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***
Liv and Andrew come out of the house to greet us. Andrew runs over to hug Brady, and Liv comes straight for me. Tears fill her eyes, but they don’t spill.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
She throws her arms around my neck as the tears break free. “I hate you. Don’t ever do that again.”
“I’m sorry.”
I expected Liv to be upset. We’ve barely spent a day apart since the eighth grade. It’s the sad face of the little boy next to me that surprises me. “Hi, Andrew.”
His little body presses up against my legs as his arms wrap around me. I reach down and lift him into my arms. He clings to me like I’m t
he air he breathes. I’m completely taken aback.
“I missed you, Tori.”
The ache in my heart is indescribable. If he’s this upset about my month-long absence, I’m hating the thought of what it will be like when he realizes his mother is gone forever. I squeeze him hard, thinking I would die for this kid to save him one ounce of pain. Brady looks at the two of us with an adoring smile. As I set Andrew down, he reaches for my hand. I hold it as we walk up to the house.
Halfway up the stairs, I tense as I think about what awaits me in the house. Liv’s at the door waiting for me.
“Is Tug here?” I stop breathing.
“No, he’s in…well, shit. I don’t know what state he’s in this week. He’s all over the place.”
I laugh nervously and then snap my mouth shut.
Liv continues. “I told him he needs to email me his itinerary.”
“He’s a grown man, Liv,” Brady points out while I start breathing again.
Liv turns to Brady with her hands on her hips. My bestie is as feisty as ever. “What if there’s an emergency?”
Brady rolls his eyes. “Gibson knows where he is.”
She huffs, dropping her hands from her hips as we walk inside. “He should still let us know.”
I don’t know how things will be between Tug and me when he gets back. I know I’ll have to face him when he does. Even though he has his own place in San Diego, he spends most of his time at our house.
Brady sets the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs. He turns to look at me. His face twists. It’s warped with conflict. “I have to go meet the guys at the studio later. Do you want to come?”
For so long the studio was our garage that it takes me a minutes to realize he means the label’s studio. “Of course.”
“Hey, I wanted to get ice cream,” Andrew whines next to us.
Brady shrugs at me and then looks down at Andrew. “I have a lot of work to do today, buddy.”
Andrew groans, and although he shouldn’t be pouting, he looks adorable. Guilt pokes at me, knowing Brady missed time in the studio to come and get me. I’m sure the label isn’t happy about it.
“I have an idea.” I cup Andrew’s shoulder. He looks up at me. “Why don’t we drop Daddy off at the studio, and then you and I can go for ice cream? I know a place that has ice cream and chocolate.”
His eyes twinkle just like his father’s. That and his toothy grin make me smile. “And then we can go watch Daddy rock.”
I rub his head with a laugh. “Yes, and then we can go watch Daddy rock.”
He jumps up and down, clapping his hands. “Yes! You’re the best, Tori.”
Warmth travels through me. I’ve been home less than an hour, and I’m falling in absolute love with this kid. It’s not surprising. Everything about him is so much like his incorrigible father.
