AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nick nodded, his hand fisting in her hair. She didn’t straighten, sensing he needed to have her close for a little bit longer. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “He’s been on borrowed time since last winter. Like we all are.”
She reached down for his other hand and linked their fingers, then eased back enough to meet his gaze. “I’ll go sit with Ricki for a while.”
Again, he nodded, saying nothing. But the look in his eyes said volumes. An apology, still. Gratitude. Shame, which hurt her because he had nothing to be ashamed for, ever.
And over all, love. Just love, the kind that softened every blow and cushioned every landing.
Not caring about Simon, she cupped his cheek and brought his mouth to hers. The taste of whiskey flavored the press of his lips hard against hers. Hard enough to bruise, if she wasn’t so much stronger than she appeared. She could stand strong for herself and for him too, for as long as he needed.
He didn’t deepen the kiss, just inhaled until the air she offered gave him enough to step back and keep breathing on his own. The corner of his mouth lifted. Not a smile, but closer.
Stiffening her shoulders, she turned to face Simon and raised a brow. “I’ll be right down the hall.” She wasn’t sure where Ricki was sleeping, but down the short hall off the living room was a good guess. The place seemed tiny. “If you make things worse, I will maim you in ways that Margo will never forgive me for.”
Nick snorted out a laugh and Simon saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Second bedroom,” Nick said, gripping her fingers for an instant before she nodded and left the men alone.
On the threshold of the bedroom Nick had indicated, she paused. The door was cracked and she nudged it open, her breath tripping at the sight of Ricki bathed in the pink glow of a small lamp. She was curled up in the center of a twin bed, with her knees drawn up to her chest. One arm gripped them and her other hand was tucked under her cheek.
She wasn’t sleeping.
“Hi.” Lila swallowed deeply and stepped inside. “I hope it’s okay that I’m here.”
“Of course. Thank you for coming for him.” She smiled faintly as she drew herself up into a sitting position. Her lips were so pale that they nearly melded into the colorlessness of her skin. “He needs you.”
“I didn’t come only for him.”
Ricki’s smile never faltered. “Thank you,” she said again.
“No, I mean it. I came for you too. I texted you. What I said—I mean it.” When Ricki didn’t reply, she moved toward the bed and sat on the edge. Not too close, but close enough. “We’re friends, right?”
“Sure.”
Lila tucked her hair behind her ears. She’d had far too few friends since she’d moved to LA, and other than Margo and Jazz, and to a lesser extent Harper, had even fewer female friends. It was hard for her to extend herself, especially when she wasn’t sure of the reception. But for Nick—and his sister—she would.
What she’d do for both of them would’ve scared the hell out of her, if she’d had any room left inside her painfully tight chest for fear.
“It’s not just about me and Nick,” she said quietly, her gaze never wavering from Ricki’s face in spite of Ricki’s lack of eye contact. “I’m not trying to get in with you because of him. I don’t work that way. If it ended with him tomorrow, I’d still want to be your friend.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Ricki lifted her head and that same little smile returned. “We look too much alike.”
Lila laughed softly. “That’s true. Even so. I like you.” When that wasn’t enough, she swallowed and tried again. “I love you. It wasn’t easy for me to say to him, and it’s not easy for me to say to you. I know we don’t know each other all that well, as far as how long we’ve been friends, but we have fun together and he cares about you so much that I didn’t have to try to love you. It just happened. You feel like family.”
Ricki’s denim blue eyes filmed over before she shut them. “I don’t have any family left. Just Nicky. I could use more.”
“Me too,” Lila whispered. “I mean, I have my parents, but they’re so far away. Out here I’m all alone. I could…” She broke off, every self-protective instinct leaping to the fore. And she ignored every one. “I could really use a sister.”
Ricki made a choked sound in her throat and launched herself at Lila, nearly dislodging both of them from the bed with the force of her hug. Caught between laughter and tears, Lila caught her and hung on, squeezing her tightly. She was thin, but not as thin as she’d been once.
She would be okay. God, she had to be.
“Thank you,” Ricki breathed, again and again. “Thank you.”
* * *
Nick clasped his hands and sat on the edge of the threadbare couch. Simon remained standing near the door, his head down.
Neither one of them appeared to be in any rush to speak.
