Page 158 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

“Okay… I love you. Don’t hesitate to call me. And go stay with your cousin. Don’t be alone right now.”

That was good advice.

Had Lyric been alone after her mother died? Who had she leaned on for support?

It hurt his heart to think she hadn’t had anyone by her side.

She hung up the phone, dropped the device on the bed beside them, and released a sigh.

Emerson waited. He didn’t want to pressure her, he had to wait for her to confide in him.

“Andi’s mom died,” she admitted.

His chest lurched. “I’m sorry,” he said. Because it was what he was supposed to say. But deep down he had so many questions that he wanted to ask.

Was Lyric okay? Was she close to Andi’s mother?

Andi wouldn’t let her leave the tour, but Lyric wasn’t one to listen to the voice of reason often. Would she leave them anyway?

Despite the way his chest tightened, Emerson didn’t think she would make it off the bus without one of them talking her out of it. Surely between the five of them, they could say something that would change her mind…

Selfish.

What if Andi needed her and was too kind to ask for her best friend to be beside her during this difficult time?

There was only a week left on the road. They’d be circling back to Lyric’s hometown any day now.

Tour would be over.

“Are you okay? Andi?” he asked.

“Andi’s hurting, but that’s to be expected. I told her I could be there in a heartbeat if she wanted me to. But she wants me to finish the tour.”

“What do you want to do?”

Emerson let the question slide past his lips, but he was afraid of the answer.

He laid his head on her shoulder and stroked a rhythm into her forearm where it curled around his own.

She nudged her cheek into his, and he turned his head to press a kiss to her soft skin.

“Part of me wants to tell Andi to shove it up her ass and let me be with her because I know she’s not okay.”

Emerson couldn’t help the curl of his lips, even as the fear tightened its hold around his heart. “And the other part?”

“The other part is logical. It knows she’s staying with her cousin, and it knows there’s not long left on the tour anyway.”

“So what are you going to do?”

Lyric was quiet for a long moment. Could she hear his heart pounding in his chest against her back?

“I think… I’m going to finish out the tour. I want to. Is that selfish?”

No, selfish was the flood of relief that filled him.

“Not at all. This is your job, and we’ll be back home soon.”

“I don’t think it’s set in that she’s really gone yet. Maybe because I haven’t been able to see her in so long. It’s going to hurt when I go back,” she said, her voice fading to a whisper at the end of her admission.