"Come here," he said softly, his words as unneeded as hers as he guided her to the bed. Sitting up against the headboard, he eased her onto his lap and nestled her against his body. Pressing a kiss onto her forehead, he whispered, "I love you" against her skin.

Rory didn't ask if Pippa were ready. He knew on some level that there was no ready in facing what she was trying to face. All she could do was try.

So he breathed in and exhaled the first words of the first verse. Not needing to pitch his voice to stand up to the band's instruments, he let his rich baritone go low and warm, caressing and intimate. For her and her alone.