Page 203 of The Encore’s Crown

Ronan reaches Rithy next, hauling him into a rough embrace before pulling me into one too. He gives my back two hard slaps, then steps away and smacks my arm.

“I can’t say we’re shocked about the wee blonde one,” he says. “You weren’t exactly subtle when you tried to paralyze old Mercer.”

A smile cracks out of me before I can stop it. Then it breaks. My face folds with it, and the first tears spill before I can turn away.

Rafe catches the back of my neck again. Ronan’s hand lands on my shoulder. Rithy steps in beside me, and suddenly the whole band closes around us in one awkward, crushing huddle of hard grips and rough pats, all of us pretending the way men hold one another can still be called manly or detached.

“We’ve handled impossible shit before,” Rafe says. His voice is rough and certain. “We’ll handle this too.”

“Your mother's alive,” Ronan adds. “That’s where we start.”

Rithy wipes at his face with the heel of his hand. “And if she wakes up and sees all of you looking this tragic, she’ll ask us why we brought a funeral into her hospital room instead of snacks.”

That gets a wet laugh out of Natalia. Rafe squeezes my shoulder harder.

“You don’t have to hold everything up. Tonight, all of us can be the altar.”

I look around at them. Rithy beside me. Natalia in Kasia’s arms. Ronan trying to make his face look less worried than it is. Rafe standing close enough to catch either of us if we fall.

Finally, I let some of my weight go.

Chapter 69

Anything But

Natalia

Anurse appears at the edge of the waiting area and looks between Kiri and Rithy.

“Your mother is settled. You can both come back now.”

Kiri’s hand tightens around mine before he lets go.

“I’ll be here. Go,” I tell him.

He nods, but his eyes linger on me, like he has to force himself to turn away. Rithy rises beside him, and together they follow the nurse through the secured doors. The second they disappear, the room feels too still.

Kasia touches my arm. “Come on. Let’s get coffee.”

I nod and get up, even though every part of my heart has gone into that room with Kiri. We walk in silence through the waiting area. I keep my arms folded tightly across myself, still feeling the shape of his hand inside mine.

Kasia waits until we’re far enough away before she speaks.

“Why didn’t you tell me? It’s not like I didn’t kind of guess,” she says. “I’m not stupid.”

I glance at her. “I didn’t want the judgment face.”

“The judgment face?”

“You know the one.” I mimic the slight narrowing of her eyes. “The disappointed doctor stare, like you’ve already diagnosed me with terminally bad decisions.”

Her mouth curves, but I keep going before it can become a full smile and kill my nerve.

“I know you guys hate him,” I say.

Kasia stops walking.

“What? No, Nat. We don’t hate Kiri.”