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He winks at me and then commences closing the door just as my eyes land on a cot in the corner of the large space.
20
NICOLE
“Nicole, are you awake?” The drilling of my temples feels nowhere near as bad when River’s sweet tone jingles through my ears. “I’ve brought breakfast.”
“You didn’t need to do that.” My words taste like garbage and sound husky since my throat is so dry. As I scrub the chunk from my eyes, I scoot up my bed until my back rests on the headboard. “Oh my god, that smells like heaven,” I murmur when the scent of coffee, bacon, and fresh juice bombards my senses as River rolls a serving tray into my room. “Did you do a coffee run?”
Mindful of where my eagerness stems, River shakes his head before pouring me a generous serving. “Cream and two, please,” he says, quoting the order I give the barista anytime we go out for coffee.
After stirring the beverage he only fills halfway, he hands it to me before wrapping me up in a big hug.
I’m grateful he planned for spillage. His hug is so affectionate he would have knocked me over if I wasn’t sitting.
Once he assures me I’m not seconds from dying, he inches back before raising a brow. “We have muffins too, but Laken said you wouldn’t want muffins. That your tummy would want greasy bacon.” He spins to face the serving tray to show me the mountain of bacon under a silver dome.
“That’s a lot of bacon.”
“It is,” he agrees. “But you don’t have to share. Laken cooked enough breakfast for everyone.”
My heart skips a beat. “Laken made me breakfast?” I assumed he ordered room service.
River’s head only bobs three times before he screws up his adorable face. “He kinda made it for everyone. But the bacon is mainly for you. He wouldn’t even let Knox have any, and they’re best friends.”
His reply shocks me as much as his admission that Laken cooked breakfast. Laken and Knox appear close, but I had no clue it was near best friend status. Their personalities seem too opposite for that. They’re almost like night and day.
River shifts my focus back to him with a pleading tone. “If you’re okay, can I go back to the kitchen now?” The excitement on his face is understandable when he rubs his hands together while saying, “I want to eat the muffins while they’re still warm.”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Thank you for bringing this to me.”
“You’re welcome.” He skips to the door before suddenly turning back around to face me. “Before I forget, Laken wanted me to tell you he didn’t steal your phone.” He takes a moment to make sure he has his words right. “Heborrowedit with the intention of returning it once the scum-sucking warts on the toes of the trolls trolling you have been taken care of.” He stops, twists his lips, then asks, “Does that mean he’s going to kill them?”
“No,” I say with a laugh. “I don’t think that’s what he meant.” I freeze like a statue when River pulls a face that announces he thinks differently. “Do you think that’s what he meant?”
His silence has my heart beating faster than the jackhammer pounding my temples.
“No,” River eventually murmurs. “Laken’s a nice guy. He would never hurt anyone.”
“Then why did it take you so long to reply?”
I’m riling him, but he gives me an honest answer I’m not sure I deserve. “Because he’s different when it comes to the people he loves. He’ll sacrifice anything for them.” I don’t know whether to swoon or laugh when he adds, “So if the paps start dropping like flies, you didn’t see or hear anything.”
I twist the imaginary lock on my lips before throwing away the key. “My lips are sealed.”
He smiles like he did when I refused to let him clean the female toilet in the recording studio. Back then, I was the only female on staff, so there was no way I would make him clean up my mess. “If you’re feeling up to it, movie marathon at two. I reserved the entire living room. I didn’t have to pay. Knox said I could use it. Some friends are coming from rehearsal. It will be fun.”
“Sounds good,” I reply, confident now isn’t the time to be alone.
I don’t recall much of last night. No number of nips, however, could have me forgetting the slaughtering my career undertook when someone leaked footage of my rehearsal.
I’m one lousy publicity stunt away from giving up a career in music entirely.
“Okay, great. I’ll save you a seat.”
When he races out the door, I smile at his enthusiasm before sipping the caffeine he prepared for me.
What should be a heavenly awakening isn’t. The coffee tastes ghastly, and I understand why when I peer at the serving tray. Only a saltshaker sits next to a pitcher of cream. There’s no sugar to be seen.
