AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He chuckled. “I’m sorry.”
I snuggled closer to him, so comfortable even though my stomach was still uneasy. We sat in silence, and I listened to the sound of his heartbeat muffled against my ear.
Oh no. My mouth started to water, and my stomach rolled. I pushed myself up, recognizing that I didn’t have very long.
“Leave!” I said.
I couldn’t seem to get more than the one word out. I grabbed the trash can on the floor beside the bed that I’d placed there for this very reason and felt Rhett’s fingers scrape my hair back out of my face. “Leave!” I said again, right before I started throwing up.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter Twenty-One
I had never been nursedback to health by a man before, and I had to say, I very much liked being attended to. Except for the extreme vulnerability of having Rhett sit so close to me while I’d been sick, of course. It continued on through the night for a few more hours—apparently I’d been too heavy on the Gatorade. Rhett went back to his room at some point so he could brush his teeth and get some sleep. I was pretty sure he would’ve stayed with me all night if I’d let him, but I didn’t know how I would ever come back from that.
A girl had to havesomepride.
On another note, that burger was the last one I would ever eat... at least for a while.
I got out of the shower the next morning and pulled on black leggings and a gray tee. Post-illness, I did not feel like getting ready, and Rhett had mentioned that he wouldn’t really need me today anyway. I pulled another Gatorade from the mini fridge and poured it over ice, sticking a straw in the cup and taking a drink.Slow, Beth. I was taking it extra slowly this time.
I picked up my phone to find a text waiting for me.
Adalyn:Slight change of plans. We’re heading back to New York City.
Me:What for?
Adalyn:Fallon. He had a cancellation and slipped Rhett in.
Me:When are we leaving?
Adalyn:We have to leave the hotel at 8 a.m. Will you be able to travel? We can meet you in Phoenix if that’s easier for you. Fallon has an in-house makeup team. We just usually bring our own.
I looked at the clock. So we were meeting downstairs in thirty minutes. HowdidI feel? Like I didn’t want anyone else doing Rhett’s hair, first off. I had that all-encompassing weakness that followed being sick for so long, and I needed actual sustenance, but I could tell I was past the worst of it. One more day of sleeping, and I would be good to go.
Me:Good enough to do my job.
Adalyn:I’m so happy to hear that! I didn’t want to leave you behind.
That was a pleasant surprise. I liked Adalyn, but I hadn’t realized she liked me too. I hurried to retrieve my suitcase from the closet and repacked my things in order to get to the airport on time. My brain was still in a bit of a cloudy fog, and by the time we reached the plane, I was ready to sleep for a week.
Why was walkingsotiring? It wasn’t that hard to put one foot in front of the other.
Bridget was ahead of me moving toward the airplane. She gasped suddenly, startling me. “No! This is bad,” she said.
“What is it?” Rhett asked.
Bridget scrolled on her phone, her eyebrows pulling together. We all stopped moving, hovering around her with uncertainty on the tarmac. The sun shone on us, and it was warm, the air sticky.
One of the airport workers tried to direct us to keep walking. Bridget obeyed him but lifted a hand as if to silence all questions.
Rhett acquiesced.
We all made our way onto the plane and got settled. Bridget installed herself near Rhett. “We need to do damage control.”
His face was tight, the lines tense and his shoulders up. “What is it?” he asked, warily.
“Karina is putting out an exposé on her previous relationships. Apparently she opens up about how some of them have cheated on her.”
