Page 152 of Forbidden Lyrics

“Well, I’m making a new one. Promise me. Regardless of the results of that stupid test, promise me.”

I hesitate for an instant before an image of Gibson comes to the forefront of my mind. Of all the moments we’ve shared, even though we haven’t known each other for very long. The music. The late nights. Singing with each other on stage. He was my first, and I can’t picture anyone else but him being my last.

“I promise,” I whisper, the declaration as much for her benefit as it is for mine.

A genuine smile stretches across her face despite her current situation before she reaches for my hand and squeezes it one more time. Then she lets me go. “Good. Go see Gibson. Go figure out the paternity test shit. Go see if they can postpone the tour for another couple of days.”

I roll my eyes. “Mads, I seriously don’t care about the tour––”

“Which is why I’m making you go anyway. Because you should. I saw the videos of your performances, remember? You were made to be up there. This is my responsibility. My future.” She rubs her hand up and down her stomach again. “Yours is in the waiting room. And I suggest you go remind him of that.”

My future.

My Gibson.

My everything.

She’s right. My feelings for him are the one thing that hasn’t changed since everything went down, and I’m tired of fighting them.

Stretching my arms over my head, I stand up. “Do you want him in here for the delivery?”

She shakes her head. “No. And it’s not because I don’t want him to be part of it. But if he isn’t the father, and Milo turns out to be, that isn’t very fair, is it?”

“I guess not.” I bend down and drop a quick kiss on her forehead. “I love you, Maddie.”

“Love you too, Dove.”

“I’ll check on you in a few,” I promise.

She lifts her hand that has an IV taped to it. “Trust me. I’m not going anywhere.”

* * *

“Hey,” I greet Gibson.

The bags under his eyes have somehow managed to grow even more than when he first showed up on my doorstep a few hours ago.

“How is she?” he rasps, his elbows on his knees and his head hanging low. The waiting room is clean and quiet but still smells like antiseptic and cleaning supplies. It’s a stark reminder that we’re in a hospital and that things are far from okay.

“She’s all right. They’re trying to slow down her contractions, but the doctor thinks she’s going to have her baby within the next forty-eight hours.”

His face falls. “Shit.”

With a tight smile, I sit on the cushioned chair next to him. “Yeah. But they also said they think the baby’s going to be okay. He or she might have to spend some time in the NICU, but Maddie’s little peanut should be okay.”

“Good.” He grabs my hand and tugs it into his lap. “And us? Are we okay?”

The vulnerability in his voice makes my chest ache before I pull our tangled fingers to my lips and kiss the back of his hand. “Yeah, Gibbs. We’re okay.”

“No matter what?” he challenges, not officially calling out the giant elephant in the hospital waiting room but not shying away from it, either. And I appreciate it. His honesty. His determination. His desire to face our future head-on instead of sticking his head in the sand or avoiding it at all costs.

It’s exactly what I need. Life might get messy sometimes, but as long as we promise to face it together, we’ll get through it.

We have to.

I close my eyes and press another kiss to his tight knuckles. “Yeah, Gibson. No matter what.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

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