I played the video.
Dylan looked like he was in a hotel room and had just woken up. To the camera, he said, “Hey, to my niece, Carly! Happy Birthday!”
“It’s not even with the band.” Birdie motioned to the phone.
“He called her his niece, that’s gonna be huge for her,” Bailey assured her.
“Where is he?” I squinted, thinking I saw a reflection of an arm in the bed beside him.
“New York. He’s recording.”
He was always in New York or Los Angeles recording, or he was on tour. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him in person. Not that I cared. If it were up to me, I’d never lay eyes on Dylan Hart again. He put zero effort into his relationship with Birdie, and it really pissed me off. He promised her the world and delivered her a sidewalk at best. My sister was too forgiving.
“Well, you can talk to him tomorrow.”
Birdie’s new bridal line was being featured inThe Vow, and the photo shoot was tomorrow at the boutique. Dylan was flying in for it so they could get a photo together for the interview.
“Oh, he’s not coming,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean, he’s not coming?” Bailey and I both gave each other another look.
“Some producer he’s been waiting to work with is only in town tomorrow, so he can’t fly in.”
I wanted to shake my sister and ask why she put up with his behavior. He constantly made promises he never kept. I couldn’t remember the last time he followed through with anything.
The two had been dating off and on since high school. And from the very beginning, Dylan was just not good enough for Birdie. Plain and simple. Rock star or not. He’d always struck me as an insecure guy who needed the spotlight and adoration of others. Granted, he’d been able to get that adoration, but I worried what would happen when it eventually faded.
I wasn’t even convinced he liked my sister, let alone loved her. I honestly believed the only reason Dylan was still with Birdie was because of the optics. His only number ones were written abouther. His fans knew she was Birdie from “Morning Star,” “Love in My Scars,” and “Price of my Luck.” And his first breakout hit, the song that made his career and was still the band’s top selling and streaming money maker, “My Little Birdie,” had her name in the title. His entire career was built on those love songs. She was his muse.
Even I had to admit, his songs were beautiful. It was too bad he was such an asshat.
Their relationship inspired hundreds of thousands of TikTok edits. Fans found high school photos all the way up to the current day of the two of them. But I hadn’teverseen Dylan take any interest in Birdie, the person. Not since he was trying to get together with her, that is. And I had always believed that his interest in her had more to do with his cousin/best friend being in love with her than with Dylan actually caring about her, but I’d never shared that opinion with my sister.
My phone buzzed with an alarm indicating it was time to go.
“Gotta go.”
“Where?” Birdie asked.
“I have a date," I explained.
Thanks to my stalking, I’d totally forgotten about my date tonight, but when I was upstairs hibernating in my old room, I got my calendar reminder. I almost cancelled, but it was a concert at a venue I liked, and I figured, might as well get back up on that horse.
“Are you seriously not going to go over and talk to Adam?” Bailey’s eyes were as big as flying saucers.
“I will.”Maybe. “Later. I’ll let him get settled.”
Birdie and Bailey both stared at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You guys were so close,” Birdie ventured softly. “You were like best friends.”
“Twenty years ago,” I reminded them. “I haven’t seen him intwentyyears.”
They both just continued staring at me. Frustration bubbled up inside of me. If they knew what happened, that we’d kissed, no, more than kissed, and then he left and never spoke to me, maybe they wouldn’t be looking at me like I was somehow the bad guy in this. They always had loved him though, worshippedhim, really. I didn’t blame them. I didn’t have to defend my actions to them.
“I have a date.” I stood and grabbed my purse.
