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My chest constricts when I hear her sniffle. “We’ll talk soon, sweetheart.”
We hang up, and I set the phone back down on the coffee table. Hopefully, I’ll be able to convince her son to see her too. She deserves some time together. They both do.
* * *
“This is allhe has ready so far?” Noah barks, scowling at my laptop. The schedule my dad and Hunter sent me earlier is all but smirking back at him, goading a reaction out of him.
It’s past midnight, but neither of us have ever been great sleepers. Late nights spent watching horror movies on our cheap, second-hand couch are sort of our thing.
“I’ll be busier than last year. Don’t worry,” I tell him.
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’ll be on tour.Wewill be on tour. He should have all of your fights scheduled so we know what to prepare for.”
The reminder isn’t necessary. It’s not like I could have forgotten.
Noah’s sudden venture to fame has been a learning curve for all of us. I’m proud of him,so proud, but it’s been hard. All of the time away, his busy schedule. It’s a lot to get used to.
Noah didn’t want this at first—I still don’t know if he really does—but when a music producer as well-known and respected as Reggie Beckett offers you a shot, you don’t turn him down. It was partially my influence, but mostly, this was all Adalyn’s doing.
Noah’s little sister is what she refers to as a social media influencer but what I call a goddamn badass. She’s much more than a pretty face online. And she proved that more than ever when she used her contacts to get Reggie in touch with Noah, knowing just how deserving he was of having his musical talent shown to the world.
The rest is history.
I blow out a long breath. “Okay, that’s true. But this is just how boxing is. It’s why I haven’t promised to go with you. The fights will be all over the place.”
“Fuck’s sake, just come. We can make it work. I’m tired of this argument.”
I glare at him. “Stop making it into an argument, then. I’m not risking my career to follow you through yours. You’re my best friend—why would you think that’s the fair choice?”
He tangles his fingers in his hair and curls them, pulling on the strands. With his legs spread wide on the couch, eyes brimming with anger, and jaw clenched so damn tight, he screams danger. Hell, danger should be tattooed on his forehead. A warning sign to those who don’t know him well. Luckily, I’m not one of those people.
Noah has never scared me.
I lean toward him and set my hand on his clenched thigh. The rips in his jeans have my fingers touching his bare skin as I toy with the loose denim strings. He stares straight ahead, completely silent, frozen solid.
“Being fair has never mattered to me,” he says, each word more strained than the last.
“Well, it should now. Would you cancel the tour if I asked you to follow me around?”
“Yes.”
I groan, tipping my head back and staring at the ceiling. “The difference is that I would never ask you to do that for me.” When he goes to argue, I cut him off. “Look, it’s only a few fights. There are what, twenty stops on the tour? I’ll come to those. Every damn one.”
“Twenty-one.”
I exhale, exasperated. “Noah.”
“Fine.”
My brows meet my hairline as I stare at him, blinking slowly. “Fine?”
He shrugs, suddenly completely unbothered. It’s unnerving how quickly his demeanour has changed.
“No more arguing about it?” I ask.
