“Nothing. It’s just you know I’m going to mess up and break your heart again. That was established last night.”
I kiss the corner of his mouth. “Yes, but can you give me a little break? Maybe wait until my grandma finishes her treatment before you mess with my heart again.”
He rolls us to the side so our legs are scissored. “How is she?”
“It’s hard to say. She’s good at pretending things are fine even when they aren’t. She’s had several months of treatment that she doesn’t want, and the doctors are cautiously optimistic. It’s malignant melanoma that has spread to distant lymph nodes. She’s doing targeted immunotherapy, a new experimental drug. She has several alternative health practitioners she sees. We’re literally trying everything.”
“Why doesn’t she want the treatment?”
I adjust my head on his arm and tease my fingers along the stubble on his jaw. “At first, I think she was in denial because she didn’t feel sick. Now she has some obvious bad days and more symptoms, but I don’t know if it’s from the cancer or the treatment. She was at the concert last night. Did you see her get into the vehicle?”
He shakes his head.
“Well, thankfully yesterday was a good day. Of course, her doctors don’t like her in big crowds because she’s immunocompromised, but she won’t miss my performances. It’s the reason she’s doing treatment.” I lean in and kiss him.
He pulls away. “What do you mean?”
“She wasn’t going to do it, but she wanted me to perform again, so I agreed to one performance a month for every month she did treatment. Not my band, just me. So I’ve been doing guest performances, but just in California.”
“I’ve seen them,” he says.
I wrinkle my nose. “What? Last night wasn’t your first?”
“I’ve watched YouTube videos. Last night was my first live performance.” He laughs. “I haven’t been here stalking you for months.”
“I can’t believe you’re here now. Last night, I thought I was hallucinating.”
“Speaking of last night, how did you get away without your bodyguard?”
“Grandma Juni told my parents it was time to let go and let me live again. Nobody argues with her. So here we are. I say we have food delivered and stay in bed all day. Go back tomorrow.”
Flynn smirks, kissing his way down my body. “I have no objections to that idea.”
I giggle, threading my hands through his hair as his mouth settles between my spread legs.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Flynn
It’s neverthe right time to tell someone about your prison record. June doesn’t want her heart broken again so soon. But if I wait, she’ll feel like I should have told her. That is … if she ever speaks to me again.
As promised, we spend the next twenty-four hours in bed. Food delivery. Showers. Fluffy white robes. And so much sex I start to feel like I’m the one hallucinating. I’ve bought my fair share of condoms, but I’ve never had them delivered to a hotel room. Didn’t know that was a thing. But it is.
June’s literally my world right now. No job. No parents. No responsibilities.
“Where are you staying?” she asks, the following morning, freshly showered. We dress into our clothes from the other night.
“In a hotel not too far from the airport.”
“Got room for one more?” she asks, giving me a flirty grin while combing her fingers through her hair.
“Can I be honest?” I ask.
“Not if you’re going to break my heart.”
I roll my eyes as if it’s ridiculous, as if I’m not going to obliterate her heart when I vomit the rest of my past all overher fragile world. “Other than finding you and groveling, I didn’t have a plan when I flew out here. I don’t think living out of a hotel is an option. I need a job.” I sit on the end of the bed and put on my shoes.
“Well, I can’t leave.” She frowns. “But if you need to go back to Minneapolis, I understand.”
