Page 49 of The Drummer's Heart

My body trembled with rage. That was it.Why don’t you have another drink?That’s what caused me to snap. My chair skidded against the wood floor as I stood, my glass shattering to the ground. I grabbed him by the neck, dragged him over to the wall, and slammed him against it.

I squeezed his neck and spat, “Go ahead. Say it again. Tell me to have another drink.”

Two men rushed over and pulled me off of him. When one of them threatened to call the cops if I didn’t immediately leavethe bar, I decided I couldn’t risk staying. Mimi had relatives who were cops in this town. She’d find out what happened. Then what?

So I left without so much as looking at Julian again, secretly thankful that they’d stopped me. Because I really would have hurt him.

I debated how to explain to Nicole what I’d done—or almost did—on the ride home. What I’dwishedI’d done to him. My behavior certainly wasn’t going to score me any points.

Ashamed, I wasn’t ready to face her. So I detoured to my sister’s first. I needed to decompress.

“You look like shit,” Tina said when she opened the door.

“Yeah. I feel like it.” I followed her to the kitchen. “Are any of the kids here?”

“No.”

“Good.”

I didn’t want my niece or nephews to know about today. I always tried to set a good example for them, even if Kieran had gotten a taste of my bad behavior when he toured with us.

“What happened, Atticus? Is it Mimi?”

I shook my head.

My sister wasn’t surprised one bit after I explained what had gone down at the bar. Thankfully, she and I were on the same page.

“That guy had some damn nerve coming here to stir up trouble. I wish youhadknocked his teeth out.”

Andthat’swhy I loved my sister.

I nodded. “Me, too.”

“But no skin off your back. You got out of there, and no one was killed. Why are you still so down?”

I rubbed my temples. “I don’t have a lot of time left here with Nicole and Mimi. I guess I hoped that somehow Nicole and I would’ve reconnected more by now. But I take two steps backevery time we make some progress, making things worse each day. Not to mention, Julian coming back reminded me that he’s not out of the picture. He’ll have the home court advantage.” I tugged on my hair. “I don’t know what to do.”

Tina poured me a glass of water, sat down, and slid it across the table. “If the love wasn’t still there, it would be easy, you know? The reason things have been so tense for you is because it’s very much still alive. And I wish more than anything that I could convince Nicole to see things differently, to give you another chance, but it has to come from her. She has to be ready for that.”

“I know.” I sighed deeply. “That’s the thing. I’m not sure she’ll ever accept what happened. And I can’t blame her.”

“Don’t give up hope, not as long as you’re both still alive.”

I reached for her hand. I’d give anything to bring her husband, Brian, back for her. I sighed. “The reality is…I think I need to focus exclusively on Mimi for the rest of this trip and stop thinking there’s any other reason Nicole invited me here. Because I’m setting myself up for major disappointment.”

“Well, you’d better be spending some time withusbefore you leave town. The kids will never forgive you if you don’t.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing them. Freaks me out that they’re all adults now, though.” I chuckled.

It was dark by the time I left my sister’s.

Once I got back to the house, the first thing I did was peek in on Mimi. Thankfully she was sleeping soundly. Then I walked into the kitchen to find Nicole sitting with a cup of tea.

Her expression was sullen, and she wouldn’t look up at me. “Where were you all this time?”

“It took me a while to find Julian, and then I went to my sister’s after I left the bar.”

She nodded.

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