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My damn phone buzzes on the nightstand and Shelby pulls away. “I hope it’s nothing bad.”
“Nah, it’s probably Jiggy.”
She glances around the room, pats her pockets, and almost seems confused for a few seconds. “Shoot, I don’t even know where my phone is. Haven’t thought about it in days. My mom probably tried texting me when she got home.”
“She texted me last night after you fell asleep. I told her you’d call her today.”
“You didn’t tell her…about my…about me freaking out, did you?”
“No,” I answer gently. “You didn’t freak out. It was a normal response after all you’ve been through.”
“Didn’t feel normal,” she grumbles. “I felt like a dang fool.”
“Don’t. There’s no reason to feel foolish. You need to deal with everything in your own way in your own time.” I just hope I’m with her if it happens again, although I don’t say that out loud. No reason to jack up her anxiety even more. “Now, your phone I can help you with. Greg replaced it.” I reach for my backpack, unzipping one of the outer pockets where I’d stashed her new phone. “It should be all ready for you. Might have to charge it, though.”
She stares at the box in my hands. I can’t tell if she’s mad, nervous, or something else. When she doesn’t take the phone, I set it on the bed. “I was waiting until you asked for it. I didn’t want you overwhelmed with stuff as soon as you got out of the hospital.”
Her bottom lip trembles but she reaches for me, sliding her arms around my middle and pressing herself against my body. I hug her back. “Thank you,” she whispers. “For knowing what I needed.”
Relieved by her response, I blow out a long breath. Truth is, I have no fucking clue. But I can’t calm this raging desire to protect her no matter what.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rooster
After a morning of endless irritation, I finally return to the clubhouse. It takes me a few seconds to line up and park the way I want. Jigsaw waits patiently before pulling Ice’s truck in next to me.
“Think she’s back from rehearsal yet?” Jiggy asks.
“I hope so.”
This afternoon, the clubhouse is quiet. No one setting up for any wild parties. Yet.
Inside, Shelby’s in the main room, talking to Anya and Trinity.
“Hey!” She jumps up and rushes over. “I was wondering when you’d be back from your top-secret mission.”
Next to me, Jigsaw snort-laughs. “You still didn’t tell her?”
“It’s a surprise,” I growl, elbowing him to shut him up. I lean down and kiss Shelby. “Come out to the parking lot with me for a minute.”
“Am I gonna like this surprise?” she asks Jiggy.
He throws his hands in the air and jerks his shoulders in an exaggerated shrug.
Ignoring his antics, I reach for Shelby’s hand and tug her toward the door. My blood boils at the fading bruises on her arm as she slips her fingers through mine. “How’d rehearsal go?” I tuck her close and kiss the top of her head.
“Better than I expected, honestly.” She rubs her free hand over her throat. “Feels less raw today. And the music came easier.”
“The few days of rest probably did you good.”
She hums an affirmative noise.
We stroll outside and into the parking lot.
“Now that’s cool.” She stops and points to the camper and truck. “When I was a kid, I used to sing at fairs and stuff sometimes. I always envied the families that pulled up in their RVs and stayed for the week.”
“You guys didn’t stay?”
She shrugs. “Best we could do was sleep in the cab of my dad’s truck. Four of us tucked in tight wasn’t a whole lotta fun.”
Her story wraps around my heart and squeezes in the best possible way.
It’s a fight to keep the smile off my face. I keeping walking, circling around to the back of the camper. “I’m glad you told me that story today.”
“Why?” She blinks up at me.
“This is ours.” I pull the keys out of my pocket and unlock the door, rolling it up to show off the small space where I’m planning to load my bike.
Her eyes widen and she stumbles backwards. “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t ride in the van with you guys. It’s too small. Plus, I think you’ll feel better if you have your own space to decorate how you want. Stock it with the food you like. It’ll be more comfortable and give you some privacy.”
“But…but…I thought you said you were going to ride along? On your bike.” She slaps her hand over her mouth, slowly shaking her head. “This is…this is…”
I hadn’t expected her to freak out so much. “The extra space will be useful when a brother’s traveling with us.” I tap the side of the camper. “Two bikes will fit back here.” I point to the bed currently folded into the roof. “In a pinch, that folds down into an extra bed and a couch if we move the bikes.”
