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“Hey, my aftershave isn’t that bad.”
I sniffle a laugh at his joke and lift my head as he wipes my tears. “Xander is strong, and Beck is the best there is.”
“I know. I just hate this.”
“I know.” He wraps his arm around me, and I let him. I need his strength to be there for whatever comes next. There’s nothing but friendship in his hug and he doesn’t leave my side the entire night as we all wait. Audrey rushes in and hugs me and Norrie before sitting on my other side and holding my hand. Linc and Lottie arrive with Hudson behind them.
“Why is he here?”
“He’s Xander’s lawyer now and is handling his affairs until he finds a new manager.”
“Oh.”
Audrey doesn’t say more as Hudson comes up to me and crouches down. “I know this is a bad time, but the media are swarming the hospital. What do you want to tell them?”
“Me? Why me?”
“Because Xander made you his proxy. You have full control over his affairs when he’s out of action.”
“What?”
“It’s true.” Norrie squeezes my hand. “He trusts you to do the right thing, Amelia.”
Oh God, this is a lot to take in. Why would he do that? “When did he decide that?”
“The day before we went to see Len.”
“But why? We weren’t even together.”
Hudson smiles and it’s swoon-worthy. The man is hot, like debasingly hot, and he’s also nice, which is a deadly combination.
“He knows that whatever happens, you’ll always do the right thing.”
His words slay me and I want nothing more than to tell him how much I love Xander and how much I’ve missed him in my life.
I straighten my spine and lift my chin. “Fine. Tell them that we have no news and they’re carrying out tests but that Xander is stable.”
Hudson nods in approval. “I will.”
“Jerk.”
I chuckle at Audrey. “He’s a hot jerk though.”
“Meh.”
She laughs and for a second my tension eases a fraction. The night is long, or at least it feels long. Ryker and Linc fetch coffee for everyone and liaise with Hudson about security. Ryker also issues a media blackout of any footage from tonight being leaked. The last thing Xander will need when he’s recovering is footage like that everywhere.
“What did you think of the show, before it went to shit?”
I glance at Norrie, who’s worrying her lip. “I was shocked. We both were but incredibly touched that he’d be so brave as to acknowledge us like that.”
“Do you think either of you can forgive him?”
I shake my head. “I forgave him a while ago. I know it wasn’t malice that made him react the way he did and I love him. Tonight he showed me he loved me too and he did it for all the world to see.”
“What about Beck?”
“Beck loves him, and when he loves someone, it doesn’t just disappear. You should have seen him, Norrie. The paramedic had given up, but Beck never did. He kept him alive with his own hands and when they tried to stop, Beck stepped in and brought him back to us. That kind of love doesn’t die. He just needs to get over his hurt and I think tonight has taught us that life is short.”
