Echoes of the Heart, Casey, L.A. [reader novel .txt] 📗

“Okay,” she said. “I believe you.”

“Look,” I smoothed her curly hair back. “I don’t want to talk about the shit people post. Chris will call me any minute now asking what the hell I’m doing. It’s not a big deal, this shit happens every other day and it always blows over. I just wanna be with you. All day, here in this bed. Just the two of us.”

Frankie ran her fingertips over my jaw.

“Well, I’ve left Oath his food and water so I can stay with you all day, rock star.”

“How about going one step further for me?”

Frankie blinked. “How?”

“You don’t work on Mondays, right?”

“Right.”

“Come to London to see us play at Wembley.”

Frankie’s jaw dropped. “Risk . . .”

“Please?” I nudged her head with mine. “You’ve never seen us play live.”

Frankie looked down.

“C’mon, Frank.” I tightened my hold on her. “I want to look side stage and see your face when I play my first show sober. It will mean a lot to me, Cherry.”

It will mean everything.

Her eyes found mine and when she smiled, my heart skipped several beats. This woman. I was weak for her. She truly had no idea just how happy she made me. She didn’t know that I would give up every little thing in my life for her to be mine again. She didn’t know I was still in love with her. There was no point in denying it to myself any longer. I held on to Frankie for nine years. I found myself in a dark hole because I was broken without her.

I fucking loved her . . . and she had no idea.

Her arms came around my neck and her lips hovered just over mine. I looked into her emerald green eyes and I saw my whole life reflected within them. When she smiled, I mirrored it.

“You’ll come to London? You’ll watch me play live?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, rock star.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

FRANKIE

“Hello, pretty girl.”

I opened my eyes when her gentle voice roused me. I sat upright. I lifted my hands to my tired eyes and rubbed them thoroughly. When I dropped them, I smiled. Warmth wrapped around me at the sight of her.

“Hi, Mum.”

Mum stared at me and, as usual, I saw the gears in her mind turn as she tried to place who I was. She gave up after a few seconds and said, “I’m cold.”

“We can’t be having that now, can we?”

“Nope.”

I chuckled as I stood up and tucked her blankets back around her body, giving her a kiss on the head as I went. I retook my seat and winced. God, I was sore. After all the protesting I did about how tender I was to Risk earlier in the day, I was the one who ended up begging him to love my body until I couldn’t think straight. I spent the entire day in bed with him at May’s house. When we weren’t upstairs wrapped in one another’s arms, we were playing Guitar God and making food in the kitchen with the guys. It was one of the most peaceful days I ever remembered having and because of that, I wanted to go and spend some time alone with my mum.

The day with Risk had given me a glimpse of a possible future where I smiled and laughed and felt at peace. I loved my mum, God knew I did, but I hadn’t felt a semblance of peace with her since before we found out that she was so ill. I always worried for her. I always waited for more bad news about her condition. I always had this bone-chilling fear that because she had forgotten me . . . did it mean she didn’t love me anymore? How could a person love someone they couldn’t remember, right? That thought plagued me.

Having a carefree day reminded me that, eventually, I wouldn’t get the honour of worrying about her because she’d no longer be here for me to fret over.

I knew she was dying and I knew that no matter when her time came I wouldn’t be ready for it. I wanted my mum to be free of pain, to finally find her own peace but I selfishly wished that was a long way away. Helping Michael take care of my mum these past nine years had become my life and it terrified to me to think of what would become of me when she was no longer here for me to take care of.

Those thoughts entered my mind as I lay in bed with Risk. I had a strong urge to come and be with my mother, even if it was just to watch her sleep, so that was what I did.

“I missed you today,” I told Mum. “Did you know that?”

“Yes,” she answered.

I’d wager she didn’t have a clue how much.

“You’re my best friend,” I told her. “In the whole wide world.”

“That’s nice.”

I chuckled, amused by how unbothered she was with me.

“These last nine years have been hell on you, Mum. On me and Michael too because we’ve had to watch you lose yourself but we’re still here for you and we’re not going anywhere. Do you want to know why? Because you’re our girl.”

Mum smiled at me, then turned her head and looked out of the window of her room. I knew she likely didn’t have a clue what I was talking about and that her mind was wandering elsewhere but telling her what was on my mind made me feel better.

“I want to go to the zoo.”

“So do I,” I replied. “I hear it’s lovely this time of year.”

“Me too. I want to see a . . . dinosaur. A big one.”

I smiled when Mum looked at me and blinked.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Frankie.”

“I love that name,” she wheezed. “Beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

Mum wiggled around her bed until she found a comfortable spot and sighed. She rested her head back on her pillow as she looked up at the ceiling, blinking slowly. I gazed at