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“Hey, baby,” I breathe, and my heart settles just hearing her voice. “God, I missed your voice.”

“You saw the picture?”

“I’ve already made it my lock screen.”

She laughs, soft and happy, and I close my eyes for a second just to savor the sound.

“Tell me everything,” I say. “Every detail. Did Frankie cause a scene? Did Cherry break any spa rules?”

“Actually, Cherry was a queen,” Laney says, her voice lilting. “Pregnant, snarky, demanding. Exactly as advertised. Lexi’s a literal angel. And Frankie… well, Frankie made a scene without even trying. I think he almost proposed to the facialist.”

I grin and lean back into the chair, phone pressed tighter to my ear. “You sound better. Happier.”

“I am,” she says. “It got me out of my head. I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I was sitting there with them.”

“What was in your head?”

She’s quiet for a second, and then says softly, “I was just missing you. And… scared, I guess. That this is all too good to be true.”

The ache that stirs in my chest is fierce. I grip my thigh, grounding myself. “It’s not too good to be true, Laney,” I murmur. “It’s real. I love you. I’m in this. All the way.”

Her breath catches. “I love you, too.”

God. Every part of me hums. “When the tour’s done,” I say, “I want to go away with you. Just us. No schedule. No cameras. Just… you in my arms and nowhere we have to be, preferably someplace hot so you can walk around in a tiny bikini all day.”

She lets out this soft, content sigh that makes my gut tighten. “That sounds perfect.”

I glance toward the large window overlooking the tarmac. A sleek black jet waits under a cloudless sky, engines quiet, crew pacing in crisp uniforms. The Spanish leg of the tour is next. After that, London. Then the donor event.

“I needed this call,” I tell her. “More than I knew.”

“Me too,” she says. “It’s been a weird few days, but today… it felt like things might be okay.”

They will be, I want to promise her. But I can’t promise what I can’t control. What I can do is give her every damn part of me. “What are you doing with the rest of your day?”

“Not much,” she says. “Might work on some new commands with Merlyn. She almost mastered ‘roll over’ today.”

“Send me a video,” I say immediately. “I miss her. And you. Especially you.”

“I will,” she says gently.

I smile, slow and quiet. “You’d be proud. We’ve had record sign-ups for the kidney screening. Lucas called me this morning—he was almost in tears.”

“That’s incredible,” she says. “Eddie, I’m so proud of you. You’re doing something that matters.”

The warmth that floods my chest makes me sit forward, elbows on my knees, phone pressed tighter to my ear.

“That means everything coming from you.”

Footsteps sound behind me and I turn slightly, spotting Tasha cutting across the lounge like she’s on a runway. Tight black dress. Sky-high heels. A look on her face like she’s about to ruin someone’s day. Probably mine.

I straighten. I need to wrap this up before she slinks close enough for Laney to hear.

“I’ve gotta board soon,” I say, lowering my voice. “But I’ll call you after the show, alright?”

“Okay.”

“And baby…”