I reach across the table and entwine our fingers. “That’swhyI didn’t rat you out, Trouble. I admired that courage. That strength of will. A girl going it alone against all odds to fight for her dream. You still got that old guitar somewhere?”
“It has a special place in my penthouse in Nashville. Right next to my wall of platinum records and my award shelves.”
“You deserve each and every one of them.”
“But awards don’t make the place feel like home.” She shakes her red curls as if trying to shake off unwanted thoughts. “Bad shit might’ve happened to me if I made it on the road as a runaway girl. Thank fuck you stopped me with your silly pact.”
“It was a genius move.”
“Genius? Pah.” She softly kicks my shin under the table. “You just promised you’d go to Nashville with me when we were eighteen,” she teases.
“And I forced you to teach me to play the guitar, too.” I turn our hands over, my thumb tracing the lines of her palm. “I wanted to stop you from doing something brash. Reckoned I had to give you a reason to stay. Make you realize you have an ally in Redbird Creek. Then I saw yourguitar and it was the only way I could think to connect with a girl I never met before.”
“I admit that bit was clever, especially for a teen boy. And if I’m super honest, I was relieved I didn’t have to go through with runnin’ away by my lonesome self. I was scared shitless.”
My chin dips. “I know.”
“You always read me like an open book.” She laughs shyly. “Felt great to have someone to share my passion with and I enjoyed teaching you. You took to it so quickly.”
“Cause you’re a good teacher.”
“No, it was your natural talent. Until this day, I never met somebody else who picked up on playin’ the guitar as fast as you. And your voice…” A dreamy sigh escapes her. “I couldn’t believe my ears when I first heard you sing.”
Heat washes over my face. “You’re blowing smoke up my ass.”
“I’m not! I thought you had a CD player hidden somewhere and you were lip-syncing. You sounded like an early Johnny Cash record! People spend thousands on voice coaches and singing lessons and never get half as good as you were from the get-go. And no other voice has ever fit mine as seamlessly as yours, Big Guy.”
My heart stutters. I’ve never had a nickname before and I love this one.Big Guy. She says it with so much affection.
“We were good together, Trouble.”
“The best.” Her breath hitches. “Why did you break up with me, Rust?” She speaks too fast, the words tumbling from her tongue like a rockslide.
Her question rips right through me, breaking my heart wide open.
Pain etches on her face, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I said I don’t wanna dig up the past. Onthe drive here, I promised myself I wouldn’t ask. But sittin’ with you in this house full of memories, after what happened in the shower… I gotta know. In Vegas, did I do something wrong? Was it something I said that made you leave?”
I wanna tell her the truth. Lord, I do. But she’s still working with Dalton and I’m sure his threat is as real as it was in that motel parking lot twelve years ago. He’ll ruin Tally’s career if she hears about the blackmail.
“It was never your fault. It was mine. I was holding you back,” I mumble. It’s one part of the truth, at least.
“What?” She gasps like a fish on land.
“I didn’t have what it takes. You were born a star. I’m just a small-town son of a cowboy who likes to sing.”
She slaps the table. “No, you’re actually an idiot! I didn’t wanna make it without you.”
I give a sad smile. “And that’s exactly why I had to let you go. I knew coming back here would’ve killed you, but you’d never choose your career over our relationship. You’re not that selfish.”
Gradual understanding paints her expression. “You were tryin’ to do what was best for me…”
“And I’m sorry I ended up hurting you. If you’re angry, I get it.”
She swallows hard. “I’m not mad.”
“Not even a little? I deserve it.”
She pinches her fingers. “A tiny bit. You meant well, but you didn’t have the right to make that decision for me.”
