Page 78 of Nash
"That's the coffee withdrawal. Unrelated."
I pull her into my chest and hold her there. Her arms wrap around me, her face buried in my neck, and for a full minute neither of us speaks. Her heartbeat hammers against my ribs. Mine matches it.
"We have to go downstairs eventually," she says.
"I know."
"They're going to be insufferable."
"I know."
"East is going to say something. Knox is going to smirk. Kyle is going to make a comment that he thinks is subtle and isn't. Candace is going to give me the look. Darla is going to cry." She pulls back. "Darla is crying at everything right now. She cried about hydrangeas last night."
"I remember."
"Maggie is going to smile that quiet smile. James is going to nod once. Frankie is going to pretend she doesn't care, but she'lllight a candle later. Amelia is going to turn pink and not know where to look." Ruby takes a breath. "I've thought about this."
"Clearly."
"I've thought about it because I know this club, and I know what they do to couples. Malachi and Candace got destroyed. Knox and Sloane, after the supply closet? East made an announcement. With a megaphone. After the rescue, East and Darla took too long getting to the clubhouse, and Kyle started a timer on the whiteboard."
"I remember the timer."
"So I need you to understand that when we walk down those stairs, we are walking into an ambush."
"I've walked into ambushes before."
"Not like this. This is an emotional ambush. There's no tactical response. There's no perimeter. Just East with a grin and a comment about soundproofing."
I kiss her forehead. "I'll handle it."
"You'll handle it?"
"I'll handle it."
She studies me. "You're going to stand there and take it, aren't you? The stoic thing. The wall thing. While I die of embarrassment."
"I'm going to stand there, hold your hand, and let them say whatever they need to say."
Her mouth opens. Closes. I take her hand.
"Hold my hand," she repeats.
"In front of all of them."
"Nash."
"Openly."
"You're going to hold my hand. In front of the entire club. Openly."
"That's what I said."
Her eyes fill. She blinks it back hard, pressing her lips together.
"That's not fair," she says. "You can't just say things like that. I was prepared for the ambush. I was not prepared for you being sweet. These are two different battle plans."
I stand. Pull her up. She grabs my shirt from the floor and pulls it over her head, the hem falling to her mid-thigh, then reaches for her leggings.
