and hold her close, breathing her in, and for the first time since we started Falling Down, I found my peace, my sunshine, and myself.
Now that the fight for Ben Kingston’s finally over, I realize just how tired I am. I’m exhausted, so exhausted that I fall asleep in the arms of the man who I’ve wanted more than I’ve wanted to breathe, the man who’s just made me his forever.
Holy Hannah.
That sucked. Hell, it still sucks. It sucks big time. But she’s happy with him in a way she never would have been with me. Knowing that doesn’t take the sting away. Looks like after the show, it’ll be a night for me to chill with Jack and Coke.
“It was a good thing you did,” Lucy tells me.
I nod, biting back the words I want to say. I want to say it’s not right that this dick screwed Nicole around for months and just like that she takes him back. He treated her like shit and I treated her like a queen—granted I’ve only known her a couple days—but still. But Lucy already knows I’m eating those words. Anyone who knows what’s going on knows that.
“I still want to punch him in the face five or a hundred times.”
Lucy laughs. “I’m sure you do.” She rubs her hand on my arm. “Your girl is out there, Lucian, and she’s waiting for you.”
“Well, I wish to hell she’d step out of the shadows so I can find her already. I’m not much on hide and go seek.”
She leans in and gives me a hug. I wrap my arms around her small frame and wonder how the hell she’s going to push those babies out—how the hell is she able to walk around with all that weight?
A growl comes from my right and I throw a grin at Jesse.
“Get your hands off my wife, Cordero.”
“Hey man, she hugged me. I’m only returning the embrace. Your wife’s really, really soft,” I taunt.
Lucy snickers and Jesse growls again.
“But seriously, how are you able to stand upright? Or, for that matter, how can you even move? You’re so damn small and that belly, those babies,” I say, making a gesture with my hands to exaggerate the largeness of Lucy’s baby belly.
“Don’t you even worry about it,” Jesse tells me, wrapping a hand around Lucy’s shoulders and pulling her into his side. “She’s getting around just fine and when she can’t, then I get her where she needs to go.”
I nod and grin. This is a Jesse Kingston I never thought I’d see.
“Good for you, man. Really. Marriage looks good on you,” I admit.
“Thanks,” Jesse mutters. “Now,” he says, scooping Lucy up into his arms, “let’s get you back to the bus so you can rest before the show tonight.”
Lucy’s smile is so wide it almost looks like it hurts. Maybe it does, but I’m sure it’s in the best way.
“Who said chivalry is dead?” she asks with a wave, and I stand here watching their retreating forms. A chivalrous Jesse Kingston. A married , monogamous Jesse Kingston. I shake my head. The man who swore all relationships were doomed to fail. He spouted that shit like it was a religion. And now, it seems, Mr. One-Night-Stand is reformed.
Where do I sign up?
T WO MORE CITIES , two more shows, and still nothing to incriminate Misty. It’s starting to piss me off. You just don’t fuck with my family—especially my sister—and think you’re going to get away with it. Never gonna happen.
“Hey,” Lucy calls out. I stop and wait for her to catch up.
“Where are you headed?” I ask.
“To the bus. Do you know that guy right there?” Lucy asks, tilting her head in the direction of one of Cage’s new security guards.
“Yep. Cage brought some new men in to help with the load.” I hate lying to her, even if it’s a half-lie. But my sister has enough to deal with right now. She needs to remain stress-free so she can carry those babies as long as possible. Dr. Mackenzie already told us carrying to full term isn’t likely, that most women carrying triplets go into labor around the thirty-two to thirty-four week mark.
Now that the fight for Ben Kingston’s finally over, I realize just how tired I am. I’m exhausted, so exhausted that I fall asleep in the arms of the man who I’ve wanted more than I’ve wanted to breathe, the man who’s just made me his forever.
Holy Hannah.
That sucked. Hell, it still sucks. It sucks big time. But she’s happy with him in a way she never would have been with me. Knowing that doesn’t take the sting away. Looks like after the show, it’ll be a night for me to chill with Jack and Coke.
“It was a good thing you did,” Lucy tells me.
I nod, biting back the words I want to say. I want to say it’s not right that this dick screwed Nicole around for months and just like that she takes him back. He treated her like shit and I treated her like a queen—granted I’ve only known her a couple days—but still. But Lucy already knows I’m eating those words. Anyone who knows what’s going on knows that.
“I still want to punch him in the face five or a hundred times.”
Lucy laughs. “I’m sure you do.” She rubs her hand on my arm. “Your girl is out there, Lucian, and she’s waiting for you.”
“Well, I wish to hell she’d step out of the shadows so I can find her already. I’m not much on hide and go seek.”
She leans in and gives me a hug. I wrap my arms around her small frame and wonder how the hell she’s going to push those babies out—how the hell is she able to walk around with all that weight?
A growl comes from my right and I throw a grin at Jesse.
“Get your hands off my wife, Cordero.”
“Hey man, she hugged me. I’m only returning the embrace. Your wife’s really, really soft,” I taunt.
Lucy snickers and Jesse growls again.
“But seriously, how are you able to stand upright? Or, for that matter, how can you even move? You’re so damn small and that belly, those babies,” I say, making a gesture with my hands to exaggerate the largeness of Lucy’s baby belly.
“Don’t you even worry about it,” Jesse tells me, wrapping a hand around Lucy’s shoulders and pulling her into his side. “She’s getting around just fine and when she can’t, then I get her where she needs to go.”
I nod and grin. This is a Jesse Kingston I never thought I’d see.
“Good for you, man. Really. Marriage looks good on you,” I admit.
“Thanks,” Jesse mutters. “Now,” he says, scooping Lucy up into his arms, “let’s get you back to the bus so you can rest before the show tonight.”
Lucy’s smile is so wide it almost looks like it hurts. Maybe it does, but I’m sure it’s in the best way.
“Who said chivalry is dead?” she asks with a wave, and I stand here watching their retreating forms. A chivalrous Jesse Kingston. A married , monogamous Jesse Kingston. I shake my head. The man who swore all relationships were doomed to fail. He spouted that shit like it was a religion. And now, it seems, Mr. One-Night-Stand is reformed.
Where do I sign up?
T WO MORE CITIES , two more shows, and still nothing to incriminate Misty. It’s starting to piss me off. You just don’t fuck with my family—especially my sister—and think you’re going to get away with it. Never gonna happen.
“Hey,” Lucy calls out. I stop and wait for her to catch up.
“Where are you headed?” I ask.
“To the bus. Do you know that guy right there?” Lucy asks, tilting her head in the direction of one of Cage’s new security guards.
“Yep. Cage brought some new men in to help with the load.” I hate lying to her, even if it’s a half-lie. But my sister has enough to deal with right now. She needs to remain stress-free so she can carry those babies as long as possible. Dr. Mackenzie already told us carrying to full term isn’t likely, that most women carrying triplets go into labor around the thirty-two to thirty-four week mark.
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