Page 13 of Tight End

“Brixton.” He pauses. “I didn’t realize you’d be in town today.”

“Yeah, well, we’re playing the Sun Arena tonight.” I can barely croak out the words through the lump in my throat. I’d told our manager when we were arranging tour dates that this date was to be avoided at all costs and that he needed to pull it from the schedule. But money talks, and once the dollar value of a sold-out Sun Arena show was calculated into the tour revenue figures, I was told it was going to be added on.

I haven’t been back to the Sun Arena since that night.

And to add insult to injury, I can’t spend the time I want with the two people on the planet who actually give a shit about me today because I have to relive the beginning of the nightmare all over again.

A flicker of a shadow eclipses his stoic look. “You’re playing a concert? Tonight?”

I bring a hand to the back of my neck and fist my hair. “Yeah, the record company added the extra date on the calendar.” I force my lips to curl upward. “Hey, do you want to comealong? You could stay in the VIP box and watch from there. It’s not loud and you’d have a great view?—”

“You really think I would want to go to some concert tonight?” His voice is incredulous, like I just suggested he paint his whole body blue.

“It wouldn’t be just some concert. It’d be me on stage.” I give my head a shake. “You’ve never seen one of my shows.”

He scoffs. “How can you even think of performing? Don’t you have any respect?”

A rush of breath expels from my lungs, the rejection slicing into my heart like a dagger with a searing hot blade. “It wasn’t my choice.”

“You’re the star, right? You don’t get a say?” he snaps.

“Richard,” Allie says, laying a hand on his arm. “Come on. You know he’s not trying to be disrespectful?—”

I hold up a hand at Allie. “No, it’s fine. I’ve got this.” Then I turn back to my father, my pulse hammering a hole in the side of my neck. “You think I don’t care? That I don’t miss him every day? That I don’t wish it had been meevery freaking day?”

“But it wasn’t.” Dad squares his shoulders. “And now he’s gone, even though he had such a full life here with his fiancée and his beautiful daughter.”

“So because I’m single, my life isn’t full and therefore, isn’t worth anything?” My eyes narrow into a glare at my father.

“You’ll never have what he did. You’re not the same.”

“Is this a dig because I’m gay? Or because I’m disrespectful? Or because I’m self-absorbed and locked in on my career?” I grit my teeth. “It’s always a new problem with you so forgive me for not being too swift on the uptake.”

Dad doesn’t say anything. Allie is stunned into silence. Hell, I don’t even hear either of them breathing.

Dad opens his mouth to say something but snaps it closedbefore the words are out. Doesn’t matter. His silence shouts volumes.

“I have to get going,” he mutters, slipping his feet into his shoes. He pulls on his jacket and moves past me. With a final nod at Allie, he opens the door and stomps out.

The door slams shut. My insides quake. Shit, I’m already to the point of damn near shattering. Why the hell couldn’t he have just made up a bullshit excuse about not being able to make it, like he normally does when I ask?

Today, he had to twist the knife.

I know it doesn’t help that I’m practically a carbon copy of Davis and my mom. I get that it must be hard to look at me and see everything he lost. But fuck, everything he still has stares right back at him. Why can’t he recognizethat?

Allie puts a hand on my back. “Don’t let him get to you. It’s a hard day for all of us. He just…” She sighs. “He just has the worst way of dealing with it.”

“He’s been like that toward me for my whole life. If he didn’t treat me like I was worthless, I’d be shocked to shit.”

Allie shoots me a look. “Language,” she hisses.

“Sorry.”

I sink to my knees next to where Julianna tore into the gift bags. Ruffling her hair, I nod at all the toys and wrapping paper that litters the floor. “Are you gonna help me clean that up?” I ask her.

“Yes, Unca Bix.”

Allie hands me a photo album. “Here, look at this. I put it together for Jules. What do you think?”

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