“Is that it? All these years together and you’re just going to divorce me. Was I not enough? Did you not love me? Or did you hope you could file the papers and run before I caught up with you?” Aaron sucked in a breath and leaned his forehead onto Neo’s shoulder. “Tell me you didn’t hire a house so you could go there and take your own life.” A single tear rolled down Neo’sface. “Tell me I’m wrong. Did you file for divorce so I’d be so angry I wouldn’t look for you?”
I slammed my hand over my mouth so I didn’t cry out.
“Why?” Aaron whimpered, his huge body shaking with emotion as he lifted his gaze.
Neo didn’t reply, staring at the floor.
“Why?” This time he asked with a growl that demanded an answer.
Neo crumbled, his eyes finally meeting Aaron’s. “Because I’m fucking broken,” he yelled. “My back is getting worse. They want to operate again. Build a fucking cage. It could work or it could stop my legs from working. I can’t do this. I can’t do this to you. You don’t need to be my nurse. You don’t need to feel sorry for me. I can’t live a life where my legs don’t work. I should have died on that beach. It would have been better for everyone. So this time, I’m making the decision. I won’t do that to you… to any of you again. I can’t.” Neo’s voice was strangled, his pain pouring from him as quickly as his words.
Addi mumbled Neo’s name, but Mav whispered to her, pulling her back to the corner of the room, and I stepped back as well.
Aaron collared Neo’s throat, pressing their foreheads together.
“You selfish mother fucker,” Aaron started. “Do you think that I married you so that when life got hard, you got to choose to end what we have? We’d been together a few months when you had your accident. I could have chosen to leave then, but I stayed. I chose to stay because I loved you. I still love you, no matter what. How fucking dare you make a sham of that love by pulling this shit.”
I watched Neo’s eyes widen as Aaron’s grip around his neck tightened.
“Baby, do you think I wouldn’t look after you, happily, for a lifetime… carry you to the bathroom, help you get dressed… I would do it all. I would rather have a lifetime caring for you thanliving for a minute in a world where you don’t exist.” Neo let out a pained whimper.
“I’m sorry if you’re scared about what the future might look like, but that doesn’t mean you get to deny me the future that you promised me when we got married. For better and worse, in sickness and in health… I meant every word. Did you?
“What if it makes me worse?” Neo whispered.
“What if it doesn’t?” Aaron countered. “Whatever happens, we’re in this together. Don’t you dare fucking quit on me.” And with that, he slammed his lips against Neo’s, kissing him with so much passion that I had to look away.
When they finally parted, Addi spoke. “I want you to take some time off. I want you to speak to your therapist. I want to know when they can book your surgery in.”
“But who will run this place?” I muttered nervously.
“Fern, you could run this label with your eyes closed. I’ll set you up with a team to help you and I will be at the end of the phone.”
I offered her a fake smile, but she saw right through it.
“You can do this, Fern. I can’t leave those kids that we’ve just promised a future to. They’ve been abandoned enough already and Neo is obviously in no fit state to be here. Effective immediately, Fern Richards, you are the acting manager of the Gods of Melody record label.”
Chapter 28
Fern – 1 week later
“Any news on James? I can’t expect you to babysit me forever, Thomas. As much as I appreciate having you, Sean, and Jarrid follow me around like angry looking hitmen, I’m sure you have other people to be helping.”
Thomas sat next to me in the back of the car as we drove away from the office after another ridiculously long day.
“You still need us.”
I raised an eyebrow as I stared at him, his emotionless face not giving anything away, as usual. “Did something happen?”
“Nothing you need to know about right now. But if you do, I promise I’ll tell you everything. You just keep doing what you’ve been doing; stay at Charlie’s, don’t leave the house without oneof us, and don’t let anyone inside unless we bring them in. It’s working well so far, isn’t it?”
I nodded slowly as I smiled at my new friend, because that was what we’d become. Him, Sean, and Jarrid were like the brothers I didn’t know I wanted or needed, but now I couldn’t imagine my life without them in it.
Thomas continued, “I know one of the team has been staying in the spare room while Charlie has been on tour, but given that he’s home today, I think we’ll stay outside tonight… I don’t think any of us want to hear you two going at it.” He made a fake vomit sound.
“Aren’t you going home to see your beautiful wife and family?”
Thomas let out a contented sigh. “I am, and that’s exactly why I’m volunteering one of those two to stay outside all night.” He winked, and I laughed. “Now come on, let’s get you in the house.”