Page 74 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

“I’m right here, baby. We are going to go to our old bedroom. There are a few things we need to talk about. Killian and Selena want us to join them—when you’re ready—to discuss what to do from here.”

She stays silent, nodding her head against my chest in acknowledgement. I open the door and on reflex, flick the light switch on.The powers out, eejit. Taking a few steps in, I kick my foot out behind me, successfully shutting the door behind us. With the glow of the flashlight, I navigate us to the bed and lower her down onto the comforter. She curls up in a little ball, turning her back to me.

Fuck.

I want to erase him from her mind. Take away this pain she’s experiencing at the loss of someone she lov—cares about.

The frilly throw blanket Madison had for our bed is still at the edge of the mattress. I grab it, shake it open and cover her shaking body with it. Scanning the room, I locate the unreasonable amount of candles she had in here for us. I reach into my sweatpants pocket to grab my lighter and start lighting all the baked good scented candles. When the last candle is lit, I turn on my heel and notice the room is lit up as if we are preparing for a seance.

Too soon? Perhaps. Diego, ya arsehole, if you’re here, help me soothe her. Help me get her through this.A chill runs up my spine prompting me to speed walk toward the bed. Real life monsters I can deal with. Ghosts?Nope.

Abso-fucking-lutely-NOT.

The mattress dips as I take a seat at the edge of it. I lift Madison’s feet, placing them in my lap. My hands grip her calves and move lower to the arch in her feet. At first it’s just to rub them and offer a form of comfort, eventually I find that I’ve fallen into my old routine of massaging them. A flash of lightning briefly brightens the room, giving me a better view of her. Even through her grief, shes still so fucking perfect. So beautiful. She lets out the smallest of sighs as another crack of thunder rumbles the penthouse.

Minutes pass. Hell, it’s probably more like an hour. My hands haven’t left her legs, doing what I can to comfort her and also giving her the time to process this all. The room is mostly silent—aside from her sniffles, the faint crackling of the wood wick candles, and the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance. The storm has now calmed, moving east of the city.

“How did this happen?” she whispers, her voice hoarse from crying and screaming.

“The doctors all went back to the hospital, needing to be there. Therewere many accidents tonight due to the storm. They left a nurse here to do the overnight shift, but Killian had sent her home early. Her husband was involved in a serious car crash on the Long Island Expressway. He was part of a multi-car pile up caused by the decreased visibility. Kil wasn’t worried, knowing you had the proper training as a nurse and hearing Diego’s prognosis. The doctor and staff were coming back in only a few hours, anyway.”

I look out the window as I speak, noticing the sky is not as angry as it was earlier. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I check the time.

5:30 A.M.

With a sigh, I slide the phone back into my pocket, careful not to linger on my lock screen for too long. It’s my favorite picture of us. The one taken only a few weeks ago at Madison’s graduation dinner.

She just refreshed and changed here at the penthouse before heading to the restaurant. Her perfume was strong and enticing. Driving me wild like it always did. She had just doused herself in it and applied a fresh coat of lipstick to her plump lips in the mirror. I remember being envious of that beautiful dress, the one gripping her curves and making me want to skip dinner altogether.

My woman plucked my phone out of my hands as I was texting Colin to make sure the venue was clear and ready for us. She opened the camera and pulled my face close to hers so that we were cheek to cheek, fitting us both in the frame.

“Smile, Liam.”

I turned my head, thinking what a fucking lucky bastard I was to be able to call this woman mine. A genuine smile formed on my face. A beautiful pink blush creeped onto hers as she noticed me staring at her through her peripheral. She turned her head and pressed her forehead to mine, then snapped the picture.

The moment she captured had me in awe.

The love we had for each other emanated through the screen.

Her doe eyes peered into mine, a stunning smile gracing her face and lighting up her beautiful features. My eyes shone brightly with the love I have for her, and the desire and devotion to do anything in the world to make her happy. My lips curved up into a smile that mirrors my woman’s.

It’s insane how different things are now. How fast life can change. How our actions and decisions in life have led us here. To this moment.

Warm hands wrap around my forearm, snapping me out of my painful, yet beautiful memory. She lowers her cheek to my bicep. “Why didn’t the generators kick on?”

“They did, but only briefly. Long enough for everyone who noticed the power went out to be able to fall back asleep.” Madison shifts, lifting my arm and tucking herself underneath it. Her own wrap around me. “I came to check on you after waking up in a panic at the thunder. When I got up, I realized the power was out. Colin and Kieran didn’t realize, having been at the entrance. The main lobby of the building is lit, as well as a few other apartments. Seems our generators are not working properly.” She squirms, uneasily, taking in this information. “I woke Killian first, letting him know before coming to see you. He sent me to investigate getting the power back on, giving me an out from having to see you cuddled up with him.” I hang my head, knowing that it was a pussy move.

“I understand.”

“Killian went upstairs and that’s when he noticed you asleep and Diego not breathing. He had me come up immediately and called the doctor to come back, offering to triple his pay.

“How did he die?” Her voice is small, still in denial.

I rub her arm and tuck her head under my chin. “Blood clot, baby. Because the monitors had been shut off and they weren’t switched over to the generators, no one, not even you were alerted.”

“Why didn’t Killian at least tell me there wasn’t going to be any nurses here?”

“He said you were sleeping so peacefully, he didn’t want to bother you. It was only meant to be a few hours—max.”

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