“‘Night, Grumpy.”
With my stomach in knots, I gather up my things and put them back where they belong.
“Ok. Time for bed.”
He groans out a protest, but his tired eyes betray him.
“Tomorrow is another day. We can have another lesson after breakfast, and you can show your dad how much you’ve learned. Sound good?”
“Ok.”
Aiden’s bedtime routine passes in a blur, and once he’s safely tucked into bed, I go to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of wine.
Standing in the quiet house with only the single light above the stove, I swirl the pink liquid and take a sip, attempting to ease the worry. “He does this for a living. He’s going to be fine,” I murmur into the glass. It does nothing to settle my nerves, so I tip it up and down it in one long gulp before pouring another.
With the bottle in one hand and a glass in another, I slink into Liam’s bedroom and make a beeline for his closet. Setting down my coping mechanisms on his dresser, I rifle through his clothes until I get to a line of hoodies.
Like a weirdo, I sniff the sleeve of a black one and remove it from the hanger, tossing it over my head without a second thought. It’s slightly oversized and reaches halfway down my thighs, but it’s warm and smells like Liam.
I turn to leave the closet, stopping dead in my tracks when I see myself in the mirror on the back of the door. “Holy shit.”
It’s not just any hoodie. It’s my tour merch, and this one was exclusive to my Nashville show. The last stop on my tour. The one where I played our song for the first time to an entire arena of fans—and Liam, it seems.
Why didn’t he say anything? I would’ve invited him backstage if I’d known he was there.
Maybe he was on a date. Fuck.
Perched on the edge of Liam’s well-made bed, I down another glass of wine. I glance around the room, taking in the sparse details compared to the one I’m currently living in. Not for the first time, I wonder if he put me in the main bedroom and relegated himself to the guest room.
There’s no en-suite bathroom down here, and nothing about this room tells me someone has been living here for years. On the nightstand, there’s one framed photo of a younger Aiden with his dinosaur plushie and his favorite threadbare blanket. The rest of the room is pretty generic.
I breathe in deeply, inhaling the scent of Liam’s cologne, and it eases some of the tension. Or maybe it’s the wine. A buzz works its way through my fingers and toes until I feel like I’m floating, and I let the sensation drown out the worry.
I lie back against Liam’s pillows and tug the soft throw blanket over my toes in case the monsters try to get me. It’s notlong before I’m drifting off to sleep surrounded by his lingering presence.
Liam
The house is quiet when I step through the front door. Ruby is usually waiting to greet me in the mornings, but she’s nowhere to be found. There’s no music drifting from upstairs, and the usual scent of fresh coffee that greets me in the morning is absent. She must be asleep.
The whole shift, all I could think about was how much I fucking missed her. Having Ruby around has infused our home with a warmth I didn’t know was missing until she showed up. Our relationship is slowly morphing into something I’m not ready to name, and I know she feels it, too.
I drop my stuff in the entry and kick off my shoes, heading to Aiden’s room. Peeking inside, I see that he’s still sleeping soundly, which doesn't surprise me considering he went to bed later than usual.
I shut the door and carry on toward my temporary bedroom, intending to change into some workout clothes before heading to the gym. The door creaks open, and a sliver of sunlight peeks through the curtains, illuminating the golden hair fanned out over my pillows.
She’s curled up on her side with both hands tucked under her cheek and her knees pulled up to her chest. There’s a throw blanket barely covering her feet, and she’s wearing my hoodie. The entire room smells like a perfect blend ofus.
There’s a bottle of wine on the nightstand next to an empty glass, telling me all I need to know about what transpired here. I tuck the throw blanket around her body, letting my eyes linger on her serene face for a moment longer than necessary.
I want to memorize every detail of this woman. Keep ittucked away for when she’s no longer here with me. Catalogue it all and hold the memories close to my heart.
As I turn to leave, Ruby’s hand grasps my wrist. “Stay.”
When I look back, her sleepy eyes are pleading with me, and I can't bring myself to say no. It’s clear whatever drove her to drink last night is still weighing on her.
I slip into bed beside her, my feet crossed at the ankles with one hand behind my head and the other outstretched. “Come here, Goldie,” I whisper.
Without hesitation, she slides to the middle of the bed and drapes herself over me, her hand resting over my heart and her head tucked beneath my chin. The scent of her shampoo invades my senses.
