Page 108 of Three Months Yesterday

“You going anywhere else today?”

“I’m in for the night.”

His posture relaxes slightly, and I know he’s beating himself up about the fall. Before I can say anything, he squeezes my shoulder before heading for the door.

“I’ll be at the cottage if you need anything, Madison,” he calls over his shoulder. The sound of the alarm reengaging follows him out the door.

I sit alone in the living room, listening to the silence of the house. My wrist throbs in its wrap and my hip aches, but Shepherd’s moving, a flutter of reassurance against my palm.

I pull out my phone and hit Beckett’s contact. He answers on the first ring.

“Hey,” he says, and I can see the arena behind him, the chaos of sound check going in the background. “I only have a few minutes before—” He stops, catching a quick glimpse of my face. “What’s wrong?”

I tell him—the crowd, the fall, the cramp that turned out to be nothing. I watch his expression shift from concern to guilt, and I hate everything about it.

“Where was Ian?” he asks quietly.

“He was with me. I stepped away from him to let the crowd pass”—I shake my head—“it wasn’t his fault.”

“I should come home. I should cancel⁠—”

“No.” I smile at the love I feel. “It was just a fall. I’m fine. Shep’s fine.” The nickname slips out, natural as breathing and Beckett’s face calms at the sound. “He’s moving around and kicking like crazy now. He hears your voice.”

Beckett closes his eyes and when he opens them, they’re bright with emotion. “I wish I was there.”

I feel the familiar ache, the one that’s become as constant as my own heartbeat these past weeks. “I know,” I say softly. “I do too.”

I look at him on the screen, at the man who’s become more important than I thought possible, at the tired lines around his eyes and the love in his face that I can feel even through the distance.

“You’ll be home before we know it,” I say.

The words have become my mantra, my prayer, the thing I say to get us both through the days apart. It’s the truth. One day, when we look back at this time, these weeks apart will feel like nothing.

Beckett smiles, sad and sweet, and echoes the words back at me. “Before we know it.”

The porch steps creak under my feet as my fingers fumble past receipts and loose change, hunting for the cold metal of my keys while I press the phone to my ear. Ian’s boots scrape the gravel behind me, and I wave him off with my free hand, trying to get a little privacy to finish this conversation.

“I’m fine,” I tell him. “I can go in on my own.”

He stops, frowning at me. “That’s not how this works, Madison. I walk you in, make sure everything’s okay.”

“Ian.” I sigh in exasperation. It’s not fair, I know, but I just need a couple minutes to talk to my friend alone. “You can watch me key in the code from there. I’ll leave the door open the whole time, you can see me the same way you would from inside.”

“Madison—”

“I’m staying in for the night anyway.” I reach the door and turn back to find him still standing at the base of the stairs, arms crossed, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “Go back to the cottage. Relax. Watch a movie or something. You’ve earned a night off from babysitting me.”

He opens his mouth to argue, but I’ve already turned my back, looking for my keys again.

Through the phone, Sadie laughs. “That poor man. You’re brutal, you know that? He’s just doing his job.”

“He’ll survive.” I drop my bag to the ground, crouching down to retrieve my keys from somewhere in its depths. “What’s up? You didn’t call to check on my security detail.”

“You’re right. I called to tease you.” I can hear the grin in her voice. “Have you been on the internet at all today?”

I snort. Like I haven’t been sent that video countless times today. “I didn’t need to get on the internet. Everyone I know and their mother has sent it to me.”

“Who was the first?” Sadie laughs, knowing I’m not even exaggerating.