“No one,” he confirms. “You’re right, though. They won’t stop anytime soon.”

“I’m not ready for that added battle yet. Colton said Felix is having trouble because he’s needing to fight his demons while under a spotlight now. I’ve witnessed him struggling more the longer the tour goes on.”

His head bobs. “I’m watching him. We all are.”

“Good.” I knew he would be, but it feels better hearing him verify. “And like you said, we’ll be under one now too. I can’t do what I need to right now. You’ve already helped me heal more than I ever thought I would. I’m not all the way there yet, but I want to be—I think I can be whole again one day. So much of that has to do with you. I just need to give myself a better chance to get there before taking on the world too.”

The muscles of his jaw tighten, gaze studying me for reassurance or an alternative, I’m unsure, but he must find whatever he needed.

“Shit.” He gently brushes his lips over mine, a resigned sigh following as his thumb sweeps across my cheek. “I meant what I said last night. I’ll let you leave, but I won’t let you go. I’ll find a way to be there, even if it’s in pieces for a while. You know my conditions, Remi—anything you need as long as I keep you.”

41

FOSTER

Remi’s on a flight the next morning.

Deep down I knew she would be the second Christian showed me the two of us splashed over gossip sites and celebrity rumor accounts.

The pictures couldn’t have popped up at a worse time, given what I hit her with the other night. I wouldn’t want her dealing with the hounding she’d have been in for regardless, but the blow was more brutal.

Despite what she said, the sinking feeling I’ve lost her skirts around my edges. Ready to trickle in and threaten my sanity.

I swore to show up some way in her life while she’s not here. Now I need to figure out how the fuck I’m pulling that off so it doesn’t just feel like a cheap Band-Aid slapped over a four-inch cut.

Tension radiates through the bus once she leaves and tags along to the dressing room before our concert. Shockingly, I’m not the source, but it certainly involves me.

Petty Colt has been engaged after he overheard us from the wing. It’s not as entertaining as usual. Mostly because he’s hurt I didn’t tell him who Remi was the second she showed up in Prague. I hate him resenting me for it, but I wouldn’t change it. He would have backed me up on not wanting her on tour and likely told Christian the reasons.