Loving Dallas(33)

She slaps my hand away when I reach for her. “No. No, we’re done with that. Do not touch me. You could’ve cost me my job tonight, riling me up with your jealous macho crap. And I am so done.”

“Robyn,” I call out, pulling at her waist before she twists out of my arms. “Listen to me. That’s not how it was.”

“How was it then? Tell me. Because I feel cheap, and used, and played. And I do not deserve that.”

“You’re right.” I nod like a f*cking bobblehead. “You don’t. I swear to God, making you feel that way was not my intention.” I sit on my bed and look up at her. Her pain is mine now, and it’s weighing heavy on my chest. I hurt her, deeply, and I’d kick my own ass if I knew how.

“Then why, Dallas? Why say those awful things to me? Because it sure seemed like you meant them.”

I clear my throat and give her the most honest answer that I can.

“Because I got caught up. I was worried that he wanted you here so he could use his authority over you and pull with your company to take advantage. I should’ve just confronted him myself instead of telling you. But we used to tell each other everything and old habits are hard to break.”

“Well, get un-caught-up. Just stay out of it from now on, okay?” She takes a shaky breath that throws me off balance. “Just stay out of my personal and professional business and worry about you.”

“Ask me anything, Robyn. Ask me to back off, to keep my hands to myself, to stop wanting to pummel every guy who looks at you sideways. I can’t make any promises, but I can try. But please, babe, don’t ask me not to care. Because I can’t not care about you. I’ve tried. I failed. I will always care. And anytime I see someone who I think might try to hurt you in any way, I probably won’t be able to stop myself from stepping in even if you don’t want me there.”

For a split second I see something in her eyes that makes me think she’s going to say she understands. That’s she’ll try to be patient with me because I’m a jackass and she knows I can’t help it.

But then her expression hardens and her shoulders stiffen and she shakes her head.

“When you get up on that stage, Dallas, I am so proud of you. I remember watching you play at dive bars and catfish weighins and wherever else they would let you. I knew from the first time I saw you play that you were something special. I couldn’t wait for the rest of the world to see it. And now that they do, I am so honored to get to be a part of that. But I need you to at least respect my job even if you don’t think it’s as important as yours. I may not get up on a stage night after night, but I work really hard, too. And it would’ve been really nice if you could’ve been proud of me back.”

“Robyn—”

“Don’t. I acted like a psycho in front of a client tonight because I let you get in my head. That’s not okay, Dallas. Just leave me be. You focus on your career and I’ll focus on mine. Got it?”

She doesn’t even wait for my answer.

After she walks out, I toss a chair against the wall and watch it splinter into pieces. For the rest of the night I feel even more alone than I did before she came by to yell at me.

She’s right. We can’t do this second-chance romance shit right now. We both have careers to focus on and neither of us can afford to get caught up in something that could cost us everything we’ve worked for.

Just because I know she’s right doesn’t mean I have to like it.

My phone rings sometime around sunrise. The bus isn’t moving so I assume we made it to North Carolina. Glancing over on the nightstand that’s strapped to the wall, I find my phone and see my sister’s face on the screen.

Sitting up, I slide the bar to accept her call. “Hey, Dixie. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?” I can hear the challenge in her voice. She’s pissed and she has every right to be. I’m two-for-two then where women are concerned.

“Oh . . . I don’t know. Did you know Robyn was going to be on this tour with me?”

My sister sighs loudly, which means yes, she did.

“Sorry, big brother. It didn’t exactly come up and I wasn’t sure how you’d respond if I dropped it on you at the last minute. Seemed like it might be best to just let you find out on your own. Kind of like how you knew Gavin was in town and not on the unsigned artists tour with you and you kept it to yourself, I suppose.”

She’s got me there. And now I know why she sounds pissed. “I’m sorry. It just wasn’t my truth to tell, you know?”

“I do know. And ditto, I guess.”

I run a hand through my hair and lean back on my headboard. “Can you tell me something else, though? Something important? Even if you think it will hurt my feelings.”

“I can try.”

“Am I an *? Be straight with me, Dix.”

“Dallas,” she scoffs at me. “What kind of question is that?”

“If a guy’s sister can’t call him out for being an *, who can?”

“I don’t think you are—not really anyway. You might impersonate one from time to time, but I think we both know there’s more going on beneath the surface. But it doesn’t really matter what I think. Why do you ask?”

“Do you think I’ve been terrible to Robyn?”