Page 76 of Lady Sings the Blues

I tilt her chin up gently, pressing a deep, slow, open-mouthed kiss against her lips, using my thumb to swipe away the tears from her cheek. Once she settles back in, it don’t take long for her to sleep again. Crying I hear, is exhausting.

My gentle shakes wake her, it’s still early, only six. But still dark which we need for this to work. Tommy left in Levi’s truck. I wanna be at least a couple counties away before first light hits. She’s disoriented, as she would be. I’ve spent the last ten minutes packin’ her bag, hatin’ every damn minute of it. Because I know it means we’ll be separated without being able to promise a return date. However long it takes, it takes.Shit.Life is gonna suck without her.

“Come on, baby girl. Get dressed.”

Her groggy eyes find mine as I hold out a pair of black yoga pants to her.

“You can shower at Liv’s place.”

Elise shoves my hand away though, shakin’ her head. “No. I’ve changed my mind. I need to stay with you, Beau. Okay? I’ll stay in the compound. Anything you need, I promise. Just let me stay here.Please.”

God she sounds so desperate, but she can’t stay. It ain’t safe. “You gotta go darlin’. I hate it. I know you hate it, but you gotta go.”

Defeated, her eyes cast down as she gives an almost unperceivable nod. Though she makes no move to dress, forcin’ me to squat down in front of her. I slip one pant leg over her foot, and then the second over the other, pullin’ them slowly up over her calves. Finally findin’ her legs, we stand together so I can tug them up the rest of the way. My hands graze her hips. She sucks in a breath, and holds my hands there briefly before lettin’ go. Without a word, I take her bra from the bed to slide it up both arms into place and secure it at the back, wrappin’ my arms around her like a hug to do it.

Elise rests her cheek against my shoulder, kissin’ my collarbone lightly then lifts her cheek and her arms above her head, waitin’ for me to drop the tee down over her head. Flip flops on her feet, we leave our room. Her bag in one hand, her hand in my other, she lets me lead us through the hallway into the common where all my brothers wait for us.

Levi, back from droppin’ off Tommy, walks up first. “It won’t be long.” Then hugs her.

Next there’s hugs and arm pats from Carver, Blood, and Duke whispers, “Take care, sweetheart.” Then more farewells from Toby, Blaze, Blue and a few other brothers.

We’re just about out the front door when Chaos stops us. He turns to Elise. “Be safe, sweetheart. Stay with Livvy, she’s tough, she’s got your back.” He’s got one of those model faces women fawn over, even with the bruise I gave him yesterday. Easy to read. And with the way his brows draw together, it reads he’s ten kinds of uncomfortable.

Chaos rubs his hand along the back of his neck. “I’m sorry for what I said to you. Boss is lucky to have found a good woman to love him as much as you do.”

My hand I slide around Elise’s waist, to tuck her under my arm, and shoot him a look to tell him we’re good, we’re solid. Chaos ain’t known for apologizing to anyone. So he has to lighten the mood by being a jackass about it.

“I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve said that to. You really should feel honored.”

“That Beau has had four other women to love him as much as I do?” she teases back.

I give her a squeeze.

“I’m just teasing baby,” she says, almost solemnly. The levity used with Chaos now gone.

“I know.” That thickness back again, and cracked. “I know.” I recover. And I can feel everyone’s eyes on us so it’s time to go.

***

We make the deadline, exactly two counties away, when the first light hits. Elise has been quiet, choosing to look out the window instead of talking to me. This cut cuts deep. We only have so much time left together for a while.

“Don’t be mad at me, baby girl. I’m not sending you away because I want to.”

“I’m not mad. Promise. Just tired. It seems since my father died, we haven’t been able to catch our breath. Right when we think we’ve got a handle on one problem, another crops up.”

“Do you trust your man, darlin’?”

She turns to stare at me.

“Do you trust me to take care of you?”

“Of course.” Elise answers without hesitation.

“Sometimes I don’t trust myself,” I tell her with sincerity, and not what I’d been intending to say.

“Pull over,” she demands. When I don’t, she says it again. “Pull over.”

This time I do as she asks, pullin’ into the next park and pool we come to. Park and pools are the lots for folks who live on those long winding roads off the highway, the ones where it’d add an extra hour on the trip to pick up. So they can meet on the highway to commute the rest of the way into the city for work. They’re relatively empty so early in the morning.

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