Her eyes came to him, her brows pulled together in question.
He nodded over to the stage. “Sing us a song like the old times.”
Her friend said something in her ear as her eyes drifted to the stage.
Then she took a long pull from the beer in her hand and gave him a thumbs up.
I watched like a fiend as she ducked between my brothers, making her way to the stage.
Banks offered her a hand as she climbed up the makeshift steps.
Grabbing the mic, she flipped the switch. “Bossy butt Bane wants a song. Y’all okay with that?”
Cheers rang out as Eagle handed her one of his old guitars he kept behind the bar.
She situated the mic onto the stand, then slipped the guitar strap over her shoulders.
She started strumming the cords, and instantly I recognized the tune.Carrie Underwood, Kingdom.
I couldn’t look away. She opened her mouth and belted out the words. She was like an angel.
Couples took to the floor, dancing close.
Bane cooked his finger at Frankie. With a big grin on her face, she came over and fell into his arms. He swayed her back and forth.
As she sang the words, I remembered how she used to play this song on repeat in my truck a million moons ago. I always thought that was going to be our life.
Her eyes found mine in the crowd, and I felt like she was singing right to me.
All too soon the song was over. “Happy, Coop Loop?”
“Yes!” he boomed, letting Frankie loose so she could go back to the table with her girls.
“Don’t give her a fucking choice,” Bane repeated, shrugging like it was as simple as that as he walked away, leaving me standing there with his words echoing in my head.
Don’t even give her a fucking choice.
Why did I want that more than anything else in the world? I missed her so goddamn much.
Fuck.
Sucking in a breath, I steeled myself and made my way across the room to the bar. My heart was pounding like I was about to walk into a fire fight, but I couldn’t stop myself.
I had to be near her. She was like a drug, and I needed a hit.
“How you doing, Songbird?” I asked, shoving my free hand into my jean pocket as I sidled up to her.
She turned to look at me, her blue eyes drawn in agony. “Fine,” she said softly.
Fuck. Roxy was right. Just being near me was hurting her.
Before I could tell her that I was sorry, that I never meant to hurt her, the phone in her hand started ringing. She glanced down at the screen and her face immediately darkened.
“Hello?” she answered cautiously, but almost immediately her expression shifted to anger. “Stop calling me, creep!” shesnapped, pulling the phone away from her ear and stabbing the red button.
“Another call?” her friend asked as Hattie shoved the phone back into her back pocket.
What the fuck?Another?
