEY
We manage to make it to the door before Collins ambushes me in the best way. Her hands cup my jaw, and she pulls me down until my lips are a whisper away from hers. Her beautiful jade eyes are glimmering in the low light of dusk with unshed tears, but she looks…happy.
My heart skips a beat because I’d do anything she asked me to if only it allowed her to feel that way all the time.
“You know, a wise man once told me:Keep your head up and your face to the sun, and I promise it’ll shine on you again.”She smiles, and the sight takes my damn breath away. “I have a feeling the sun is going to rise again soon, and I want you by my side to watch it shine.”
“Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do it, Snow,” I whisper, nudging her nose with mine, right before I press my lips to hers, unable to bear not kissing her one last time until I get out of here.
The kiss is slow and soft, but it’s everything.Sheis everything. When the kiss ends, I feel Creed’s eyes on me, but I keep mine on Collins as she backs up one step. Then two. Then a third, fourth, and fifth follow until she’s back beside Garrick’s vehicle, her bottom lip worried between her teeth. His dad approaches her and says something that makes her smile. I must have missed his exit from the building, but I don’t have time to ponder how much PDA he witnessed because Creed is here, running a hand through my hair before gripping the back of my neck the way I’ve come to crave so much.
“You want me to kiss you goodbye, too, Sweet Boy?” His smirk tells me he’s being playful, but his tone is screaming that he’s serious.
Before I can stop myself, I answer honestly, blurting a whispered, “Yes.”
His eyes widen slightly in surprise at my admission, but he quickly recovers.
“C‘mere, then,” he murmurs before pulling my body flush against his hard chest and pressing his lips to mine. In true Creed fashion, he holds nothing back. His mouth commands mine in a fiery dance of dominance and sensuality. Kissing Creed is different than kissing Collins, but it’s no less fucking magical and mind-blowing.
Just like with Collins, it’s everything I need. Everything I’ve yearned for. With every press of his lips against mine, he instills the bravery and confidence I need to get through these weeks that I’ll be apart from them.
